Should You Hire Python Development Freelancers, or an Outsourced Python Team?

One of the most powerful general-purpose programming languages available, Python brings a great deal to companies with the teams and resources capable of harnessing it. The language boasts one of the most comprehensive standard libraries available and supports a broad range of external libraries as one of its headline features.

Whether undertaking Web or game development, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analysis, data visualisation, or creating a suite of internal tools and resources—Python is ideally suited to get a lot done in a short amount of time. Unlocking these abilities is just a matter of onboarding a team of developers to put these resources into practice.

In just a few short steps, your team can be one that is transformed by the decision between freelance Python developers and outsourced Python teams. Looking to hire a Python developer? Just tell us what you need! We can do the work for you and connect you with up to 5 companies within 72h that match your needs—all for free.

Identify your Technical Requirements

The first step towards hiring Python developers is identifying what you plan to build and achieve in the months and years ahead. Check out our Comprehensive Guide to Hiring Python Engineering Teams for more details on this front.

Python has a broad range of use cases, far more than many other languages. It’s used often for internal resources and tools but also for global service deployment, machine learning, and working with big data. Knowing precisely what your company plans to develop is the first step to identifying the kind of developer you need.

Answering these questions will help familiarise you with the technologies, terminologies, and practices routinely associated with Python development. It will help you break down technical barriers and open up communication surrounding your projects and what you need them to achieve.

Identify Your Budgets

The next question to answer is about your project's budget. Great software rarely comes cheap, but it’s a topic that goes far deeper than just the finances of a company.

Your project’s budget should include how much risk you can afford to take, how much slip you can afford, and how sensitive the product or service is to errors and failure. Each of these categories will play a role in choosing between a freelance developer and an outsourced team.

The freelance developer, for example, is often considered a riskier and more unpredictable choice. Freelance application development is more susceptible to project slip, changes in strategies, and generally more risk-prone than other options. On the other hand, it’s also more cost-effective and more flexible.

Outsourced teams, in contrast, are typically more expensive. They offer a package that typically includes a greater depth of professional experience, more robust development strategies, tooling, and project management over and above their development resource.

Both freelance developers and outsourced firms should be capable of providing quotes with your requirements, expectations, and budget in mind.

Evaluating Options: Portfolio

After you’ve identified suitable candidates and a range of quotes that could meet your needs, the next step is in evaluating the teams that may join your firm.

The portfolio is your number one tool to find out what both freelance Python developers and outsourced Python teams can bring to your business. Previous applications are the single best insight into what developers and teams are capable of. Would you be satisfied with the applications on display representing your firm?

Additional Things to Evaluate in Potential Development Candidates

• Client feedback. Testimonials, reviews, or word of mouth recommendations. The portfolio describes what was produced in the past; these describe what was requested and how well it was executed.
• Technology stack. Look at technologies used to implement applications and services for other clients. Do they match up with things you intend to use in the future? Would these technologies or skills suit your projects?
• Talk to the team. Discussing what you want to build and how you plan to build it is the best chance to get a sense of aligned goals, abilities, and enthusiasm for a project.

Pros and Cons of a Python Freelancer

Pros

• An ideal short-term solution. Freelancers can be hired and released at short notice, often solely to implement self-contained applications or complete discrete tasks. This avoids committing large amounts of budget or time to deploy a new resource.
• Low cost. A freelance Python developer is one of the lowest cost points of entry into application development.
• Flexible billing. Freelancers can often accommodate fixed price or hourly billing over the duration of a task or project, making budgeting at scale far easier.

Cons

• Variable quality. Even after careful analysis and vetting, there are some unknowns about the quality of work a freelancer might produce right up until it’s delivered.
• Time management. While it’s comparatively easy to find a freelancer, it can take additional time to review, evaluate, and perform due diligence on bringing them into the firm. When an internal time crunch is a motivating factor, freelance may not be the ideal option.
• Communication. A sole freelancer has to pause one task to pick up another. This means there’s less time for both development and communication. Often, one has to take priority over the other.
• Future progress. Returning to a project for updates, maintenance, or extension in the future is far easier when it’s the same team doing the work. With freelance developers, that’s made all the harder as there are no guarantees they’ll be available, or still freelancing, at a future date.

Pros and Cons of an Outsourced Python Team

Pros

• Additional expertise. Professional teams come with a depth of experience that’s hard to contend with. This means specific knowledge and experience with tasks such as database access, Python libraries, or UI development. The combined hours on task of a freelance team makes them experts on most tasks.
• Communication. Another advantage of more developers and more expertise, communication and project management can be made a top priority without sacrificing time-on-task.
• Flexible development. An outsourced team is typically better suited to scaling or adapting a project as it develops in scope and scale.
• Safety. A by-product of experience, outsourced teams are typically the go-to option when uptime, reliability, and scheduled delivery are high-priority targets.
• Easy to find! Just tell us what you need and we can do the work for you. Within 72h we can connect you with up to 5 companies that match your needs—all for free.

Cons

• Remote management. Managing an outsourced team can feel like a daunting task to undertake, particularly if you’ve never done it before. Time-zone conflicts and geographic barriers can feel larger than they really are. These issues take time, patience, and a little knowledge to overcome. Check out our article on The Do’s and Don’ts of Managing an Outsourced Python Team for more tips!
• Maintaining control. Giving over your next major service to another company to develop can be just as daunting. Management are often concerned about retaining control and direction as the project progresses. Regular communication and consistent check-ins are required to overcome these challenges.

Python Freelancer or Outsourced Team?

Regardless of your next major project, the process of choosing between freelance Python developers and outsourced Python teams should look much the same. Identify your firm’s requirements; predict your financial, risk, and time constraints; and carefully evaluate the portfolio and developers you plan to hire.

With these in mind, it should be trivial to make the choice that aligns with the requirements, values, and intended outcome of your business. And once you’ve made the choice, check out our guide on Hiring Python Developers to learn how to take the next step in building your app with Python!