$25/hr
Starting rate for senior engineers
75%
Cost savings vs EU-local developers
15+
Years delivering for global clients
Why European companies choose Philippines developers
60–75% cost savings vs European developers
UK senior developer rates run £80–120k/year. German and Nordic developers cost €80–110k/year. Philippine senior engineers direct-hire run $25–50/hr (~$50–100k/year all-in). A 4-person Manila team costs less than one EU-local mid-senior developer including employer contributions, NI, and benefits.
Async model that ships faster than synchronous local teams
Manila is UTC+8. London (GMT) is UTC+0, Paris/Berlin/Stockholm (CET) is UTC+1. The gap is 7–9 hours — which means your end-of-day scope becomes Manila's overnight sprint. By the time your EU team starts the next morning, the work is done and in review. Many EU clients find this cycle faster than waiting for in-office developers to unblock in the afternoon.
English-first, not English-second
Filipino engineers are educated in English, document in English, and communicate in English without translation friction. For European companies used to vendor communication going through English as a second language, the difference is significant. PRs, Slack messages, code comments, and status updates are written in natural, clear English from day one.
EU contract terms, GDPR-aware practices
Contracts include EU-standard IP assignment and non-disclosure provisions. GDPR-aware data handling — no PII stored beyond project scope, access scoped and logged, data processing agreements available. Invoicing in GBP, EUR, or USD. VAT-exempt as a non-EU supplier to UK/EU entities.
What this engagement covers
- Full-stack development — React / Next.js front-end, Node.js / Laravel / Django back-end
- Dedicated development teams — 2 to 10 engineers, fractional CTO oversight included
- MVP builds for EU seed-stage startups — 8–16 week delivery timelines
- Mobile development — React Native and Flutter for EU App Store and Google Play
- SaaS product engineering — feature velocity for EU SaaS companies scaling post-PMF
- Legacy modernisation — PHP to Node.js, on-prem to AWS EU regions, monolith to microservices
- Technical due diligence for EU investors — code quality audit before a funding round
- Fractional CTO for EU companies — engineering leadership without the £200k+ salary
Frequently asked questions
How does the timezone work for UK and European companies hiring Philippine developers?
Manila is UTC+8. London (GMT) is UTC+0/UTC+1, Paris and Berlin (CET) is UTC+1/UTC+2, Stockholm and Copenhagen are the same. The gap is 7–9 hours. Most EU clients use a daily async rhythm: scope and review in EU business hours, Manila team executes overnight. Your 9am stand-up reviews what Manila shipped the night before. For teams that need real-time overlap, Manila engineers can shift to a late-afternoon/evening schedule (Manila 4pm–midnight = London 8am–4pm) — at a modest schedule premium, still far below EU-local rates.
Can Philippines developers work to GDPR requirements for European clients?
Yes. GDPR compliance is about data processing agreements, access controls, and data minimisation — not about where the developer is physically located. I implement: data processing agreements covering the offshore engagement, access scoped to project needs only, no PII retained beyond project scope, audit logs for production access, and standard GDPR-compliant data handling practices. This is the same framework used by thousands of EU companies with offshore engineering partners.
What does it cost for a UK company to hire Philippines developers?
Senior Philippines engineers: $25–50/hr USD (£20–40/hr). A 3-person team (2 full-stack + 1 devops): ~£60–100k/year all-in, versus £240–360k/year for equivalent UK-local hires including employer NI, pension, and benefits. For German companies: €60–100k/year all-in versus €200–280k/year for local equivalents.
How do EU companies pay Philippines developers — GBP, EUR, or USD?
Invoicing in GBP, EUR, or USD — whichever is cleaner for your entity. UK entities: invoiced in GBP, VAT-exempt (non-UK supplier outside the reverse charge threshold for overseas services). EU entities: VAT zero-rated under Article 44 of the VAT Directive (B2B services to non-established supplier). Payment via Wise Business — near-interbank FX rates, no hidden spread, 1–2 business day settlement.
Why Philippines over Eastern Europe for EU companies?
Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia) is the classic EU nearshore choice — but rates have climbed significantly: Polish and Romanian senior developers now run €45–75/hr, comparable to Western Europe for senior profiles. Philippine developers offer comparable quality at $25–50/hr. The timezone gap is larger, but the async model compensates. For companies that truly need real-time collaboration in EU hours, Eastern Europe has an advantage; for async product engineering, the Philippines delivers better value.
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