# Guides for your project

> Plain guides on planning, scoping and paying for apps, SaaS, websites and games, written for people who are not developers.

Canonical: https://erdibuilds.app/guides
Last updated: 2026-11-08 (November 8, 2026)

Plain language guides on planning, scoping and paying for a digital product.

## Pages

- [Build a Developer Portfolio That Gets Hired](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-build-a-developer-portfolio-that-gets-you-hired): What belongs in a developer portfolio: a few real projects, short case studies, working links, honest numbers and proof of ownership clients can trust.
- [Find App Clients Without Paying to Apply](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/find-app-development-clients-without-paying-to-apply): How freelance developers find app, SaaS, website and game clients: where to look, how to cost channels fairly and why a free application model helps.
- [Fixed Price vs Hourly for Software Projects](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/fixed-price-vs-hourly): Fixed price suits clear scopes, hourly suits open ones. See how each model handles risk, change and control, and when milestones give you the best of both.
- [Freelancer vs Agency vs Marketplace](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/freelancer-vs-agency-vs-marketplace): A neutral comparison of hiring a freelancer, an agency or a marketplace for your app, SaaS, website or game: cost, speed, risk and control.
- [Getting Paid Safely as a Freelance Developer](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/getting-paid-safely-as-a-freelance-developer): Practical ways freelance developers protect their income: funded milestones, clear approval, payouts after a holding period and clean invoicing.
- [How Long Does It Take to Build an App?](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-long-does-it-take-to-build-an-app): What decides how long an app, SaaS, website or game takes to build, with an example plan in weeks and tips for planning realistic milestones.
- [How Much Does It Cost to Build an App?](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-an-app): What drives the cost of an app, SaaS, website or game, and how to turn a rough idea into a real quote you can compare and trust.
- [How to Hire a Developer Safely](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-hire-a-developer-safely): Hire a developer with confidence: pay per milestone, fund before work starts, keep payments on one platform, and get access to your code as you go.
- [How to Hire an App Developer, Step by Step](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-hire-an-app-developer): A clear process for hiring an app developer: define the job, choose where to look, compare proposals, check fit and start with a small milestone.
- [How to Price Fixed-Price Milestones](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-price-fixed-price-milestones): A method for developers: turn your hourly rate and honest estimates into a fixed price per milestone, with buffer, scope limits and clear deliverables.
- [How to Split a Project Into Milestones](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-split-a-project-into-milestones): Split a software project into milestones that each deliver something you can see and approve. Rules, an example plan and a free planner tool.
- [How to Write a Project Brief for a Developer](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-write-a-project-brief): A good project brief fits on one page: goal, users, must-have features, examples and limits. Here is what to include and a free tool to draft it.
- [How to Write a Proposal That Wins](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/how-to-write-a-proposal-that-wins): How developers can write a proposal clients choose: read the brief, answer the real problem, split the work into clear milestones and show relevant proof.
- [Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Developer](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/questions-to-ask-before-hiring-a-developer): Twenty plain questions for a first call with a developer, grouped by experience, process, handover and money, and what good answers sound like.
- [SaaS MVP Scope and Cost: What to Build First](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/saas-mvp-scope-and-cost): What belongs in the first version of a SaaS product, what can wait, and how scope decisions shape your cost and timeline.
- [What Is an MVP? A Plain Guide for Founders](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/what-is-an-mvp): An MVP is the smallest version of a product that real users can try. Learn what it includes, what it leaves out and how to plan one.
- [Who Owns the Code When You Hire a Developer?](https://erdibuilds.app/guides/who-owns-the-code): Learn who owns the code, design and data when a freelancer builds your software, what usually stays with the developer, and how to agree on it in writing.

## Related

- [How it works](https://erdibuilds.app/how-it-works)
- [Pricing](https://erdibuilds.app/pricing)
- [For developers](https://erdibuilds.app/developers)