Compare
Four ways to buy software work, compared fairly.
Each way of buying software has a place. What differs is when money moves, who decides what done means, and who checks the work before you see it.
Pay first
Advance, then milestones
- Week 0
- Advance paid
- Week 3
- Milestone paid
- Weeks 3 to 5
- Work first seen
- Week 6
- Final payment
2good.dev
Pay after you accept
- Weeks 1 to 5
- Increments you can see and test
- Week 5
- Accepted against the specification
- Week 6
- Invoice raised
Illustrative. Real timings depend on the work.
Side by side
The questions that matter most.
2GOOD.DEV ORAn agency on a fixed price
A fixed price agency asks for an advance and milestone payments against a quoted scope. 2good bills hours in blocks and invoices only after you accept the work.
READ2GOOD.DEV ORFreelance marketplaces
A marketplace gives you an individual, usually paid hourly or by milestone through escrow. 2good gives you a small team with review, testing and project management in every block.
READ2GOOD.DEV ORHiring in house
Hiring gives you people who stay, at the cost of recruiting, salaries, notice periods and management. 2good gives you a team per block, paid after acceptance, that you can start and stop.
READ
At a glance
Where each model puts the risk.
Typical arrangements. Individual firms and freelancers vary, so check the terms in front of you.
| Question | An agency on a fixed price | A freelance marketplace | Hiring in house | 2good.dev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before work starts | Usually an advance | Escrow or hourly | Recruiting and notice periods | Nothing |
| When you pay | Advance plus milestones | Hourly or milestone escrow | Monthly salaries | After you accept the work |
| What done means | The agency's scope document | Agreed with one person | Set by your own team | A signed specification you test against |
| Review, QA and PM | Often priced in, sometimes extra | Up to you | Needs senior hires | Inside every block |
| Who does the work | The agency team | One person, sometimes a few | Whoever you hired | Junior, mid, senior, QA and PM in set proportions |
| Commitment | The quoted project | Per contract | Employment | One block of 150 hours at a time |
| Cost when work is quiet | Depends on the contract | None | Salaries continue | No block, no bill |
Before work starts
2good.devNothing
- An agency on a fixed price
- Usually an advance
- A freelance marketplace
- Escrow or hourly
- Hiring in house
- Recruiting and notice periods
When you pay
2good.devAfter you accept the work
- An agency on a fixed price
- Advance plus milestones
- A freelance marketplace
- Hourly or milestone escrow
- Hiring in house
- Monthly salaries
What done means
2good.devA signed specification you test against
- An agency on a fixed price
- The agency's scope document
- A freelance marketplace
- Agreed with one person
- Hiring in house
- Set by your own team
Review, QA and PM
2good.devInside every block
- An agency on a fixed price
- Often priced in, sometimes extra
- A freelance marketplace
- Up to you
- Hiring in house
- Needs senior hires
Who does the work
2good.devJunior, mid, senior, QA and PM in set proportions
- An agency on a fixed price
- The agency team
- A freelance marketplace
- One person, sometimes a few
- Hiring in house
- Whoever you hired
Commitment
2good.devOne block of 150 hours at a time
- An agency on a fixed price
- The quoted project
- A freelance marketplace
- Per contract
- Hiring in house
- Employment
Cost when work is quiet
2good.devNo block, no bill
- An agency on a fixed price
- Depends on the contract
- A freelance marketplace
- None
- Hiring in house
- Salaries continue
Start with a conversation
Tell us what you want built. We will tell you plainly whether it fits.
The first conversation is free. You get a rough size in hours, the tier that suits the work, and what a first 150 hour block would cover.
Or get a ballpark proposal in two minutes