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Hiring an Agency vs a Freelancer.. Pros, Cons, and which would you prefer

by MarketingVet09
10 replies
If you're going to get a piece of software created... what are the pros / cons of both (price not being an issue)..

I just hear different things... Some say hiring 1 freelancer, you'll have better communication and he'll be the 1 responsible for the job, so it's less moving parts and chances for something to go wrong...

Some say an agency has more eyes, more experts, and possibly care at least a little more to keeping their rep flawless.. So you'll get a more professional / clean coded product in the end.


I want to know warriors experiences. And when I say agencies, I just mean companies on Elance / Odesk. Basically anything thats more than 1 person.
#agency #cons #freelancer #hiring #prefer #pros
  • Profile picture of the author webpeon
    I would say it mostly depends on your own experience levels and how much of the work you would like to do yourself.

    If you are wanting someone/s to build an entire site for you then id advise taking the agency approach, the advantage to this is that you are more likely to get a site that looks, feels and operates seamlessly across the entire site as the agency has experience working with each other and already have processes in place to ensure this, the downside is you'll have to share all the information upfront which if its a niche market you can run the risk of your idea being leaked if you make the wrong choice in agencies and although you have a large impact on how the site is built you will find an agency will be more likely to guide you down a path they feel comfortable with as opposed to a path you would prefer.


    The alternative is if youd like to be heavily involved in the project and have more control a freelancer/s would be the way to go, you can build what you are comfortable with and get others to build the parts you are not so experienced with on a case by case basis, this option means you only need to share information relevant to the component you wish to be built at the time which is alot safer if you believe you are working with a unique idea, the downside to doing this is you'll need to have a reasonable amount of knowledge prior so that you ensure you connect each component together in the best possible way to keep things uniformed across your site.


    good luck with the project
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    • Profile picture of the author MarketingVet09
      Hey, thanks for your reply..

      It would actually be a software, not a website, if that makes any difference in your opinion...

      But I hear where you are coming from.. I definitely have a thorough knowledge of EVERYTHING I'm doing and everything I want done.. The only thing I dont know how to do is coding the software, but I know exactly how I want it to look / feel / features...

      I'm thinking from what you said, and from the knowledge I have, it actually sort of cosigns that I should work with 1 freelancer, and not a group.
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      • Profile picture of the author Nochek
        You also have to look at cost and response/return times with reference to other projects. Big companies and really good individuals generally have a lot of work to do.

        If you are willing to pay for someone's complete attention, then you can have a program turned around in a few days (if you already have it designed and drawn out).

        Where as a company can do the same thing, on the same timeline, but will cost a significant amount more for their concerted effort than paying the premium for one persons attention.
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        • Profile picture of the author MarketingVet09
          Originally Posted by Nochek View Post

          You also have to look at cost and response/return times with reference to other projects. Big companies and really good individuals generally have a lot of work to do.

          If you are willing to pay for someone's complete attention, then you can have a program turned around in a few days (if you already have it designed and drawn out).

          Where as a company can do the same thing, on the same timeline, but will cost a significant amount more for their concerted effort than paying the premium for one persons attention.

          Hi thanks, Yea I know the price thing is the most obvious thing.

          But lets say price is no issue... You just want the best possible program made, bug free, in time, without your idea leaking out (if you have a unique one).


          I guess I'd have to assume it'd be best to go with the freelancer...

          The question boils down to I guess: Does multiple hands in the project help it, or hurt it... And IF it does help it, is that worth higher risk of your idea leaking, like the previous poster said.
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          • Profile picture of the author Nochek
            If you really want your idea held sacred, I wouldn't advise going to an oDesk or a freelancer type website. I would find someone by word of mouth that you know is trustworthy and has the abilities you need.

            Failing that, make sure you hire someone from countries that are compatible to your own countries legal system (pref your own country). Then just have them sign a contract, and if your idea leaks you just sue their pants off.

            The problem with hiring a company in that instance is if your idea is really that good and someone working on it decides to leave the company you hired and produce it, your contract means squat, and you can only get to that person through the proxy of the development company you hired (which most times won't be worth the effort, as any true money idea will be worth more than the development company can afford, and a litigation triangle like that will bankrupt them before they can sue the dastardly employee who is already in another country making bank)
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            • Profile picture of the author JOSourcing
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              Originally Posted by Nochek View Post

              The problem with hiring a company in that instance is if your idea is really that good and someone working on it decides to leave the company you hired and produce it, your contract means squat...
              I've never heard of that consequence before. Generally, when a person creates a contract with a company, the contract stays intact no matter who abandons ship. The only instance in which I could imagine problems with fleeing employees is if a contract assigned specific tasks to a sole person within the company, and that employee was fired or quit. Of course, if the entire company dissolved, that would be problematic too. Am I misunderstanding something?
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          • Profile picture of the author JOSourcing
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            Originally Posted by Jusumax View Post

            The question boils down to I guess: Does multiple hands in the project help it, or hurt it... And IF it does help it, is that worth higher risk of your idea leaking, like the previous poster said.
            This is a great question, and I'm going to answer it with an unexpected response:

            It doesn't matter who works on your project. The risks remain the same.


            Yes, there are significant differences between the way each accomplish a single goal, and there are significant differences in the way you'll work with both types of providers. But the bottom line will always remain with who can provide timely work and sufficient quality, and thus change your dilemma to deciding which will deliver what you need rather than which will operate this way or that way.

            If you're especially concerned about protecting your intellectual property, there are several ways to address it (as described here: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post5532744) These suggestions are applicable to single service providers and entire provider teams (companies).

            HTH
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          • Profile picture of the author webpeon
            nope it doesnt matter wheter its desktop or web app, the theory is pretty much the same

            Originally Posted by Jusumax View Post

            The question boils down to I guess: Does multiple hands in the project help it, or hurt it... And IF it does help it, is that worth higher risk of your idea leaking, like the previous poster said.
            providing its done right, its the perfect way to protect an idea and you cant go wrong, however if its not done right it can have a negative effect

            It is possible to split a project in such a way where no single person gets to see the final product, the part where it would go wrong is if you dont have enough knowledge on how to connect the pieces once they are done.


            Im in the process of doing this myself, im a fulltime freelancer and have never built a complete application myself, ive built hundreds of components for others which have been used to add certain features to their applications but for the most part I have no clue what applications those components have been used for. however ive just begun work on my very own first site, quite a large enterprise grade project and one which in order to complete in a reasonable amount of time have opted to outsource certain parts of the project to freelancers which im going to compile myself to get the final product so like me in the past they'll have no clue what theyre building it for
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  • Profile picture of the author MarketingVet09
    Great stuff guys... I soak everything in and take heed.

    I should note, I don't have the next google in mind or anything, but if ever I did, you guys give good advice.


    I guess whatever programmer I hired I wouldn't want him to have internet marketing aspirations...

    Sometimes, I'm naive to think, if someone can program, they automatically have knowledge of internet marketing etc...

    I remember once, I got a programmer to help me make a few bots just to help posting on social networks, and he one day started to inquire if I could teach him about internet marketing stuff... I guess wondering what I was using the programs for.

    So I guess it's possibly just a little paranoia, and I should just make sure the programmer I hire is a full time programmer.
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    • Profile picture of the author webpeon
      Originally Posted by Jusumax View Post

      Sometimes, I'm naive to think, if someone can program, they automatically have knowledge of internet marketing etc...
      one other thing which might surprise you is that not many programmers can program everything... ive been in development for geesh 9years now i think and theres plenty of things i dont know how to do, we all have our specialties and our weaknesses alike, its such a large field it would be impossible for someone to know everything about it
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