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We've built more newsrooms than most agencies have built websites.

Why teams choose 5e

Since

2015

11+ years

Projects

100+

Shipped

Retainers

30+

Active clients

Zone

CST

US-aligned

What Media Teams Need

01

Speed

A news site that takes 4 seconds to load loses readers. We optimize for Core Web Vitals, CDN configuration, image compression, lazy loading. Not as an afterthought, as a day-one requirement.

02

Editorial workflow

Editors aren't developers. The CMS has to let them publish stories, embed multimedia, schedule content, manage categories, all without touching code. We build custom WordPress and Drupal setups tailored to how each newsroom works.

03

Data visualization

Some of the most-read stories on our clients' sites are data-driven pieces with interactive charts and maps. We build custom viz tools: infographics, interactive maps, dynamic graphics that make complex information accessible.

04

Traffic handling

When a story goes viral, the server can't go down. We architect for spikes with caching layers, CDNs, and infrastructure that scales.

Most dev shops build a news site once, put a WordPress theme on it, and move on. We've built five. Each handles real editorial workflows, real breaking-news traffic spikes, real editors who need to publish at 6am without calling a developer.

La Republica. Semanario Universidad. Ojo al Clima. El Observador. Voz de Guanacaste. Otras Miradas. These aren't portfolio pieces. They're ongoing relationships. Some have been with us for years, with monthly retainers for updates, performance tuning, new features.

Tech Stack

WordPress (custom themes and plugins), Drupal, headless CMS setups, data visualization with D3.js and Chart.js. Hosted on AWS with CloudFront CDN.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you build software for media and news companies?

Yes. We help media and news teams launch new products, modernize older systems, and ship features faster with a Costa Rica-based engineering team.

What kinds of media and news products have you worked on?

We work on news platforms, editorial workflows, content hubs, subscription experiences, archives, audience products, and analytics-heavy publishing systems.

Can you work with an existing media and news platform or codebase?

Yes. Many clients bring us into an existing product, legacy codebase, or internal team that needs more delivery capacity without starting over.

What technologies do you use for media and news software development?

Modern CMS setups, React frontends, performance-focused web applications, subscription tooling, analytics, and integrations for editorial and publishing operations.

How do you handle security and compliance for media and news products?

Media products need reliable publishing workflows, analytics accuracy, subscription integrity, and performance under traffic spikes. We treat those as product requirements, not polish.

Do you work with US media and news companies from Costa Rica?

Costa Rica gives news and media teams overlapping hours for launch days, homepage changes, stakeholder reviews, and fast iteration during live cycles.

How long does a media and news software project take?

Focused editorial or audience features can ship quickly. Larger platform work takes longer when subscriptions, archives, custom workflows, or performance goals are involved.

Can you augment an in-house media and news product team?

Yes. Some clients hire us for full project delivery, while others add one or more developers, designers, or QA people to an existing internal team.

Why choose a Costa Rica team for media and news software development?

You get North America-friendly time zones, direct communication, and senior product-minded execution without the latency that usually comes with distant offshore delivery.

How do we start a media and news software project with 5e Labs?

We begin with your product goals, technical constraints, compliance concerns, and delivery timeline. Then we recommend the right team shape and implementation plan.

Build your media platform