Remote Developers Vs Freelancers – Who Can Exceed Your Expectations of Outsourcing Projects?

Outsourcing IT projects by hiring remote developers can be beneficial for most businesses because it can reduce costs, increase efficiency, and get access for specialized skills. So with outsourcing adding to the cause remote work is all set to scale upwards in the future. Businesses can save huge money as they don’t require spending on hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house team of developers. They can also benefit from the expertise and experience of the outsourcing tech provider.

Enterprises especially from first-world countries prefer to outsource their IT projects to focus on their core competencies and strategic goals while leaving the technical details to the professionals. The dilemma occurs while choosing the right options from the available two – remote team vs. freelancers.

In this write-up, we shall look at remote developers vs freelancers through the pros and cons of both options before concluding the best choice for your projects.

Hiring remote developers from an offshore company

Another cost-effective and reliable way to develop your software project is to hire remote developers from an offshore company. To define in simple words, offshore development is outsourcing software development tasks to an offshore company located in a different country or region typically where currency is lower. When you hire a remote team of developers from an offshore company, you unveil the benefits of lower development costs, gaining a larger global talent, quicker deliverables, and more ease in managing your project.

Pros and cons of hiring a team of remote developers

Hiring a remote developers team is a common practice in the software industry, especially for startups and enterprises aiming to accelerate their development capacity at reduced costs. However, there are also some challenges and risks involved in working with a remote offshore team.

Here are some of the factors to consider before making the decision.

Pros:

• Cost savings
  Hiring a remote developer from an offshore company can cost you less for application development because you have a currency advantage. The salaries and benefits in some countries such as India are much lower than in the US or Europe. Additionally, there is a marked reduction in overhead costs such as office space, equipment, utilities, and taxes.
• Access to talent
  By outsourcing your development work to a developer working remotely at an offshore company, you can tap into a large pool of skilled and experienced developers who may not be available or affordable in your local market; furthermore, you benefit from the diversity of perspectives and innovative approach that a team of professional programmers can offer.
• Flexibility and scalability
  A remote developer can provide you with more flexibility and scalability in terms of project scope, timeline, and budget. You can easily adjust the size and composition of your team according to your changing needs and priorities. You can also leverage the time zone differences to extend your working hours and deliver faster results. Any additional requirements can be dealt with by hiring more relevant developers with required skillset. And this is taken care of by the offshore company at a very nominal additional cost.

Cons:

• Communication and collaboration challenges
  Working with a team of offshore remote developers can pose some communication and collaboration challenges, such as language barriers, cultural differences, misunderstandings, and delays. You need to invest in effective communication tools and platforms, as well as establish clear and frequent communication channels and protocols. With careful handling and setting some ground rules this can be managed.
• Quality and security issues
  Hiring a team of remote developers from an offshore company can also entail some quality and security issues, such as inconsistent standards, poor documentation, code errors, bugs, data breaches, and intellectual property theft. So before you hire it is best that you conduct thorough due diligence on the offshore company and its developers, as well as implement strict quality assurance and security measures throughout the development process. This will ensure that you have taken the necessary precautions and you as well as the offshore company is on the same page to build your project.
• Legal and regulatory compliance
  Working with an offshore remote developers team can also expose you to some legal and regulatory compliance risks, such as contractual disputes, liability claims, tax implications, labor laws, data protection laws, and export controls. You need to consult with legal experts and accountants before hiring an offshore remote developer; also, make sure that you have a clear and enforceable contract that covers all the relevant terms and conditions. It is mandatory to follow the laws and regulations of both your home country and the country you hire remote developer from.

Hiring freelancers for your project

To many, a reliable and cost-effective way to create software for their business or personal needs is to hire freelancers for software development. Freelancers are independent professionals who provide services through their skills and expertise. Hiring freelancers for development offer you access to a wide range of talent from mobile and web developers to software engineers and graphic designers.

You can find freelance developers for your project on various platforms such as Stack Overflow. These platforms can help you match your project requirements with the best freelancers for the job, and provide tools for communication, collaboration, and payment.

Pros and cons of hiring freelancers

Freelance developers come with their own pros and cons. Here are a few to highlight:

Pros

• Cost-effective
  Hiring freelancers can save you money on salaries, benefits, taxes, office space, equipment, and training. Freelancers usually charge by the hour or by the project, so you only pay for the work done; however, it is possible to negotiate rates and terms with freelancers and choose from a wide range of possibilities.
• Flexible
  Freelance developers offer more flexibility than in-house developers, as they can work on your project whenever and wherever they want. Freelancers can also adapt to different technologies, tools, and methodologies as they often work on diverse projects and clients.
• Access to global talent
  Hiring freelancers gives you access to a large pool of qualified and experienced developers from all over the world. You can find freelancers with any skill level, expertise, and domain knowledge you need for your project. You can also benefit from the different perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds that freelancers bring to your project.

Cons

• Lack of control
  Hiring freelance developers means giving up some control over your project, as you have to rely on their availability, communication, and quality of work. You might face challenges in managing deadlines, expectations, feedback, and revisions with freelancers, especially if they work remotely or across different time zones. Furthermore, you have less oversight and accountability over freelancers as they might work on multiple projects or clients at the same time. The freelancer is a single point of contact so if the freelancer is not available for sometime, your project is struck.
• Quality of software
  Hiring freelancers might compromise the quality of your software project, as freelancers might not follow your standards, guidelines, or best practices. Freelance developers might also lack the necessary skills, experience, or knowledge to handle complex or specialized tasks. You might also face issues with compatibility, integration, security, or maintenance of your software project if freelancers use different technologies or platforms than your in-house team.
• Limited Scalability
  Freelancers are individuals who excel at only 1 core service, so they will only focus on their work. When you need to get an application built, it is the work of a team of developers or resources with different skill sets. So, when you need some additional help with some other technology it is out of their context and you would require finding someone to do the job for you which again would eat up your time.
• Bonding
  Hiring freelancers might affect the bonding and collaboration of your team, as freelancers might not feel as invested or committed to your project as in-house developers. Freelance developers might also have less loyalty or trust toward you or your company, as they might switch to other projects or clients if they find better opportunities. Experts also opine that one might lose out on the privilege of getting a cohesive and motivated team sharing a common vision and goal for your product.

Remote Developers vs Freelancers, a head-to-head comparison

Getting out of the dilemma of whether to hire freelancer or a remote developer from a professional software development company is not an easy task. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and the best choice depends on your specific needs, budget, and preferences. Here is a fair comparison between remote developers and freelancers in terms of cost, quality, communication, reliability, and flexibility.

Remote Developer vs Freelancer, what is more Cost-efficient?

Freelancers usually appear to be cheaper than remote teams, as they charge by the hour or by the project. But on the other hand, freelance developers may possess some hidden costs such as taxes, fees, and expenditures. Hiring remote developers, on the other hand, shall appear to be a little higher lower, but they also have more transparency and accountability for their work. Further, Remote developers when hired from a professional development company can get you quotes, invoices, and regular reporting that show how much time was spent on your project. Thus, there will not be much difference in the total payment to be done but considering both cases overall the cost to hire remote developers is much more reasonable as compared to that of freelancers.

Freelancer vs Remote Developer, which provides better Quality of application?

Freelancers have varying levels of skills and experience. Some freelancers may deliver high-quality work, while others may not meet your expectations or standards. Instead, remote developer teams include experts who have been vetted and seasoned by the renowned software development company. The remote developers for hire also have quality assurance processes and tools that ensure the delivery of high-quality work.

Freelancer vs Remote Developer, which is preferable for seamless communication?

Freelancers for hire possess different communication styles and preferences as per their personalities and availability. Some freelancers may be responsive and proactive, while others may be hard to reach or unresponsive. The counterpart, a team of remote developers has established communication channels and protocols that facilitate smooth and effective communication. Remote developer from offshore development companies also use collaboration tools and platforms that enable easy sharing of information and feedback.

Remote Developer vs Freelancer, what is more reliable?

Freelancers may have unpredictable schedules and availability, depending on their workload and personal commitments. Some freelancers may be able to meet deadlines and deliverables, while others may miss them or delay them. Remote developer teams, on the other hand, usually have the resources and time slots allocated for your project. Further, since you have access to a team of remote developers, you can also have backup plans and contingency measures in case of emergencies or unforeseen circumstances.

Freelancer vs Remote Developer, which is more Flexible?

When you hire freelancers, they offer flexibility and autonomy in terms of how they work and what they deliver. They can adapt to your changing needs and requirements, as long as they agree with the terms. Remote developers, on the other hand, may have less flexibility and autonomy in terms of how they work and what they deliver as they abide by their company’s rules. Remote teams usually follow a predefined methodology and scope of work that may not be easily changed or modified. Nevertheless, most of the top-rated IT development companies offer you flexible hiring models (such as full time, part time or hourly) where a team of developers shall work as and when you want on your project.

Remote Developers vs Freelancers, what is best for your project?

Ultimately, in remote app developers vs freelancers, hiring a team of remote developers from a professional software development company can offer many advantages over freelancers even for your enterprise-level project. A remote developer offers consistent quality, reliable communication, and scalable resources. Freelancers, on the other hand, may lack the necessary skills, experience, or commitment to deliver your project on time and within budget.

Remote developers hired from a professional offshore development company can also ensure that your project follows the best practices and standards of the industry, while freelancers may cut corners or compromise on security. Therefore, hiring a team of remote developers is a better choice than opting for freelancers for all your project needs.

Ketan Chavda

With in-depth knowledge in International Business Management and Information Technology, he can effectively craft business enhancement strategies and can skillfully untangle technical complexities. This has laid the path for him as the Co-Founder and MD of Prismetric . Writing about the new age technology and sharing his thoughts on the continuously evolving business trends keep him content.