Decisions, decisions! Offshore Teams or Freelance Portals?

Offshore Development vs. Freelance Professionals: Choosing the Right Team

Quick Summary: offshore development teams and freelance professionals are gaining popularity all around. But among people, the major concern is which one they choose. Well, for all of you out there here in this blog, we will present a clear difference so choosing it will help. We start by exploring the advantages and end with which one to choose. For sure after this read, there will be clarity regarding this!

Introduction

Hiring talent was never as easy as it is in the present time. There is no doubt that for every project different types of teams are available who work on it. But recently the Hype is about whether people should go for Offshore teams or freelance portals. As we all know that right now people can simply choose freelancers as well for project completion.

But we cannot deny the fact that every facility comes up with its pros and cons. Likewise, there are some pros and cons to Hiring Offshore teams and people from Freelance portals. I am sure you are also stuck with the same question too!

Don’t worry at all. In this article, we will clear all your doubts and help you to know which team you can choose. After this article, there will be clarity available to you regarding Offshore team vs freelance. Surely you will be able to decide which one you should choose for your project completion. Without any further due let, ‘s get started

About Offshore teams

As we do Outsourcing vs.Offshoring Comparison, Primarily it is important to understand offshore teams. They are the ones who operate outside the country from the current location of the business. The Offshore teams also receive all the benefits as the onshore teams. But the major difference is in their geographic locations.

There is a dedicated head to them who will look into their performance when they are working. One can consider it as the situation when a business has operated several branches in other countries. Also, the condition is so when a company has a parent branch in one country and dedicated subsequent companies are available in other countries.

Benefits to know while choosing an offshore development team

Benefits choosing an offshore development team

Lower Costs:

The primary benefit available to people when they hire an Expert offshore software solutions is lower cost. If we look at those companies that are operable in your same country they usually take the amount as per the currency the country holds.

But if you are hiring an Offshore development company that operates where your currency costs less it will lower the cost. Overall this is right to say that after having the Offshore development team you can expect your project to get completed within a lower price range.

On-Demand Access to Knowledge and Expertise workforce:

There will be no need for people to wait for longer durations when they want to know the status of their project. As the hired offshore developers are available at any time to discuss the same in detail. The business partner who interacts with an offshore team can also let them know about the changes that may be required. The best part is it will lead to changes at one time and one can easily get their project status in detail.

Time Savings:

Reaching the offshore development team will save time as well. It is quite simple to understand. As you will reach out to a dedicated company who has the same services available. You just need to let them know about your requirements and they will arrange the services accordingly. Also, with offshore teams, there is an option that there is no need for you to wait for the project completion. They are so punctual that they complete the project on time and submit the same.

Shared responsibility:

The offshore team has so many people in it. This simply indicates the responsibility will be divided among all of them. When the task is divided a dedicated person will look into it and then work accordingly. When every person is done with completing the task the combined project will be presented. Also, if there is any change required in a specific phase, they will do it and at the end, the results will get highlighted.

Experience:

How can we forget about the experience that the offshore development team holds? One cannot deny the fact that every company hires experienced employees and then only they outsource the services of Offshore development. The same is the case with all those reputable companies you are teaching out there.

They have set up a team of Offshore developers who are having experience and are well aware of the particular technology they are working with. You will not feel like that a layman who has completed your project.

You can discuss with them about anything regarding the project and they will answer you accordingly. Even with Offshore development teams, the benefit is available that you can also talk to a particular individual who is working on a particular segment of your project.

You can let them know that these are the changes which are important to make and accordingly they will do it. As they are the experienced ones so they know where to make the changes and how they will be able to do it in a short span of time.

Scaling the IT development team:

There will be no need for you to feel like you need to get in touch with multiple people to create a team. The development companies that you higher already have pre-existing teams and you can collaborate with them. It simply saves your time and lets you connect with the best talent as well.

With the pre-existing team, you can discuss your project needs and get it completed as needed. Also, in case you require someone else for some back and task the same option is also available with that of show teams because there are multiple people with different skill sets working together.

Reliability:

Reliability is also one of the major factors. You can simply rely on them for your future endeavors as well. You can simply let them know about your perspective considering the project and they will understand it accordingly. The soon you let them know that this is something you want for your project the soon they will offer you advice over that.

Along with offering advice, they will work accordingly to make it happen. You will not face the issue that the team has given up in between and your project hasn’t been completed. If You will get the completed project in the time asked by the offshore teams.

Language Barrier:

You will be able to overcome the language barrier as well. As you find out about the Offshore development company in your native country where the language is the same. You can discuss with them the project in the same language and they will understand it accordingly. There will be no need for you to become the victim of the language barrier that can lead to miscommunication. You can simply trust them for the project and they will help you out with everything they can.

When To An Hire Offshore Teams?

There are so many conditions that indicate your need to get in touch with Offshore teams and these are as follows:

Long-term Engagement:

First of all, it is important to decide whether you want to hire the team for short-term collaboration or for long-term. This will help you to decide which team you can choose. With offshore development companies, it is good to connect when you are looking for long-term engagement. They will be there with you at every point and help you to get your projects completed timely and successfully.

Global expansion:

If you are someone who is looking forward to expanding your business globally, it is important to connect with someone who has knowledge of that market. For example, if you are from the US and want to launch a project in the Indian market, the Indian market guy can give you better ideas. The same scenario is with offshore teams. They have an idea about the current market trend and they will be able to guide you accordingly.

About Freelance portals:

After knowing about the offshore teams, you might be curious to know about the freelance portals as well. Well, these are the portals that allow you to hire people across the globe. There will be no need for you to restrict your search to a particular destination when you are searching for the best team around.

You can consider online portals in order to choose the people. Also, the best part is you will be able to set up the rates of the project as per your budget with them without any hassle of feeling like this one will burn your pocket.

Read more: A Complete Guide On Hiring Offshore Development Teams In 2024

Benefits of choosing freelance portals:

There are so many benefits available to people when they are choosing freelance portals and these are as follows:

Access talent anywhere:

When it is about access to the best talent freelance portals offer the best opportunity. There is no doubt people will be able to connect with people from different parts of the world having expertise in different domains. It doesn’t matter for which technology you are looking for freelancers, if you have the right resources available to find them you will get the best talent for sure. Moreover, the pool of freelancers is so big that you will not feel disappointed at all.

Transparency at its best:

No matter what you are doing it is important that it is done with all transparency. By hiring people through freelance portals you will be able to engage in a transparent hiring process. You can collaborate with freelancers whenever needed and discuss the project status.

Make sure you are hiring those freelancers who are open to collaborating with the team whenever needed. If you hire anyone who is not ready to collaborate, there is no point in transparency with them considering work.

Cut costs:

Hiring through a freelance portal also cut the cost as well. There will be no need for you to give any amount to any middleman who will help you to reach them. You can simply create accounts on freelance portals like LinkedIn, Upwork, and others and get in touch with them directly. In case you have any specific requirement, you can mention then get it done. This will ultimately save a lot of the amount that you might pay to the middleman.

Hire talent on demand:

The best part is there will be no need for you to feel like you are hiring talent without having the need. You can switch to these portals whenever needed. For example, if you need any developer you can search for him right away and get in touch with them. There will be no need for you to hire the talent in advance, and it will eventually save the bench pay as well.

Offer work-life balance:

Work-life balance is something that people want. If work-life balance is not there, one will not be able to get comfortable in something that they are doing. There will be a specific time at which both people can connect and discuss the status of the project.

The business person will not feel like they will get stuck at the point and they need to be available at that time only in order to avail the services. With mutual consent, both parties will be able to decide a time when they can connect with each other for the same.

Nurture merit-based system:

How can we forget that with freelance, the merit-based system is followed? On the freelance portal, you will see top freelancers listed on the top. You will connect with the best freelancers only who will take care of your project. Make sure before finalizing them that you are having a clear conversation so that there is no point of doubt at all during project completion.

When to hire through a freelance portal?

There are several conditions that indicate your choice regarding to choose freelance portal and these are as follows:

Short-term engagement:

If you are someone who is looking out for a person who can help you in your short-term engagement then choosing from a freelance portal can help. There is no need for you to do any contract with them and until and unless the project is not over you can connect with them. The best part is you can hire them whenever you want without a thought you need to pay them any additional amount.

For example, you are looking forward to developing a website but do not want someone who can be with you for a longer time because you know how to move ahead with things. In that case, you can hire a freelance developer. He will develop the website and give it to you. After that will be your responsibility how you will take care of it. The freelancers will not be responsible for anything that will happen in the future to your project.

The same is the scenario with that condition when you want to hire someone for support and Maintenance Services. For example, you are aware of how to develop the website but have no clue how to maintain it. In that case, the freelancers will help you out. So, it is right to conclude that freelancers are the best choice for that condition when you have no long-term project goals.

Small and independent tasks:

Every business person who is engaging in business knows about the status of the task whether it is a dependent task or an independent one. If you are engaging in a project which is small and includes independent tasks, approaching the freelancer will help you out.

There will be no need for you to feel like things are not going as you have planned because these are independent and freelancers will take care of it. You just need to let them know that your project is all about this and they will offer the services accordingly. Also, you can mention the duration in which you wish to get the project completed and the same will happen.

With independent tasks, we simply mean that there is no need for you to reach out in the future for any support and Maintenance Services. For example, if you are developing a blog and you know how to post then you only need someone who will develop the portal where you can post to the blogs. In that case, there is no dependency on them for the future and you can engage in tasks on your own.

Budget constraints:

There are people who do not have an open hand when it comes to investment. In that case, they look out for someone who fits into their budget. If you are having a budget constraint and want to avail the services on the same budget hiring freelancers can help you out.

The services are available at a reasonable price and there will be no need for you to hit your budget. Within the same amount, the project will get completed and you can launch it. Also, freelancers are very good with negotiation as well so you can negotiate with them and let them get available in your budget.

Difference between Offshore teams and freelance portals

After knowing about offshore and freelance portals in detail, you might be curious to know the basic difference between both these. Well, here are the parameters that will highlight the same in detail:

FactorOffshoreFreelancer
Engagement Time:If you are looking for someone who can be with you for long-term collaboration, using the Offshore can help. With long-term collaboration, we mean that you are depending on them for your project completion and for post services as well.If you are going for a short-term project only choose freelancers. Well, in the short term, you are depending on them until the project’s completion. They will not be responsible for any post-project completion services until and unless you are asking for it.
Budget:If you are having a budget for a middle-level to a large project and it is exceeding 3000 USD you can go for offshore teams. If you have a good budget only choose offshore development teams as they will be with you for long-term collaboration.If you have a budget of less than 3000 USD choosing a freelancer is the best option. As this budget is implied for short-term projects only. There is a possibility that there will be an increment in the budget when you are going with a freelance project don’t worry about it because it will not bother you much.
Project Size:For middle or a large project only reach the Offshore development team. To avoid delay always getting touch with Offshore development teams if you have the project from a middle level or a large level.For a short project, approaching a freelancer is the best idea.The freelancer may be a single person who is looking into the project and it will take a lot of time for them to complete the middle of the large project.
Team size:Do understand if your project requires contribution from multiple people it is advisable to get in touch with the offshore team.if your project can get completed with the help of two or three people you can simply choose the freelancer. You will find out some freelancers who are having a dedicated team for a particular task.
Data Security:Offshore development teams stay up to date with the latest technology that helps them to keep the data safe. Also, if you have thought that your Rival will get in touch with them and get the details you are getting wrong because they already sign the NDA with the client. This simply means they have no right to discuss your project with any other client.With freelancers, there are chances of data breaches because they do not have the updated techniques available to keep the data safe.
Initiation TimeOffshore teams take up to 2-4 weeks. They will examine everything in detail and then only start with the project. They will also figure out who will complete a particular task and then move ahead with it.With freelancers the initiation time is immediate. A dedicated freelancer, they have skills in the same domain and start the project immediately.
Post-development Support:Offshore development providers will stay in touch with you. They will take care of everything from start to end. From the initial launch of your project to its final launch they will take care of everything. Additionally, they will move ahead with certain services that make them different from anyone around available in the market.Freelancers will not offer you post-development services

Reach Bigscal for all your project needs

If you are in confusion whether you go for offshore development teams or freelancers, get in touch with us. At Bigscal, we are offering offshore development services at a very affordable price. There is a possibility that you might feel like freelancers will cost you less. But don’t worry with us you will get the services in the same price bracket as you have set up. We also assure you that your project will be in safe hands when you are coming to us.

Also, we have a team of developers who are trained with the technologies that are in Trend and needed by our clients. We are ready to sign the NDA as well so that you have a sense of security considering your project. There is nothing that can be problematic and doubtful to you when you are coming to us. When we are here there is nothing for you to worry about, you just need to discuss your project needs with us and our development team will take care of it.

We also believe in transparency and that’s why we organized regular communication sessions with our clients so that they can stay up to date regarding the project we are working on. In case there is anything extra you are having in your head in between as well we are open to suggestions as well. You just need to mention it and we are all ready to implement the changes accordingly!

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important for people to pay attention to whether they want to go with Offshore development teams or with freelancers. There are so many factors that will help you to decide which one to choose. But it is advisable not to compromise with quality at all just because the price could be high with any of them.

Make sure you are keeping track of everything to get your project on time and with all the quality. If you are facing any doubt at any point feel free to discuss it with the team of developers because they will help you out eventually with the project. In case there is anything additional you want to add to the project, you can discuss it with them and they will cater to your needs accordingly.

But on top of all that we assure you that if you are coming to us for your project needs, we will cater your needs in the way you wanted.

FAQ

First of all, there is no guarantee whether or not it is safe to hire because you never know when the tables will turn. There are some freelancers who are working as full-time employees and some freelancers do not value Time. It entirely depends on whether you have hired a good talent for your team. It is advisable to have a look at their portfolio before finalizing them for your project.

There are so many portals available that can help you to hire freelancers including LinkedIn, Upwork, Fiverr, and others. It entirely depends on the portal you have access to. Without accessing these portals, you will not be able to get in touch with the best freelancers around.

Absolutely! Offshore development teams are always ready to offer support to all the customers around. It doesn’t matter whether you have a large project or a smaller one, the development team is always there to help you out. But for availing the services it is important to have a clear conversation with them regarding it so that there will be no last-moment glitches.

When you are looking forward for a trustworthy team then hiring an offshore development team is the safer option because they are somewhere in link with companies and there is no point of fraud at all. But there are some freelancers who have no collaboration with any company and they do not have their own Corporation as well and they are working without any rules and policy.

To keep yourself on the safer side hiring an offshore team can help. I am not saying that freelancers are not trustworthy but there are people who are not. The decision is entirely yours whether you want to go with freelancers or with offshore development teams

Offshore teams are those who are in link with a company but they are located in some other country. But the freelancers are those who are working independently and there is no guarantee whether or not they will going to have their own Company. There are some freelancers who believe in opening a one-person company. But there is no guarantee with it. Hence it is important to choose the ones that are more reliable and offer project security.