Hiring.co vs development agencies
Keep your developers in your repo, not behind an agency account manager
Agencies work well for a fixed scope you can describe up front. Real products change every week. We place vetted developers inside your team and tools, or deliver the product end to end when that fits better. From $500/week, month-to-month.
Side by side
Both get software built. The difference is who you talk to, and what a change costs.
| Hiring.co | Development agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you work with | The developer directly, in your Slack, standups, and repo. | Usually a project manager between you and the people writing code. |
| Vetting | Live technical review, references, a paid trial week. You can meet the candidate first. | The agency hires internally. You rarely choose the individuals. |
| When scope changes | Change the backlog. The weekly rate stays the same. | Change orders, re-estimates, and new statements of work. |
| What you pay | From $500/week per developer, month-to-month. No placement fee. | A project price or monthly retainer, plus changes. |
| Where the code lives | Your repo and your tools from day one. | Often the agency's setup until a handoff phase. |
| If someone does not perform | We replace them at no extra cost under the nonperformance guarantee. | Depends on the contract, and you often cannot see who is doing the work. |
| When it ends | Documentation, knowledge base, and deployment details within one working day, confirmed in writing. | A handoff, then someone new maintains code they did not write. |
| A finished product, end to end | We do that too. FileReadyNow and Websites.ly were scoped, built, and delivered. | Their core offering, and a good fit for a truly fixed scope. |
When an agency is the right tool
A marketing site, a fixed-scope prototype for a fundraise, or an internal tool with a clear finish line. If the scope will not move and you do not want to manage anyone, an agency is a reasonable choice. Come to us when the product keeps going after launch.
Two ways to work, one partner
Oaklo and MedMatch Network run with developers embedded in their teams. FileReadyNow and Websites.ly were scoped, built, and delivered. We pick the model with you on the intro call.
Read our comparison of hiring models or see case studies.
Questions from teams talking to agencies
- Can you deliver a finished product like an agency does?
- Yes. Some founders want developers embedded in their Slack. Others want us to scope, build, and hand off a shipped product. We cover both, and the intro call is where we pick one.
- Do we lose control of the roadmap?
- No. Embedded developers work from your backlog and your priorities. You decide what ships next.
- What happens to the code when we stop?
- It stays yours. Project documentation, the knowledge base, and deployment details transfer within one working day. If we hold the repository, we transfer ownership to you.
- Is an agency cheaper for a fixed project?
- Sometimes, for a small scope that will not change. For ongoing products, change orders and handoff costs tend to add up. We quote on the call so you can compare.
From a CEO who wanted a partner, not a vendor
“The team at Hiring.co have been incredible to work with. Not only are they extremely smart and talented engineers, but also amazing people. They've been an incredible resource for us at The Rig Hut — making themselves available at all hours and truly acting with the best interests of our business in mind. When priorities shifted on our responsive web app, they shipped without hand-holding. I would strongly recommend them to anyone seeking a full-service design and engineering partner in the technology space. They've become invaluable members of our team, and we treat them like in-house engineers today.”
Tell us what the agency quoted you for
Share the scope and the timeline. We will tell you whether embedded developers or a delivered build fits better, and what it would cost.