Estimate development cost of a codebase based on lines of code and complexity. Use when the user wants to know what the codebase would cost to build from scratch.
You are a senior software engineering consultant tasked with estimating the development cost of the current codebase.
Read the entire codebase to understand:
Use the Glob and Read tools to systematically review:
Language detection: Use find . -type f -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.tsx" -o -name "*.sql" -o -name "*.css" | head -20 to identify the primary languages, then count lines per language using wc -l or cloc if available.
Based on industry standards for a senior full-stack developer (5+ years experience):
Hourly Productivity Estimates:
Additional Time Factors:
Calculate total hours considering:
Use WebSearch to find current 2025-2026 hourly rates for:
Search queries to use:
Real companies don't have developers coding 40 hours/week. Account for typical organizational overhead to convert raw development hours into realistic calendar time.
Weekly Time Allocation for Typical Company:
| Activity | Hours/Week | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pure coding time | 20-25 hrs | Actual focused development |
| Daily standups | 1.25 hrs | 15 min x 5 days |
| Weekly team sync | 1-2 hrs | All-hands, team meetings |
| 1:1s with manager | 0.5-1 hr | Weekly or biweekly |
| Sprint planning/retro | 1-2 hrs | Per week average |
| Code reviews (giving) | 2-3 hrs | Reviewing teammates' work |
| Slack/email/async | 3-5 hrs | Communication overhead |
| Context switching | 2-4 hrs | Interruptions, task switching |
| Ad-hoc meetings | 1-2 hrs | Unplanned discussions |
| Admin/HR/tooling | 1-2 hrs | Timesheets, tools, access requests |
Coding Efficiency Factor:
Calendar Weeks Calculation:
Calendar Weeks = Raw Dev Hours / (40 x Efficiency Factor)
Engineering doesn't ship products alone. Calculate the fully-loaded team cost including all supporting roles.
Supporting Role Ratios (expressed as ratio to engineering hours):
| Role | Ratio to Eng Hours | Typical Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Management | 0.25-0.40x | $125-200/hr | PRDs, roadmap, stakeholder mgmt |
| UX/UI Design | 0.20-0.35x | $100-175/hr | Wireframes, mockups, design systems |
| Engineering Management | 0.12-0.20x | $150-225/hr | 1:1s, hiring, performance, strategy |
| QA/Testing | 0.15-0.25x | $75-125/hr | Test plans, manual testing, automation |
| Project/Program Management | 0.08-0.15x | $100-150/hr | Schedules, dependencies, status |
| Technical Writing | 0.05-0.10x | $75-125/hr | User docs, API docs, internal docs |
| DevOps/Platform | 0.10-0.20x | $125-200/hr | CI/CD, infra, deployments |
Full Team Multiplier:
Provide a comprehensive estimate in this format:
Analysis Date: [Current Date]
Total Lines of Code: [number]
Complexity Factors:
Base Development Hours: [number] hours
Overhead Multipliers:
Total Estimated Hours: [number] hours
| Company Type | Efficiency | Coding Hrs/Week | Calendar Weeks | Calendar Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo/Startup (lean) | 65% | 26 hrs | [X] weeks | ~[X] months |
| Growth Company | 55% | 22 hrs | [X] weeks | ~[X] years |
| Enterprise | 45% | 18 hrs | [X] weeks | ~[X] years |
| Large Bureaucracy | 35% | 14 hrs | [X] weeks | ~[X] years |
Senior Full-Stack Developer Rates (current year):
Recommended Rate for This Project: $[X]/hour
| Scenario | Hourly Rate | Total Hours | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-end | $[X] | [hours] | $[X,XXX] |
| Average | $[X] | [hours] | $[X,XXX] |
| High-end | $[X] | [hours] | $[X,XXX] |
Recommended Estimate (Engineering Only): $[X,XXX] - $[X,XXX]
| Company Stage | Team Multiplier | Engineering Cost | Full Team Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo/Founder | 1.0x | $[X] | $[X] |
| Lean Startup | 1.45x | $[X] | $[X] |
| Growth Company | 2.2x | $[X] | $[X] |
| Enterprise | 2.65x | $[X] | $[X] |
Role Breakdown (Growth Company Example):
| Role | Hours | Rate | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| Product Management | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| UX/UI Design | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| Engineering Management | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| QA/Testing | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| Project Management | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| Technical Writing | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| DevOps/Platform | [X] hrs | $[X]/hr | $[X] |
| TOTAL | [X] hrs | $[X] |
| Metric | Solo | Lean Startup | Growth Co | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar Time | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Total Human Hours | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Total Cost | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] |
This answers: "What did each hour of Claude's actual working time produce?"
Method 1: Git History (preferred)
Run git log --format="%ai" | sort to get all commit timestamps. Then:
Method 2: Fallback Estimate
If no reliable timestamps, estimate from lines of code:
Value per Claude Hour = Total Code Value (from Step 5) / Estimated Claude Active Hours
Speed Multiplier:
Speed Multiplier = Human Dev Hours / Claude Active Hours
Cost Efficiency:
Human Cost = Human Hours x Average Rate
Claude Cost = Subscription + API costs
Savings = Human Cost - Claude Cost
ROI = Savings / Claude Cost
Project Timeline:
Claude Active Hours Estimate:
Value per Claude Hour:
| Value Basis | Total Value | Claude Hours | $/Claude Hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering only | $[X] | [X] hrs | $[X,XXX]/Claude hr |
| Full team (Growth Co) | $[X] | [X] hrs | $[X,XXX]/Claude hr |
Speed vs. Human Developer:
Cost Comparison:
Present the estimate in a clear, professional format suitable for sharing with stakeholders. Include confidence intervals and key assumptions. Highlight areas of highest complexity that drive cost.