Devlane launches calculator to compare U.S. and Latin America engineering costs

Devlane has released a free tool that lets technology leaders model engineering hiring costs across the U.S. and Latin America in minutes. The company says the calculator can help companies estimate 40% to 60% savings on fully loaded engineering budgets as teams weigh distributed hiring strategies.

Why it matters: - Technology leaders are under pressure to grow engineering teams without losing control of budgets, hiring speed, and long-term scalability. - The new calculator gives finance, product, and engineering leaders a faster way to compare workforce models before committing to headcount. - Devlane says companies typically save 40% to 60% on fully-loaded engineering costs when they combine U.S.-based teams with senior Latin American talent.

What happened: - Devlane launched a free engineering cost calculator for companies comparing software engineering hiring scenarios across the United States and Latin America. - The tool lets users estimate savings based on hiring plans in minutes instead of weeks of manual research. - The calculator was designed to help leaders model hiring decisions around budget, collaboration, access to senior talent, and scalability.

The details: - Users can select engagement duration, number of engineers, and senior-level roles. - Supported roles include Frontend, Backend, Full Stack, DevOps, QA Automation, Data Engineering, Machine Learning, UX/UI, Mobile, and Project Management. - Each estimate reflects Devlane’s fully managed engagement model, including recruiting, technical vetting, onboarding, payroll, compliance, and equipment logistics. - Operational costs are included in the estimate to show a fuller view of total investment. - The tool produces a downloadable report that can be shared with engineering, finance, and executive stakeholders. - The report is intended to help teams compare hiring scenarios, evaluate budgets, and build internal business cases. - Devlane’s work with companies including SpotOn, Everlane, Flo by Moen, ResortPass, and Grindr helped surface the need for a faster and more transparent comparison tool. - The company also supports technical account management, hardware provisioning, and cybersecurity setup for distributed teams. - Devlane says that support helps clients run distributed teams securely and reliably while focusing on product development. - The company was founded in Montevideo, Uruguay. - Devlane operates across more than 15 countries. - The company provides end-to-end staff augmentation for U.S. companies seeking senior software developers across Latin America. - Trusted customers include Grindr, Moen, SpotOn, Huckleberry, and others. - Devlane says the calculator is part of a broader set of resources aimed at improving transparency in engineering workforce decisions.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a broader shift in engineering hiring toward distributed teams that blend in-house staff with talent in lower-cost markets. - Devlane is positioning cost data as an entry point, while noting that fit, communication, time zone alignment, and integration still determine whether a hiring model works long term. - The company is also trying to make its managed-services model easier to evaluate by folding operational costs into the calculator output. - Martin Laclau, Devlane’s managing director, said technology leaders should not have to rely on assumptions when making strategic hiring decisions and cited frustration with fragmented salary reports and hidden costs. - The U.S. labor market backdrop adds urgency: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software developer, quality assurance analyst, and tester employment to grow 15% between 2024 and 2034, with about 129,200 job openings expected each year over the decade.

What's next: - Devlane is likely to use the calculator as a lead-generation and decision-support tool for companies exploring distributed hiring models. - The downloadable report format could make it easier for internal stakeholders to compare scenarios and move from cost exploration to hiring commitments. - As engineering competition stays intense, more companies may test hybrid hiring strategies that combine U.S. teams with Latin American engineers.

The bottom line: - Devlane is betting that a simple cost calculator can speed up one of the hardest early decisions in engineering hiring: whether to build locally, distribute globally, or combine both. For more information, visit the company's announcement.