Embedded engineers vs freelance platforms
A freelance platform suits short, self-contained work where you want to browse many profiles quickly. Miyagami engineers suit teams that need senior people who are assessed by engineers, employed by us and working full-time on your product.
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 | Freelance platforms | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Five working days to a shortlist, three weeks to first commit | Days, after reviewing profiles |
| All-in cost | €5,600 to €8,000 a month per engineer, no recruitment fee | Hourly or fixed, plus a platform fee |
| Who vets the engineers | Two live assessments, AI off and on, scorecards shared | Platform ratings and reviews |
| Who manages the work | Your lead, in your sprints | You |
| When it goes wrong | Replaced at our cost | Open a dispute or hire again |
| Commitment | Three-month minimum | None |
| Compliance and IP | Employed by us, ISO 27001, IP yours on payment | Contractor status risk (DBA, IR35) |
| Best for | Senior capacity in your team for months or years | Short, self-contained tasks with a clear spec |
When freelance platforms fit better
Where freelance platforms do better
Choice and speed
You can review hundreds of profiles and start someone within days.
Pay per task
Fixed-price tasks keep small pieces of work cheap and contained.
Where embedded engineers do better
Assessed by engineers
Every engineer passes two live assessments in a real codebase, and you see both scorecards.
Full-time and employed
Engineers are Miyagami employees, full-time on your work, with no false self-employment risk.
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 freelance platforms over embedded engineers?
A freelance platform suits short, self-contained work where you want to browse many profiles quickly. Miyagami engineers suit teams that need senior people who are assessed by engineers, employed by us and working full-time on your product.
How fast can embedded engineers start compared with freelance platforms?
You get a shortlist within five working days of your brief, and a first commit three weeks after that. Freelance platforms: days, after reviewing profiles.
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
Hiring in-house
Hiring in-house makes sense when the role will exist for years and you can wait three to four months.
CompareEmbedded engineers vs
Freelancers
A freelancer suits small, bounded work you can specify, such as a short specialist task or testing an idea.
CompareEmbedded engineers vs
Software agencies
Pick an agency when you want a defined product built and handed over, with someone else owning delivery.
CompareEmbedded engineers vs
Nearshore teams in Eastern Europe
Nearshore teams in Eastern Europe make sense when you need a full working day of timezone overlap and cost matters less.
CompareEmbedded engineers vs
Offshore development companies
A large offshore development company suits you when you need volume on well-specified work and have the management capacity to run it.
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