OpenSource

Founder-led · technically screened

Hire PHP Developers

PHP runs a vast share of the web and has modernised significantly. We screen PHP developers for modern practice — typed, tested, framework-literate — rather than the legacy reputation the language sometimes carries.

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What PHP developers do

PHP powers a huge portion of the web, from custom applications to platforms built on Laravel or Symfony. Modern PHP (8.x) is fast and strongly typed, and good teams treat it with the same rigour as any other backend language.

What we screen for in PHP developers

  • Modern PHP (8.x): typing, and using the language properly rather than legacy patterns
  • A major framework (Laravel or Symfony) and clean application architecture
  • Databases, API design, testing and performance
  • Security fundamentals for web applications

Every PHP developer is technically assessed by us, a former software developer, before you spend a minute interviewing.

What PHP developers earn in 2026

PHP developer pay tracks the software engineer ladder, so these are the reference bands we benchmark against, by seniority and city. See the full salary benchmarks for the detail.

Seniority LondonBerlinAmsterdamNew York
Mid-level £55k–£85k€55k–€85k€55k–€85k$120k–$150k
Senior £85k–£120k€85k–€120k€80k–€115k$150k–$200k
Staff / Principal £120k–£150k€115k–€145k€110k–€140k$190k–$240k

Reference bands, benchmarked to our software-engineer placement data · reviewed July 2026.

How to hire PHP developers: a process that works

  1. Scope the role around the work, not the title. Be specific about what PHP is doing in your product. PHP powers a huge portion of the web, from custom applications to platforms built on Laravel or Symfony. Modern PHP (8.x) is fast and strongly typed, and good teams treat it with the same rigour as any other backend language.
  2. Benchmark pay before you go to market. Use the bands above as the reference by seniority and city; an offer scoped off last year's numbers is the most common reason searches fail late.
  3. Pick your route honestly. Hiring directly means running sourcing, screening and scheduling yourself, and typically takes weeks. Freelance marketplaces are fast but leave the technical vetting to you. A specialist agency screens before you interview and delivers a shortlist in days; you pay only on a successful hire with contingent recruitment.
  4. Screen for the fundamentals, not the buzzwords. For PHP developers we test: modern PHP (8.x): typing, and using the language properly rather than legacy patterns; a major framework (Laravel or Symfony) and clean application architecture; databases, API design, testing and performance.
  5. Decide in days, not weeks. Good PHP developers are in more than one process. The teams that win offers are the ones that compress interview-to-decision, not the ones that pay the most.

FAQ

Hiring PHP developers, answered

What should you screen for in a PHP developer?

Modern PHP 8 practice (typing, clean patterns), a major framework such as Laravel or Symfony, solid database and API design, testing, and web security — assessed with a realistic backend task.

Do you recruit Laravel and Symfony developers?

Yes. Most modern PHP roles use Laravel or Symfony, and we match candidates to the specific framework and architecture your product uses.

Is PHP a good choice to hire for?

For web applications, absolutely — modern PHP is fast, mature and has a deep talent pool. We screen for engineers who write it to a high standard. Pay tracks the software engineer ladder below.

Related: Hire backend engineersHire full-stack engineersSoftware engineering recruitment
We also hire: Ruby developersKotlin developersSwift developersPython developersReact developersNode.js developers
Hiring in: LondonBerlinAmsterdamNew York

Ready to build your team?

Tell us what you’re hiring for and we’ll come back with a plan, and usually a technically screened shortlist faster than you’d expect.

Talk to us → View open roles