Embedded engineers vs software agencies
Pick an agency when you want a defined product built and handed over, with someone else owning delivery. Choose engineers who join your team full-time when you want the people building it to work under your lead, for as long as you need them.
How the two compare on what matters
The table covers the eight criteria buyers ask about most, from time to start to compliance.
| Miyagami engineers | Software agencies | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Five working days to a shortlist, three weeks to first commit | Weeks, after scoping |
| All-in cost | €5,600 to €8,000 a month per engineer, no recruitment fee | Project fee, often with change requests |
| Who vets the engineers | Two live assessments, AI off and on, scorecards shared | The agency, not visible to you |
| Who manages the work | Your lead, in your sprints | The agency's project manager |
| When it goes wrong | Replaced at our cost | Renegotiate the scope |
| Commitment | Three-month minimum | Per project |
| Compliance and IP | Employed by us, ISO 27001, IP yours on payment | Usually IP on payment |
| Best for | Senior capacity in your team for months or years | A defined product with a defined end |
When software agencies fit better
Where software agencies do better
Someone else owns delivery
An agency takes responsibility for the whole project, which suits teams without an engineering lead.
A fixed scope and end date
For a well-defined product, a fixed project can be simpler to budget.
Where embedded engineers do better
Your team, your process
Engineers report to your lead and work in your tools and sprints, so nothing is lost at handover.
Visible vetting
You see both assessment scorecards for every engineer before you meet them.
Questions about this comparison
You can read how we vet engineers, then compare the cost against a local hire.
How we vetWhen should I choose software agencies over embedded engineers?
Pick an agency when you want a defined product built and handed over, with someone else owning delivery. Choose engineers who join your team full-time when you want the people building it to work under your lead, for as long as you need them.
How fast can embedded engineers start compared with software agencies?
You get a shortlist within five working days of your brief, and a first commit three weeks after that. Software agencies: weeks, after scoping.
Who vets Miyagami engineers?
Miyagami engineers run two sixty-minute assessments in a real codebase, the first with AI tools off and the second with the candidate's own agents on, and you see both scorecards.
Embedded engineers vs
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A freelance platform suits short, self-contained work where you want to browse many profiles quickly.
CompareGet a shortlist within five working days
You share the roles and the stack in a short form or a thirty-minute call. Within five working days you get named senior engineers to review, each with both scorecards.
ISO 27001Certified