Magento Development Company or Freelancer Developer: What to Choose?
Hello everyone!
Today’s post will be dedicated to a mega-hot topic: Freelancer Vs Agency
Magento now being a leading and most popular ecommerce platform. Selecting the right developer for your MAGENTO project is important.
For many Magento store owners, the first question that arises when it comes to project design and development is: “Who should I hire doing it?”
Should you go with a development agency, or should you try to find a freelance developer?
A good development agency can also provide quality support after your project is complete – freelancers might not have this luxury.
Freelancer or Company/Agency: Does it Matter?
It absolutely does! But which is better for you? Choosing between a freelancer and an agency is a difficult decision. With such easy access to a big pool of expertise, deciding who to hire for your project design & development needs might be difficult.
Let’s take a look at each one of them and what they bring to the table.
Magento Development Company
A Magento development company that specializes in developing and managing websites with the Magento e-commerce platform. They usually have staff with a great deal of experience working with this platform, so you can be confident that your website will be designed and developed accurately and efficiently.
Freelancer Magento Developer
A Freelancer Developer is someone who freelances for clients, usually from their home or from a place they visit frequently. This means that they are self-employed and are responsible for finding work, scheduling meetings, and completing the project themselves.
Magento Development Agency or Freelancer Developer: Let’s Discuss.
Freelance developers and Magento development agencies are two of the most popular options for anyone looking to get a piece of custom web development work done. However, before choosing one over the other, it’s important to understand both the pros and cons of this type of business model.
There are many pros and cons to choosing a Magento development agency or freelancer developer. Here are some of the most common pros and cons of both options:
Freelancer Magento Developer
1. Usually, agencies have more experience with Magento than individual developers.
2. They can help you streamline your process and save time while developing your online store.
3. Many agencies have deal desks where they can offer financing, discounts, and other promotional offers to their clients.
4. Agencies may be able to provide a wider variety of services such as search engine optimization (SEO), design, and mobile application development.
5. The quality of work is usually better when an agency is involved, since they often have a team of developers working on your project together as a team.
6. It’s often easier to find an agency that specializes in Magento than it is to find a single experienced Magento developer who can also handle other platforms like WordPress or Shopify.
7. You usually don’t need to worry about salary negotiations or anything else related to the hiring process; agencies will typically take care of all that for you.
Stability and Trust
Cons of Magento Development Agencies:
1. Agencies can be expensive, especially if you work with a smaller agency that does not have a lot of clients yet.
2. You may have less control over the overall project since an agency will be a communicator between you and a project developer.
Pros of Freelancers:
1. Flexibility – Freelancers can work from home or any remote location, so long as they have an internet connection. This is particularly useful for people who are constantly on the go or don’t have access to a workspace.
2. If a project goes wrong, it’s not impossible to fix – Assuming you’re able to communicate well with your freelance partner, defects may be fixed relatively easily without large reworking costs. Many freelance businesses also offer “no-questions-asked” or “open-ended” contracts, which give you complete flexibility in how the project is completed.
Less Cost Over Short-Term
Negotiable Rates
More Personal and Flexible
Cons of Freelancers:
1. Limited Skill Sets & Resources
2. Limited Work Capacity
3. Not Suited for Large Project Initiatives
Other Main Differences between Magento Development Company and Magento Freelancer:
- Speed: If speed is what you’re after, an agency can guarantee the job will be done quickly and efficiently. Depending on the project and agreement, a freelancer might not be so speedy as they don’t have a team behind them to share the workload.
- Personalization: A freelancer is usually more personal and inclusive. An agency might not give you the same personalized service.
- Reliability: Agencies are a team of experts. So if someone goes AWOL, your job will still get done. A freelancer doesn’t always have a backup.
- Cost: Agencies generally cost more than freelancers. Basically, you’re paying for efficiency and reliability.
How to find the perfect provider for your project?
So let’s start with the steps of how to get the proficient and skilled Magento Expert or How To Choose A Magento Development Agency?:
1) Analyze The Project Needs Before You Recruit Someone:
First, let’s dig into the need of hiring the developer/agency, for which you need to have clarity about your project’s needs and requirements. With detailed analysis, you will definitely get the best developer/agency for your Magento store, but you will not be able to communicate properly if you are not clear with your project requirements.
So get ready with the below points before looking for Magento Development Agency/Freelancer:
- Get sure about your goals, requirements & objectives.
- Be clear about the business model.
- Plan the budget you want to invest in your project.
- Set the project timeline and get it discussed with the developer/agency at the time of communication. Developers/Agencies will also provide you with the time they require to complete the project based on their experience and the project needs. If it suits you then you can proceed with further process or else you can move to another developer.
- Make payment schedules clear because every developer or company works differently. So be clear on payment policies before signing them for your project.
- Clear about engagement and hiring models of the company.
- Select the reporting tools to analyze the data and even ask for more suggestions from developers/agencies.
- Developing a Magento website is not a one-time process. To run it successfully, you need timely upgrades and after-support services. So be prepared to discuss and finalize these queries too and get cost-effective methods for your project.
2) The second key point is “What Sort of Developers you required”:
Another point you need to take care of is to decide what kind of developer you need. Because each type of developer’s skillset, roles, and responsibilities may vary.
- Define whether you need a Front End Developer.
- Back End Developer
- Else there is a need for Full Stack Developer
- Once you get clear with the type of developer you need, you must then jump on the clarification that for what time you would need the developer. Do you need a full-time developer, a part-time one, or a freelancer who works accordingly?
- Also, decide that there would be a need for a company or a single developer.
Next jump onto “How to recognize the ideal Company/Magento Expert”: Follow the below steps to identify the best candidate:
- Check what the client says about the developer. So basically read each and every review and look at the rating the developer/agency earned. Get a clear understanding of the developer’s/agency’s working style, client relationship, working model, etc. by going through their comments and reviews.
- Ask for previous client details so that you can connect with those references and get a clear idea of how they work and what are their personal experiences while working with the selected developer/agency.
- Check their projects to have an idea about their past works.
- Ask for sample code or test to check their skills
- Check the communication skills too.
3) Now, the final part is “Examine & Analyze the Developer’s Skill set”:
- A basic understanding of programming languages and coding is a must.
- Certification is preferred.
- Must know the Magento 2 development.
- Should know the customization so that if we need to combine the expertise and skills of the Magento developer to get the custom result, we can have it
- Integration Expertise
- Migration Knowledge
- Magento 2 extensions & theme expertise
- Basic understanding of database, JavaScript
- Problem-Solving skills
Conclusion:
There are a few things to keep in mind.
When you’re hiring an agency, be sure to ask about their experience and certifications. Many agencies have been involved in web development for years and are more than capable of building your site. However, there are also many independent developers who specialize in Magento development. If you decide to go with an independent developer, be sure to do your research and find someone who has experience building Magento sites.
When choosing a freelancer, be sure to ask questions like what projects they’ve completed before, how much experience they have with Magento, and how much they charge per hour. Make sure that the freelancer is available when you need them, and be budget-conscious, so you don’t end up spending too much money on something that isn’t needed. Finally, make sure that you discuss your project goals with the potential developer and let them know what you want the finished product to look like.
There’s no clear winner, it’s up to you to figure out what YOUR BUSINESS needs. In case of any other Magento 2 development service, you can contact us and get your services done.