Why are PHP developers cheaper than .NET developers?

Question

This is a two part question; firstly, does anyone out there have some insight as to why PHP contract developers would be available at a much lower rate than their .NET counterparts (around a 30% premium for the Microsoft guys)? I have some theories relating to ease of learning and cost of tools and servers but would like to get some feedback from other people.

Secondly, what is the impact of this on total project cost and ongoing maintenance? Generally speaking, would you consider the total effort for a typical website build similar for the two or does one technology impose a premium time wise?

Answer 1

I think it has to do with the types of businesses that use Microsoft products versus Linux based systems. If they're using MS products it's usually an indication that they are well funded or have deep pockets.

Answer 2

Demand supply? I would say there are more PHP developers and less job opportunities and it drives cost down.

Answer 3

I am suspicious that two developers, one .NET and one PHP, of the same skill level and seniority, in the same region, have any statistically significant difference in their respective rates.

It is possible that, given PHP's much lower barrier to entry, the PHP skills market is more saturated with beginner level and relatively unskilled programmers, compared to .NET. That could skew averages, but that is very different than saying "PHP developers are cheaper than .NET"

Answer 4

The costs associated with developing with .NET can be high. Even if you are a member of MSDN it still can get expensive depending on how many people are involved. On the PHP side the tools are less expensive for the most part.

Training is another thing...there's lots of training available for .NET developers that cost big bucks, something the programmer or company has to pay for. With PHP there is not the high availability of training so those costs are less as well.

Answer 5

not trying to bag php developers here but wouldn't they only provide web development skills for the business?
.Net developers tend to not be limited to just web developement

Answer 6

As someone who develops in both environments I can tell you that Rex M is quite correct. PHP has a lower entry level and therefore the market is much more saturated with cheaper, less-skilled PHP developers than the .Net market.

Answer 7

Because there are millions of script kiddies out there who started using PHP to develop a web site for mum's book store. Now there is market saturation, and with middle managers being unable to tell a good developer from a rubbish one, the price for even good developers will be driven down. The key to make the best money is to find in demand technology within big business. PHP is not used by big enterprises, except for startups like Facebook that become big enterprises (and now regret using PHP).

Answer 8

In my mind, PHP is closer to Classic ASP, I think ASP.Net is a generation ahead of them both. So I as a developer I can be much more productive in ASP.Net than I could be in PHP or Classic ASP. For me, there was also a much bigger learning curve to ASP.Net.

I think of it as the differnce between a pilot and a jet pilot. The training, costs, support and productivity are higher with the jet pilot, but if you are going to Tokio that is what you need.

Answer 9

I think this also has something to do with the nature of the clients.

PHP (this is a BIG genralisation!) projects tend to for small web sites for smallish companies, - or -, mega web sites for companies whose main business is web based. In both cases development is a major cost which must be kept down if profits are to be made, they choose LAMP stacks because the costs are lower and they choose php because the rates are lower.

.NET projects tend to be for large corporations. Development costs are not thier main concern (indeed they often pay way over the top to ensure that software development does not delay the rest of the project). Also they expect more than just a coder for thier money. A knowledge of some formal method (RUP etc.), business domain experience, and numerous other technical skills (SQL, CORBA, SOAP etc. ) are expected.

Contract rates are driven by supply, demand and fashion. They have very little to do with the difficulty or skill level required. For years one of the highest paying gigs has been implementing SAP - where the key skill for a SAP developer is the ability to withstand the mind numing tedium.