Top 5 Countries to Hire Affordable, High-Quality Developers in 2025

Hiring developers is no longer limited by borders — but your budget, timelines, and quality standards still matter.

If you're scaling your startup and wondering where to hire remote developers, you're not alone. Founders ask us all the time:

“Where can I find great developers that don’t break the bank — and won’t ghost mid-project?”

After building and managing remote teams across 9+ countries, here are our top 5 picks for 2025 — based on talent quality, affordability, communication, and reliability:

1. Vietnam

Why we love it:

Excellent technical skills, especially in web, mobile, backend dev
Affordable rates (30–50% lower than US/EU)
Strong work ethic + low attrition
Growing startup ecosystem in cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi
Timezone overlap with APAC, manageable for US

Great for: Startups building SaaS, AI platforms, fintech apps

2. The Philippines

Why we love it:

High English fluency — near-native communication
Great at frontend, UI/UX, project management
Strong cultural fit with Western teams
Affordable and fast to onboard

Great for: Agencies, product companies, customer-facing platforms

3. India

Why we love it:

Massive talent pool across all tech stacks
Strengths in AI, data engineering, cloud architecture
Wide timezone flexibility (APAC, US, EU coverage)
Highly scalable for larger projects

Watch for: Strong vetting is needed — quality varies by region and company.

Great for: Technical MVPs, enterprise platforms, and AI products

4. Thailand

Why we love it:

Strong emerging tech hubs (Bangkok, Chiang Mai)
High English proficiency compared to regional averages
Large expat community = better global work culture understanding
Affordable, similar quality in web and mobile dev
Happy developers = lower attrition and better product continuity

Great for: Startups building user-centric apps, regional tech expansions, B2C platforms

5. Malaysia

Why we love it:

Excellent English fluency and multicultural teams
Mature infrastructure and stable business environment
Highly skilled backend, full-stack, and fintech devs
Expat and international founder-friendly — good cross-border mindset
Slightly higher costs than Vietnam/Philippines, but strong ROI for enterprise-grade quality

Great for: Scaling fintech, SaaS, and regional Southeast Asia operations

Quick Comparison Table

Country	English	Affordability	Tech Quality	Timezone Friendly	Best For
Vietnam	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅	SaaS, AI & Mobile Apps
Philippines	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅	UI/UX, PM, Frontend
India	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅✅	MVPs, AI, Backend
Thailand	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅	Web Apps, Mobile Apps, B2C Platforms
Malaysia	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	✅	Fintech, Enterprise SaaS, Regional Expansion

How We Help

We connect startups with pre-vetted developers across Southeast Asia— and handle everything:

Hiring via EOR or contracts
Vetting, onboarding, and compliance
Ongoing support + fractional CTO guidance if needed

Build Smarter, Globally

Whether you're launching your MVP, scaling to your Series A, or rebuilding your product team—we’ve got talent that fits.

Connect with us and we’ll help you match the right country, the right devs, and the right setup.

Connect Now