"HIRE VINCENT. Seriously. I've worked with many many developers over the years (remember rentacoder?), and Vincent is that rare breed of web developer who just gets it. You have a chat, you express what you need, and he comes back with what you asked for. His english is fluent, he understands what you need, and he's not looking to overcomplicate things. It's a joy and pleasure to work with him, not to have to micromanage and just overall a great experience. Honestly I wish I could keep him on we just don't have the budget anymore - that is the only reason the contract ended."
About me
Vincent Schmalbach
I build software like someone who runs the business too.
I'm a Germany-based full-stack developer with a Master's degree in Information Science and 15+ years of professional software development experience. I have been building online products since 2002: SaaS apps, marketplaces, ecommerce systems, SEO and content businesses, scraping and data systems, automation tools, AI workflows, and client platforms.
Most of my current paid work is Laravel and Vue. That is where most of my recent client work is, and where I can show the most examples. But I am not just a Laravel implementation person. I can look at product, code, data, traffic, operations, and business model in the same conversation.
I'm all in on AI. I started using AI when I got access to OpenAI's first public beta for GPT-3, and now it is part of how I build software every day. I use it to read codebases, plan changes, write tests, refactor, debug, and ship faster. The quality still comes from knowing what good software looks like.
I started by building my own things
At 19, I launched Germany's first mobile comparison site. Later I built and ran an SEO and affiliate business with more than 100 websites, 1M+ monthly visitors, a small team, and internal software for outreach, content management, and automation.
I also built SaaS products for website translation, email outreach, and AI-assisted content generation, plus a data-heavy ecommerce marketplace for new car sales across Europe.
That background matters. I have been responsible for code, traffic, revenue, support, content, operations, and the boring parts that decide whether a product actually works after launch.
What clients bring me in for
Since 2021, I have worked full-time as a freelance developer. Most client projects are Laravel/Vue SaaS products or business applications, either new builds or products that have been in real use for years.
- Taking over existing Laravel apps and making them understandable again.
- Upgrading older PHP/Laravel systems without breaking the business logic inside them.
- Building SaaS products, billing flows, admin panels, APIs, queues, imports, reporting, and internal tools.
- Fixing slow pages, heavy queries, fragile jobs, awkward integrations, and data flows that have grown over time.
- Adding AI where it belongs in the product: extraction, research, content, automation, internal workflows, and customer-facing features.
I also build custom apps, SaaS products, APIs, and full-stack features in Laravel, Vue, React, Node.js, Python, or the stack your product already uses. I can help with modernization, performance, maintenance, AI integrations, rescue projects, and fractional CTO / technical leadership. See all services.
I can work from the rough version
Most projects do not start with clean specs. There is a repo, a rough product idea, a slow page, a half-working integration, a feature customers keep asking for, or a system nobody fully understands anymore.
I look at what exists, ask the right questions, find the parts that can break the project, and turn it into a concrete plan. Then I build it.
The stack is not the whole story
Laravel, Vue, React, Python, Node.js, databases, queues, APIs, deployment, scraping, search, billing, AI models: I use whatever the product needs.
Specializing in Laravel has helped me get serious client work. The broader value is that I have built products from more than one angle: developer, founder, operator, SEO, writer, and business owner.
Concrete proof points
15+ years of hands-on software development. I have built new products, modernized old systems, and worked inside mature codebases after years of real-world changes.
Mid-three-figure project exposure. Across my own projects and client work, I have manually created or worked on a mid-three-figure number of apps, websites, software products, and codebases.
Work across company sizes. I have consulted for a company that later became one of Germany's largest companies, and I have also worked with solo founders, small and medium businesses, online businesses, and product teams.
Greenfield and rescue work. I have built full SaaS applications from scratch and worked on 15-year-old codebases that needed urgent fixes without breaking the business behind them.
Founder and operator background. I care about traffic, conversion, revenue, support, data quality, and delivery, not only the code.
Daily AI engineering workflow. I use OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude Code, Codex, and custom agent workflows as part of normal software work.
Author of Rapid SaaS with Laravel. I wrote a practical book about building production-ready SaaS apps with Laravel 12, billing, teams, AI integration, and the parts needed before customers can pay you.
Public writing that gets read. My blog had 73k readers in 2025, and my writing has been mentioned or discussed by publications and developer communities including The Guardian, Forbes, Hacker News, Slashdot, Semrush, HubSpot, and others.
What clients say
Actual feedback from clients I've worked with.
"What stood out about working with Vincent was how methodical and efficient he was. He started by really digging into our requirements, asking clarifying questions until he had a solid understanding. He then built exactly what was needed and kept us informed throughout. Communication was clear and proactive at all times. Everything stayed on track, both in terms of time and budget. The end result was excellent and has been running smoothly since launch. It's that combination of practical focus and attention to detail that makes the difference. I would definitely recommend Vincent for quality development."
"Having Vincent on retainer has been excellent. He's tackled some major technical challenges for us, notably significantly improving our website's performance. He also expertly managed a complex upgrade of our core platform (Laravel) to the latest version, ensuring we stay current and secure. We're now rolling out the multilingual capabilities he built, which is exciting. Vincent is reliable, technically skilled, and a valuable partner for keeping our site running optimally and moving forward. Highly recommend his expertise."
"I've been working with Vincent for several months, and he's one of the most independent developers I've collaborated with. He doesn't need micromanagement - he's fully capable of making decisions and driving the project forward, which has freed me up to focus on other parts of the business.
Vincent works very well asynchronously: communication stays focused, there is little unnecessary back-and-forth, and he still raises the important questions when needed. The result is a developer who delivers without overhead, and that's been genuinely valuable."
"We work with Vincent regularly on Laravel/Vue projects, both new builds and existing codebases that have grown over the years. In both cases, he delivers clean code and reliable implementation. We especially value how quickly he gets into mature projects and finds solutions that fit the existing state of the codebase. Absolutely recommended."
"Vincent was easy to work with and produced high-quality code. Would recommend."
"Vincent is one of those rare developers who can jump into a complex codebase, become useful immediately, and solve real problems without hand-holding.
He worked on performance optimization, customer-specific features, and a major custom reporting system. He also turned customer discussions into clear technical requirements and documented his work so the rest of the team could build on it.
Vincent does not just close tickets, he thinks through the product, the edge cases, and the customer impact. If you need a senior Laravel developer who can move a SaaS product forward, I strongly recommend him."
Next step
Have something I should look at?
Send the rough version: a repo, a screen recording, a product idea, or a list of problems. I can tell you what I would do first.