When looking for a software development agency to hire, you might not realize that there are actually three distinct types or why this is important.
If you engage with the wrong type of dev agency, you could find that your real needs aren’t getting met during the development process. A lack of resources can lead to unfulfilled expectations, product release delays, and ultimately sunk costs.
There are over 23.9 million software developers around the world, and that number is projected to reach 28.7 million by 2024. That might sound like a lot, but given current demand in the context of wildly fluctuating and expanding business needs, it’s a major challenge for employers to find and retain the right talent and digital solutions.
However, don’t rush to fill your open slots using agency services before you truly understand the different types of software development agencies. Whether you need to create enterprise software or mobile applications for e-commerce functionalities, manage big data, or just secure custom web development for other uses, you'll need to be very selective about the development partner you choose.
In this post, we explore the three different types of agencies, present their pros and cons for startups and other businesses, share an example of each, and offer a quick test to check which type you should engage with.
Rather than go straight into vetting different companies, your first step should be to decide which type of agency is the best fit to manage your brand's digital transformation.
Rather than go straight into vetting different companies, your first step should be to decide which type of agency is the best fit for your needs.
What services do software development agencies provide?
The services that a software development agency will provide depends in large part on the type of agency it is.
For example, some agencies will only offer software engineering services such as Laravel development and PHP development. They will expect you or someone from your team to handle all strategic product direction as well as project management.
On the other hand, other agencies will not only provide technical development from the front-end to the backend but also business strategy. Some might offer UX design, UI design, and quality assurance management as well.
It’s important to consider what you’re looking for now and how your company will likely grow in the future. For example, if a web application might be in your future, ask potential partners about past application development projects, web design experience, whether they work in both iOS and android, and what their UI/UX background is. Can this software development agency grow with the brand to offer new and innovative software solutions?
How will this software development team assist in building better API security into your products and services? Can they help you achieve business goals safely and securely? If you need bespoke products, do they have case studies that demonstrate their versatility as a custom software development company?
Can your in-house team handle the complexities of developing with user experience in mind? Will you find yourself outsourcing extra support if you don't have a scalable agency on this project?
And finally, if you're in fintech, blockchain, healthcare, or other verticals that are heavily regulated, you'll need to ensure that your software development agency can help you meet regulatory requirements and stay compliant with applicable laws.
Top 3 types of software development agencies
Engaging with the wrong kind of agency can stress out your internal resources, hinder your launch timeline, and waste your investment.
These are the 3 categories of software development agencies:
Scalable, fully managed services
Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Staffing agency with no management
Let’s take a look at them in more detail below so you can get a better understanding of where your best path forward might lie.
1. Scalable, fully managed services
First up, let’s dive into the type of agency that offers end-to-end development at scale.
What this type of software development agency offers
This category of software development agencies is the most comprehensive and scalable. It typically includes everything required to launch and maintain quality software:
Business strategy
Product management
Software engineering
UX/UI
QA management
DevOps
Agile
Pros and cons
When you choose a fully managed agency, you’re not burdened with coordinating resources and keeping everyone on track.
However, you do hand over the reins with this type of agency, so make sure that you choose a company that has some sort of transition services in place, for when you want to manage the team.
Example: DevSquad
For example, DevSquad enables entrepreneurs and executives to take charge of product management and QA when they are ready.
As a nearshore software development company, DevSquad offers fully managed software development teams who collaborate remotely from Utah and Latin America.
Focusing primarily on SaaS application development, DevSquad handles product development at every step of the way: from strategic MVP roadmapping to engineering, user-friendly design, DevOps, and QA testing.
DevSquad is not only scalable and fully managed, but also has systems in place to help you take the reins of product management and QA, when you’re ready to do so.
2. Boutique development firm with limited capacity
A boutique dev firm is also fully managed, but not as scalable.
What this type of software development agency offers
Boutique development firms might also offer all of the above custom software development services in order to see a software project from start to finish.
However, what is offered can vary widely depending on the agency’s internal skills. Achieving high-quality digital products can be hit or miss—or just costly.
Pros and cons
When working with a boutique agency, you can often get a great client experience, and rest assured that the project is being taken care of end to end. But that greatly depends on what the team can provide.
These companies tend to have just a few employees and to not work with many contractors. There are often very long waitlists, as the CEOs of boutique agencies are looking for a nice business, but not interested in scaling.
Because they manage everything for you, they may or may not have systems in place to help you take ownership of the software product when the time comes.
Example: Ikayzo
Based out of Honolulu, Ikayzo is a boutique agency that offers web app and mobile app development along with website design and development. The company has 11 full time employees, so it’s not as widely scalable.
Boutiques like these can yield very skilled resources, but they might have long waitlists and they might lack the type of talent you need.
3. Staffing agency with no management
Now, let’s look at agencies that help you staff developers.
What this type of software development agency offers
This type of agency offers either:
Ongoing service fees for working with developers
One-time finding fee for hiring developers
In any case, they do not offer end-to-end software development. They don’t include UX design, QA management, or DevOps along with the software engineering resources.
Most importantly, they don’t manage these resources for you. They just give you access to devs, and it’s up to you to produce quality software.
Pros and cons
Employment of software developers is expected to grow by 22% from 2019 to 2029, which is far faster than most other types of jobs. A staffing agency can help you find and hire the right software developers, but that’s only half the battle.
Because a staffing agency doesn’t help you assemble and manage high-performing product teams, that burden falls on you and your internal resources.
To craft beautiful software that works, you need not only software engineers, but also product managers, DevOps engineers, UX designers, and QA testers.
Example: Toptal
Toptal is a well-known software development agency, but as one of our clients pointed out to us, it’s more of a staffing agency than anything else.
Toptal does not offer end-to-end software development services, leaving it up to their clients to handle business strategy, product management, QA management, and more.
This model could be an okay fit for you if you have world-class product managers on staff, but if you don’t, you run the risk of losing your entire investment in software engineering because you lack the other skills required to support, launch, and maintain their work.
How to choose the right type of software development agency for your needs
Now that you’ve seen some of the top software development agencies, you might be wondering which one is right for you.
Rather than go straight into vetting different companies, your first step should be to decide which type of agency is the best fit for your needs.
In order to get clear on which category is right for you, answer the following questions:
Do you need guidance in feature prioritization and product strategy?
If you know you need strategic guidance in business processes and making the right product decisions, then you’ll want to work with either a scalable, fully managed agency, or with a boutique agency. A staffing company will not be able to provide this.
Do you need other resources besides software engineers?
If you need DevOps engineers, UX designers, and QA managers in addition to software developers, your money will be better spent at a fully managed agency or boutique agency. A staffing company will provide you with full time hires, and you may not have full time work for all of these resources.
Do you have the capability and capacity to manage all required resources?
If you have an inhouse product manager who can pull all of these resources together to create a product your end-user will love, then you can probably do fine with a staffing agency. If not, work with a fully managed agency that provides product management.
If you can’t own product management now, do you hope to inhouse this in the future?
Maybe you’re not able to take the reins of product management now, but you’d like to in the future. In that case, make sure you’re working with a fully managed agency that makes the transition smooth for you.
Ultimately, before you choose the right agency, you first need to get clear on the type of agency you’re looking for. This will help ensure that your investment is a success.
Top 23 software development companies to consider
Now that you know the main types of software development agencies (and how to choose the right one), you're armed with lots of knowledge to help you vet companies. Check out our list of the top 13 software dev companies to consider. For each one, we offer the category.
1. DevSquad
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
With DevSquad, you get a team of experts—product strategists, technical product managers, UX designers, developers, DevOps engineers, and QA analysts—working together to help your brand, organization, or startup launch successful digital products. We emphasize customer-centric processes and developer-favorite tech stacks, and we rely on our custom-built playbooks for optimizing development and getting to market quickly. We focus on building digital products (over projects) and handle everything from strategy to prototyping to QA testing and roadmap updates. Our headquarters are in Provo, Utah, with most of our nearshore developers based in Brazil, where we source, train, and upskill top talent.
Specialties:
Dedicated development squad
SaaS product strategy and development
Government software development
Legacy app modernization
Laravel development
Project takeovers
Learn why we love combining Laravel and Vue.js for product development.
2. Saritasa
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Saritasa offers mobile, web, software, database, 3D and IoT development. The company specializes in DevOps for continuous deployment and project takeovers of unsuccessful dev projects from other agencies. The company, headquartered in Newport Beach, California, serves a variety of industries, including medical/pharma, financial, restaurant, education, health/fitness, retail, real estate, logistics, LMS, and manufacturing.
Specialties:
Mobile development
Web development
Project takeovers
IoT solutions
AR/VR development
3. BairesDev
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
BairesDev is a software development company that specializes in nearshore engineering. They work with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. While they do offer fully managed projects, their main service is staff augmentation. BairesDev leverages their pool of top tech talent to meet clients' unique needs and goals. The company uses proprietary AI-driven team-building to find the right hire for each client, and can quickly assemble an autonomous engineering team. Keep in mind that you'll have to manage your team yourself, so you should only take this on if you have experience in product management.
Specialties:
Custom software development
QA and testing
AI and data science
Mobile app development
UX/UI design
4. 6Sense
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Offering custom software development, 6sense focuses on managed delivery, dedicated teams, and UI/UX design. The company prioritizes open communication and uses Jira for tracking releases and projects. They offer flexible and scalable team options, following a Scrum approach for efficient project management. They build with Node JS and React, but not Laravel.
Specialties:
Dedicated software development
UI/UX design
Node JS and React development
5. YouTeam
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
As a staffing agency, YouTeam gives you access to 50,000 vetted engineers from Europe and Latin America. You can hire devs with 3 to 15 years of experience that are available for full time, long-term projects. The company will match you with the right candidates, but you'll have to make the final hiring decisions and manage them efficiently with other collaborators such as UX designers, DevOps, and QA so be prepared to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Specialties:
Developers on demand
JavaScript development
Ruby development
iOS development
Ecommerce development
6. Konrad
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Konrad is a boutique design and development firm that works for large B2C corporations like SoulCycle and Mc Donald's. The company specializes in consumer digital experiences like mobile apps, tech product interfaces, and web portals. In addition to consumer tech, they've also completed portfolio projects in the realm of banking and fintech.
Specialties:
Product strategy
Mobile app development
Consumer tech
Web portal development
7. GorrillaLogic
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Gorilla Logic is a nearshore software development company that provides end-to-end solutions for custom software products. Their design strategists help clients design multi-platform products, while developers are organized into purpose-built teams to bring the products to life. Gorilla Logic focuses on agile development and offers flexible, end-to-end product development services including custom research, product ideation, software architecture, QA and testing for both mobile and web-based apps.
Specialties:
Enterprise web app development
Backend development
Mobile app development
UI/UX design
Clouds and DevOps services
8. VironIT
Agency type: Scalabe, fully managed services
VironIT is a custom software development company established in 2004. Their services include IT outsourcing, agile software development, IT consulting, software integration, and more. The company is experienced in developing projects for various industries including media and entertainment, game development, medicine, the public sector, banking, gambling, and others.
Specialties:
Mobile app development
Web development
Game development
Digital transformation
Enterprise software development
Dedicated developers
9. Honeycomb Software
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Honeycomb Software is a small, boutique dev agency based in Ukraine. As part of their custom development services, they offer product design and software testing by dedicated development teams. Their portfolio projects include a CRM, a privacy platform, a fundraising platform, and a health and safety analytics tool.
Specialties:
Custom development services
UI/UX design services
Software testing
Dedicated software development team
10. Intellias
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Intellias is a global technology company that works with leading brands to bring technology solutions to life, helping drive digital transformation and making on industries such as mobility, financial services, telecom and media, and agriculture. The company recently acquired Digitally Inspired, a UK-based firm that develops solutions for the retail and ecommerce industries.
Specialties:
Software engineering
Cybersecurity services
IoT development
AI and ML
Data and analytics
Experience design
11. Tatvasoft
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Tatvasoft is based out of Ahmedabad, India. The company offers custom software development, web development, and mobile app development. As part of their services, you get your own dedicated development team and quality assurance testing. Their work spans finance, education, travel, hospitality, healthcare, logistics, and transportation.
Specialties:
Custom software development
Dedicated development team
Ecommerce development
Mobile app development
12. CloudDevs
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
CloudDevs gives you access to vetted Latin American developers. You can get matched with an engineer in under 24 hours. Their platform offers senior engineers, product designers, and logo and branding designers. However, you'll need to manage all of these resources yourself and create a high-performing team structure so you can go to market quickly. So make sure to only hire devs if you're prepared to manage them like a pro.
Specialties:
Developers on demand
Team augmentation
Latin American developers
React developers
Ruby developers
Laravel developers
13. Ryaktive
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
With Ryaktive, you get a small boutique dev team based out of Macedonia. The company develops web and mobile apps. They focus on agile delivery, software quality, and cybersecurity and end-user security.
Specialties:
Startup development
Customer experience engineering
Data science
UI/UX design
14. ScienceSoft
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
ScienceSoft offers a variety of software consulting and development services. This can be useful if you're needing product development as well as in-office or in-store support to main the security and efficacy of your IT systems. ScienceSoft offers both dedicated, fully managed teams as well as team augmentation.
Specialties:
Software development
Web development
Mobile app development
Managed IT services
IT outsourcing
15. Seattle Software Developers
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Founded 30 years ago, Seattle Software Developers is a boutique agency that brings a wealth of experience. Many of their developers have been poached from Google and Microsoft. The company's core specialization is in enterprise software development. They're a good fit for large, complex projects. And, unlike many on our list, they develop within blockchain and crypto.
Specialties:
Enterprise software development
AI software development
Blockchain
App development
Crypto development
16. Sigma
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Sigma is a large company that provides a comprehensive set of technology services. They offer software development, website development, AR/VR, IoT, motion graphics, software testing, and dozens of other services. Large enterprises can benefit from working with a single integrated partner, but startups might prefer to choose an agency that's mastered the most relevant type of software development, rather than a jack of all trades.
Specialties:
Website development
Custom software development
IT consulting
Managed IT services
AR/VR development
IoT development
Cybersecurity services
17. Toptal
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
Toptal is one of the most popular staffing solutions for software development. Their claim to fame is that they test freelancers who apply to their platform and that only the top 3% of applicants are allowed to join. With Toptal, you can save on development costs but keep in mind that you'll need experience with product management, or you'll need to hire a trusted product manager to run the software project end to end.
Specialties:
Freelance software developers
Freelance UI/UX designers
Freelance product managers
Freelance QA testers
18. Turing
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
By sourcing talent from Latin America, Turing provides developers that are available to work on your timezone. Whether you're building an AI-powered app or need help setting up a relatively simple web app, they offer a variety of talent, experience levels, and skill sets. While Turing specializes in staff augmentation, they do offer fully managed dev teams as well. Just be wary that their strengths don't lie in product strategy or real user validation.
Specialties:
Pre-vetted remote engineers
AI & ML
Mobile app developers
Laravel developers
Python developers
Ruby developers
19. Flexiple
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
Flexiple offers developers with skills across 30+ top technologies. You can choose from pre-vetted freelancers or get personalized recommendations. Flexiple also helps you interview, select, and hire full-time developers. With their AI-driven hiring platform and AI chatbot, you've got an assistant on board to help you find the right talent.
Specialties:
Full-time and contract developer hires
AI-driven recommendations
Mobile app development
AI development
Web app development
20. Arc
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
Arc offers easy access to talented, remote developers. You can hire developers as full-time employees or as contractors. Arc also has marketers on their platform, so you could potentially use the company to promote and develop your software. Arc offers 300,000 developers from over 190+ countries, allowing you to choose from a variety of timezones and salary expectations
Specialties:
Full-time and contract developer hires
Angular developers
Mobile app developers
React developers
Node.js developers
21. Upwork
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
You might have heard of Upwork. In addition to freelance marketers and virtual assistants, you can find freelance software developers on the platform. However, unlike Toptal, there's no minimum threshold for required skill, so it might be harder to vet talent. Make sure to check that developers have successfully passed relevant skills tests that Upwork provides. Also check for reviews and successful past projects.
Specialties:
Software development consultants
UI/UX designers
Ecommerce developers
Mobile app developers
QA testers
Product managers
22. Capitol Tech Solutions
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Capital Tech Solutions is a boutique software development firm based out of Sacramento, California. In addition to software development, the agency also offers, web design, web hosting, and online advertising services, making it a great fit for small businesses and local area startups who want an integrated technology provider to handle all their needs.
Specialties:
Custom software development
PHP development
Angular development
Cybersecurity
Graphic design
Online advertising
23. ShineForth
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Based in Omaha, Nebraska, ShineForth is a boutique software development agency that can build websites, web apps, and ecommerce stores. The company provides strategy, roadmap creation, development, and ongoing maintenance. They offer an in-depth discovery process that helps avoid risks and ensure that the software will meet user requirements.
Specialties:
Web application development
Website development
API and systems integrations
Custom software development
Ecommerce development
24. Integrity First Technology Services
Agency type: Boutique development firm with limited capacity
Integrity First Technology Services is based in Fresno, California and primarily helps agricultural businesses with their software and technology needs. They provide outdoor wireless, custom ag management software development, software recommendations, IoT deployments, and network security services to help ag businesses improve operational efficiency.
Specialties:
IT consulting
IT managed services
Software development
Network security
Cloud services
25. IntellectSoft
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
With IntellectSoft, you get a single partner for software development and IT consulting. In terms of software development, they offer enterprise mobility services, data management, custom software builds, modernization and digital transformation services, and software integration. The agency can tackle blockchain, big data, cloud computing, AR, AI, and IoT projects.
Specialties:
Dedicated development teams
Enterprise software development
Mobile app development
IT consulting
26. Sofomo
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Sofomo offers backend, frontend, mobile, and DevOps development services. They can also help optimize and improve your team’s instances of Salesforce and Magento. The company focuses on not only offering the software development services you need, but the founder strategy and support that will truly help you craft a high-quality product that will sell.
Specialties:
Fully managed development team
Ruby development
Angular development
Node development
React development
27. Netguru
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Netguru is a software development agency that primarily serves the finance, retail, healthcare, education, and greentech industries. These are complex, often highly regulated industries, so if your project falls in line, you might want to work with a partner who’s accustomed to the regulatory requirements. Like DevSquad, Netguru offers a variety of prototyping and real user testing services to help you validate your idea before you build it. While their main focus is on providing fully managed teams, they do offer staff augmentation as well.
Specialties:
Dedicated development teams
Staff augmentation
Rapid prototyping
User testing
28. LeewayHertz
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Looking for a software development agency that specializes in generative AI? LeewayHertz offers custom AI development as well as access to pre-built generative AI products that you can adapt to your business needs or use inside of your own customer-facing software product. They’ve got ready-to-use generative AI products tailored for the finance, manufacturing, automotive, hospitality, healthcare, IT, and logistics industries.
Specialties:
AI software development
Generative AI development
Generative AI products and APIs
AI consulting
Machine learning
29. ImaginaryCloud
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
ImaginaryCloud offers a variety of services across three main categories: product ideation, product development, and product improvement. With ImaginaryCloud, you get access to fully managed teams so you never have to worry about coordinating all of the different players together. You can start with a code audit and UX audit of an existing software product, or try a scoping session to build a roadmap for a brand new software product.
Specialties:
Digital transformation
Product design
Minimum viable product development
Software development
Digital acceleration
30. Ellow
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
Ellow is a software development staffing agency that lets you hire developers in under 48 hours. You can post a job, review pre-vetted candidates, and send a contract through Ellow. Their vetting process uses both manual and machine learning strategies so you get candidates who have been interviewed one-on-one in addition to passing technical skills tests and coding challenges.
Specialties:
Vetted freelance developers
Senior engineers
React development
JavaScript development
DevOps engineering
31. Remotebase
Agency type: Staffing agency with no management
Remotebase promises to help you hire the top 1% of remote talent in just 24 hours. Fill out a job description and Remotebase will match you with candidates that best match your timezone and work model. Remotebase offers access to 90,000 developers in over 10 countries using over 20 technologies. They also provide developers in their network with regular training.
Specialties:
Developers on demand
Web development
Ruby on Rails development
Angular development
Node.js development
32. Curotec
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Curotec’s primary engagement model is as a fully managed service that delivers a complete software product. However, you can also engage with them as a staffing agency to source individual developers if you prefer. Curotec’s top skills are web app development and mobile app development. You can work with them on retainer, or choose a short-term or a long-term contract.
Specialties:
Dedicated development team
Staff augmentation
Web app development
Mobile app development
Ecommerce development
33. 10 Pearls
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
10Pearls offers all of the services you need to get a continuously updated and improved software product. They serve a variety of industries, but primarily work within energy, transportation, education, healthcare, retail, and financial services. If you want to cut through the noise surrounding AI, you can book a consulting package to help you determine the best way to implement AI in your organization.
Specialties:
Software development
Mobile app development
UI/UX design
DevOps engineering
Quality assurance
AI consulting
34. Simform
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Simform can help you develop and deploy a cloud native application or get the business intelligence you need through a custom dashboard. In addition to these core offers, Simform also provides product strategy, performance testing, quality assurance, and DevOps to ensure timely delivery and continuous quality improvement.
Specialties:
Product engineering
Performance testing
Digital experience design
Application modernization
Cloud-native development
BI and data engineering
35. Kanda Software
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Kanda Software gives you access to a fully managed software development team that can take care of your product end to end. They’ll set you up with the right team and technology based on your needs. Product managers are US-based while developers are offshore and vetted for quality.
Specialties:
Custom software development
Digital transformation
Mobile application development
Quality assurance testing
Big data services
36. Level Up Development
Agency type: Boutique firm with limited capacity
Level Up Development is a small, boutique firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company specializes in custom generative AI solutions, web applications, and software development for the healthcare industry. They use a software-development-as-a-service pricing model so you have consistent monthly costs.
Specialties:
Generative AI solutions
Custom mobile application development
Custom web application development
Healthcare software development
Application modernization
37. Taazaa
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Taazaa offers web development, web application development, SaaS product development, and other services for startups and established businesses. At the core of their approach, the company prioritizes low-friction project management, agile development, design thinking, and empathy for end users.
Specialties:
SaaS product development
Enterprise software development
DevOps engineering
Data engineering
Web development
38. Software Verde
Agency type: Boutique firm with limited capacity
Software Verde is a small but mighty team that can tackle complex software development projects, including blockchain and AR. They provide custom product strategy, data analytics, application integrations, and technical consulting to help small businesses get their needs handled by a single technology partner.
Specialties:
API development
Blockchain development
Web development
Mobile app development
AR development
39. Bitcot
Agency type: Scalable, fully managed services
Bitcot works mainly with large enterprises in consumer industries like fintech, fitness, healthcare, and ecommerce. They build websites, web apps, and mobile apps with large end-user bases. The software development agency also offers automation AI services to help enterprises streamline their internal workflows.
Specialties:
Web development
Mobile app development
Enterprise software development
Automation AI
40. CQUELLE
Agency type: Boutique firm with limited capacity
CQUELLE specializes in designing and developing solutions for the edtech, healthcare, and finance industries. The agency prioritizes quality, transparency, and affordability. The .NET framework, React, Angular, AI, and ChatGPT are among their core technologies. In addition to standard software development, the company also offers generative AI solutions.
Specialties:
Solution design
Full-stack software development
Product development
41. DeepInspire
Agency type: Boutique firm with limited capacity
DeepInspire is a boutique firm that bridges the gap between business and technology. Advisory services include IT consulting, technical due diligence, and digital transformation. While their engineering services include product development, MVP development, solution architecture, and business architecture.
Specialties:
IT consulting
Product development
Digital transformation
MVP development
Frequently asked questions about software development agencies
Want to know more about outsourcing your project to a software development firm? Check out these FAQs and helpful responses.
Which company is best for software development?
The top companies for software development are:
DevSquad
BairesDev
Arc
Toptal
Flexiple
YouTeam
GorrilaLogic
VironIT
Intellias
CloudDevs
What do software agencies do?
Software agencies provide fully managed, end-to-end software development services. This often includes an in-depth discovery process, user journey mapping, information architecture, prototyping and UX design, user testing, product management, backend and frontend development, DevOps and deployment, and QA testing.
When should companies outsource software development?
You should outsource development if you don’t have the internal resources for hiring and managing a development team and securely deploying the software to the cloud. You might also choose to outsource development if you’re behind on hiring and need to launch a software product or feature faster than you could do so internally.
Many companies also choose to outsource development as a way of reducing costs and keeping their investment to a set maximum.
How much does software development cost?
Depending on complexity, software development typically costs $70,000 to $300,000 for the initial launch of the new application. Then, you can expect to pay between $10,000 and $40,000 for monthly maintenance and the development of new features. The more robust your roadmap, the more you’ll pay for updates.
Be wary of software agencies that quote large sums of money for the initial development. That’s a sign that they’re not really developing a minimum viable product (MVP) and are making too many assumptions about the initial features you need for your launch.
Agencies that specialize in product strategy, should pitch you a Design Sprint or prototyping process. They should also quote your initial project at under $100,000. This shows that they’re building a real MVP. You can always build more features after you’ve launched and started collecting revenue.
What should you look for when outsourcing software development?
To feel confident when choosing a software development agency, make sure that they offer prototyping and real user testing to validate your idea, user journey mapping to ensure that user requirements are met, MVP strategy, long-term roadmaping, information architecture, and technology assessments and recommendations. The company should also offer product management, DevOps, cybersecurity, and quality assurance testing so that every aspect of software development and deployment is well taken care of.
To build the best product, you need the best strategists, product managers, UX designers, and engineers.
Need a high-performing software team? Check out DevSquad.
