Why companies outsource software development to Pakistan
- Time zone. Pakistan is UTC+5. That covers the whole UK and European working day, and the evening here overlaps the US East Coast morning, so questions get answered the same day.
- English. Engineering, documentation and client communication run in English.
- Cost. Senior engineering costs less than in the US or UK, which is why outsourcing here is common. The saving only holds if the project does not go wrong.
What usually goes wrong when outsourcing
The problems are rarely about the country. They are about how the work is set up:
- Bait and switch. A senior person sells the project, then juniors build it.
- Open-ended hourly billing. The estimate becomes a starting point and the invoices keep growing.
- Unclear ownership. The code sits in the vendor's accounts, with no clear transfer of IP.
- Silence. Weeks pass between updates, and the first demo is the last week.
- No handover. The project "finishes" with no documentation, and only the vendor can run it.
How we set up projects so those things can't happen
- Founder-led. Saif Ur Rehman, a senior Python engineer with 5+ years and 20+ products shipped, scopes and builds your project himself.
- Fixed scope, fixed price. You get a written scope and a fixed quote within 24 hours of the scoping call. No hourly billing.
- Working software every week. You see progress in your own environment, not slides.
- You own everything. Repositories and cloud accounts are yours from day one, and 100% of the source and IP transfers on delivery.
- Proper handover. Documentation, a deployment runbook and monitoring, so any engineer can run it. See our software handover checklist.
What we build
| Service | Price | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant on your documents (RAG) | From $8,000 | About 4 weeks |
| AI voice agent | From $8,000 | About 4 weeks |
| AI product MVP | From $12,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Data pipelines and web scraping | From $6,000 | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Python, Django and FastAPI backends | Fixed scope or monthly | Ongoing |
| Custom software and SaaS | Fixed quote | Scoped per project |
How to vet any software house in Pakistan
Whether you hire us or someone else, ask these before you sign:
- Who will write the code? Get names, and talk to them before the contract.
- Can I see real work? A live product or code they wrote, not only a portfolio page.
- Does the contract assign all IP to me, and will the code live in my repositories from the start?
- Is the price fixed or capped, and what happens when scope changes?
- How often will I see working software? Weekly is the standard to ask for.
- What does handover include? Documentation, deployment steps and access to everything.
- Which hours overlap with mine, and who answers when something breaks?
Comparing options? Read agency vs freelancer vs in-house and how to hire an AI development agency.
Work we have shipped
- Search intelligence pipeline: 2,046 queries across 27 countries turned into one queryable dataset.
- Automated lead engine: dozens of county sites checked every day, by nobody.
- PulseOps: a sub-second live view of every deploy and incident.
- Verita AI: consultation notes that write themselves from the conversation.
Software house in Lahore for local companies
We also work with companies in Lahore and across Pakistan on the same terms: fixed scope, fixed price, weekly demos and full code ownership. If you need a large team for an enterprise program, a bigger software house is a better fit; if you want a senior engineer who owns the outcome, talk to us.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to outsource software development to Pakistan?
It is as safe as the way you set it up. Keep the code in your own repositories, get IP assigned in the contract, agree a fixed or capped price, and insist on working software every week. Those rules protect you with any vendor in any country.
How much does it cost to outsource software development to Pakistan?
Our fixed-price builds start at $6,000 for a data pipeline, $8,000 for an AI assistant or voice agent and $12,000 for an AI product MVP. Senior engineering in Pakistan costs less than in the US or UK, but a fixed price matters more than an hourly rate.
What hours do you work?
Pakistan is UTC+5. We cover the full UK and European working day and overlap with US East Coast mornings, with calls scheduled to suit you.
Can I hire a dedicated developer instead of a project?
Yes. The Fractional AI and Backend Engineer retainer gives you dedicated senior engineering days each month, with direct access to Saif. You can pause or cancel anytime.
Who owns the code?
You do. The code lives in your repositories, and 100% of the source and IP transfers on delivery with documentation and a deployment runbook.