In-house hiring takes weeks before anyone writes code. A dedicated team is ready now — here's the real tradeoff, not just the cost comparison.
The cost comparison between hiring in-house and using a dedicated team gets discussed a lot. The timeline comparison matters more for an early-stage founder.
Time to first working build
Hiring in-house means sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding before anyone writes a line of production code — often weeks, sometimes months for a senior hire in a competitive market. A dedicated team is already assembled and working in two-week sprints from day one.
Continuity if someone leaves
A single in-house hire leaving mid-project means a knowledge gap someone else has to fill from scratch. A dedicated team carries shared context across its engineers, so the project doesn't stall on one person's availability.
Flexibility as your roadmap changes
Our engagement models reflect this directly: fixed-price work carries a tighter band because the scope is locked, while a dedicated team is billed month to month and scales with you — start with a lean pair of engineers pre-seed, extend the team as you close your next round, without re-hiring or re-onboarding.
Not sure which model fits your stage? See our engagement models or talk to us about your roadmap.