Businesses in general, be it a startup or an established firm, often face a lot of uncertainty when the need to hire developers crop up. The question to answer is, “should we go for freelancers or choose dedicated development team?” Of course, there are no fixed guidelines or standards; a lot depends on the budget, complexity of the task, project requirements, and time constraints. Hence, it is essential to scrutinize both options for comparison & decision making. But before going to that, it is necessary to clear the air about how freelancers and dedicated developers/teams actually work.
Hiring Freelancers
Freelance talent is usually hired for short-term specific projects. You will generally not build up a long-term relationship with them as your interaction will be limited to a precise time-frame and requirements. At any point, they will be working for multiple clients. You can hire freelancers with definite skills and expertise at very affordable prices from recruitment websites like Upwork. But before taking a freelancer onboard, be sure to check for reviews and testimonials so that you do not face any nasty surprises after they start the work.
Hiring Dedicated development teams
Dedicated teams are typically hired from software development companies on a full-time basis and hence should be chosen if you have long-term projects in mind. The teams are led by project managers and team leaders who assign developers based on the skills and expertise required for a client’s needs. What’s important is that the developers have been vetted by the employers and hence, the quality of output is rarely an issue. Dedicated teams have highly-qualified, skilled, and certified developers who will focus exclusively on your work.
If you aren’t able to decide on whether to hire a freelancer or dedicated development team, here are a few guidelines to set you on your way.
Expertise
Freelancers – Before hiring a freelancer, you have to be clear about the qualifications you want the person to have that will be appropriate for your project. This is because freelance software developers have expertise in certain technologies only with limited skill sets. It is not to cast aspirations on freelancers, they make excellent developers too! But it will be to your good to take no chances and check their professional background, activity, and reviews before signing on the dotted line.
Dedicated Development team – Now, compare the expertise of a freelancer with that of a dedicated development team, or in other words, a software development company. They will do the selection of the developer for you and recommend one or more who will match your requirements. This is possible because such a company employs developers with a wide range of skill sets to cover for any need that any client might have. The developer who will be assigned to you has already been tested through a hiring process and vetted for expertise in this field of work.
Additionally, a dedicated development team will comprise of people with varying degrees of expertise. Hence, you will get comprehensive full-cycle software development as they are well-equipped to handle end-to-end delivery of any project size, scale, or complexity. Being experienced, they will also help you out in design and marketing. Further, software development companies employ experts with various skill sets like UX experts, SEO, designers, and online marketing specialists who together can add value to your business, offer advice and provide potential fixes and solutions to any issue.
Summing up, when it comes to expertise, a dedicated development team has the infrastructure and manpower you need which a freelancer can only offer you so much.
Resources
Freelancers – You can never be sure whether a freelancer has all the capabilities to create the best development environment. You can surely expect a freelancer to have an essential development toolkit but the implications of a resource shortage can badly impact the quality and standard of the final shape of your project.
Dedicated development team – Apart from expertise and in-depth knowledge, successful completion of a software project requires enterprise-grade resources. A development company will invariably have all the necessary toolkits like platforms, IDE’s, software subscriptions, and flexible infrastructure to create the right development and testing scenario for your project.
Get in touch with Doynt Technologies for a free software development consultation session!
Security
Freelancers – Before hiring freelancers, you must ensure that they will respect the security of your information. This is sometimes not possible as a freelancer can choose to quit the work in the middle of your project. Hence, take additional security to ensure that if this happens, they are bound by a confidentiality clause.
Dedicated development team – All top software companies make it a point to have strict in-built security measures and sign Non-Disclosure Agreements. Hence, the confidentiality of all intellectual property, code, and data is ensured. A software company will not pack up overnight. Even if one developer leaves the job, somebody who is equally qualified and proficient will immediately step into the vacancy. Hence, your work is doubly secured when you hire a dedicated development team.
Availability
Freelancers – Most freelancers try to be available to clients as much as they can but then they will be working with several clients at a time and hence may not be able to give you the attention you require.
Dedicated development team – Software developers are generally available at any time you need to contact them as most work according to your time zone. At least, one person will be available during your office hours. Further, there are several channels to contact them – email, Skype, project management app, and more. A higher level of commitment can be had from dedicated development teams.
Quality and Commitment
Freelancers – The goal of freelancers is usually to earn enough to give them a comfortable life and hence they take on more projects and clients at a time, making for a chaotic life. It is therefore essential that you find out their availability and commitment before assigning any work so that you get full attention at all times. Again, if you want somebody who will get straight to business with little or no preparation and skipping the design and development stage, opt for a freelancer. Finally, a freelancer’s job will end with the completion of the work without any commitment to long-term support and maintenance.
Dedicated development team – In sharp contrast, with software development companies you are assured of commitment and the quality of output as the teams represent the interests of a company rather than selves. Their mission is to deliver high-quality service to build long-term client relationships and a solid portfolio. You will get undivided attention as their reputation depends on providing sustainable systems.
Further, development teams follow strict processes to make sure of the quality of the final product. They will have several rounds of discussions with you, not only to have an in-depth knowledge of your project but also of your company and vision. For long-term and complex work, dedicated teams are a better option. You will also get services for product development, maintenance and support long after the project is delivered.
Communication
Freelancers – With freelancers you will more often than not have one-to-one communication and interaction. This can become very difficult if you have parceled out piecemeal jobs of the same project to freelancers in different locations around the globe. Not only is coordination that smooth, keeping track of the work done across different time zones can be extremely difficult too. If you need more than one developer or in-time solutions for various requirements, hiring freelancers should not be an option.
Dedicated development team – A top-of-the-line software development company will provide you with real-time project management software so that you are always on top of the status of the work done. You will get the benefit of regular updates, progress tracking, and bug tracking through weekly meetings and one-to-one with project managers and team leads. Apart from talking to those actively involved with the work, there is specialized software like Scrum through which you can monitor the work completed and whether it is running on expected lines.
Apart from the communication aspect, for complex projects that require post-completion support and maintenance, dedicated developers will provide in-time solutions because the team will always look to establish a long-term relationship.
Support and Maintenance
Freelancers – Once a product is developed, various support and maintenance activities have to be done to ensure full functionality like making updates to keep it operational. While you can discuss this type of work with a freelancer and set up fees for it, there is always a risk and possibility that a freelancer will stop supporting the project and you lose contact. Hence, an element of uncertainty always prevails with a freelancer.
Dedicated development team – As with a freelancer, the charges for maintenance and support will be incorporated in the project cost. But here, with a definite company backing you, there is always a certainty that you will get what you have contracted. You can rest assured that you will have full-blown follow-up and support.
Confused over development costing? Here’s how much software development costs!
Pricing
Freelancers – It is always cheaper to hire freelancers because they tend to underbid software development companies to get more work and can work at low cost too. Hence, for the low-priced solutions, freelancers should be your choice. But then, your project should be straightforward and easy and preferably a short-term one if you are paying a small figure for it.
Dedicated development team – Hiring dedicated development teams is more expensive than hiring freelancers. Software companies will only bid on projects that have a definite scope or project documentation. If you have a big project and require guaranteed high-quality output and total commitment, go for a dedicated development team. You might have to pay more but it will be paying in the long run as you will not run into repeated problems with the product.
Summing up
From the discussion here, it stands out that hiring a dedicated team is more advantageous than hiring a freelancer. You might be tempted at the cheap rates offered by a freelancer but in the long run, having the solidity and quality assurance of a reputed software development company will be good for your product. However, you cannot discount the value of freelancers. They are good for small-scale projects, design, and non-business critical tasks, but before hiring them, be aware of the pitfalls. Take a careful look at their portfolio and client testimonials and do not hesitate to enquire from previous clients about their commitment and output quality if necessary.
Once you work with a reputed software development company, you will enhance the reputation of the brand and add value to the product. Your clients too will rest assured that they are interacting with an excellent product.
For the best in software development and to avail the services of a professional dedicated team, get in touch with Doynt Technologies at hello@doynt.com. We assure you of the most advanced software development with the latest features as per your specific requirements.
Follow Team Doynt on Instagram!