Orders for developers and vibe coders

Which orders are worth your time

Tasks with a clear, checkable result go well: a Telegram booking bot, a parser that writes to a spreadsheet, a form-to-CRM integration, a fix for working code, a site on a builder with lead capture. You can see what “done” means and how the client will accept it.

Tasks like “build an app like Uber” are costly and unpleasant. They lack both a brief and a budget, and usually end in an argument about what was promised.

Where they appear

• Kwork and Freelance.ru: small fixed-price projects, lots of bots, scripts and sites.
• FL.ru and Weblancer: more unusual work, some long projects and repeat clients.
• Telegram channels and developer chats: the order is a message, and price and deadline are settled in the first reply. Orders appear here before marketplaces.
• Habr Career: vacancies, but among them some part-time remote work.

How not to misjudge scope

A vague brief is the main reason you run over time. Before naming a price find out three things: where it will run (hosting, access, versions), what exists already (code, design, API) and how the client will check the result.

Include coordination, tests and the first days of support in the price. For a big project split it into stages paid one by one: the client sees progress and you do not work a month without money.

What to avoid

• “Redo after another contractor” without access to the sources and without a reason the last one left.
• A free “test” the size of half the project.
• Payment after launch or “a share of future profit” with no contract.
• Coursework, theses and “solve this exam task”: academic dishonesty.

Pricing a first order with a new client

For a first order with someone you do not know, propose a small paid first stage: a prototype, an audit or one working feature. The client sees how you work, you see how they pay and give feedback, and the risk of a long project with a stranger shrinks for both sides. Fix the price of the stage in writing and say what happens after it: continue, adjust, or stop with no hard feelings.

Keep a short list of what is outside the scope. Hosting, domains, content, design and support after delivery are the usual sources of “I thought that was included”. Naming them in your reply costs one line and saves an argument.