I Paid Someone to Build My App and Now It's Broken
You hired a freelancer on Fiverr, Upwork, or another platform to build your app or website. It worked for a while, but now something is broken. Maybe the developer disappeared, isn't responding, or wants more money to fix what should have worked in the first place.
This is one of the most frustrating situations — you already spent money, you have a product that half-works, and you don't know enough about the code to understand what went wrong. The original developer might have cut corners, left messy code, or built something that was never meant to last.
You need someone new to look at the code, figure out what's broken, and actually fix it — without starting from scratch and losing everything you already paid for.
Error Messages You Might See
Common Causes
- Developer used shortcuts — Many budget freelancers copy-paste code from templates or use AI without testing properly, leaving hidden problems
- No documentation — The developer didn't leave any notes about how the app works, making it nearly impossible to maintain
- Hosting or server expired — The developer set up hosting under their own account, and the subscription ran out
- Hardcoded credentials — Passwords and API keys were written directly into the code instead of being stored securely, and they've since changed or expired
- No version control — There's no history of changes, so there's no way to undo what broke
How to Fix It
- Get access to everything — Make sure you have the code, hosting login, domain registrar login, and any database passwords before doing anything else
- Don't let the original developer make more changes — If they already broke it, more changes from them could make things worse
- Get a second opinion — Have a different developer review the code and give you an honest assessment of what it'll take to fix
- Check if the hosting is still active — Log into your hosting provider and make sure the subscription hasn't lapsed
- Document what's broken — Write down exactly what works, what doesn't, and any error messages you see so the next developer can start quickly
Real developers can help you.
MFox
Full-stack professional senior engineer (15+years). Extensive experience in software development, qa, and IP networking.
Rudra Bhikadiya
I build and fix web apps across Next.js, Node.js, and DBs.
Comfortable jumping into messy code, broken APIs, and mysterious bugs.
If your project works in theory but not in reality, I help close that gap.
Stanislav Prigodich
15+ years building iOS and web apps at startups and enterprise companies. I want to use that experience to help builders ship real products - when something breaks, I'm here to fix it.
Nam Tran
10 years as fullstack developer
PawelPloszaj
I'm fronted developer with 10+ years of experience with big projects. I have small backend background too
David Olverson
Solo dev shipping production apps with AI-assisted development. I specialize in rescuing broken Lovable/Bolt/Cursor builds and taking them to production. 10+ apps shipped including SaaS CRMs, gaming platforms, real estate tools, and Discord bots. Stack: Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Prisma. I use Claude Code with 50+ custom skills for rapid delivery. Average turnaround: 2-4 weeks from broken prototype to production.
Jaime Orts-Caroff
I'm a Senior Android developer, open to work in various fields
Costea Adrian
Embedded Engineer specilizing in perception systems. Latest project was a adas camera calibration system.
Taufan
I’m a product-focused engineer and tech leader who builds scalable systems and turns ideas into production-ready platforms.
Over the past years, I’ve worked across startups and fast-moving teams, leading backend architecture, improving system reliability, and shipping products used by thousands of users. My strength is not just writing code — but connecting product vision, technical execution, and business impact.
Dor Yaloz
SW engineer with 6+ years of experience,
I worked with React/Node/Python
did projects with React+Capacitor.js for ios
Supabase expert
Describe what's wrong in plain English. No technical knowledge needed.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Should I ask the original developer to fix it?
If they're still responsive and the project is under warranty or guarantee, you can try. But if they've disappeared or are asking for more money for basic fixes, it's usually better to find someone new who can properly assess the code.
Do I need to start over from scratch?
Usually not. A good developer can review the existing code and fix what's broken. Starting over is only necessary if the original code is so messy that fixing it would cost more than rebuilding.