Hire Developers on Contract: Freelance Platforms vs IT Agencies

According to Bloomberg – the dominant search engine site, Google has about half of the workforce who work as contractors and freelancers and do not enjoy the benefits of full-time employees of Google.

In the social era, where businesses openly accept working with Developers on a contractual basis, 'Freelancing Platforms' and 'C2C Talent Outsourcing IT Agencies' have successfully filled the hiring gap. These businesses help in the collaboration of skilled developers with businesses that are looking to hire on contract.

But, how does one decide between hiring from Freelance Websites or ?

Well, it depends on your specific needs, the nature of the project, and your preferences. Let's list the considerations:

Project ComplexityWhen dealing with complex projects, the scope of skill required is high and can't be offered by a single freelancer.Agencies have diverse talents associated with them who are trained to deliver multifaceted projects smoothly.Contractors from freelancing platforms will provide expertise for an individual skill so if your project requires a breadth of skills, hiring from an Agency will be a wise decision.Budget ConstraintsIn a situation where budget is a constraint, the most cost-effective solution would be to select from a freelancing platform. One can evaluate multiple bids, screen skilled professionals, and finalise one that fits your budget criteria.On Contract Developers from agencies bring expertise in multiple fields, and complete project support, and thus may offer higher costs compared to freelancers, but will surely bring more value in the long run.TimelineFreelance Developers from freelancing platforms are more suitable for projects with short timeframes. Their flexibility and professionalism help them to deliver prompt results with great quality. from an Agency is ideal for long-term projects as it requires frequent changes, additional expertise and suggestions from experienced peers from time-to-time.Risk ToleranceFreelancing platforms maintain risk management by providing the option of rating and comments for freelancers, via which clients can make the hiring decision. Such systems aid employers in looking at transparent comments and filtering out candidates until one is finalized.Contrarily, agencies ensure low risk, higher consistency and reliability via standard processes. Clients get agency support and also assurance of work getting done even if the hired talent is not available.Long-Term RelationshipFor clients with the vision of long-term work requirements, hiring from agencies can be a wise decision in terms of stability and surety of getting work done.As freelancer from freelancing platforms won't be available every time to take up your project as they might have their existing commitment.Hence, opting to hire from agencies for long-term requirements ensures quick availability of required talent who are pre-vetted by the agency itself and are perfect fit for the projects, rather than going through the same process of putting up projects and selecting ideal freelancers from websites.Quality of WorkWhen it comes to quality, both freelancers and agencies deliver excellence. It's essential to review portfolios and previous projects.Though, Agencies usually allot a Project Manager to foresee the progress of their shared Talents and act as escalation points. These Project Managers have personal KPIs to ensure the Talent is performing as expected; else a quick correction or replacement is made to make sure the project is not compromised unlike in the case of a FreelancerPost-Project SupportPost delivery support is a crucial part of any project and clearly Agencies have an upper hand in ensuring the support commitments are fulfilled independent of the developer.

Before coming to a conclusion, let's look at some pros and cons of contract developer hiring from freelance platforms and IT Agencies.

Pros

Cons

What's the Verdict

More than the source, what matters is to onboard the right talent for your project. Without appropriate talent, there's no point in a great idea that's not been able to get implemented.

The first step that needs to be taken is to evaluate your project requirements and prioritize them considering the combination of factors. It's crucial to thoroughly vet both freelancers and agencies, communicate clearly about your expectations, and ensure that the chosen option aligns with your project goals and constraints.

Both these options have a bunch of pros and cons that can't be neglected concerning the project's requirements.

The last say depends upon client preference and the project type. We would recommend exploring both freelancing platforms and agencies to.