# App369 vs a freelancer vs an agency > What App369 charges for a defined job, from a $450 bug diagnosis, compared with hiring a freelancer or an agency, and when App369 is the wrong pick. Canonical: https://app369.com/compare/app369-vs-freelancer-vs-agency/ Last updated: 2026-11-07 What App369 charges for a defined job, how that compares with hiring a freelancer or an agency, and when App369 is the wrong pick. Last reviewed November 7, 2026 by [Simon Dziak](https://app369.com/about/szymon-dziak/). Disclosure: App369 is a one-person studio that sells fixed-price work, so it is one of the options compared here. For the general comparison, see [agency vs freelancer](https://app369.com/compare/agency-vs-freelancer/) and [in-house vs agency](https://app369.com/compare/inhouse-vs-agency/). ## **Short answer** Pick a freelancer for a small, clear job you can manage yourself. Pick an agency when you need several people working at once. Pick App369 for a defined job from one senior developer at a listed price, such as a $450 diagnosis or a $950 Stripe setup, and expect the same one-person risk as a freelancer. ## **When not to pick App369** - You need several developers working at the same time, or a designer, QA and a project manager on the team. That is an agency's job. - You need enterprise procurement: vendor onboarding, a team on call, or a supplier with staff to cover holidays. - Your bug is small and clear and your budget is very small. A low-cost marketplace gig is fine for that. The App369 diagnosis fits when the cause is unknown, or when the bug touches sign-in, payments or data. - You want open-ended hourly work with no defined scope. App369 sells defined jobs at set prices. Head to head ## **App369, a freelancer and an agency side by side** | Factor | App369 | Freelancer | Agency | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Who does the work** | Simon Dziak, himself | The person you hire, sometimes with subcontractors | A team, usually with a project manager | | **How you pay** | A fixed price per offer, paid upfront. Larger builds are quoted after a $450 scoping | Hourly or per project, set by the seller | A quote, with milestones or a retainer | | **Price for a defined job** | Listed: a bug diagnosis is $450, a Stripe setup $950 | Varies by seller; one agency publishes $50 to $150 an hour | Varies; the same agency publishes $120 to $250 or more an hour | | **Who manages it** | You and Simon, in writing | Usually you | The agency's project manager | | **If that person is unavailable** | The work waits, but the code lives in your repository from day one, so another developer can take over | The work waits; it depends on where the code lives | Often another team member can step in, depending on the contract | | **Who owns the code** | You, once paid, on the fixed-price offers | What your written contract says | What your written contract says | The hourly ranges are what sellers publish, not survey data: [Chop Dawg](https://www.chopdawg.com/freelance-developer-vs-app-development-agency-an-honest-comparison/), an agency, publishes them. Compare written quotes for the same scope rather than hourly rates. Prices ## **What App369 charges** App369 lists a fixed price for each defined job, and you pay it upfront. Larger builds start with a $450 scoping, then a written quote. | **Job** | **Listed price** | | --- | --- | | [App Fix Ticket](https://app369.com/fixed-price/flutter-firebase-bug-fix/) | Diagnosis $450, then $1,200 for the fix | | [AI-Built App Rescue](https://app369.com/fixed-price/ai-app-rescue/) | Launch Check $450, then a Rescue Sprint at $1,950 ($1,500 after the Launch Check credit) | | [Stripe Billing Fix and Setup](https://app369.com/fixed-price/stripe-billing-setup/) | $950 | | [Firebase Security Rules Audit + Fix PR](https://app369.com/fixed-price/firebase-security-rules-audit/) | $950 | | [Firebase Cost-Cut Audit](https://app369.com/fixed-price/firebase-cost-audit/) | $750 | | [API Integration](https://app369.com/fixed-price/api-integration/) | $1,200 | | [AI Feature or Agent Build](https://app369.com/fixed-price/ai-feature-development/) | $2,500 | | [Web App MVP Sprint](https://app369.com/fixed-price/web-app-mvp/) | from $6,000, after a $450 scoping | | [Custom CRM Build](https://app369.com/fixed-price/custom-crm-build/) | from $6,000, after a $450 scoping | | [Monthly Dev Subscription](https://app369.com/fixed-price/monthly-dev-subscription/) | Starter $1,495/month, Studio $3,995/month | Full refund if Simon can’t take it on once he sees your project, or if you cancel before work starts. Full terms: [refunds, Terms of Service section 7](https://app369.com/terms-of-service/#refunds). Mobile apps and other work not listed here are quoted after a look at the project; see [all fixed-price offers](https://app369.com/fixed-price/). Risk ## **The risk of one developer, and what protects you** App369 carries the same single-person risk as a freelancer: Simon does the work himself, and there is no backup team. If he is ill or unavailable, your job waits. What limits that risk is where the work lives. The code is in your repository and your accounts from day one, not on Simon's machine, so another developer can take over. An App Fix Ticket fix arrives as a pull request with a regression test and handover notes, and other fixed-price work arrives as a pull request with notes, so the next person can see what changed and why. Whoever you hire, check that your company owns the repository, the store accounts, the cloud project and the domain. The [free app handover checklist](https://app369.com/tools/app-handover-checklist/) lists what to collect for your stack. Ownership ## **Who owns the code** Paying for software does not by itself make you its copyright owner. The US Copyright Office explains that a commissioned work counts as made for hire only if it falls in one of nine listed categories and both sides sign a written agreement saying so; otherwise the person who made it is the author ([Circular 30, Works Made for Hire](https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ30.pdf)). So get ownership in writing from any freelancer or agency you hire. On App369's fixed-price offers, the code, videos and files delivered belong to you once paid. This page is not legal advice. Questions ## **Frequently asked questions** ### **Should I hire a freelancer or an agency to build my app?** Hire a freelancer for a small, clear job you can manage yourself, and an agency when the app needs several people at once, such as design, backend, mobile and QA. A one-person studio like App369 fits a defined job with a known scope; a large multi-role build is an agency's job. ### **Freelancer, agency or fixed-price studio for a small app project?** For a small project with a clear scope, a freelancer or a fixed-price studio both fit. A freelancer is often the lowest cost; a fixed-price studio gives you the total before work starts. An agency usually adds coordination a small project does not need. ### **How much does a freelance app developer cost compared with an agency?** It depends on the seller, and the published figures come from sellers. One agency, Chop Dawg, publishes $50 to $150 an hour for freelancers and $120 to $250 or more for agencies. App369 lists a price per job instead, for example a $450 diagnosis or a $950 Stripe setup. Compare what each quote covers, not only the number. ### **Is a fixed-price developer better than an hourly freelancer on Upwork?** A fixed price suits a job you can define in writing, because you know the total before work starts. It is not always cheaper. Work outside the agreed scope is quoted separately, so for open-ended or changing work, hourly can fit better. ### **I have one bug to fix. Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?** For a small, clear bug, a low-cost freelancer gig is fine. The App369 App Fix Ticket, a $450 diagnosis then $1,200 for a tested fix, fits when the cause is unknown or the bug touches sign-in, payments or data. An agency is rarely worth it for a single bug. ### **What are the risks of a freelance developer compared with an agency?** The main risk is one person: if they are ill, busy or leave, the work stops, and there may be no one to review their code. App369 carries the same one-person risk. What reduces it, with anyone you hire, is keeping the code in your own repository and accounts from day one. ### **Who owns the code when I hire a developer?** Paying alone does not make you the copyright owner. The US Copyright Office's Circular 30 explains that a commissioned work counts as made for hire only if it falls in one of nine listed categories and both sides sign a written agreement saying so; otherwise the person who made it is the author. So get ownership in writing. On App369's fixed-price offers, the delivered code and files belong to you once paid. ### **Should I use an Upwork or Fiverr freelancer or a small studio to fix my app?** Marketplaces give you a wide choice of sellers and the platform's dispute process, which suits small, clear fixes. A small studio suits a problem whose cause is unknown or that spans several parts of the app. App369 also sells on Fiverr and Upwork, so you can hire it through either. ### **Is it safe to hire a one-person studio instead of an agency?** It can be, with safeguards: keep the code in your own repository, keep your own accounts, get each change as a pull request you can review, and get written terms for price, scope and refunds. The risk that remains is that one person can be unavailable, and App369 has that risk too. ### **What happens if Simon is unavailable in the middle of a job?** The work waits until he is back, because App369 has no backup team. The code lives in your repository from day one, so another developer can take over if you need them to. ### **Is App369 better than a freelancer or an agency?** Not for every job. It fits a defined job you want done by one senior developer at a listed price. It is the wrong pick if you need several developers at once, enterprise procurement, or the lowest possible price for a small, clear task. ### **What does App369 charge compared with a freelancer or an agency?** App369 lists a fixed price per job, paid upfront: a bug diagnosis is $450, a Stripe billing setup $950, and a web app MVP starts from $6,000 after a $450 scoping. Freelancers and agencies usually quote per hour or per project, so ask each for a written quote for the same scope. Fiverr reviews / 95 on app work ## **What buyers said about this kind of work** [**Read 126 of the 127 reviews **](https://app369.com/reviews/) - - - ### **Read the whole story** - [Sixteen five-star reviews from one buyer: mobile apps, app design and a Shopify store](https://app369.com/case-studies/fiverr/mobile-apps-and-a-shopify-store-for-one-buyer/) (Mark, United States) - [A large custom app build, delivered on the back end and the front end](https://app369.com/case-studies/fiverr/large-custom-app-build/) (A buyer in the United States) ## **Prefer a fixed price?** Fixed scope, fixed price, paid upfront. The work happens in writing; no call needed. - [**App Fix Ticket**from $450One reproducible bug in an existing mobile or web app, diagnosed and fixed.](https://app369.com/fixed-price/flutter-firebase-bug-fix/) - [**Stripe Billing Fix and Setup**$950Subscriptions, webhooks, customer portal and failed payments set up or fixed, tested in Stripe test mode.](https://app369.com/fixed-price/stripe-billing-setup/) - [**Web App MVP Sprint**from $6,000A scoped web app MVP in Vue/Nuxt or React, with a fixed quote after a $450 written scoping.](https://app369.com/fixed-price/web-app-mvp/) Start here ## **Have a defined job? Start from its listed price.** Each fixed-price offer lists the scope, the price and the delivery time. Prefer to talk first? Consultations are $100 per 15 minutes, paid upfront. [**See fixed-price offers **→](https://app369.com/fixed-price/) [**Book a Consultation**](https://app369.com/service/consultations/)