What Is an Offshore Development Team?
Last updated . Every definition on this page was checked October 1, 2026. DeskTeam360's details and the US wages were checked September 25, 2026.
This site is run by DeskTeam360, which runs an offshore team, and this guide uses it as one example.
An offshore development team is a group of developers in another country who work on your projects. Offshoring means having work done in another country, often because costs are lower there. The trade-off is distance: a bigger time gap and less day-to-day contact. For a small agency, an offshore team works out when it's well managed, keeps the same people on your sites, and leaves the work and the logins in your name.
What is offshore outsourcing?
Offshore outsourcing is paying an outside company in another country to do work your business would otherwise do itself. Outsourcing is about who does the work. Offshoring is about where it happens: in another country.
For web work, that can mean a team that builds sites, fixes bugs and handles upkeep for your agency's clients. DeskTeam360's team, for example, works from one physical office in Indonesia. For how offshore compares with teams closer to home, see nearshore vs offshore.
What is an advantage of offshore outsourcing?
Lower cost is the advantage built into the word: offshoring is often chosen because costs are lower there. For the general advantages of outsourcing, see outsourcing developers.
The author of this guide learned the cost gap early. He once paid a local assistant $5,000 a month, then hired someone overseas for $1,280 a month, who, in his words, turned out to be 10 times better.
Here's what the gap can look like for a US agency today:
| Option | Cost a year | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| One Florida computer programmer at the median wage | $100,539.27, with employer taxes, before benefits | One full-time person |
| One US computer programmer at the median wage | $108,111.84, plus that state's unemployment tax, before benefits | One full-time person |
| DeskTeam360 Entrepreneur plan | $17,964 ($1,497 a month) | A team working on 1 task at a time |
These aren't the same thing. One hire is one full-time person. A DeskTeam360 plan is a team working on 1, 2 or 3 of your tasks at a time, depending on the plan. The table shows the size of the gap, not a like-for-like price.
If you'd like to see how an offshore team would fit your agency's work, you can book a call with DeskTeam360.
The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page.
What are the disadvantages of offshore development?
The time gap, harder communication, quality you can't see up close, and the risk of losing control of your work. Each one has a fix.
| Disadvantage | Why it happens | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Time gap | The team may be asleep during your day. Indonesia, for example, is 11 to 14 hours ahead of US Eastern time | A contact who works during your day, and clear written briefs |
| Communication | Distance, language and fewer live calls | Short written briefs, screen recordings, and one named contact |
| Quality you can't see | The work happens far from you | Someone on the team checks each task before it reaches you, and you check it too |
| Turnover | A new person each month has to relearn your brand | Ask for the same people on your account |
| Losing control of the work | The team holds the logins, or no one wrote down who owns the code | Keep every account in your name, and put ownership in writing |
How do you hire an offshore development team?
Start with the work, check how the team runs, and get the paperwork right before the first task.
- List the work. Fixes, landing pages, redesigns, store work and upkeep.
- Pick how you'll pay. Outside help is usually priced per project, by the hour, or as a dedicated team. A flat monthly rate is another option.
- Ask who does the work. Get names and roles, and ask if they'll stay on your account.
- Ask who manages it. Find out who assigns tasks and who checks the work before it reaches you.
- Ask where they work. An office with backup internet and power keeps work moving when something fails.
- Put ownership in writing before work starts. See who owns the work. This step is a plain reading of the rules. It isn't legal or tax advice.
- Keep the accounts in your name. Your domain, hosting and logins stay yours. Give the team its own access.
- Start with one small task. Watch how questions, delivery and changes go.
What should you look for in an offshore development team?
A real office, a manager on your side, the same people every month, and your logins in your name. This table shows what to ask, with DeskTeam360's answers as one example.
| What to look for | Why it matters | Question to ask | DeskTeam360's answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| A real office | Steady equipment, internet and power | "Where does the team work, and what happens if the power or internet goes out?" | One physical office in Indonesia, with new computers, three internet providers and two backup power sources |
| Management on your side | Someone owns the result before you see it | "Who assigns my tasks, and who checks the work?" | A North American account manager assigns each task, manages it and checks the work |
| The same people | They learn your brand and standards | "Will the same people work on my account every month?" | Yes, the same people every month |
| Logins and ownership | You keep control if anything changes | "Whose name are the hosting and logins in, and who owns the work?" | Ask for a signed agreement on ownership, and keep the logins in your name |
| Terms | You can leave if it doesn't work | "Is there a contract, and how do I cancel?" | No contracts, month to month, cancel any time |
Duct Tape Marketing moved its websites to DeskTeam360 after two years with another firm on a similar model.
"Absolutely Get Off The Fence And Do It!"
Sarah Nay, Duct Tape Marketing
For a team that works only on your account, see what a dedicated development team is.
More on offshore, nearshore and dedicated teams
On a call, you can ask DeskTeam360 the questions in the table above and hear the answers directly. For the full cost of a hire next to outsourcing, see what a web hire costs.
The button opens DeskTeam360's Book a Call page, where you pick a time.
Sources
- Cambridge Dictionary, "offshoring"
- IANA Time Zone Database, version 2026e, "asia" file
- IANA Time Zone Database, version 2026e, "northamerica" file
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages: Computer Programmers
- IRS, Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates
- IRS, Topic 759, Form 940, federal unemployment tax
- Florida Department of Revenue, reemployment tax
- Codeable, outsource web development
- Devox Software, outsource web development
- DeskTeam360, home page (deskteam360.com)
- DeskTeam360, About page (deskteam360.com)
- DeskTeam360 case study: Duct Tape Marketing (deskteam360.com/case-studies)
All checked October 1, 2026. DeskTeam360's pages, the case study and the US wages and taxes were checked September 25, 2026. This site isn't connected to the State of Florida, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IRS or any other government agency.
What changed
- October 1, 2026: First version of this page.
- October 1, 2026: Added the disadvantages and their fixes, the author's own early lesson, and DeskTeam360's location. Ownership rules now link to the step-by-step guide.