Are you at a crossroads between who to hire to help with your projects and get a better result? Considering other factors such as cost, time, efficiency, and, most importantly, the output. This is a commonly asked question, a Freelancer, or a small Software Development company? The need for software developers is on the rise, and therefore software developers enjoy more pay than other niches these days.

Who Is a Freelancer? 

A freelancer is a single person who is a professional in a single field or specializes in a unique niche and offers the service out on a freelancing platform such as Fiverr, Upwork, and other platforms. You simply need to submit your project to a freelancer stating your demands and the output you require, setting a deadline and payment.

Freelancers are flexible workers as they offer their service both day and night; if you need something handled urgently at night, hiring a freelancer could save the day. To hire the right freelancer, freelancers attach their portfolios, portfolios which contain qualifications. They link to previous jobs that you can smoothly go through and then decide which one to hire.

What Is a Small Software Development Company?

A small software development company, on the other hand, is a group of people forming a small organization to provide the dedicated skill set to your project once they are hired. The people in this group are professionals at what they do, and each specializes in a particular niche.

Small software development companies typically consist, writers, digital marketers, software developers, programmers, website developers, and other relevant skills. Hiring a small software development company means your whole project will be handled by them, hence, the extra expenses and high-quality mostly associated with their service.

Read Also, How to Choose a Right Software Development Company?

Who Should You Hire for Your Project?

The question of who you should hire for your project between a freelancer or a small software development company can only be answered by you after considering the factors in play and what both sides have to offer. 

Factors to Consider When Hiring a Freelancer or a Small Software Development Company?

• Time

The time restrictions on the project can be a natural determinant of who to hire. Working with one person will be slower than the worker with a group of people. So with restricted time, it is best to work with a small software development company, but when time is not a limiting factor, you can decide to work with a freelancer.

• Money

Freelancers generally charge lesser than a small software development company. With that, you can get a reasonable amount saved for your project when you work with a professional freelance software developer. But, working with a freelance might not guarantee you the high-quality code you need for your project and work with a small software company with certified accreditation might be a factor to consider alongside money. 

• Size of The Project

This is another excellent factor that must be considered before hiring. For small projects, a freelancer can easily take care of the project, but they might struggle to handle large projects due to the restriction in the working force. For large projects, working with a small software development company is better as they have the team to handle your project, and they tend to finish faster in this case.

Also Read, All Things to Know about Software Developers

• Flexibility

Freelancers are more flexible than a small software company due to their working experience with similar projects as a freelancer. Freelancers can, therefore, offer you more creativity and flexibility in your project than a small software development company. This doesn’t mean a small software development company is not flexible, but they are not as flexible as freelancers. Also, there are cases where freelancers go on vacation or are out-of-office for your projects; this means you have to go over the selection process for another freelancer. Selecting a new freelancer also requires you to go over the details of the job, this might slow down the job.

• Availability

Freelancers are more available as they have to opening or closing working hours and will, therefore, handle your project at any time of the day. On the other side, a small software development company will have a closing hour, which might limit the speed at which your project is completed. Also, if you intend to hire from either side at night for a quick project that must be completed in the morning, then the obvious choice will be to go for a freelancer.

• Efficiency

Both freelancers and small software development companies are efficient at what they do and are professionals. But working with a large crew will help to lessen mistakes in the project as a mistake from one will be spotted and pointed out or fixed by another. In the case of a freelancer, you are working with a one-man commando, and when fatigue sets in, mistakes or unplanned errors can quickly occur. So, a small software development company is generally more efficient and is less prone to errors than freelancers.

• Availability for Future Corrections

If you need a quick fix for the project, you will have to pay another money to hire the service of a freelancer. However, for a small software development company, you only need to get insurance for the project, and any future errors resulting from mistakes by the company will be fixed for free.

• Security Concerns

Working with an inexperienced or an unprofessional freelancer can result in other security problems for your software; security issues like open source code and low-quality code. Open source code issue means the code for your software can readily be viewed by other developers and can, therefore, be manipulated. So, working with a small software development company is more advisable when considering security.

• Risk of Errors and Corrections

The risk of error or future problems to your software is reduced by working with small software companies for your project.

• Skillset Requirement

Developing software will require other skills, which might not be readily available to a freelancer. Skills like UI design, graphics design, and programming have to work hand-in-hand to build a reliable and efficient software; this skill is mostly not possessed by one freelancer. That means you might have to hire more than one freelancer for the project and they might not be compatible with working together.  Due to this factor, working with a small software company is more appropriate.

• Speed and Accuracy

Working with a team is better than working with one or two freelancers for your software development. A team in the software company must have handled similar projects together and can, therefore, work faster with one another since they all understand their responsibilities. If you need speed and more accuracy for your project, you should work with a small software company.

After considering these factors for your project, you should be able to make an easy decision for who to hire for your project between a freelancer and a small software development company.

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