What to Expect When Working with a Freelance Developer

The relationship matters

I've worked with developers as a product manager at Thomson Reuters Foundation. I've also been the freelance developer building platforms for founders. Both perspectives taught me what makes these relationships work - and what makes them painful.

What good looks like

Communication is direct. When you work with a freelancer, you talk to the person doing the work. No account managers translating messages, no project coordinators scheduling meetings. Questions get answered quickly because there's no game of telephone.

On Athletic AbhyAn, Abhy and I talked through problems on drives to cricket matches. On Ssanjha Space, Sukriti could message me directly when something didn't feel right. That directness speeds everything up.

Scope evolves naturally. The best projects I've done started with one brief and ended somewhere better. Athletic AbhyAn was supposed to be "a landing page" - it became a full platform with CMS and brand redesign because that's what they actually needed.

A rigid spec would have delivered worse results. Good freelancers adapt based on what they learn.

You see the work in progress. Regular check-ins, preview links, working builds. You shouldn't wait until the end to see what you're getting.

Red flags to watch for

No questions asked. If a developer accepts your brief without asking anything, they're either not thinking or not listening. Complex projects always have ambiguity.

Unrealistic timelines. "I can build that in a week" for something that should take six weeks isn't confidence - it's naivety or desperation. Both are problems.

Vague pricing. You should understand what you're paying for. "It depends" is fine as a starting point, but eventually you need actual numbers with clear scope.

Resistance to milestones. Good developers welcome structured progress checks. It protects both parties. If someone won't agree to payment tied to deliverables, wonder why.

What you should bring

Know your goals, not just your features. "I need a contact form" is less useful than "I need potential clients to reach me easily." The goal helps us find the right solution.

Be available for feedback. Build review points into your calendar. Waiting until the end to provide feedback creates expensive rework.

Trust the expertise you're paying for. If a developer suggests something different from what you asked for, hear them out. They might see something you don't.

The payment question

Standard practice: 50% deposit, 50% on completion. For larger projects, milestone-based payments give both parties security.

Be wary of freelancers who want full payment upfront. But also respect that asking for no deposit suggests desperation or inexperience.

After launch

Discuss maintenance before the project ends. How will bugs be handled? What about small updates? Is there a retainer option?

The best working relationships don't end at launch. They evolve into ongoing partnerships. My best clients aren't one-time projects - they're people who come back because the first experience worked.

That's the goal: building something good together, not just completing a transaction.