A retainer fits when
A senior engineer inside your team and workflows, month to month. For companies already in production that need real development capacity - without a $200k+ hire, a 3-6 month ramp, or a freelancer who disappears.
How it works
- 01
Pick a tier
Part-time, dedicated or embedded. More hours, faster response and deeper involvement as you go up.
- 02
Onboard fast
No hiring cycle and no months-long ramp: senior engineers get into your codebase and join your standups, Slack and tools.
- 03
Ship every week
Features, scaling and maintenance, with the engineer doing the work on your calls. Change tier or stop any month.
From $4,000/mo
Part-time from $4,000/month; dedicated and embedded tiers add hours and faster response. Need a one-off build instead? See the MVP Sprint.
Talk about a retainer 
and 
have been with FormulaBot for 3+ years. We started as a simple English-to-SQL formula generator. It's now a 'chat with your data' product serving 1.5M+ users. They built it like it was theirs.
Work we've shipped
Looking for other services?
Here's what else we offer.
Audits
Find what's broken - or whether AI is worth it - before you build.
Learn moreMVP Sprint
Zero to production in 5-6 weeks. A real product, not a prototype.
Learn moreCode Rescue
Vibe-coded app breaking under real users? We rebuild it to hold.
Learn moreFAQ
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from hiring a freelancer?
A freelancer ships the ticket in front of them. A retainer engineer stays with your codebase, learns the business and takes ownership of what they ship, so the product keeps moving even when you can't be there to direct it. And when you need a security review or a designer, the rest of the team is there.
How quickly can someone start?
Usually within a week of agreeing the tier - no hiring cycle, no months-long ramp.
Can we change the tier or stop?
Yes. Retainers are month to month with no lock-in. Scale up or down, or stop, as your roadmap changes.
Do we own everything you build?
Yes, 100%. Code, infrastructure, docs and credentials stay yours.
How much does a retainer cost?
Retainers start at $4,000 a month for the part-time tier. Dedicated and embedded tiers add more hours and faster response. Month to month, no lock-in.
