Before we roll, I wish you all a very Happy New Year 2018.
Freelancer vs agencies? – We have always been skeptical about this and to be honest it's the most asked question last year. Hence, this post is inspired by those conversations I had with my potential partner / clients over the months.
I'll certainly try to objectively present the reason and situation of commissioning a freelancers over Agencies in the Web and mobile development and Digital Marketing industry.
First, before deciding anything, you need to ask yourself a few questions about the project you have.
- What is my budget?
- How complex is my project?
- How much time do you have a week to monitor the status of you project?
If the answers of the above questions are LIMITED / NORMAL Budget, SIMPLE / MODERATE Complex & LESS THAN 12 Hrs./week. You should probably go with a freelancer.
Explanation:
LIMITED / NORMAL Budget:
However, this is subjective, usually, freelancers have almost no overhead than a professional agency. You simply pay no. of hrs. freelancer works on your project. When it comes to an agency, obviously you will pay significantly more, it's "expensive" goes without saying.
SIMPLE / MODERATE / EXTREME Complex:
Freelancers are especially talented at a specific niche skill-set and you communicate directly with the freelancer. You can explain them what exactly you want at your convenient time as most of the freelancers are flexible. Where as for agency There's No "I" in Team so you never gonna talk to the person / team working on your project. You need to communicate through A / C manager / Client Servicing Manager.
However, on this context you need to make sure you validate the following before proceeding:
- Communication skills of the freelancer.
- Experience of the freelancer on that specific technologies and past work.
- Reference check with one of his / her existing / former client.
LESS THAN 12 Hrs./week:
Generally freelancers are flexible, freelancers are able to build their schedule around your needs and specifically, including traveling to your office and operating outside of normal work hours. On the other hand most agencies have their own working hours and that can sometimes be very inconvenient for a client, which means more planning is necessary before meetings. If you have very less time to check on your project status freelancers are probably the best option for you to get regular updates at your convenient time.
However, on this context you need to make sure you validate the following before proceeding:
- Availability of the freelancer.
- Project update frequency
- Reference check with one of his / her existing / former client.
"Yeah, you really get what you pay for." Seriously I do not buy it. This idiom is mostly used by those pricey agencies trying to justify themselves. Paying extra does not guarantee your project quality but if you keep a tab on your project and pay what's worth; It's more than enough to make your project successful with quality. If you are very busy / not at all tech savvy you better hire a consultant to do the project status validation for you.
However, please make sure of the following.
- Freelancer provides at least 6 month free support.
- Basic on page SEO imperatives are in place.
- Reference check with one of his / her existing / former client.
In the conclusion of "Why and when to choose a freelancers over Agencies?" freelancer are the best option but if any agencies are providing you the same Cost, Flexibility and Support feel free to go with them validating the list mentioned above.