Next.js 16, App Router, React 19, RSC, Cache Components, Vercel-native deploys. One senior engineer. Fixed monthly price.
- Scope
- Ship
- Iterate
monthly subscription
Who this is for
This page is for founders and technical leads who need to hire a Next.js developer with real App Router depth — someone who can own RSC boundaries, caching strategy, and Vercel cost, not just write components. If your team has stalled on a migration or your Vercel bill is climbing without explanation, that's the exact situation I work in.
The pain today
- The App Router migration stalled because nobody owns the caching rewrite.
- Hydration mismatches, broken Suspense boundaries, and a Lighthouse score nobody wants to show the CTO.
- The team mixes use cache, unstable_cache, and revalidatePath without a consistent strategy.
- Vercel invocation costs are rising — and the root cause is not traffic.
- Every 'senior Next.js dev' on the marketplaces still writes getServerSideProps.
The outcome you get
- A Next.js 16 and React 19 engineer in your workflow within days, not weeks.
- A caching strategy written down and implemented — use cache, cacheTag, PPR where it earns its keep.
- App Router migration finished, deferred with a written rationale, or scoped to a phased plan.
- Vercel function invocations cut 40-60% on the first caching audit pass.
- Fixed $4,999/mo, 14-day money-back, cancel anytime.
What I actually ship in Next.js
Hiring a Next.js developer in 2026 is a question of App Router depth, not React familiarity. The Pages Router still runs plenty of production apps, but the performance wins in Next.js 16 live entirely in the App Router: Cache Components, the use cache directive, Partial Prerendering, streaming with Suspense, and Server Actions that don't trigger full-page revalidation.
My current delivery stack is Next.js 16, React 19, TypeScript 5, and Tailwind 4. The scope includes App Router routing and layouts, Server Component and Client Component boundary decisions, Cache Components and use cache, Server Actions, middleware and proxy routes, OG image generation, ISR versus PPR versus on-demand revalidation, and Vercel edge versus node runtime selection.
I deploy on Vercel by default. Instill, my self-initiated AI skills platform, runs this exact stack in production: Next.js 16 plus React 19 plus PostgreSQL plus MCP Protocol. When the team requires self-hosting, I deploy on AWS behind CloudFront. Performance and Core Web Vitals are a baseline requirement on every engagement.
A Next.js 16 and React 19 engineer in your workflow within days, not weeks.
Two live Next.js products to check
Instill is a self-initiated AI skills platform I built and run on Next.js 16, React 19, PostgreSQL, Vercel, and MCP Protocol. It has 30+ active users, 1,000+ skills saved, and 45+ projects powered. Every Next.js 16 feature worth discussing — RSC, Cache Components, PPR where it earns its keep — lives in that codebase. It is the clearest proof of what I can ship alone, from schema to deployment.
Imohub is a real estate portal I rebuilt as CTO at Imóveis SC: Next.js plus Laravel plus MongoDB plus Meilisearch plus AWS. The result was 120k+ properties indexed, sub-0.5-second query response, 70% infrastructure cost reduction, and top-3 Google rankings. The architectural decision that made those numbers possible was caching — at the query layer, the API layer, and the CDN layer simultaneously.
Both codebases are mine to show in a technical conversation.
30+: Active users.
Vercel caching — where most teams lose money
The single most common reason a Vercel bill climbs is not traffic growth. It is caching misconfiguration. Client components fetch on every render. Server components omit cache lifetimes. revalidate sits at the default 0. The edge runtime gets selected for work that belongs on the node runtime. Server Actions trigger full-page revalidation on mutations that should be surgical.
When I run a caching audit, the first pass typically cuts function invocations by 40 to 60% without touching a single user-facing feature. The second pass tunes Cache Components and cacheTag so invalidation targets exactly what changed, not the whole route tree.
This is not abstract advice. The Imohub rebuild cut 70% of infrastructure costs in part because I rewrote the caching layer from scratch. The same pattern applies to any Next.js app where caching was added incrementally rather than designed upfront.
How I compare to a marketplace hire or an agency
Senior Next.js developers on Upwork and Arc charge $70 to $120 per hour and are available when they are, to multiple customers at once. An agency adds a project manager, an account manager, and a blended rate that dilutes the seniority you are paying for. A full-time US hire costs $12,000 to $18,000 per month before benefits, onboarding time, and the risk that the person leaves mid-migration.
My Applications subscription is $4,999 per month. You get one senior engineer who knows the Next.js 16 codebase deeply, 2 to 4 day delivery cycles, daily async updates via Linear or Jira, and a weekly 30-minute call. One customer at a time by design, which means the work gets real attention.
The 14-day money-back applies to the first two weeks. After that, cancel month to month with no notice period. Work Made for Hire: every commit is yours from day one.
What to look for when you hire a Next.js developer
The fastest filter is a simple question: can you walk me through how you decide between a Server Component and a Client Component, and what that decision costs at the edge? A developer who answers in terms of data fetching and interactivity boundaries understands the architecture. One who answers in terms of file-level 'use client' directives is still thinking in Pages Router terms.
Second filter: ask how they handle revalidation after a Server Action mutation. The correct answer involves revalidatePath or revalidateTag, an understanding of when to scope by route versus by tag, and a preference for tag-based invalidation at scale. A vague answer here predicts a rising Vercel bill.
Send me your hard questions before the first invoice. No obligation, no sales pitch. You ask in writing; I answer straight.
Recent proof
A comparable engagement, delivered and documented.
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Read the case studyFrequently asked questions
The questions prospects ask before they book.
Next.js 12 through 16. Current work is Next 16 with React 19. I have migrated apps from Pages Router to App Router on Next 13, 14, and 15. The caching model changed significantly across those versions — understanding that history is the difference between a clean migration and one that breaks production silently.
Most engagements start within a week of the first call. The process is: technical call, scope alignment, first invoice, onboarding to your repo and project tooling. I take on one customer at a time, so availability is limited. When a slot opens, I move fast.
Yes. I have done Pages to App Router migrations on mid-size apps. The deliverable is a written migration plan with phases before any code changes, then execution. Most teams stall because nobody owns the caching rewrite — that piece is specifically where I focus first.
The Applications subscription is $4,999 per month. That covers 2 to 4 day delivery cycles, daily async updates, a weekly call, and all Next.js work in scope. No hourly tracking, no surprises. The 14-day money-back means the first two weeks cost nothing if it does not feel right.
Vercel is the default. Instill and this site both run on Vercel. Self-hosted on AWS plus CloudFront is available when policy or cost requires it. Cloudflare Pages and Netlify are adjacent and supported. The deployment target is part of the written delivery plan before work starts.
Yes. The LAK Embalagens project shipped top-3 Google rankings and a 45% bounce rate reduction on a Next.js corporate site. Metadata, sitemaps, structured data, image optimization, and JS budget are part of every Next.js delivery — not a follow-up ticket.