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Everything you want to know clearly explained
Our hourly rates are based on a combination of skills and experience level, representing noticeable savings compared to US-based developers. Costa Rica allows us to access a highly educated talent pool with a lower cost of living, while our proximity (5-hour flight from NYC) and compatible time zones (1-2 hours behind Eastern) provide advantages that offshore models can't match. Contact us for a rate card and to discuss custom pricing.
Every First Factory employee goes through rigorous HR screening, technical interviews, background checks, and English fluency assessments before joining our team. We handpick team members based on both technical expertise and behavioral skills to ensure they integrate seamlessly with your existing team. All employees must sign required policies and complete ongoing security training as part of our SOC 2 Type 2 compliance.
Costa Rican engineers are university-educated professionals who are just as skilled as US-based developers, with fluency in English and the ability to work in US time zones. Many clients tell us they don't notice any difference between working with our team and their US-based employees. Our average client tenure is over three years, with 25% of clients staying with us for five years or longer.
Our typical onboarding process takes 2-6 weeks and includes discovery meetings, executing required agreements (NDA, MSA, SOW), handpicking your team, and establishing communication cadence. You'll work directly with a dedicated Manager, receive a Getting Started Guide, and participate in checkpoints.
The most common challenges include unclear requirements, change of scope, and blockers from dependencies on other teams or third-party providers. We avoid these by setting goals up front, continuing to calibrate expectations, and being highly proactive with our communication. Our team has the agency to raise concerns and will not sit by idly waiting for work. Our 30-day guarantee ensures we address any issues immediately rather than letting them fester.
We work with dozens of technologies including .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, React, Angular, React Native, and AI solutions using OpenAI, Claude, and AWS. What makes our team exceptional isn't just current knowledge, it's their ability to quickly learn new technologies as needed. If you have a specific technology stack in mind, we're happy to discuss our experience with it directly.
Yes, we can build teams with senior-level engineers, though we recommend a balanced approach for most projects. A mix of senior engineers for architecture, mid-level engineers for implementation, and talented juniors provides better value without sacrificing quality. We're flexible and will configure your team based on your specific needs, timeline, and budget.
