Mar 25, 2020
Software Development Companies Vs Freelancers
Who Should Work On Your Software Project?
Technology has become integral to any business with a gigantic increase in resources and a number of devices in the hands of users makes it easier and convenient to access information and perform various functions.
Mobile devices and cloud services have changed the way businesses operate and it has become difficult for anyone (large or small), to survive without decent use of technology backing up their business.
Introducing technology in your business processes can help you achieve higher efficiency. Well-integrated software can take your business or an organisation to the next level with a huge increase in revenue.
Almost any business at some point faces the need for developing a software-related project to guarantee constant growth. When you got a brilliant project idea, you need a developer to turn your idea into a reality.
Someone will look to hire freelancer and someone will go for a software development company. So which may be the best option for your project. Freelancer developers or Software Development company. Which one is the right fit for you? Here we have come up with the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Before going deep into it, We will have a clear difference between freelancer Developers and Software Development Company.
How Does A Freelance Developer Differ From A Software Development Company?
Freelancer Developer is a person who has a specific set of marketable skills in our case — software development skills. Freelance developers are specifically hired to complete a specific, short-term project. The bond between a client and a freelancer is built, defined by time-frame and precise requirements.
A software development company is a company whose primary products are various forms of software, software technology, distribution, and software product development.
Is a dedicated team of highly-qualified professionals in different areas, usually consists of passionate designers, developers, project managers, writers, and QAs, and offers professional full-cycle services from consulting to product maintenance.
Should I Hire a Freelance Software Developer or a Software Company?
Just imagine that you have a project idea that requires software development skills. What will be the next step for you?
You are probably wondering whether to hire a freelancer or seek assistance from a software development company.
The decision you make now will influence the whole software development process and impact the future success of your project.
How to make the right choice? It’s quite a difficult issue as both options have their pros and cons. But we believe that in most cases, to work with a software house is more reasonable. And in this article, I’ll explain to you why.
Multi-expertise Can Lead To No Expertise
When you hire a software development company, you hire a big team of professionals that have a diverse skill set and wide experience in different fields such as design, development, project management, etc.
During the professional career, they have worked on many types of projects and therefore have much greater expertise. There’s almost always a skilled expert ready to sort out a given issue.
“Specialisation and organisation are the basics of human progress.” — Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Each employee plays a unique role, unlike freelance software developer who is more like all-in-ones, can one person be equally good at all these roles?
No, I don’t think so. There are reasons for that:
- Each role requires a different skill set and personality type
- You need a lot of time to master each role
- Combining many roles at once is very distracting.
The mastery of each role requires hundreds of hours in training and even more in practice. It is hard enough to become a professional in one sphere. Imagine having to become good at multiple professions at once?
Lower Rates Don’t Always Mean Cheaper
It is probably the main reason why a business hires a web developer on a freelance basis. A freelancer will likely have a lower cost rate than an agency. But it doesn’t mean that your entire project will cost less if you hire a freelancer.
This mostly has to do with inefficiency that comes from multitasking. A person that has to constantly switch from coding to communicating with clients and then to selling, will very likely require more time to complete each task.
Not to mention the errors that are inevitable, when you cannot focus on one task at a time. And these screwups often become additional costs for a client. While at an agency, specialists have more opportunities to stay concentrated.
On the other hand, hire software developers as freelancers can be a headache to the employer. As freelancers work for themselves, they are typically working on several projects at the same time.
For some of them, it is a common practice to take on more projects than they can manage or disappear without finishing a project. Freelance software developers can bring great results, but a Plan B is a must for those who plan on working with them.
Continuity of Highly Organised Processes
I am sure you want the project to be completed on time and the process of its implementation to be as organised as possible. All this is possible for a professional software development company, usually they have well-organised development processes.
Probably the strongest asset, when compared to freelancers, is a guaranteed professional approach and reliability in terms of abiding by their contractual obligations and product delivery.
All the work can be tracked down by the hour, every feature tested for being up to standard. Also, a project manager takes care of tuned workflow and meeting the deadlines.
In the big picture, companies prefer long-term trustworthy relations with clients, based on an individual approach and quality over quantity.
In the case of freelancers, they require more time to deliver your project than an agency not always can organise the working process and meet deadlines. This is because, in agencies, different specialists can carry out their tasks in parallel, which shortens the development time.
High-Quality Projects
A professional software development company can offer a full cycle of services such as professional consulting, business analysis, and business idea evaluation, and can even help you figure out your monetisation strategy before your product is developed.
Not all freelancers run their business to get returning clients. Your company’s individual success may not be their top priority. Since they get paid once the work is done at times quality can suffer.
Additionally, with a software development company, you get a dedicated team of highly-qualified professionals in different areas. They usually provide all-in-one services — from business analysis to design, and QAs, which is the main strength of software development companies.
Guarantees Of Continuity Of Work On The Project
Development companies are intended to build long-term relationships with clients. Software development companies spend significant resources on finding new customers.
From the financial point of view, it’s preferable for a company to build relationships of trust with its customers and develop projects for them over the long term.
Reaching customer loyalty is the task that requires high company reputation which implies high-quality products and positive feedback from clients.
Software development companies with solid background can’t disappear in a blink of an eye so that you won’t face any difficulties due to unavailability of the developer. Replaceability of specialists helps guarantee that the product will be created without pauses.
The probability of delays is pretty low since one developer can be replaced with another in case of force majeure. But if your freelancer can’t continue the work, you have to pause it or spend time on finding somebody else.
Unfortunately, sometimes right during the work on the project. Diseases, sudden departures, unforeseen personal circumstances and much more can happen at any time.
Ongoing Support And Maintenance
When we talk about long-term relationships we don’t only mean new project development, but also the constant maintenance of current products, regular updates and bug fixes, and maybe even adding some additional functionality.
A disadvantage of working with freelance developers is the fact that most of them don’t offer post-project support that includes updates and bug fixes (some errors may appear long after the product launch, for example, in the case of an influx of users).
At the same time, a custom software development company will always always be able to dedicate the time needed for further project support.
As you can see, hiring an agency provides a higher level of reliability and flexibility compared to freelance developers. Therefore, a software development company will be the best choice when you need:
- To implement a complex project
- To create an application or website from scratch
- Assistance in defining the requirements to the product
a post-project support - A wide spectrum of services, from business analysis and prototyping to product development and marketing
Let’s be honest, reliable software development company can release you from a headache associated with numerous technical issues, from project management to product maintenance.
A Good Time To Hire Freelance Developers
Although in most cases freelancers lose to software companies, there are cases where hiring them is a great option. Keep in mind that many skilled specialists leave software engineering companies to receive more flexibility and money.
They can be true professionals in some specific areas. You can safely choose freelance developers if you need:
- To make a quick prototype or a simple web page
- To simply make some improvements in your product
- Only several tasks to be completed and that’s all
- To expand your existing software development team
What Should I Choose?
There is no strict answer to the question regarding hiring a freelancer vs. hiring a software development company. The best choice is dependable as many factors influence the development processes.
The work with a software development company presents fewer challenges and offers more convenience. A reliable software development company will release you from a headache associated with numerous technical issues, from project management to product maintenance.
While freelancers may be more flexible and offer lower rates, they lag behind software development companies in regards to distributed expertise and time of development however they can deliver outstanding results as well.
Written by Bernard Mwakililo who is an author at Ellipsis Digital. He write tech related topics that explore better ways to use technology to improve businesses.
