Maintenance and support
A developer on call for your software, $499 a month
20 hours of engineering time every month for the website, app or system your business already runs on. Bugs fixed, updates applied, small changes made, and a report telling you what was done. For companies with live software and no developer of their own.
Who this is for
Most software gets built and then left alone. The freelancer moves on, the agency closes the ticket, and for a year nothing happens. Then a payment library is deprecated, or Apple requires a new SDK, or a form quietly stops sending email, and there is nobody to call.
This plan is for that situation: a clinic, a logistics firm, a property business, an online store, a school, or an agency with client projects it no longer wants to service. The software matters to your revenue or your operations, but it does not justify a full-time hire.
What is included
Bug fixes
Things that are broken get fixed, in the order you set. You report an issue by email and it goes into the month's queue.
Security, dependency and OS updates
Frameworks, libraries and server packages kept current, and your app kept working when Apple and Google release new OS versions or change store rules.
Small changes
New fields, copy and layout changes, a report, a minor screen. The kind of request that takes hours, not weeks.
Monthly health report
What was done, how the hours were spent, what we noticed that will need attention, and anything about to expire.
Response times. Next business day for normal requests. Same day if your site or app is down.
What is not included
A maintenance plan that tries to be everything ends in an argument. So, plainly:
- New features or modules that are projects in their own right. We quote those separately, before any work starts.
- Redesigns and rebuilds.
- Third-party costs such as hosting, domains, licenses, SMS and app store fees.
- Round-the-clock on-call cover.
How it starts
- 1
A short call
You tell us what the software does, what it is built with and what is bothering you. We tell you honestly whether 20 hours a month fits.
- 2
Access and a first look
You give us access to the code and hosting. We get it building and deploying from our side and read enough of it to know where the risks are.
- 3
A first-month list
We agree the order of work for the month. Urgent fixes first, then overdue updates, then the changes you have been waiting for.
- 4
Every month after
You send requests as they come up. At month end you get the health report: what was done, hours used, and what we think needs attention next.
A client on this kind of arrangement
We built five booking websites for an Australian hospitality group's motels and serviced apartments. The same client now has a one-year contract with us for upgrades and maintenance of those sites. Client names are confidential, as they are for all our maintenance work.
What we can maintain
- Node.js
- Python / Django
- PHP / Laravel
- React
- Next.js
- React Native
- Flutter
- Swift (iOS)
- Kotlin (Android)
- WordPress
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- AWS
- GCP
- Docker
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MongoDB
Not on the list? Ask. If it is something we do not know well, we will say so instead of learning on your time.
Questions we get asked
What does the $499 maintenance plan include?
20 hours of engineering time each month for bug fixes, security, dependency and OS updates, small changes, and a monthly health report. We respond by the next business day. There is no long contract and you can cancel anytime.
Why is it this price?
Two reasons. Our engineers are in Ahmedabad, India, where senior engineering time costs less than it does in the US, UK or Australia. And the plan has a fixed scope, so there is no account management layer or proposal writing to pay for. You get the same people who do our project work.
Can you maintain software that another developer built?
Yes, that is the usual case. We start by getting the project building and deploying from our side and reading the code, then tell you about anything risky we find. You need to have access to the source code and the hosting. If you do not, see our guide to taking over a project from another vendor.
What happens if I need more than 20 hours in a month?
We tell you before the hours run out, not after. Anything beyond the plan is estimated and agreed with you before we do it. If you need more every month, it is usually a sign the work is really a project, and we will say so.
How fast do you respond?
By the next business day for normal requests. If your site or app is down, tell us it is critical and we look at it the same day.
Is there a minimum term?
No. The plan runs month to month and you can cancel anytime. The code, the accounts and the documentation stay yours throughout.
Software in worse shape than "needs maintenance"?
If the project never launched, or the developer has gone and nothing works, that is a rescue, not maintenance. Once it is stable, a plan like this is how it stays that way.