A white label web development agency in India costs a US agency about $18 to $45 an hour for a senior developer, against $125 to $300 an hour for a US-based one, going by KrishaWeb's 2026 white-label pricing guide. Per project, that same guide puts the partner's price at $800 to $2,500 for a five-page WordPress site and $3,000 to $6,000 for a standard WooCommerce store, and KrishaWeb's guide to choosing a partner says the common target is to bill the client two to three times the partner's fee. The saving is real, but it only holds if you count your own management time and get the contract right.
I'm a freelance web developer in Gurugram, India, and I've been the hidden developer behind an agency's client sites. This guide is written for a US agency owner who sells websites and wants someone else to build them. All prices are in US dollars, and each one links to the page it came from.
$18 to $45
Senior white-label developer in India, per hour
$125 to $300
Senior US-based developer, per hour
50 to 70%
Gross margin US agencies aim for on resold builds
$92,650
Median US web developer wage, May 2025
What is white-label web development, and how does it work for a US agency?
White-label web development means another team builds the website and your agency sells it under your own name. Your client never sees the builder. You keep the client, the pricing and the relationship, and the partner does the build work in the background.
In practice it runs like this. Your client signs with you. You send the partner a brief and the design (usually a Figma file, which is the design tool most agencies use). The partner builds the site on a staging link, which is a private copy of the site that the public can't see. You review it, pass on your client's feedback, and the partner makes the changes. On launch day the site goes live on hosting you or your client controls. Nothing on the site or in the code carries the partner's name.
It's different from referring a client to a developer and taking a commission. With white-label, you stay responsible for the result. If the site is late or broken, your client calls you.
US agencies usually reach for it in one of four situations:
- You sell design, SEO or ads, and clients keep asking for websites. You'd rather say yes than send them to a competitor.
- Your one developer is fully booked. You need overflow help for a busy quarter without hiring.
- You've lost a developer. Projects are in flight and hiring takes months.
- A client needs something outside your stack. For example a WooCommerce store when your team only does brochure sites.
What does a white label web development agency in India cost per hour?
A white label web development agency in India typically charges a US agency between $15 and $45 an hour. A US-based partner doing the same work charges several times that.
Several sources line up on the Indian range. KrishaWeb's guide gives $18 to $45 an hour for a senior developer in India, with project management included at the upper end. Wisemonk's 2026 guide to white-label development in India puts most white-label work at about $15 to $40 an hour, against $75 to $150 or more for an onshore developer once all their costs are counted. And Clutch's location tables, as summarised by Digital Applied, put the average Indian web development company under $25 an hour and the average US one at $100 to $149.
Here's how the partner locations compare in KrishaWeb's table:
| Partner location | Typical hourly rate | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| India (senior developer) | $18 to $45 | Project management included at the upper end |
| Eastern Europe | $65 to $90 | Partial overlap with UK working hours |
| Latin America (nearshore) | $75 to $100 | Good overlap with US working hours |
| UK or Australia | $110 to $150 | Rates close to US rates |
| US domestic | $125 to $300 | Senior full-stack developer, varies by stack |
Source: KrishaWeb, White Label Web Development Pricing.
Two cautions about hourly numbers. First, these are asking rates published by companies that sell the service, so treat them as a starting point for a conversation. Second, a low hourly rate tells you nothing about how many hours the job will take. A $20 developer who needs 90 hours costs more than a $40 developer who needs 40, and the second site is usually the better one.
If you browse Clutch's list of web development companies in India, you'll see the same spread in real listings. It shows more than 14,000 companies, and most of the top ones sit in either the "under $25" or the "$25 to $49" hourly band. Many also set a minimum project size, from $1,000 up to $25,000, which matters if you're only sending small jobs.
Related guide: Outsourcing web development to India: what UK firms pay
What is the white label web development cost per project?
White label web development cost per project from an Indian partner usually runs from about $500 for a landing page to $25,000 for a custom web application. Most agency work, meaning WordPress sites and small stores, lands between $800 and $6,000.
Most partners will quote a fixed price per project once the scope is clear, and I think that's the right way to buy. A fixed price moves the risk of a slow build onto the partner. Hourly billing leaves it with you.
KrishaWeb's guide lists what the agency pays the partner and what the agency then bills its client:
| Project type | What you pay the partner | What US agencies bill the client |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | $500 to $1,500 | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| 5-page brochure site (WordPress) | $800 to $2,500 | $2,500 to $7,500 |
| 10 to 15 page custom WordPress site | $2,500 to $5,000 | $7,500 to $15,000 |
| Standard WooCommerce store | $3,000 to $6,000 | $8,000 to $18,000 |
| Custom Webflow build | $3,000 to $8,000 | $8,000 to $20,000 |
| Custom web application | $8,000 to $25,000 | $20,000 to $60,000 |
Source: KrishaWeb, White Label Web Development Pricing.
You will find cheaper quotes. One Indian provider, Codingclave, publishes fixed prices for US agencies of $200 to $800 for a WordPress website built from your design, $300 to $1,200 for a custom-designed business website and $600 to $3,500 for an online store. That's one company's price list and I haven't worked with them, but it shows how wide the market is.
That width is the real lesson. KrishaWeb's guide says the same brief can draw quotes across a 4 to 10 times range. The gap is rarely about the hourly rate. It's about what each quote leaves out.
What do cheap white-label quotes leave out?
The lowest quotes usually leave out plugin licences, hosting setup, content entry and support after launch. Once those are added back, the cheap quote is often not cheap.
KrishaWeb gives a worked case: an $800 quote for a five-page WordPress site often costs $1,800 to $2,200 "fully loaded". The same page says paid plugins such as Elementor Pro, ACF Pro and Gravity Forms add $200 to $600 per project. (A plugin is an add-on that gives WordPress an extra feature, such as forms or a page builder.)
Before you compare two quotes, check that each one covers the same list:
- Building every page and template in the design, on desktop, tablet and phone
- Loading the real content, or a stated number of pages of it
- Forms that send to the right inbox or CRM
- Basic on-page SEO: page titles, descriptions, redirects from the old site
- Speed work, so the site passes Google's Core Web Vitals (Google's three measures of loading, stability and response)
- Testing in the main browsers
- Launch on the client's hosting, including DNS (the settings that point the domain at the site)
- A support window after launch, and how long it lasts
KrishaWeb says a post-launch support window of 14 to 30 days is common. Codingclave's page offers six months of free bug fixes. Either is fine. What matters is that the number is written down.
Should you pay per project, a monthly retainer or a dedicated developer?
Pay per project if you send work now and then, a monthly retainer if you send small jobs every week, and a dedicated developer only once you can fill 40 hours a week. Picking the wrong model is the most common way agencies overpay.
| Model | Typical partner price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed price per project | $500 to $25,000 depending on the build | New sites with a clear design and scope |
| Starter retainer (10 to 20 hours) | $499 to $800 a month | Small edits and fixes across client sites |
| Mid-tier retainer (30 to 50 hours) | $1,200 to $2,000 a month | Steady flow of changes plus a small build |
| High-volume retainer (60 to 100+ hours) | $2,500 to $5,000 a month | Several builds running at once |
| Dedicated developer (40 hours a week) | $3,000 to $6,000 a month | An agency with a full pipeline every month |
Source: KrishaWeb, White Label Web Development Pricing.
The trap with retainers is unused hours. KrishaWeb's guide makes the point plainly: if you use 40% of a retainer, you paid for the other 60% and got nothing for it. Start with fixed-price projects. Move to a retainer when you can look back at three months and see steady hours.
For care plans (the monthly fee you charge clients for updates, backups and small fixes), wholesale prices are lower. KrishaWeb's partner guide puts a white-label maintenance care plan at $150 to $600 a month, and Codingclave lists care from $75 a month per site for small brochure sites.
How much margin can a US agency keep on white-label work?
The common target is to bill the client two to three times what the partner charges, going by KrishaWeb's guide to choosing a partner, and KrishaWeb's pricing guide sets the gross margin goal at 50 to 70%. After you count your own time, the real margin is usually lower.
Gross margin is what's left of the client's payment after the cost of delivering the work, shown as a percentage. KrishaWeb's pricing guide says to work it out on your total cost of delivery: the partner's fee plus your own overhead for briefing, reviewing and handling the client.
Their worked examples make it concrete:
| Partner fee | Your overhead | Bill for a 50% margin | Bill for a 65% margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $400 | $4,800 | $6,857 |
| $5,000 | $800 | $11,600 | $16,571 |
| $10,000 | $1,500 | $23,000 | $32,857 |
Source: KrishaWeb, White Label Web Development Pricing.
Your own time is the cost agencies forget. KrishaWeb's comparison of white-label, subcontracting and hiring estimates that a 40-hour project handed to an ad-hoc freelancer takes another 12 to 20 hours of agency time for briefing, supervision and quality review. On their numbers, a project quoted at a 50% margin ends up closer to 20 to 30%.
So the margin depends less on the partner's rate than on how much of your week the partner eats. KrishaWeb's partner guide puts the realised margin on resold web development at 35 to 55%, with a median of about 45%. A partner who asks good questions up front, catches their own bugs and needs one round of feedback instead of four is worth a higher rate.
Price the job on what you sell, not what you pay
Your client is paying for your strategy, your design and your accountability. Set your price from the value of the project, then check that the partner's fee leaves you the margin you need.
What do white label web development services in India usually include?
White label web development services in India usually cover the build itself: turning your design into a working WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Webflow or custom-coded site, plus fixes and upkeep after launch. Strategy, design and client contact normally stay with you.
The usual service list:
- Design to website. Building from Figma on WordPress page builders such as Elementor or Bricks, or as custom code.
- Online stores. WooCommerce or Shopify, with payments, shipping and tax settings.
- Custom features. Plugins, booking and payment flows, links to tools like HubSpot or Stripe.
- Next.js and React builds. For agencies whose clients want a faster, custom-coded site. (Next.js is a popular framework for building fast websites with React.)
- Migrations. Moving a site between platforms or hosts.
- Maintenance. Updates, backups, speed fixes and small edits under your care plan.
The jobs that test a partner are rarely the page builds. They're the awkward parts around the build: payments, forms that feed a CRM, and moving a live site without losing email.
I did this work from March to October 2025 as the freelance WordPress developer behind Aura Clips, a London digital agency serving UK hospitality and e-commerce brands. The work went beyond page builds on Bricks Builder, Elementor Pro and WooCommerce. It also covered Stripe event bookings, HubSpot forms, custom plugins, and hosting and DNS migrations across Hostinger and GoDaddy. Ask a partner about those jobs, because that's where a pure "Figma to WordPress" shop runs out of road.
What's usually not included unless you ask: copywriting, stock photos, the design itself, paid plugin and theme licences, hosting fees, and any direct contact with your client.
India, a white label web development agency in the USA, or an in-house hire: which fits?
An Indian partner fits when cost and flexibility matter most, a white label web development agency in the USA fits when you need same-day conversations or US-only data handling, and an in-house hire fits when you have steady full-time work. Many agencies end up using two of the three.
| Option | Typical cost | Strong point | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-label partner in India | $18 to $45 an hour, or fixed price per project | Lowest cost, no hiring, scale up or down by the month | Time difference, you manage by written brief |
| Nearshore partner (Latin America) | $75 to $100 an hour | Same working day as the US | Well above the Indian rate |
| US white-label agency | $125 to $300 an hour | Same time zone, US contracts and entity | Leaves little room for your margin on small sites |
| In-house US developer | $118,000 to $152,000 in the first year | Full control, in your meetings, knows your clients | Fixed cost in slow months, months to hire |
Sources: hourly rates from KrishaWeb's pricing guide; first-year hire cost from KrishaWeb's hiring comparison.
The in-house number deserves a second look. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for web developers at $92,650 in May 2025. KrishaWeb's comparison adds recruiting ($8,000 to $15,000 one time), benefits and management overhead to reach its $118,000 to $152,000 first-year total. It also notes that a new hire takes three to six months to reach full output.
Set that against a simple example. Say a custom WordPress site takes a senior developer 60 hours. At the Indian range of $18 to $45 an hour, that's $1,080 to $2,700. At the US range of $125 to $300, it's $7,500 to $18,000. (That's my own arithmetic on KrishaWeb's hourly ranges, to show the scale.) If your client's budget is $10,000, the first option leaves you a business and the second often doesn't.
When is a US partner the better choice? When the client's contract requires US-based staff, when the work touches regulated data such as health records, or when the project needs daily live workshops with the developer. For a marketing site built from a finished design, none of those usually apply.
Related guide: Freelance web developer in the US: rates and what to check
How do the time zones work between India and the US?
India is nine and a half hours ahead of US Eastern time in summer and ten and a half in winter, so your working day and your partner's barely overlap. Handled well, that becomes an overnight build cycle. Handled badly, every question costs a day.
India doesn't change its clocks, so the gap moves by an hour when the US does. For the West Coast, add three more hours. Indian white-label providers often work something like 10:00 to 19:00 India time, which is the schedule Codingclave lists, and that day ends around the time the US East Coast starts work.
What works:
- Send feedback before you leave for the day. Your partner works on it while you sleep and you review it with your morning coffee.
- One fixed call slot a week. Early morning Eastern time is evening in India. For Pacific time agencies, expect one side to stretch.
- Written briefs, not calls. A short screen recording walking through the design beats a meeting.
- One list of feedback per round. Ten separate messages across a day turn into ten days.
- Agree the reply time. Ask what "same day" means in your time zone, and whether Indian public holidays are working days.
If your agency runs on quick calls and "can you jump on for five minutes", a partner half a day ahead of you will frustrate you. If you already work from written tickets, you'll barely notice.
What are the risks, and what should the contract say?
The main risks are a partner contacting your client, your code and logins living in the partner's accounts, uneven quality, and depending on one supplier. A short written agreement and a few habits cover most of them.
Wisemonk's guide names confidentiality, control of code and logins, quality and dependence on one partner as the main risks. Here's what I'd put in the agreement, as general advice and not legal advice:
- Confidentiality. Sign an NDA (a non-disclosure agreement) before you share any client details, plus a non-solicitation clause, which is a promise that the partner won't approach your clients directly.
- Ownership of the code. The contract should say all work and intellectual property passes to your agency, at the latest on final payment.
- Accounts and logins. Keep the code in your own repository (the online folder where code is stored), and keep hosting, domains and plugin licences in your name or your client's. Give the partner access, then remove it when the job ends.
- No credit. Nothing in the site footer, the code comments or the partner's portfolio should name the partner without your written permission.
- Quality gate. Agree what "done" means: browsers tested, phone layouts checked, forms tested, speed measured.
- Exit terms. A fair way for either side to end the arrangement, with all files handed over.
KrishaWeb's partner guide treats two things as deal-breakers: a partner who refuses an NDA or non-solicitation agreement, and a partner who shows only screenshots with no live sites you can open.
What about US taxes when you pay a developer in India?
In most cases a US agency doesn't issue a 1099 to a developer who lives in India and does all the work there. You collect a W-8 form from them instead and keep it on file.
Tipalti's guide to 1099s for foreign contractors explains it: you don't issue a Form 1099-NEC to a foreign contractor for services performed entirely outside the United States. An individual gives you Form W-8BEN and a company gives you Form W-8BEN-E. The form stays valid through the end of the third calendar year after it's signed. The rules change if the contractor does any of the work while physically in the US: Tipalti says that payment is reported on Form 1042-S and can face 30% withholding.
I'm a developer, not a tax adviser, so take this as a pointer for a conversation with your CPA before the first payment.
How do you choose a white label web development partner in India?
Choose a white label web development partner by testing them on a small paid job before you trust them with a client deadline. Live work, clear writing and a clean contract tell you more than the hourly rate.
First decide what kind of partner you need. In India you have three main choices:
| Type of partner | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| White-label agency | Volume: many sites a month, several platforms | You may get a different developer on each job, and a project manager between you and them |
| Senior freelancer | A few projects a month where quality and direct contact matter | One person's capacity, so ask what happens when they're busy or ill |
| Dedicated developer or team | A full, steady pipeline | You manage them day to day, and you pay in quiet months too |
Then run the same process with whoever makes your shortlist:
- 1
Ask for live sites
Get links to three sites like the ones you sell. Open them on your phone and run them through Google PageSpeed Insights.
- 2
Check the writing
Read their emails and proposal. If the written English is unclear now, the brief-and-feedback cycle will be slow later.
- 3
Send one real brief to three partners
Use the same design and scope for each, and compare what every quote includes and leaves out.
- 4
Sign the NDA and terms
Cover confidentiality, non-solicitation, ownership of the code and the support window before any client details change hands.
- 5
Run a paid pilot
Start with a landing page or a small site. Judge the questions they ask, how many feedback rounds it takes and whether dates hold.
- 6
Review, then scale
If the pilot went well, send a full project. Keep a second partner in mind so you never depend on one.
Questions worth asking on the first call:
- Who exactly will build my project, and can I talk to them?
- Do you quote a fixed price, and what counts as a change request?
- How many rounds of revisions are included?
- Will you work in our repository, hosting and project tool?
- What do you test before you call a site finished?
- What are your working hours, and how fast do you reply to an urgent bug?
- How long do you fix bugs for free after launch?
- Can I speak to another agency you work for?
Red flags, from my side of the table: a quote that arrives in an hour with no questions asked, a portfolio of screenshots, pressure to pay 100% up front, an offer to "talk to your client directly to save time", and a price so low that the only way to deliver it is a bought template with your client's logo dropped in.
How can I help as your white-label developer in India?
I work as a white-label developer for agencies, and I'm one senior developer in Gurugram, India, not a large agency. That suits an agency that sends a few well-defined projects a month and wants to talk to the person writing the code.
What I can honestly point to: I've shipped 100+ websites in 4+ years, and my white-label work for a London agency covered nine projects, which I've written up in white-label WordPress for UK agencies. I haven't listed US agency names here because I won't claim what my site doesn't show. The work itself is the same from New York as from London: your design, your client, my build.
What I build under your brand:
- WordPress websites on Bricks, Elementor and Oxygen, built from your Figma file so your client's team can edit them
- WooCommerce stores and online ordering, including custom plugins where a stock plugin doesn't fit
- Next.js and React websites for clients who need a fast custom-coded marketing site
- Hosting moves, DNS changes and monthly upkeep for the sites you already look after
When a project needs design, a Shopify store or a mobile app, I bring in partners I trust and stay your single point of contact.
Where I'm the wrong choice: if you need twenty sites a month, or developers online through the whole US working day, a larger agency or a dedicated team will serve you better. I'd rather say that now than after a missed deadline.
What should you do next?
Pick one real project, ideally a small one with a finished design, and use it as your pilot. Write down the pages, the features, the platform and the date you need it, and send the same brief to two or three partners so you can compare like with like.
If you'd like me to be one of them, send me the brief through my contact page with the Figma link and your deadline. I'll reply with questions, a quote and an honest view on whether I'm the right fit, and I'm happy to sign your NDA before you share any client details.
