Freelancer or agency? five keys to help you decide

If you ever had to look for technical talent, you must have decided between opting for an individual freelancer or a software development agency.
Knowing how to choose between one or the other really depends on the needs of your project. Here are five key areas to consider when making your choice.

Cost

In terms of costs, it is clear that a software development agency must cover higher costs, such as equipment, employee benefits, salaries and so on. Instead a freelancer has lower costs and can afford lower hourly rates.
However, when we think about hiring more than one professional, the expenses of building an entire team tend to accumulate. Consider the number of developers for the work in question and weigh the potential cost against other project priorities.

Skill set

Freelancers usually specialize in specific areas, developing great experience in certain specific aspects. This is ideal when your project requires a deep degree of knowledge to perform specific tasks, within a limited scope.
However, the natural thing is that the project requires knowledge in different fields (such as design, development, and quality control testing). In these cases, a single freelancer is usually not enough, and several different professionals need to be contracted.
In this scenario, it makes more sense to work with an agency, since its development teams tend to have extensive knowledge and skills, in addition to having specific experience in certain areas as well.
An agency can provide more security, offering quality guarantees and support, in addition to having more equipment at its disposal.
On the other hand, it is difficult for a freelancer to have access to licenses, to different types of phones, tablets, and computers to test the quality of the product on all devices and operating systems.

Product management

It is usually easy to manage a team of only one professional, or the inclusion of a single freelancer in your own team. But it is more complicated when more experts are needed. It can be time-consuming coordinating a group of people who are not used to working together.
However, working with a software development agency, project management is usually included in the contract itself. It is offered as a complementary service to development, regardless of the number of developers the client hires.
In addition, the agency secures a team that is used to collaborating with each other. Teamwork increases the quality of the product since the team members know each other, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of others. In this way, they can help each other identify solid solutions and overcome challenges.

Timeline

Another important point is the time it will take for your project to complete, choosing a professional freelancer or a software development agency.
A freelancer is a one-person business, therefore, any time inconvenience that prevents the professional from continuing with their work (health problems or personal emergencies), the project will be stalled while this person cannot return to work.
On the other hand, an agency can help immediately in this situation, putting in his place a new developer on the team. In addition, agencies tend to work more efficiently than a group of freelancers, since the teams have well-defined processes that allow them to work in a more specific way, achieving the objectives more precisely.
Without a doubt, hiring an agency when you have deadlines is a much safer option.

Product Requirements

As we said, if you have a limited scope and your requirements are clearly defined, a freelancer is a very good option.
But when there are uncertainties, as is often the case, you can end up paying too much for a freelancer to work and rework on your product as requirements change.
In a changing business landscape, it is natural that requirements change as well. And in this case, hiring an agency is a smarter option. This is because software development agencies are trained and prepared to work as technological partners, helping and guiding the business, keeping abreast of market changes. The wide range of skills and experiences gained throughout the different projects allows them to adapt without problems to the new situation.

Choosing between a professional freelancer or a software development agency really depends on the type of project. In other words, it depends on what is most important to your business.

We hope that our advice will be useful when you must evaluate the priorities of your project and determine the best option according to your reality.
Of course, if you want to know how we can help you achieve your software development goals, we are at your disposal.