No-code agency or freelancer: two ways to delegate, and what each leaves you

A no-code agency quotes €5,000–€15,000 for a first tool; a freelancer's median rate is €520 per day. The figures compare poorly because they buy different things. What separates them appears in month six, when you want to change a line.

No-code agency or freelancer: Lyon agency Noxcod lists €5,000–€15,000 for an internal tool or first product, €15,000–€50,000 for a complete web application (no-code offering page consulted September 2, 2026). French freelance developers charge a median €520 per day according to TJMètre's annual barometer.

The two numbers buy different things

The agency sells an outcome: scope, deadline, working application. Noxcod announces 4–6 weeks for a first product and 2–4 months for a complete application, presenting itself as three to five times cheaper than traditional development. The freelancer sells days: what you get depends on how well you expressed the request. That explains the agency's convenience in absorbing ambiguity and its price for doing so. Comparing €12,000 with €520 per day makes sense only once the day count is known, and nobody gives you that before the meeting.

A market where nobody is neutral

Search 'no-code agency or freelancer' and you find provider marketplaces and agencies. Each site sells one of the answers, making the comparison suspect. The clearest symptom: almost no French no-code agency publishes pricing. Alegria, presenting itself as Europe's leading no-code agency, lists no price, budget, or timeline on its Bubble page; the only button offers a meeting. You discover the price after announcing your budget. Noxcod, publishing ranges in its FAQ, is an exception.

What you own six months later

After a no-code agency, you own an account on an American platform and an application living inside it. After a freelancer, you own whatever the contract provides, to negotiate before starting. The most useful comparison comes from a third player: Ary Studio, a French custom-code agency, sells for €5,000–€25,000 with code transferred at launch, a four-week deadline backed by a penalty, and attacks no-code on exactly that point, a lifetime subscription. An agency can therefore deliver a product you own at a price close to no-code: the divide concerns technology, not provider type.

The line missing from quotes

A production no-code application costs $80–$150 per month according to nocode.mba once payment processing, emails, and paid extensions are added. The amount grows with success because the platform charges for server consumption: every record read, every page displayed. With a freelancer, the missing line is availability. Changing a comma six months after delivery represents half a day, around €250 at TJMètre's median, and assumes the person is free. We quantified that item in how much application maintenance costs.

What these daily-rate figures are worth

TJMètre publishes its method: voluntary declarations by French freelancers, 27,268 observations over twelve months including 4,310 verified responses, a single 'developer' category without speciality distinctions, and self-selection bias acknowledged by the barometer. A second barometer, Freeland, gives a €454 median daily rate for development from 9,716 self-reported profiles. Keep the €454–€520 range in mind and distrust round numbers cited without a method, including those circulating under the names of platforms that no longer publish them.

The third column

Since 2026, a third route exists: direct an agent team yourself to write the specification, split it into steps, and build under your approvals. The AI budget depends on the assistant, its plan and the work requested. Our measured AI spending covers specific tests and does not set this tool's price. Also budget for your approval time, any hosting, external services and maintenance. Decision hours concern your business: who sees what, what happens to a rejected quote, how a deposit is rounded. This route loses to the agency when you want to delegate the thinking, and to the freelancer when your project is small and clear. It wins when you intend to evolve the tool for years. The full comparison is in how much application development costs, and the underlying choice in agency, freelancer, or AI tool.

Decide with two questions

Ask every provider what you take when you leave: code, database, credentials, or an account on their platform. Then ask in writing for the price of a half-day modification one year after delivery. Each answer fits in three lines and distinguishes them better than a quote. If nobody will write them down, you have learned something about month six.