Laravel Retainers & Ongoing SupportWeb Applications
Monthly retainer arrangements for Laravel applications, guaranteed response times, planned improvements, and a team that already knows your code.
Launch is where the real work begins
Custom Laravel applications aren't a one-off build. They're a long-term relationship, because the moment a system goes live, the real work begins. Bugs surface. Users ask for small improvements that turn out to be the most-used features six months later. Dependencies need updating, security patches need applying, and integrations change.
Our Laravel retainers are designed to handle all of that without the friction of raising a new quote every time something needs doing.
And if your Laravel application needs a new team, we'll start with a fixed-price audit, so you know exactly what you have before anyone commits to anything.
Why clients stay
Laravel has been a core part of our stack since 2017, and most of the applications we support are ones we've looked after for years.
What a retainer gets you
A fixed block of hours each month, planned with you in advance, from the people who know your application best.
- Guaranteed response times
- Retainers include contracted response times and reserved availability, so there's always time set aside for your application. If something breaks, we're on it the same working day.
- A team that already knows your code
- The biggest hidden cost of switching developers is the ramp-up time. The people maintaining your application are the ones who built it, or who took it on and learnt it properly. No re-learning, and no guesswork.
- Planned improvements, not just firefighting
- Good retainers spend most of their hours on proactive work, such as performance tuning, code quality, new features and keeping dependencies current. We plan each month's hours with you in advance.
- Transparent reporting
- Every month you get a clear breakdown of what we worked on, how long it took, and what's planned for the following month. No mystery invoices.
Pricing
Start small and fixed-price, or work by the hour with no contract. Most clients begin with an audit and move onto a retainer once they've seen how we work.
Onboarding audit
£525–£1,050
No obligation to continue
Moving your Laravel application to a new team? One to two days reviewing it, so you know exactly what you have before anyone changes it.
- Code quality, dependencies and Laravel version
- Hosting, backups and deployment pipeline
- A written report in plain English
- A prioritised stabilisation plan
Support retainer
LaravelFrom £350/mo
5 hours a month, 12-month agreement
Predictable monthly hours for applications that need ongoing care, with more hours available as your application grows.
- Same-working-day response
- Reserved availability every month
- Proactive security and performance work
- Unused hours roll forward one month
Ad hoc
£75/hour
No contract or retainer required
For one-off changes, fixes and Laravel upgrades as they come up. You pay only for the time we spend.
- Bug fixes and small changes
- Laravel and PHP version upgrades
- Estimates agreed before work starts
- Move onto a retainer at any time
Every application is different, so we'll confirm the audit price once we've seen the size of the codebase. All prices exclude VAT.
case study
TDI Tuning, Performance Vehicle Tuning
Taking over an inherited Laravel platform with zero break in service
TDI Tuning sell performance tuning boxes worldwide from a substantial Laravel e-commerce platform. After years with the same agency, they wanted a more responsive technical partner, without a long handover.
- A full audit of the code, infrastructure and deployment pipeline before any work began
- A confident handover, with no interruption to a live, trading website
- Nearly four times as many automated tests as at handover, plus end-to-end browser tests across the checkout, cart and vehicle finder
- Now on an ongoing Laravel retainer, clearing technical debt and shipping new features
What retainer work covers
Your hours go wherever the application needs them most that month.
Incident response
Bug fixes and production incidents, handled the same working day, with a clear write-up of what went wrong and what we changed.
Security and upgrades
Security patches, and Laravel and PHP version upgrades, done on a plan rather than in a panic when support ends.
Features and refinements
The small additions and UI improvements that users ask for, which often become the most-used parts of the system.
Performance
Query and database optimisation, caching, and queue tuning, so the application stays quick as your data grows.
Integrations
APIs change and integrations break. We keep your connections to CRMs, payment gateways and back-office systems working.
Automated testing
Establishing a test suite where there isn't one, and extending coverage as the application grows, so every change ships with confidence that nothing else has broken.
Infrastructure and deployment
Deployment pipeline improvements, queue and scheduler configuration, backups and monitoring, all kept in step with the application.
Reporting and training
Dashboard and reporting iteration as your needs change, plus training and documentation so your team gets the most from the system.
Who it’s for
Retainers suit organisations who:
- Already run a Laravel application and need ongoing support
- Want predictable monthly costs rather than unpredictable project invoices
- Value continuity of the development team over shopping around each time
- Have a growing application that needs gradual improvement, not big-bang rewrites
Looking for a new home for your Laravel application?
Start with a fixed-price audit. You'll get an honest, written picture of what you have and a plan for stabilising it, with no obligation to continue.
Related projects
What our clients say
We're incredibly proud of the testimonials we've amassed over the years. They're hard-won—often the result of hundreds or thousands of hours of consistent delivery and timely responses, and partnerships that have lasted years and years.
At Boisdale, our website plays an important role in the day-to-day running of the business, so having the right people looking after it is essential. Enovate have been managing our website hosting and technical support for several years, having originally taken over from our previous provider. Since then, they have given us the confidence that everything is being properly managed behind the scenes, allowing us to concentrate on running the business.
What we particularly value is their practical approach. They understand that in hospitality, things often need to happen quickly, and they are always approachable, responsive and willing to find a solution and make useful thought out recommendations. It's been a very positive working relationship, and one we hope will continue for many years to come.
“Working with Enovate has been an exceptional experience. Michael, Dan and the wider team have played a central role in bringing Pandemic PACT’s work to life, translating complex research funding data into a clear, engaging and accessible digital platform. At Pandemic PACT, a great deal of work goes into gathering, reviewing and analysing information on research funding for diseases with pandemic potential. Making that work accessible and useful to researchers, funders and other audiences is essential to our purpose. Enovate has helped us bridge that gap, giving our work a strong public presence and helping the data tell its story. What I value most is the quality of the collaboration. The team takes time to understand what we are trying to achieve, think through challenges with us and contribute thoughtful, practical ideas. We can bring an initial concept or a complicated requirement to a discussion and work through it together, drawing on their technical expertise and creativity to arrive at a stronger solution. Their willingness to ask questions, explore possibilities and suggest improvements has added real value throughout our work together. The quality of their delivery has been consistently impressive. They have built a bespoke website and data visualisation platform shaped around our needs, with care given to both the detail of the underlying information and the experience of the people using it. They understand how much it matters to present complex material clearly while preserving its meaning. Just as importantly, they are approachable, responsive and a pleasure to work with. Their readiness to help, attention to detail and constructive approach have made them a trusted extension of our team. We have felt supported as the platform has developed and our requirements have evolved. Enovate has made an outstanding contribution to how Pandemic PACT shares its work with the world. I would recommend them wholeheartedly to any organisation looking for a thoughtful, creative and technically excellent team who care about the work they deliver and the people they work with.”
“We've worked with Enovate for many years, and they've been a great company to deal with. They've supported and developed our bespoke Laravel website over the years and continue to provide us with reliable support whenever we need it. The team are knowledgeable, approachable and easy to work with, and we really value the relationship we've built with them. We'd happily recommend Enovate to any business looking for a reliable website design and support partner.”
“Enovate nailed our design vision: a bespoke Shopify build with the unmistakable Portuguese Flannel aesthetic, powered by a fast, flexible backend.”
Taking over your application
Moving to a new developer shouldn't mean a leap of faith. Here's how we take on an existing Laravel application.
Audit
One to two days reviewing the code, dependencies, hosting and deployment pipeline, before we change a single line.
Report and plan
A written report of what we found and a prioritised plan for stabilising the application. It's yours to keep, whether or not you carry on with us.
Stabilise
We deal with the urgent items first, such as security patches, backups and a reliable deployment process, so that everything after is built on firm ground.
Agree the retainer
Once we know the condition of the code, we can recommend a monthly block of hours that fits it, rather than guessing up front.
Plan each month
We agree each month's priorities with you in advance, leaving room for the unexpected.
Report each month
A clear breakdown of what we did, how long it took, and what's coming next. No mystery invoices.
Laravel Retainers & Ongoing Support questions
The questions we're asked most often before a project starts. Can't find what you're looking for? Get in touch.
Retainers run on a 12-month agreement, which is what lets us reserve the hours and guarantee the response times. You don't have to commit to that up front, though: the onboarding audit is a fixed price with no obligation to continue, and ad hoc work at £75 an hour needs no contract at all.
We review the code, its dependencies and Laravel version, the hosting, and the deployment pipeline. You get a written report of what we found and a plan for stabilising the application, in plain English. It takes one to two days, so it costs between £525 and £1,050 plus VAT, and the report is yours whether or not you carry on with us.
Yes. We don't make moving to our own hosting a condition of a retainer. If the audit turns up a problem with the current setup, such as no backups, an unsupported PHP version, or manual deployments, we'll explain it and recommend a fix. That might be a move to our AWS platform, but the decision is yours.
Unused hours roll forward one month, so a quiet month followed by a busy one evens out. Every month you get a breakdown of what we worked on and how long it took, so you can always see where the hours went.
Retainers include a contracted response time: if something breaks, we're on it the same working day. Your hours are reserved in advance, so there's always availability set aside for your application.
Work beyond your monthly block is billed at our standard £75 hourly rate, and always agreed with you before we start. If you're regularly going over, we'll suggest moving to a larger block instead.
Explore all Web Applications services
Bespoke web applications, custom business software, and ongoing Laravel retainers, the systems that automate your operations and replace the spreadsheets your team has outgrown.
Services
- Web Applications
- Laravel Development
- Laravel Retainers
- Next.js Development
Ready to start your project?
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