No platform cut
Freelance marketplaces add 20–50% on top of the engineer. Work direct and that markup goes into the build instead of a middleman.
Why work direct
Cut out the middleman.
Platforms and agencies sit between you and the people doing the work — and charge you for the privilege. Going direct removes the markup, the handoffs, and the finger-pointing.
Senior-only, no juniors
The senior developer who scopes your project builds it, with more senior engineers added for larger work. No juniors learning on your budget, no offshore team behind the curtain.
Talk to your developer
No account manager relaying messages. You speak directly with the senior developer writing your code — faster decisions, fewer mistranslations.
Full accountability
When something breaks, there is no platform to appeal to and no agency pointing fingers. We own it end to end.
You own everything
Code and infrastructure live in your accounts from day one. No lock-in, nothing held hostage on a marketplace.
Pay sprint by sprint
We never charge upfront. Review each two-week sprint and pay only if you are happy — real protection without an escrow middleman.
What a platform really costs
You're paying for the middle layer.
On a marketplace, a slice of every invoice goes to the platform — often 20% or more — for matching and payments you could arrange in a single email. With an agency, you also fund account managers, sales teams, and a bench of juniors between you and the senior who actually delivers.
Hiring direct, none of that exists. You pay for senior engineering and the infrastructure to ship it — nothing else. The same budget buys more of the thing you actually wanted: the build.
Side by side
You vs the alternatives.
Same project, three ways to buy it. Here's what changes depending on who sits between you and the people writing the code.
| How they compare | The Yellow Labs | Freelance marketplaces | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | The senior developer who scoped it | Whoever wins the bid | Senior sells, juniors build |
| Platform cut / markup | None | ~20% + service fees | Agency overhead baked in |
| Direct access | Straight to the builders | Sometimes | Through an account manager |
| Seniority | Senior-only | Mixed, hard to verify | Varies by who's free |
| Accountability | Your developer, end to end | Marketplace mediates disputes | Spread across the org |
| You own the code | Yours from day one | Varies by contract | Usually, eventually |
| Payment risk | Sprint by sprint, nothing upfront | Escrow / upfront deposit | Upfront or milestones |
Questions
Working direct, answered.
Can I work with senior engineers without a freelance marketplace?
Yes. You can work with a software studio directly — no marketplace account, no platform fee, no bidding. You email us, we scope the work, and we build it. The marketplaces are optional middlemen, not a requirement.
Is it safe to work with a studio directly?
Yes — often safer. We never charge upfront and work in two-week sprints; you review each sprint and only pay if you're happy. That's stronger protection than a marketplace deposit, and there's no third party deciding disputes.
How is working direct cheaper than a marketplace or agency?
Freelance marketplaces add a markup of roughly 20–50% on top of the engineer, and agencies layer on account managers and overhead. Working with the studio directly, you pay for senior engineering — not the marketplace fee or the agency pyramid.
Will I still get senior engineers, not juniors?
Always. The same senior engineers who scope your project write the code. We never hand work to juniors, and there is no offshore team behind the curtain.
Who owns the code when we work together?
You do — code and infrastructure, in your accounts, from day one. No platform lock-in, no leverage held over you, nothing trapped behind a marketplace.
No platform · No upfront
Ready to work with the people who actually build it?
Tell us what you need built. We'll reply within 24 hours with a senior engineer's honest take — no middleman, no sales pitch.
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