Open IT roles cost more than recruiting time. Check when the IT capacity you need can realistically become productive, what economic consequences a vacancy can have, and which capacity model fits your need and timeframe.
Permanent hire or external capacity - cost and break-even compared
Compare the estimated cost of comparable IT capacity: permanent hire, German freelancer, nearshore and offshore - including the break-even per model.
Role
Permanent hire - running costs
Permanent hire - one-time costs
Available delivery days
External capacity - day rates
Running cost per available working day
Only the running cost of the permanent hire per available day, versus the external day rates. One-time costs are reflected only in the chart.
Cumulative cost over time
One-time + running cost per model. Break-even = crossing point with the permanent hire.
Availability: external capacity can often be available within ~10 working days, depending on requirements. Determine the time-to-fill of a permanent hire in the separate time-to-fill calculator. (Not included in the cost.)
Price is one criterion for the decision, but not the only one. A higher day rate can make economic sense when faster availability or specialisation is decisive. Permanent hiring and external capacity are not mutually exclusive and can be used in parallel. If urgency is unclear, the recruiting duration and vacancy cost calculators can help.
Discuss your project needsHow is this calculated?
- Running cost per available working day: Running annual cost of the permanent hire (salary × (1 + surcharge) + benefits & workplace) divided by the actually available working days (working days minus vacation and sick days). One-time costs are not included here.
- One-time vs. running costs: Calculated separately: one-time costs (recruiting, hardware, onboarding) set the starting height of the curve, running costs set its slope. Only this creates real break-even points.
- External models: Day rate × delivered days, plus a one-time internal onboarding effort. No cost for vacation, sickness or holidays - only delivered days count.
- Break-even: Crossing point of the cumulative cost curves: (one-time permanent − one-time external) ÷ (external day rate − effective cost/delivery day permanent). If the external day rate stays below the permanent's effective cost, there is no break-even.
- Time basis: Delivery days → months via available delivery days per year ((250 working days − vacation − sick) ÷ 12). The 250 working days are a standardised, state-independent model assumption (2026: 252-254 days depending on the federal state).
- Time-to-fill: Shown only as an availability note and not charged as a cost. The economic effect of the vacancy belongs in the time-to-fill calculator.
IT day rates - market comparison
Non-binding guidance values, net per 8-hour day, as of August 2026. Typical market ranges (what providers invoice in the German market), not an offer by Delvera GmbH.
| Role | Freelancer DEEUR / day | Nearshorevia German contract partner | Offshorevia German contract partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developer | 700 - 1,000 | 420 - 620 | 320 - 500 |
| Software Architect | 800 - 1,250 | 520 - 760 | 400 - 620 |
| Software Tester / QA | 600 - 900 | 360 - 540 | 300 - 440 |
| DevOps Engineer | 750 - 1,150 | 480 - 700 | 360 - 560 |
| Data Engineer | 800 - 1,150 | 500 - 700 | 380 - 580 |
| AI / ML Engineer | 900 - 1,300 | 550 - 800 | 420 - 650 |
| IT Project Manager | 800 - 1,150 | 500 - 700 | 380 - 580 |
| Product Owner / Product Manager | 800 - 1,100 | 500 - 680 | 380 - 560 |
| UX/UI Designer | 600 - 900 | 400 - 580 | 320 - 480 |
| Agile Coach | 850 - 1,150 | 500 - 720 | 380 - 580 |
| Scrum Master | 750 - 1,050 | 450 - 650 | 340 - 520 |
| PMO | 600 - 850 | 380 - 540 | 300 - 460 |
| SAP Consulting / Development | 900 - 1,400 | 650 - 950 | 480 - 800 |
| ServiceNow Consulting / Development | 850 - 1,400 | 600 - 950 | 440 - 800 |
| Salesforce Consulting / Development | 850 - 1,350 | 600 - 900 | 440 - 780 |
Sources (excerpt): Freelancer-Kompass 2026 (freelancermap) · Malt Tarifbarometer IT · Arbeitstage 2026 (Übersicht)
Nearshore and offshore ranges are additionally based on current market observations and offers from the Delvera partner network.
The cheapest option is not automatically the right one. Besides the costs shown, availability, specialisation, governance model and the planned deployment period are also relevant to the decision.
External capacity should not be understood as a blanket substitute for internal hiring. It can bridge a vacancy, absorb capacity bottlenecks, or serve as a complementary model when speed, specialisation or flexibility are decisive.