Someone to ask before you decide

What this is not

This is not a CTO hire — you are not adding headcount, a salary or equity. It is not the review category either, which checks one specific document you already have, like a quote or a piece of code. And it is not an agency retainer, which comes bundled with a team you did not ask for and are paying for anyway.

It is one experienced engineer, reachable when you have a decision to make, with nothing to sell you afterward.

The questions people actually bring

Most of what a technical advisor is asked has nothing to do with an active outage or a document in hand. It is the kind of question you would ask a technical co-founder if you had one.

• Which stack or platform fits a product this size, and which one is over-engineering it.
• Whether to build something custom or use an existing tool.
• Whether a candidate for a technical hire or co-founder role actually knows what they claim to.
• Whether the system will hold up if the business grows the way you are hoping it will.
• Whether it is time to move past a no-code prototype, and what that actually involves.

How the engagement works

Most people start with a single paid call around one specific decision. Some keep a standing arrangement — a few hours a month of on-demand access — once they realise how often a five-minute answer would have saved a costly guess.

Either way, the advisor writes no code and is not trying to become your developer. If the advice leads to needing a build, you are free to hire anyone for it, including someone found elsewhere on ProofDevs.

What it costs

A single call is priced the same as any senior engineer's hourly rate — no separate 'consulting' markup. A standing arrangement is usually a small flat monthly amount for a capped number of hours, agreed up front so there is never a surprise invoice for a ten-minute question.