PHP continues to power a massive portion of the internet—including platforms like WordPress, Laravel-based SaaS apps, and custom-built enterprise tools. If your team runs a backend-heavy system or maintains legacy code, you need skilled PHP developers. And Brazil has become one of the top markets to find them.
Brazilian developers offer a rare blend of backend specialization, real-time collaboration due to time zone alignment, and significant cost savings. With thousands of engineers trained in modern PHP frameworks and tools, Brazil is now a go-to hub for companies seeking backend stability without bloated payrolls.
Benefits of Hiring PHP Developers in Brazil
1. Substantial Cost Savings
Hiring a senior PHP developer in Brazil typically costs 40–60% less than a U.S.-based equivalent, without sacrificing code quality or delivery speed.
2. Overlapping Work Hours
Brazil’s time zones (GMT-3 to GMT-5) sync perfectly with EST, CST, and PST—enabling fluid collaboration across daily standups, pull requests, and product sprints.
3. Strong Technical Expertise
Most PHP developers in Brazil are fluent in Laravel, Symfony, API architecture, MySQL/PostgreSQL, Docker, and cloud infrastructure on AWS or GCP.
4. English Fluency and Remote Work Experience
A growing share of developers in Brazil have worked remotely for U.S. companies and communicate effectively via Slack, Notion, GitHub, and other async tools.
5. Streamlined Compliance Through Revelo
Revelo handles everything from sourcing to payroll, benefits, and compliance—making it easy to hire full-time, long-term developers without setting up a local entity.
What Skills to Look for in a PHP Developer
When hiring PHP developers in Brazil, prioritize those who bring:
- Framework expertise in Laravel, Symfony, or Zend
- Familiarity with MVC architecture and SOLID principles
- Experience building RESTful or GraphQL APIs
- Knowledge of relational databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL
- DevOps familiarity—Docker, CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Actions
- Security best practices (OWASP, CSRF/XSS prevention)
- Cloud infrastructure skills (especially AWS EC2, RDS, S3)
- Testing practices using PHPUnit or Codeception
Best Practices for Hiring PHP Developers in Brazil
1. Define Your Technical Needs Up Front
Be clear about the type of PHP work—new feature builds, legacy maintenance, API development, or full-stack support. This helps filter candidates faster.
2. Prioritize Communication and Remote Maturity
Look for candidates who demonstrate async collaboration, clear documentation skills, and comfort in remote team dynamics.
3. Work with a Vetted Talent Platform
Revelo gives you access to rigorously screened PHP developers in Brazil, matched to your needs and timezone. You can typically onboard within two weeks.
4. Assess Both Code and Culture Fit
Strong candidates aren’t just great at PHP—they align with your team’s velocity, values, and work cadence.
5. Offer Clear Onboarding and Career Pathing
The best developers want to grow. Offer clear goals, technical mentorship, and visibility into product outcomes to retain top talent.