Rent A Coder

What Is Rent A Coder? Rent a coder is an international marketplace where people who need custom software developed can find coders in a safe and business-friendly environment. Buyers can cherry pick from a pool of 166,980 coders...enabling them to hire a coder across the country or across the globe…from the comfort of their computers. Buyers who wish to hire internationally, can take advantage of favorable overseas exchange rates, resulting in work being done for 50-90% less than if the project were done in-country. Coders are also given access to a huge pool of potential work and have the ability to work independently from their homes rather than for a company. How does it work? Buyers often need custom software developed to enhance their business or for personal use. These buyers post their projects on the Rent a Coder’s web site, along with a maximum amount that they are willing to pay. The project is seen by 166,980 coders world-wide and they place their bids on doing the work. The buyer can browse through each bidder’s resume, certifications and previous work history (including comments left by previous buyers) on the site. When the buyer finds a coder they like, they can hire them on the spot. To make the transaction a safe one, the buyer does not pay the coder directly, but escrows the funds into a special Rent A Coder account. This guarantees to the coder that the buyer is credit-worthy, and also reassures the buyer, because the coder receives no money until the work is completed. When the work (or pre-agreed on portion of the work) is completed…the buyer release the funds to the coder. When the work is completed, both parties rate the other party to help future buyers and coders on the site. Should a problem arise, the Rent a Coder facilitator will step in to help out. Should a dispute occur, the facilitator arbitrates according to the rules of the site to ensure a fair and equitable outcome for both parties. How does Rent a Coder make money? Rent a Coder makes money as a percentage fee of the final transaction amount. This fee is 15% and taken from the coder. It goes to pay credit card transaction fees, gateway fees, arbitration fees, affiliate fees, advertising fees and the remainder is the company’s profit. How did the idea for Rent a Coder come about? Rent a coder was the brainchild of Ian Ippolito, the CEO of Exhedra Solutions, Inc. As a programmer himself, Ian had been receiving too many requests for custom programming. After turning away paying customer after paying customer he realized that there was a need that was not being met. In January of 2001 he began sketching out the idea while on training trips and a long vacation in Italy. By the middle of the year the site was ready to go live. A year later in March 2003, the site facilitated 1,478 successful software projects per month, and that number has grown substantially since (up to date stats are here). The majority of buyers on the site are from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (in order of volume). The majority of coders are from the United States, India and Romania (in order of volume). What are the latest statistics on Rent A Coder? Rent A Coder is a frenetic global marketplace made up of 69,162 buyers and 166,980 coders from virtually every country in the world. These users negotiate and complete thousands of projects each month. Rent A Coder statistics not only provide telling information on the Rent a Coder site itself, but also provide an instantaneous pulse reading on global and local trends in software development in general, such as outsourcing, offshoring and nearshoring. Click here to take the Pulse of Rent a Coder.