Question 1

Do I pay the developer the full amount up front?

Accepted Answer

No. Okavo’s process is accept work for a milestone against the signed scope, then pay that milestone only, then confirm payment in Okavo. The first milestone is capped near 20% of the build. Okavo does not hold build money — never treat Okavo as a bank or insurer for off-platform payments.

Question 2

What if the developer ghosts me or cheats?

Accepted Answer

Open a dispute against the locked scope lines, and from the contract page request that Okavo block the developer from bidding again. Okavo can ban accounts after review. Okavo cannot refund money you paid outside the platform.

Question 3

I do not know what I technically need. Is that a problem?

Accepted Answer

No. That is the normal case and the reason Okavo exists. You answer plain questions about what should be true when the work is finished. We turn that into the technical scope, show you a sketch of the screens it implies, and let you correct anything before you sign.

Question 4

What if I do not like what is delivered?

Accepted Answer

You review each milestone against the scope you signed before you release payment for it. If it does not match, you do not accept it, and you do not pay for that milestone until the work is corrected or the disagreement is resolved.

Question 5

What if the developer disappears halfway through?

Accepted Answer

You have only paid for milestones you already accepted, so you are never out of pocket for work you did not receive. The requirement can be reopened to other developers with the same signed scope, and their bids are priced against that same definition of done.

Question 6

Who owns the code?

Accepted Answer

You do. On final release of a milestone, the work delivered under it belongs to you outright — source included. The developer keeps no licence over it and cannot resell your build.

Question 7

How are developers vetted?

Accepted Answer

Today, two hard gates before a bid is possible: government ID checked by a person, then a timed build exam (a rotating brief from Okavo’s bank, about five hours, public GitHub + live URL). After 48 hours, only a score of 70 or higher may auto-approve, and only when no admin pause or per-exam hold is active. Missing and lower scores remain for manual review. Duplicate repositories, including possible forks, are flagged but never automatically rejected. Then the one-time membership unlocks bidding.

Question 8

Is Okavo an agency?

Accepted Answer

No. Okavo does not employ the developers and does not guarantee their work or your money. We set the rules of the marketplace transaction — signed scope, exam gate, hire fee, milestone accept-then-pay — and stay out of holding build funds. The hired developer is responsible for delivery.

Question 9

How new is Okavo?

Accepted Answer

New. We launched in 2026 and we are deliberately small: a hand-verified group of developers rather than an open flood of applicants. If you want a marketplace with a decade of logos on the homepage, we are not that yet. What we can promise today is signed scope, identity + build-exam gates, and clear rules that Okavo does not guarantee money or delivery.

Question 10

Where are the developers based?

Accepted Answer

Everywhere we can verify identity. You can filter by country if data residency or timezone overlap matters to you, and you can require that data stays in your region as part of the locked scope.

Question 11

What does Okavo cost?

Accepted Answer

Buyers pay to post a requirement. Hiring on Okavo also requires Okavo’s flat 10% hire success fee (collected via Razorpay when you award a bid) so deals stay on-platform. Developers browse free, pass identity + a timed build exam, then pay a one-time before bidding. You still pay the developer the agreed build price yourself, milestone by milestone after accepting work. Fees are shown in USD; Razorpay collects the INR equivalent ( / and 10% mapped the same way).

Question 12

Why charge anything at all to post?

Accepted Answer

Because free boards fill with requirements nobody intends to fund, and good developers stop reading them. is nothing to a serious buyer and enough to stop the noise.