Fixed-Pricevs.Hourly:WhichContractStructureProtectsYourProject?

Fixed-price billing protects you from cost overrun on a well-defined scope — you know the number upfront, and it's the developer's responsibility to deliver within it. This works best when requirements are genuinely settled, because a fixed price is only as reliable as the scope document it's tied to — a vague scope with a fixed price attached is a recipe for disputes about what's included.

Fixed-price work in this category commonly starts from USD 500 for a tightly scoped project, structured around milestone payments rather than a single lump sum, which also protects you by tying payment to actual progress.

Hourly billing protects you from paying for scope you didn't actually need — if requirements are still evolving (common for a true first MVP being shaped by early user feedback), hourly work lets you adjust direction without renegotiating a fixed contract every time. Hourly billing in this category runs USD 25–45/hr with a 10-hour minimum, typically invoiced on a regular cycle so you can track spend as you go.

The trade-off is that hourly requires more active engagement from you to track progress against value delivered — it works best paired with regular written updates so you always know what the hours have gone toward.

If you can write down the 3-5 things a user must be able to do and you're confident that list won't change, fixed-price is usually the better fit. If you genuinely don't know yet — because you're still learning from users, or the project is exploratory — hourly gives you the flexibility to adjust without friction. Some engagements start hourly during a discovery phase and shift to fixed-price once scope solidifies, which is a reasonable middle path.