Clear rates. No surprises.
Cipher Projects is an Australian software agency. Hire a dedicated, fully-managed developer from AUD $7,500 / USD $5,200 / SGD $6,800 per month, or engage us for ad-hoc consultancy from AUD $180 / USD $125 / SGD $160 per hour. Rates scale by role and are shown below in Australian, US, and Singapore dollars.
All prices are starting rates in the stated currency, excluding GST where applicable. AUD is our billing currency; USD and SGD are indicative conversions confirmed at contract. Cipher Projects is an Australian agency headquartered in Canberra and runs an in-house development office overseas, which is how dedicated monthly rates stay competitive while project ownership and accountability remain Australian.
Two ways to work with us
Dedicated developer (monthly)
A full-time engineer who works as part of your team. We manage delivery, infrastructure, and day-to-day overhead, so the effective hourly cost is low. Ideal for product roadmaps and ongoing build-out. From AUD $7,500 / USD $5,200 / SGD $6,800 per month.
Consultancy (hourly)
Expert hours for architecture reviews, audits, and scoped advisory work. Priced higher per hour because each engagement carries dedicated preparation and scoping. From AUD $180 / USD $125 / SGD $160 per hour.
Pricing questions
How much does it cost to hire a developer per month?
Dedicated, fully-managed developers start from AUD $7,500 (USD $5,200 / SGD $6,800) per month for a full-time frontend developer and scale to AUD $11,000 (USD $7,600 / SGD $9,900) per month for a senior AI/ML engineer. The monthly rate is all-inclusive: a full-time, in-office engineer with project management, infrastructure, and overhead absorbed by us.
What are your hourly consultancy rates?
Ad-hoc consultancy is billed hourly, from AUD $180 (USD $125 / SGD $160) per hour for frontend and web work, AUD $220 (USD $150 / SGD $200) for full-stack engineering, AUD $260 (USD $180 / SGD $235) for cloud and DevOps, and AUD $320 (USD $220 / SGD $290) per hour for AI/ML engineering. Hourly rates are premium because we ship fast and each engagement carries dedicated scoping, preparation, and context-switching work.
Which is cheaper — monthly or hourly?
The monthly dedicated model is significantly better value for ongoing work. A full-stack engineer on the dedicated plan works out to roughly AUD $53 per effective hour versus AUD $220 per hour for ad-hoc consultancy, because the monthly model lets us absorb management and overhead across a full-time engagement.
What currencies do you bill in?
We are an Australian agency and bill primarily in Australian dollars (AUD). We also quote and invoice in US dollars (USD) and Singapore dollars (SGD) for clients in those markets. USD and SGD figures are indicative conversions and are confirmed at the time of contract.
Do you offer fixed-price projects?
Yes. Alongside dedicated monthly engineers and hourly consultancy, we scope fixed-price projects for well-defined deliverables. Most clients combine a fixed-price discovery phase with a dedicated monthly team for delivery.
Where is your team based?
Cipher Projects is an Australian software agency headquartered in Canberra, serving clients across Australia, Singapore, and worldwide. We run our own in-house development office overseas, which is how we keep dedicated rates affordable while retaining Australian project ownership and accountability.