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To hear flattering words about WordPress is nothing uncommon, which just might lead you to consider this CMS for building your own website. If that is the direction you think you want to go then the next logical step will be for you to find a reliable WordPress developer that will suit your wallet and meet your time constraints. This is the most crucial stage in the development process since it may impact the success of your entire project.
Once you start your research, you will discover that there are basically two options open for people in your same boat. You can either hire a freelancer or strike a deal with a WordPress development company.
Which is better? Well, we can’t direct you one way or the other out of the gate but we can tell you that each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses. In the end, there are a lot of factors that may influence your ultimate decision.
That’s why we have written this post where we discuss the different facets of the WordPress Agency vs Freelancer dilemma. We hope this comparison and contrast will help you get a better understanding of what will benefit you the most in the end.
A WordPress Development Company vs Freelancer: What You Should Know Before Making the Choice
Freelancers: Strong Points
Less Expensive
Let’s begin with the obvious: freelancers charge less for their work. There are several reasons for this.
First, freelancers don’t have to incur extra expenses compared to a WordPress development company. There are no salaries to pay to HR managers, accountants, and other staff. There is no office space to rent, employee benefits to pay, and so on.
Second, along with the great opportunities that the Internet opened to independent professionals came fierce competition. Those with a high price tag have a slim chance to stay afloat for long.
More Flexible
Another point in favor of freelancers in the WordPress agency vs freelancer debate is their flexibility. They do their best to meet their clients’ needs and adapt easily to their requirements.
For example, a WordPress agency has defined hours of operation. If a client from another country or continent wants to discuss something urgently with the development team on the weekend, this conversation will probably have to wait until the office opens Monday morning.
In contrast, freelancers are more inclined to have a call or do certain work at the client’s request regardless of the day of the week.
Focused on One Area of Expertise
You can view this as either an advantage or disadvantage of hiring a freelancer, depending on the complexity and scope of your project. Normally, freelancers are well-versed in one specific expertise area.
For example, they can be awesome front-end developers but may have poor knowledge of the back-end. Therefore, if you have a task that requires expertise in one particular area only, hiring a freelancer is worth your while.
Direct Communication and Trust
Another important facet of the WordPress Vs Freelancer dilemma is communication. With a WordPress agency, you have an intermediary between you and the team known as a project manager.
If the PM in charge of your project is inexperienced or inefficient, this indirect control and exchange of information may slow down the development process and cause bottlenecks. In contrast, there is a direct channel of communication between you and the freelancer.
You can supervise their every step, making sure that deadlines are met and work is done the way you want it. This establishes trust between you and the independent WordPress developer, although it will certainly take up more of your time that could otherwise be spent on running your business.
Freelancers: Weak Points
Limited Skillset
While a freelancer can be proficient in a particular field, they can’t be good at everything. Well, they may claim they are, but as the saying goes, “Jack of all trades and master of none.”
Therefore, if you have a complex project that requires both front-end and back-end expertise, search engine optimization, and server configuration all at the same time, we advise you to choose a WordPress development company with diversely skilled talent gathered under one roof.
Poor/No Project Management Skills
Another point against freelancers in our WordPress agency vs freelancer comparison-and-contrast is the lack of proper project management. A freelancer can be trying to take on several projects concurrently in order to maximize their revenue.
If a freelancer can’t “juggle” those projects properly, devoting the right amount of time and effort to each one, it will have an adverse effect on the quality of the end product or lead to delays and missed deadlines.
No Guarantee That You Will Have Your Project Finished
One of the most daunting things about collaborating with freelancers is that you can’t be 100% confident that they will complete the work they undertook to do. One fine day they may simply vanish into thin air, leaving you empty-handed.
Since, in most cases, there is no legal document that obliges freelancers to finish the project or task they have taken on, clients have no power to make them do so.
Just imagine that out of the blue the freelancer you have hired says they are leaving. What will you do? You still need the work done, right? You start searching for a replacement, which can be time-consuming and effort-intensive.
Even if you find an adequate substitute, the new WordPress freelancer will have to spend some time getting familiar with what the previous one has done. More time and money down the drain.
Uncertain Quality
There’s no denying that many freelancers are good in their line of work. That being said, you can also come across many inexperienced freelancers who are just starting out and are not well-versed in the best industry standards and practices.
Therefore, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise when the work is delivered. That’s one of the main reasons why you should hire a WordPress development company and that’s what we are going to talk about next.
A WordPress Development Company: Strong Points
Undivided Attention to Your Project and Efficient Task-Handling
One of the main advantages of collaborating with a WordPress agency as compared to freelancers is that you can be sure your project is put at the forefront of attention.
Once you have placed an order, you will be assigned a professional manager to supervise your project from start to finish. This individual serves as a link between you and the development team, keeping you in the loop regarding the work progress and fulfilling any requests you might have.
PMs normally have multiple completed projects to their credit and work by following well-established workflows and best management practices. Very few freelancers can match the level of coordination that project managers at WordPress development companies offer.
The result? The highest quality end product made in exact compliance with your requirements and delivered on time.
Reliability at Its Best
Here is another compelling argument as to why you should hire a WordPress development company.
As we have said, you can’t always depend on freelancers to complete your project or task. They may suddenly wave goodbye to you after completing only a part of the work, forcing you to search for someone to replace them as fast as possible.
In contrast, established and reputable WordPress companies have a large talent pool with all the right skills to handle complex projects. As a rule, when you outsource WordPress development, there is a team of professionals working on your project. Whenever a developer is no longer available to work on a project (illness, quitting the company, etc.), the management team can immediately fill the vacancy with another equally skilled professional.
That means the development process will continue without interruptions and you will get your project done when you expect it.
Legal Guarantees
In business, data is priceless. You wouldn’t like your sensitive information to be leaked to outsiders. However, with many freelancers, there is no guarantee that one day the details of your project will not land in the hands of a competitor or cybercriminals. And if they do, you may have no legal means to hold the freelancer liable.
When you hire a WordPress development company, you sign a legally binding contract and non-disclosure agreement. Those two documents are your best insurance against mid-project good-byes and confidential data breaches. With white label WordPress development, you’ll fully own the delivered code, without any mentions of the development company.
Diversely Skilled Talent in One Location
We have already touched on this benefit of a company in our WordPress agency vs freelancer discussion but let’s talk about it in more detail.
A company employs professionals in multiple fields who are used to working in teams. This is very convenient since businesses normally need complex solutions. A website is made up of the front-end and back-end. It needs to be uniquely designed, easy to use, and bug-free.
A web development company has all the required WordPress expertise in one place so that you can have a visually attractive and well-tested turn-key solution. There is no need to surf the Internet for weeks trying to find a suitable UX designer, then a front-end developer, then a back-end developer, and so on.
A WordPress Development Company: Weak Points
A Hefty Bill
Yes, it’s the truth: a WordPress development company is more expensive than a freelancer. To begin with, there are business maintenance costs including salaries, employment benefits, multiple software license fees, and other obligatory spending.
Agencies also prefer recruiting staff with years of experience under their belts. Those pros naturally have higher hourly rates than rookies who have only started their careers in WordPress development.
Longer Response Times
Some agencies are notorious for poor client service. They may only have one interaction channel open to clients. That slows down the exchange of information and leads to frustrating delays or misunderstandings.
We are different. We offer you a wide variety of communication channels and project management software starting with those you prefer: Jira, Trello, Slack, Skype, and a host of other tools.
You can always contact your dedicated project manager via your favorite channel directly during our business hours for your project status updates, questions, or requests.
A WordPress Development Company vs Freelancer: When to Choose One Over the Other – Summary
| Company | Freelancer | |
| You require diversely skilled development talent (e.g., a UX/UI designer, front-end developer, back-end developer, etc.) in one place to handle a complex project that assumes long-term expenses and an extended timeline. | + | |
| You have a small task that requires expertise in one particular area (e.g., server configuration). | + | |
| You have a task or project with an aggressive deadline. | + | |
| You have no time to supervise your project from start to finish and would rather prefer the service of a professional project manager. | + | |
| You need legal guarantees that your project will be finished and your confidential information will remain uncompromised. | + | |
| You want a personal touch with the WordPress developer | + |
We hope that the information in this post has been helpful and you now know why you should hire a WordPress development company or when a freelancer will be the best fit for your project or task.
If you have any questions or you have already decided to hire a team of senior-level WordPress developers with thousands of projects in their portfolio, feel free to contact us.
