Get a rough effort band for finishing your stalled project before you talk to developers.
Runs 100% locallyYour answers are processed in your browser and are not sent to TakeoverWork.
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Describe what works, what's broken and what's left. Developers who finish and rescue projects will contact you.
Post your takeover free"How long will it take to finish?" is the first question every owner of a stalled project asks, and the hardest one to answer without looking at the code. This estimator gives you a rough starting point. Answer questions about the size, stack, current state, documentation and tests of your project, and it returns an effort band: a range, not a single number. It is a rough guide, not a quote. It runs in your browser.
Rescue work carries more uncertainty than new work. The developer has to learn someone else's decisions, find out which parts work, and sometimes undo shortcuts before building anything. A single figure would suggest a precision that nobody has before seeing the code. A band shows the likely spread, and how wide it is tells you how much is still unknown.
Size and scope. The number of screens, user roles, integrations and data types matters more than lines of code. A small app with payments, email and a third-party API can take longer than a larger app with none.
Stack. Some stacks are faster to pick up than others. Mainstream frameworks have many developers who know them. No-code platforms move quickly for small changes but can make some features slow or impossible. AI-generated code is often quick to read but may hide inconsistent patterns. A mix of several stacks adds coordination work.
Current state. A deployed app with real users needs care at every step: migrations, backups, no downtime. A prototype that never went live allows bigger changes. If the app does not build or run at all, there is a recovery phase before any feature work.
Access. Full access to the code, hosting, database and accounts keeps work moving. Missing access to a domain, an app store account or the repository can stall a project regardless of how much code exists.
Documentation. A README with setup steps, a list of environment variable names and notes on deployment can save days of guesswork. No documentation means the developer writes it as they go.
Tests. Automated tests let a developer change code with confidence. Without them, each change needs manual checking, and fixing one bug can quietly create another.
What "done" means. A clear list of remaining features and acceptance criteria keeps the range tight. "Make it work properly" makes it wide.
Share the band and your answers when you brief developers, and ask each one how their view differs and why. Good developers will name the specific risks behind their estimate. A quote far below your band deserves the same questions as one far above it. Our guide on evaluating developers who want to finish your app suggests questions to ask, and Bubble and FlutterFlow: fix or rebuild helps when the band is close to the cost of starting again.
If you are a developer, the factors above are a reasonable checklist for your own estimate. See assessing a takeover before you commit and pricing rescue and takeover work fairly for how to turn findings into a fair, milestone-based proposal.
The estimator only knows what you tell it. It cannot see code quality, security problems, hidden dependencies or how well the original developer understood the problem. It does not account for your developer's rates or availability. Use it to prepare for conversations, not to set a fixed budget or deadline.
If your project is stuck somewhere between "almost done" and "will not run" (see finish a half-built app), the next step is a real review by a developer. Post your takeover for free, include your effort band and the answers behind it, and compare the responses you receive.
No. It is a rough guide, not a quote. Only a developer who has looked at your code, accounts and goals can give you a real estimate, and their number may sit outside the band.
Unknowns widen the range. If you answered that you are not sure about tests, documentation or code access, the estimator has to allow for good and bad surprises. Answering more questions with certainty narrows it.
You can use it as a starting point, but rates vary widely by region, experience and engagement type. Agree the price directly with the developer, and fix the scope of the first milestone in writing.
Not necessarily. They may have found problems the questions cannot capture, such as security gaps or a missing back end. Ask them to explain the biggest items in their estimate; a clear answer is a good sign.
No. The estimate is worked out in your browser and is not sent to TakeoverWork.
Inherited code carries unknowns that new builds do not. Price in stages, name your assumptions, and give honest ranges instead of a single number you cannot defend.
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