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PHP developers

Hire PHP and Laravel developers who join your team and ship to your standards

Pre-vetted PHP developers, one at a time or as a dedicated team. Nearshore on UK hours, or onshore in the UK where the work needs it. Daily or hourly rates, no minimum term.

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What a PHP developer does

A PHP developer builds and maintains web applications and APIs in PHP, the language behind a large share of the web, from agency-built client sites to SaaS platforms.

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On a delivery team, a PHP developer typically:

  • builds web applications and APIs with frameworks such as Laravel and Symfony
  • designs data models and works with databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL
  • integrates e-commerce platforms, content management systems and third-party services
  • writes tests with PHPUnit or Pest, so changes ship safely
  • upgrades PHP versions and modernises older codebases
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When to bring in PHP developers

PHP developers make the difference when PHP work lands faster than your team can staff it, or when an older codebase is holding you back.

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You’ve won a client project on Laravel
The start date is set, and your PHP developers are on other work.
A long client engagement needs a dedicated PHP team
The work will run for months, and you can’t take people off other clients.
Your PHP codebase is getting old
An outdated PHP version or framework is slowing every change and raising security concerns.
The application has slowed down
Slow pages and heavy database queries need people who know where PHP performance goes.
E-commerce and integration work is queueing
Payment, stock and third-party integrations are waiting for someone to build them.

PHP developer profiles

PHP work varies with the framework and the client. These are some of the profiles we supply:

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  • PHP developer. Builds and maintains PHP applications, APIs and integrations.
  • Laravel developer. Builds applications and APIs in Laravel, from new features to whole platforms.
  • Symfony developer. Builds and maintains larger, long-lived applications on Symfony.
  • PHP tech lead. Sets architecture and standards, reviews code and leads a small group of developers or a dedicated team.

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If you need a different mix, tell us what the work involves and we’ll match profiles to it.

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How teams use PHP developers

One PHP developer, or a dedicated PHP team led by a tech lead, for as long as the work runs. You can start part-time, for example three days a week moving to five, and scale down with two weeks notice.

Where our PHP developers work from

Most work nearshore in Central and Eastern Europe on UK hours, so they’re online when your team and your clients are. Where a client needs people on site, developers can work onshore in the UK. For US work, developers in LATAM work US hours.

The Brightbox Approach

How we provide the best on-demand skills and teams

Define your need

We capture your project goals, tech stack, delivery context, team structure and required outcomes.

AI powered matching

Our platform analyses thousands of profiles to shortlist pre-vetted talent with the right skills, experience and availability.

Human interview

Human interviews with recorded assessments validate technical depth, approach to problem solving and cultural fit.

Technical tests and challenges

We use real world tasks and scenario based assessments aligned to your environment, so you see how candidates perform.

Final client interviews

You interview and select the Brightbox Associates who best meet your needs, supported by clear evaluation data.

Onboarding

We onboard the experts or teams quickly and smoothly, aligning tools, communication channels and ways of working.

Rapid placement

Engineers are deployed within days, not months, so your projects and products keep moving.

Continuous alignment

We run regular performance reviews and check-ins to ensure quality, fit and speed throughout the engagement.

How it works

When you hire PHP developers through Brightbox, they join your team as associates. They work under your brand and your direction, and we handle the rest.

Daily or hourly rates

Time and materials, billed on time you’ve signed off.

One person or a team

No minimum headcount.

No minimum term

Two weeks notice to scale down, either way.

Deployed in days

Not the months a permanent hire takes.

Replacement cover

If someone isn’t the right fit, we replace them and carry our cost during the handover.

You own the IP

Everything they build is yours.

Governance

A management layer around every engagement, so you’re not the one carrying a bad fit.

Your clients stay yours

Our people work under your brand, and we never approach your clients.

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Why choose Brightbox

The Brightbox advantage

01
Instant access to global talent

Profiles against your brief, usually within a day.

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02
AI-driven precision

We’re investing in technology to keep improving how quickly and accurately we match people to your brief.

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03
Outcome first delivery

Each engagement starts from what you need shipped, and by when.

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04
Flexible engagement models

One PHP developer or a dedicated team, scaled up or down with two weeks notice.

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Trusted by leading organisations

Product companies, consultancies and systems integrators use Brightbox to add delivery capacity when the work lands.

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FAQs
PHP developers
How much does it cost to hire a PHP developer through Brightbox?

PHP developers are on daily or hourly rates, which depend on seniority and where they work from. Ask and we’ll send a rate card, usually within hours.

How quickly can a PHP developer start?

Usually within days, rather than the months a permanent hire takes.

Can you provide a dedicated PHP development team?

Yes. We can put together a dedicated team, usually developers led by a PHP tech lead, who work inside your delivery and under your direction. It can grow or shrink with two weeks notice.

Do your PHP developers work with Laravel and Symfony?

Yes. Tell us your framework and tools and we’ll match developers with experience in them.

Can they upgrade our PHP version or modernise an older codebase?

Yes. They can plan and carry out upgrades, including framework and dependency changes, inside your team and your release process.

PHP developer or WordPress developer: which do I need?

If your site or application runs on WordPress, a WordPress developer brings depth in its themes, plugins and hosting. For custom applications in Laravel, Symfony or plain PHP, a PHP developer is the better fit.

Can a PHP developer work remotely?

Yes. Most work remotely, nearshore in Central and Eastern Europe on UK hours, so they’re online when your team is. Where a client needs people on site, developers can work onshore.

Can we hire PHP developers for just a few months?

Yes. There’s no minimum term, and you can scale down with two weeks notice. Engagements shorter than about six weeks rarely work, because onboarding takes too much of the time.

Who owns the code?

You do. Everything they build is yours.

How do you handle IR35?

We’ve worked both inside and outside IR35, and we work with a partner to help with status determinations when needed.

Need PHP developers for your next project?

Send us a short brief. We’ll come back with profiles and rates, usually within a day.