What does a frontend developer cost? (Next.js & React, 2026 rates)

A frontend developer (Next.js/React) in 2026 costs roughly €70-€130 per hour with experienced freelancers and agencies in the Netherlands; nearshore teams sometimes start around €30-€50 per hour. For a scoped front end you typically budget €5,000-€20,000, depending on complexity, design-to-code and performance demands. The difference between cheap and good rarely lies in 'does it work', but in speed (Core Web Vitals), accessibility, maintainability and how pixel-perfectly the design is rebuilt.

Rates in 2026

Experienced freelancer (NL) — €70-€130 per hour, depending on seniority and specialisation.
Nearshore / via agency — sometimes from €30-€50 per hour; mind coordination and communication.
Agency (NL) — €85-€135 per hour, with more certainty on continuity and quality.

Project price instead of hourly billing

For a scoped job a fixed project price is often nicer:

Single component / section — €1,500-€4,000.
Complete marketing front end — €5,000-€15,000.
App interface on a design system — €12,000-€20,000+.

Where's the difference between cheap and good?

Performance. Core Web Vitals in the green takes deliberate work — and pays off in conversion and ranking.
Accessibility (WCAG). Well-built interfaces are usable by everyone, and increasingly required.
Maintainability. A reusable design system makes later changes cheap.
Pixel-perfect. Rebuilding the design exactly across all screen sizes is precision work.

Hire or outsource?

Short on capacity? Hire a frontend developer who joins your team. Need a scoped result? Outsource it as a project. For agencies we also work white-label. More about our approach: frontend development.

Frequently asked questions

Why Next.js and React?

It's the modern standard for fast, maintainable and SEO-friendly front ends. A large ecosystem and many available developers make it future-proof.

Is cheaper nearshore really better value?

The hourly rate is lower, but factor in coordination, time zones and communication. For well-scoped work it can pay off; for close collaboration local is often more efficient.

Do I get a maintainable codebase?

In a good project, yes: a reusable design system, clean components and documentation. Ask for this explicitly — it determines your long-term costs.

Do you also build just the front end?

Yes. We can deliver purely the front end on top of your existing backend or CMS, or do the whole project.

Ready to start?

Read our approach to frontend development, or book a short intro call — we'll take a no-obligation look and give you an honest estimate of scope, cost and timeline.