Hire PHP developers by skill
To hire a PHP developer, test modern PHP on a real task: typed code, safe database access and clear structure, then interview on the candidate's own solution. DeveloperHiring runs sourcing, testing and ranking for you. You hire directly and pay a flat subscription, not agency fees.
Edit the role, then see the skill matrix, screening questions and a sample coding task in about a minute.
#1 Candidate 4352
PHP 8, Symfony, MySQL · code, interview and integrity done
#2 Candidate 7396
PHP 8, Symfony, MySQL · code, interview and integrity done
#3 Candidate 5336
PHP 8, Symfony, MySQL · code, interview and integrity done
#4 Candidate 5208
PHP 8, Symfony, MySQL · code, interview and integrity done
#5 Candidate 1825
PHP 8, Symfony, MySQL · code, interview and integrity done
What does a PHP developer do?
PHP runs a large share of the web, from content sites to large SaaS products. Many PHP roles involve older code that needs care. We test both clean new code and safe changes to existing code.
Which PHP skills do we test?
The skill matrix for a PHP role starts with these six areas. You can change the weights in the role builder.
Modern PHP
Types, enums, readonly properties and Composer autoloading.
Security
Prepared statements, output escaping and safe file handling.
Databases
Efficient MySQL or Postgres queries and migrations.
Frameworks
Laravel or Symfony patterns, routing and validation.
Legacy code
Refactoring in small steps with tests around it.
Testing
PHPUnit or Pest tests for business rules.
Which screening questions work for PHP roles?
Screening questions go out by email right after a candidate enters the pipeline. Answers are scored against the skill matrix, with a written reason. Here are three from the PHP library.
- Q1 How do you safely refactor a 2,000 line PHP file nobody wants to touch?
- Q2 Show how you prevent SQL injection and cross-site scripting in plain PHP.
- Q3 What changed in recent PHP versions that you use every day?
What does the PHP coding task look like?
Invoice totals refactor. Refactor a messy invoice calculator into typed classes, fix a rounding bug and add tests. Time limit 75 minutes.
- Read the legacy code and write tests that pin current behavior
- Extract typed classes for lines, taxes and totals
- Fix the rounding bug the tests reveal
- Keep the public function signature unchanged
final readonly class InvoiceLine
{
public function __construct(public int $qty, public Money $price, public TaxRate $tax) {}
public function total(): Money { return $this->price->times($this->qty)->withTax($this->tax); }
}Running hidden tests
passed 9 of 11
failed rounds_tax_per_line, keeps_total_on_discountHow do you tell a junior from a senior PHP developer?
The test and the AI interview look for different signals at each level. Use these to set the seniority in the role builder.
| Level | What you should see |
|---|---|
| Junior | Builds simple pages and forms with a framework. |
| Mid | Owns features, writes tests and handles security basics on their own. |
| Senior | Plans large refactors and upgrades without breaking production. |
How much does a PHP developer cost?
Pay varies a lot by country, city, seniority and company. Public salary surveys show broad yearly ranges like these for mid-level to senior PHP developers. Treat them as a starting point and check current surveys for your market.
PHP salaries vary widely. Engineers with modern framework, testing and upgrade experience earn noticeably more than those maintaining simple sites.
| Region | Typical range |
|---|---|
| United States | about 80,000 to 140,000 USD |
| Western Europe | about 40,000 to 75,000 EUR |
| Latin America and Eastern Europe, remote | about 25,000 to 60,000 USD |
| India | about 8,000 to 30,000 USD |
Blind review on
Name and photo hidden until shortlist
91
overall
Code
93
Interview
89
Integrity
Clean
How does the PHP shortlist work?
PHP developers often contribute packages to the public PHP package ecosystem and framework plugins, which give us real code to read. Every candidate then goes through the same screen, the PHP task and an AI interview about their own solution. Integrity signals show paste events, similarity and AI code likelihood.
The top five land on your shortlist with a scorecard each. Your team meets them and makes the offer. You keep the hire and pay a flat subscription, from $99 per month billed yearly, not an agency fee.
Learn more about the coding assessment, the technical interview and pricing.
Questions about hiring PHP developers
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Get five verified PHP developers for your role
Paste a role description and get a skill matrix, screening questions and a sample coding task. Plans start at $99 per month billed yearly, with no placement fees.