Freelance Software Developer in Prestwich
I'm Stef, a freelance software developer based in Prestwich, Manchester with over 20 years of experience building everything from small business websites to enterprise-scale applications processing millions in transactions.
I've spent five years at Bandcamp.com working on their Ruby platform that handles over $200 million annually, and a decade as technical lead at Bouncy Castle Network growing their booking system from startup to 1,200 customers. I'm now available for freelance software development work across Greater Manchester and remotely worldwide.
Everything I build is open source, which means you own the complete source code with no vendor lock-in or ongoing license fees.
What I can build for you
Custom web applications
I build dynamic web applications using Ruby on Rails with test coverage, automated deployments, and proper infrastructure. These are bespoke systems designed around your specific business processes, whether that's booking systems, CRMs, inventory management, or industry-specific tools.
My current project Play-Test is a compliance and inspection system used by professional inspectors across the UK, with complex calculations, PDF generation, QR code tracking, and offline capability for tablets in the field. Check out my Ruby on Rails development page for more technical details about how I build scalable applications.
Static websites and content management
Not every project needs a full application stack. For businesses that need fast, affordable, and easy-to-maintain websites, I build static sites using Eleventy and other modern generators. These load quickly, are cheap to host, and give you complete control over your content.
I've built my own Chobble Template that includes menu systems for restaurants, product listings for shops, event calendars, contact forms with spam protection, and automatic SEO optimization. My Eleventy developer services cover building new sites, converting from WordPress or Wix, and adding features to existing static sites.
API integrations and automation
Many businesses need their various systems to talk to each other - connecting your CRM to your accounting software, pulling data from APIs, automating repetitive tasks, or building custom integrations between services. I can build middleware that connects your existing tools or create entirely new APIs for your applications.
I'm experienced with REST and GraphQL APIs, webhook systems, scheduled jobs, data synchronization, and building automation that handles errors properly. I can connect payment processors, inventory systems, or build custom dashboards that pull data from multiple sources.
Legacy system maintenance
Got an old system that works but nobody wants to touch? I'm not afraid of legacy codebases. I've inherited and maintained systems written in various languages and frameworks, often without documentation or tests. I can add features, fix bugs, improve performance, or plan migrations to modern platforms.
Sometimes the right answer is to keep what's working and just make targeted improvements. Other times a complete rewrite makes more sense. I'll give you honest advice about which approach suits your situation and budget, and I can work with whatever timeline makes sense for your business continuity.
Microcontroller and IoT programming
Beyond web applications, I work with Arduino, ESP32, and other microcontrollers for automation, monitoring, and IoT projects. This might be custom hardware for your business processes, sensor networks, automated systems, or integrating physical devices with your web applications.
My microcontroller programming services cover prototyping through to production deployments. I can help you spec hardware, write the firmware, and build web interfaces for monitoring and control.
Technical architecture and planning
Sometimes you don't need code yet - you need someone to help you figure out what to build and how to build it. I offer technical consulting to help you evaluate options, choose appropriate technologies, plan database structures, design system architectures, and create technical roadmaps.
Planning sessions can help avoid expensive mistakes early on. I'll explain trade-offs in plain English, recommend solutions that fit your scale and budget, and help you avoid over-engineering or under-engineering your systems. My technical consultancy services cover broader tech advice beyond just software development.
Why work with me?
I've worked at every scale - from fresh startups with zero customers through to international platforms serving millions of users. This means I can advise solutions that suit your current reality and future plans, whether you're a big organisation with established processes or a smaller business just getting started.
Everything I build is open source under permissive licenses. You get the complete source code, deployment configurations, and documentation. If you want to host it yourself, you can. If you want to hire another developer to add features, they can. If you want to take it in a completely different direction, it's yours to modify. No proprietary systems, no vendor lock-in, no mysterious annual fees.
My pricing is transparent - a flat hourly rate of £200 per hour, or £100 per hour for charities, cooperatives, artists, musicians, vegan businesses, and renewable energy companies. You'll get detailed breakdowns of time spent on different features.
I write tests, use automated deployments, implement proper error tracking, and build systems that scale. The code has detailed test coverage, clear documentation, and maintainable architecture. I'm not afraid of gnarly problems, server migrations, or whatever else you might need - I've dealt with pretty much everything web-related over my 20 years in software development.
Manchester and remote work
I'm based in Prestwich, just north of Manchester, and I'm happy to meet local businesses in person to discuss projects properly. Sometimes it's easier to explain technical possibilities face-to-face, especially when planning complex systems. We can meet at a local cafe like Cuckoo or visit your premises to understand your workflows.
For businesses outside Manchester, I work remotely with teams across the UK and internationally. All my development happens remotely anyway, and I'm experienced with distributed teams, code reviews, and collaborative development through Git and modern tooling.
Example projects
My Play-Test inspection system has test coverage, automated deployments, PDF generation, offline capability, and proper infrastructure. I spent five years at Bandcamp.com working on their music platform that processes hundreds of millions in annual sales. As technical lead at Bouncy Castle Network, I grew their booking system and CRM from a startup to serve 1,200 entertainment businesses.
Check out my examples page for more projects, including Vegan Prestwich (community platform I built and maintain), Renegade Solar (solar panel installer site ranking #1 locally), and various restaurant, charity, and business websites I've developed.
Software development pricing
Like all my services, I charge a flat hourly rate - £200 per hour for commercial work, or £100 per hour for charities, cooperatives, artists, musicians, vegan businesses, and renewable energy companies. Initial discussions about your project are free, and I'll provide clear estimates before starting any work.
For hosting, I can set up your application on anything from a £5/month VPS for smaller projects to multi-server deployments for enterprise scale. I charge £60 per month (£30 with discount) for hosting support, which includes uptime monitoring, database backups, quick changes, and help when things go wrong. You can also host everything yourself since you own all the code.
Want an estimate for a static website project? Use my price calculator to get immediate pricing. For custom application development, contact me and we'll discuss your requirements to provide a proper estimate.
Technologies I use
I work primarily with Ruby on Rails for web applications, JavaScript for frontend work, and Eleventy or Jekyll for static sites. I use PostgreSQL or SQLite for databases, Redis for caching and background jobs, and deploy with Docker on NixOS for reproducible infrastructure. I'm comfortable with AWS, Hetzner, Gandi, and various other hosting providers.
For testing I use RSpec with Capybara for feature tests, Sorbet for type checking, and maintain over 90% test coverage. Deployments run through GitHub Actions with automated linting, security scanning, and parallel test execution. I use proper error tracking with Sentry or open source alternatives, automated backups to multiple locations, and monitoring systems to catch issues before they affect users.
I'm also experienced with Linux system administration, web server hosting, background job processing, S3-compatible storage, email deliverability, DNS management, and pretty much everything needed to run production web applications reliably. My Linux consultancy services cover server management and infrastructure separately if you need that.
Let's build something
Contact me to discuss your project. If you're local to Prestwich or Manchester, I'm happy to meet for coffee and talk through what you need properly.