What it costs to work with Plin Code
Every rate on this page is the rate you would actually pay. Pick the situation closest to yours and the number is right there, with no form in between. Only fixed-price work carries no published figure, because that price depends on a scope that has to be defined first.
By Daniele Barbaro, Tech Lead & Software Engineer. Last reviewed .
Where these numbers come from
Everything on this page derives from one figure: €480 per day. Monthly commitments discount it in exchange for reserved capacity, the audit multiplies it by the days an application needs, and fixed-price estimates are built from the equivalent number of days. There is no second, private price list.
What changes the number
- How many days the work needs
- For an audit, that follows the size of the application: two days for a small one, five for a large one.
- Whether the days are reserved
- Days blocked for you every month cost less per day than days booked one at a time, and less again from six months onward.
- Whether the scope is written down
- A closed price needs a scope that is written and stable. Until it is, days are the honest unit.
Which of these is closest to your situation?
Every figure excludes VAT.
How much does a Laravel or Symfony codebase audit cost?
A codebase audit costs €960 for a small application, €1,440 to €1,920 for a mid-size one and €2,400 for a large one, excluding VAT. It is billed at the standard daily rate of €480, so what changes between the options is the size of the application, which sets the number of days.
- Small: one main domain, few integrations€9602 days
- Mid-size: several domains, a handful of integrations€1,440 to €1,9203 to 4 days
- Large: many domains, heavy integration surface€2,4005 days
The estimate is confirmed after the first conversation, which is free. You receive a written report that you own, plus a session to work through it. It is not a penetration test and it does not include implementing the fixes.
How much does legacy refactoring cost?
Legacy refactoring costs €5,200 for a single month of 12 days, excluding VAT, and €4,900 a month from six months. With 16 days a month from six months it is €6,700. It is priced by the month because the work is continuous, and reserved days cost less than days booked ad hoc.
- 12 days per month, single month€5,200€434 per day
- 12 days per month, from six months€4,900€409 per day
- 16 days per month, from six months€6,700€419 per day
Nothing is rewritten from scratch. The work goes in small reversible steps behind characterisation tests, and your team keeps shipping features throughout.
How much does stabilising an MVP cost?
Stabilising an MVP costs €5,200 for a month of 12 days or €6,900 for 16 days, and €6,700 a month for 16 days from six months, excluding VAT. It opens with an assessment and continues as embedded work, so the monthly tiers apply. The days you need depend on how much of the codebase is fighting you.
- 12 days per month, single month€5,200€434 per day
- 16 days per month, single month€6,900€432 per day
- 16 days per month, from six months€6,700€419 per day
The assessment is the start of the work, not a report that ends there. Priority follows impact rather than how urgent something feels.
How much does a fractional tech lead cost?
A fractional tech lead costs €6,700 a month for 16 days, roughly four days a week, on commitments of six months or more, excluding VAT. A single month of 16 days costs €6,900, and the 12-day arrangement from six months costs €4,900. It is a recurring commitment, not a one-off.
- 16 days per month, single month€6,900€432 per day
- 16 days per month, from six months€6,700€419 per day
- 12 days per month, from six months€4,900€409 per day
This includes hands in the codebase, not only advice. Leadership that never touches the system drifts away from reality quickly.
Do you quote fixed-price projects?
Yes, when the scope is written down and stable. That price is agreed per project, which makes it the one number on this page that cannot be published in advance. A rough order of magnitude is enough to start the conversation.
- A contained job: one integration, one migration, a single moduleunder €5,000
- A defined feature set, or a framework upgrade across major versions€5,000 to €15,000
- A substantial build with several moving parts€15,000 to €30,000
- A large programme of workover €30,000
If the requirements are still moving, a daily rate costs you less than a fixed price padded to absorb the uncertainty, and starting there is usually the better move.
Common questions about rates
Are these prices final?
They are the real rates, not an opening position. What is not fixed is the number of days a given piece of work needs, which is why the audit shows a range and why the estimate is confirmed after the first conversation. That conversation costs nothing.
Is VAT included?
No. Every figure on this page excludes VAT, which is then applied according to where you are based and whether you are a business. Plin Code invoices from Italy under VAT number IT13167130015.
Can I start small?
Yes. A single consulting day at €480 carries no minimum commitment, and an audit is often the cheapest way to find out whether a larger engagement is justified at all. Most longer collaborations start as one of those two.
Why are the monthly rates lower than the daily rate?
Reserved capacity is worth something to both sides. You get days that are blocked for you rather than competing with other clients, and I get the context that comes from sustained work on one codebase. At 12 days per month from six months the rate is €4,900; at 16 days it is €6,700.
What are the payment terms?
Invoiced monthly, or at the conclusion of shorter engagements, due within 14 days. For a first engagement with a new client, partial payment upfront is generally requested, after which invoicing follows the standard terms.
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