How much is your current engineering setup costing you?
US In-House Cost
$547,000
over 12 months
Base: $175,000/yr
Benefits (28%): $49,000
Recruiting (20%): $35,000
Onboarding: $14,500
Freelancer Cost
$375,360 - $552,000
over 12 months
$85-$125/hr + 15% overhead
Your savings with Alta Marea
$218,800 - $328,200
over 12 months
$18,233 - $27,350/mo
40-60% savings vs US fully-loaded cost
Need a scoped project instead of ongoing engineers? We also work on a project basis with fixed-scope engagements, which often means even larger savings since you pay for the deliverable, not the headcount. Book a diagnostic to get a project-based quote.
Benchmarks based on Glassdoor/Levels.fyi salary data, SHRM benefits surveys, and industry-standard recruiting fee ranges. Your diagnostic delivers exact pricing tailored to your stack and timeline.
The full picture, beyond cost
Saving money only matters if the work is better. Here is how Alta Marea compares on every dimension that affects your product velocity.
| Alta Marea | US Senior Engineer | Fiverr / Upwork | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior-only, vetted engineers | Varies | ||
| Production-ready in days | 45-90 day ramp | ||
| AI-enhanced development workflow | |||
| Full US business-hours overlap | |||
| IP protection and NDA from Day 1 | Limited | ||
| Zero recruiting or HR overhead | |||
| Month-to-month, cancel anytime | |||
| Outcome accountability | |||
| Scales up or down instantly | |||
| Consistent codebase knowledge | |||
| No bench substitutions | |||
| Satisfaction guarantee |
Ready to see your exact savings?
These are industry benchmarks. In a 30-minute diagnostic, we will map your stack, scope the engagement, and give you a precise quote you can take to your team.