Laravel consulting and second opinions
Sometimes you don't need someone to build. You need someone to tell you what to do: which stack, rebuild or repair, whether the app can grow, how to add AI, whether the quote you got is fair. I give you a written answer you can act on, and a call to go through it.
I'm all in on AI, and I stay careful about what goes live. I have been building software for more than fifteen years, I run my own products, and I consulted for almost ten years for a company that grew into one of Germany's largest.
I usually reply within one working day.
What I can help you decide
The questions I get asked most, and what an answer looks like.
Repair or rebuild
The app is old, slow or messy and someone is pushing for a rewrite. I read the code and tell you what is actually wrong, what it would cost to fix, and what a rewrite would really cost. Usually the answer is repair.
Is the quote fair?
You have an offer from an agency or a freelancer and no way to judge it. I look at what is being promised, what is missing, and whether the price and the timeline make sense.
Is the app in shape to grow?
You are about to sell more, hire more, or add a big feature. I check whether the code, the database and the hosting will hold, and what to fix before the growth arrives instead of during it.
How to add AI
Where AI would actually help in your product, what it would cost to run, which provider, and what to build first. Grounded in features I have shipped, not in demos.
Which stack, which tools
Laravel or something else, Vue or React, Forge or a bigger platform, Stripe or Paddle. Decisions you make once and live with for years, so worth asking somebody who has lived with them.
A second opinion on a plan
Your developers or agency have a plan. I read it, tell you what I would do differently and why, and you decide with both views in front of you.
How I work
You don't need to have everything figured out before we talk. An idea, access to the repo, a screen recording or a list of problems is enough. I look at what is there, tell you what I would do and what it costs, and then I build it.
I use Claude Code, Codex and my own agent workflows for reading code, planning changes, writing tests, refactoring and debugging. It is not vibe coding. It is senior engineering with a much faster loop.
AI-first, which is how one person can review a large app
With Claude Code and Codex I can go through a large codebase quickly: dependencies, database, the parts that will not scale, the places where the previous developer cut corners. The tools find things; I decide what they mean for your business and what to do about them.
I stay in control
AI writes a lot of my code. I still make every technical decision, read every change before it ships, and test it. Fast, but meticulous: the speed is only worth something if what goes live is right.
The way you want to work
Some clients want to look at every change before it goes live, others want me to deploy. Some want a weekly call, most prefer written updates. I work well asynchronously, and I still ask the important questions when they come up.
I think like an owner
I still run my own online products. So when I build or fix yours, I think about traffic, conversion, revenue and support as much as about the code, and I tell you when something is not worth building.
Ways to work with me
Fixed price, a flat monthly rate, or hourly. It's always me doing the work, not an agency. If you're not sure, describe what you need and I'll suggest one.
Examples of my work
Decisions I have made with clients.
A stuck Laravel 5 platform
A real estate site on Laravel 5 and PHP 7.4 with performance problems and an unreliable Salesforce sync. The answer was repair, not rewrite: fix the bottlenecks, then upgrade step by step to Laravel 11. It is still the same app, and it works.
Consolidating PHP and Ruby
A company was paying for a backend split across PHP and Ruby on Rails. Moving everything into one Laravel app as a drop-in replacement cut monthly hosting from four figures to about 150 dollars and made the whole thing easier to maintain.
An underperforming SaaS
A SaaS product that had fallen behind. The decision was a full rewrite in Laravel and Vue, with an AI feature that set it apart, protection against abuse, and background jobs so the app stayed responsive under load.
What clients say
"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."
"Vincent does not just close tickets, he thinks through the product, the edge cases, and the customer impact."
"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."
Questions
What does a review include?
I read the code and what you tell me, then write down what I found, what I would do, and in what order. Then we go through it on a call. You can give the document to your own team, to an agency, or to me.
How long does it take?
That depends on the size of the app and on the question. I tell you before we start.
Can you do the work afterwards?
Yes, but you don't have to hire me for it. Plenty of people take the document to their own team.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes.
Can you join a call with our agency or investors?
Yes. Having someone on your side who understands the technical side changes those conversations.
How do you charge?
Fixed price for a job with a clear outcome, a flat monthly rate for ongoing work, or hourly. Describe what you need and I'll suggest one.
Get a quote
What you are trying to decide and what you have so far. A few sentences are enough. I'll reply with what I would look at and what it would cost.
If you would rather talk first, book a 30-minute call.