Jordan Reyes
July 14, 2026 · 6 min read
Fixed-price: the scope is the product
A fixed project is a promise with a shape: deliverables, timeline, price, handoff. It suits launches, migrations, and builds where 'done' is definable before you start.
It breaks the moment 'done' is not definable. If your requirements will evolve — and they will — a fixed quote either pads risk into the price or becomes a change-order war.
Retainer: buying a team, not a task
A monthly retainer buys a slice of senior capacity for ongoing work: CRO experiments, app integrations, theme evolution, support. It suits stores with a living roadmap.
It breaks when used for a single bounded build — you will pay for idle capacity, and the vendor has no deadline incentive.
The hybrid most merchants actually run
Fixed price for the flagship build, retainer afterward for evolution. The fixed phase defines the architecture; the retainer evolves it. This sequencing is how 47 of our engagements have run.
The retainer inherits context the fixed project generated — that continuity is worth more than either model alone.
Red flags in either model
Fixed-price vendors who will not define 'done' in writing, and retainer vendors who cannot show what their hours produced last month. Demand both: a written scope and a monthly outcome report.
We publish pricing openly precisely so you can audit both models against the same benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions
Topics
