How to succeed as an independent software developer

Success as an independent software developer requires a lot of preparation and hard work, as well as some luck. But as baseball executive Branch Rickey once said, luck is the residue of design.

Income for freelance developers varies depending on factors such as location, experience, skills, and project type. Average pay for a contractor is about $111,800 annually, according to ZipRecruiter, with top earners making potentially more than $151,000.

That’s in line with what developers in general can expect to make, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for median pay in 2024, the most recent figure available as of this writing.

So, what does it take to succeed as a freelancer in the tech industry? I asked five successful independent developers how they did it.

1. Become a business

Creating a formal business can be a good way to attract new clients and retain existing ones.

“One of the most important ways to succeed as an independent developer is to treat yourself like a business,” says Darian Shimy, CEO of FutureFund, a fundraising platform built for K-12 schools, and a software engineer by trade.

“That means setting up an LLC or sole proprietorship, separating your personal and business finances, and using invoicing and tax tools that make it easier to stay compliant,” Shimy says. “For some people, it might feel like an overkill or unnecessary overhead at first. But that type of structure will help give your clients confidence and save you a few headaches down the road.”

Independent developers often underestimate the value of structure, says Sonu Kapoor, who has worked as an independent software engineer for more than two decades, architecting front ends for Citigroup’s global trading platform, leading RFID integration at American Apparel, and modernizing enterprise stacks for Sony Music Publishing and Cisco.

“For individual developers, the difference between staying small and landing enterprise-scale work often comes down to perception,” Kapoor says. “Early on, I treated my freelance work like a company, registering a limited entity, keeping separate finances, and using professional tools like QuickBooks and HubSpot. But what really moved the needle was building relationships with senior leaders inside companies like Citigroup and Sony Music Publishing. Enterprises rarely hire individuals directly; contracts usually flow through vendors.”

Kapoor focused on networking with decision-makers, showcasing credibility through his previous work and thought leadership. “That combination of structure and relationships opened doors that pure technical skill alone never could,” he says. “Running my freelance career as a structured business with processes, relationships, and professional credibility turned those introductions into sustained partnerships. It’s not about pretending to be a big company; it’s about operating with the same reliability as one.”

2. Find your niche

Being a jack of all trades in the development world can be helpful for working on broad projects. But for some, success comes with specialization.

“The biggest leap in my independent career came when I stopped spreading myself thin across frameworks and committed fully to Angular,” Kapoor says. “That focus reshaped my professional identity, leading to an invitation to join a private group of 11 global Angular collaborators who work directly with Google’s core team.”

Soon after, Kapoor was recognized as a Google Developer Expert, which opened doors to speaking, consulting, and global visibility. This included being featured on a Topmate billboard in Times Square, New York City, highlighting his work on Angular and AI.

“That depth also brought new opportunities organically,” Kapoor says. After seeing his work as a technical editor and contributor in the developer publishing space, Apress approached him to author a book on Angular Signals.

“It was a full-circle moment, recognition not just for coding expertise, but for shaping how developers learn emerging technologies,” Kapoor says. “Specialization builds identity. Once your expertise becomes synonymous with progress in a field, opportunities—whether projects, media, or publishing—start coming to you.”

Shimy of FutureFund followed a similar arc. At first, “I really tried to be everything to everyone,” he says. “It’s a similar outlook a lot of agencies have—do we want to specialize in one or two areas or be ‘decent’ at five or six things? A niche helps you stand out, build a reputation, and get referrals more easily.”

3. Build authority through visible contributions

Publishing open source work and becoming known for thought leadership creates leverage and new opportunities for independent developers, Kapoor says. “Early in my career, I launched DotNetSlackers, a technical community that reached over 33 million views and became one of the top destinations for.NET content,” he says. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but that reach was more powerful than any marketing budget.”

CTOs and engineering managers started discovering Kapoor’s work organically, he says. “One of my first major enterprise contracts came from a client who had been reading my posts for months before reaching out,” he says.

That same principle carried forward when Kapoor shifted to Angular. “Using open source, I created over 100 code changes within one year in the Angular repository,” he says. “Contributing to Angular’s Typed Forms, which became the most upvoted feature request in Angular history, put my work in front of the global developer community and directly led to my Microsoft MVP and later Google Developer Expert recognitions.”

Each visible contribution, whether it’s an open source library, conference talk, or published article in CODE Magazine, helps create credibility for independent developers, Kapoor says. “Developers often underestimate how far a single well-documented idea can travel,” he says. “One blog post can bring in client leads years later. In my case, it’s created a steady loop of media visibility, consulting opportunities, and technical recognition that continues to grow long after the initial effort.”

4. Prioritize communication to build relationships

Freelancers in any field need to know how to communicate well, whether it’s through the written word or conversations with clients and colleagues. If a developer communicates poorly, even great talent might not make the difference in landing gigs.

“My main tip, having been an indie developer for several years and now the CEO of a development agency, is to always communicate clearly and thoroughly,” says Lisa Freeman, CEO at 18a, a web design, development, and hosting services provider.

“We work with the same clients for years—some over a decade—and that’s because of how we communicate,” Freeman says. “It’s easier to keep clients you’ve got than constantly [needing] to win new ones, as the competition is fierce nowadays.”

A relationship with a client is as important if not more so than the code produced, Freeman says. “Don’t bamboozle them with complicated things they don’t need, but explain why you’ve done things the way you have,” she says.

One area where Freeman often sees developers falling short is in communicating to clients where they’ve added value. “If a client asks for something and the developer does it in a way that makes things quicker another day, or helps solve another issue…that all needs to be highlighted,” she says. “It often doesn’t seem worth mentioning, but honestly, these little extras just help build a better impression in the mind of the client and keep them coming back to you.”

A key to good communication is to practice translating technical jargon into something more approachable, says Mia Kotalik, who became a full-time freelance developer in 2022.

“You can’t win trust by drowning non-technical clients in tech jargon,” Kotalik says. “It makes people feel talked down to and reluctant to engage with you. Explain concepts in non-technical language first, then introduce key terms with one-line definitions so clients feel informed, not overwhelmed. This skill is a differentiator: Clients understand the plan, feel respected, and still see that you’re technically rigorous. This skill is arguably the most important.”

5. Create a portfolio of your work

A portfolio of work tells the story of what you bring to the table. It’s the main way to showcase your software development skills and experience, and is a key tool in attracting clients and projects. A good portfolio supplements a resume and other materials needed to demonstrate what you are capable of doing.

“You will need customers who are willing to take a risk on an independent developer,” says Brad Weber, founder and president of InspiringApps, a company that designs and builds custom digital products, and previously an independent developer for 12 years.

“Minimize their risk by having similar work you can point to for reference,” Weber says. “If that sounds like a Catch-22 when you are starting, it is. I found it effective to do work for free or greatly reduced price for friends, family, and not-for-profit organizations.”

Independent software developers first starting out don’t even need to wait for a client to build a portfolio, Kotalik says. “Make apps and websites in your free time,” she says. “I built my first sites on my own time for free; by the second hobby project, paid clients started reaching out.”