Freelancer, agency, or in-house — which is right for me? — answered by Engineer Saeed Baatiah
A freelancer suits well-scoped projects up to about six months: lower cost, direct communication with no account manager in between, and fast decisions. An agency suits you when you need several disciplines at once or stronger contractual guarantees, at a higher cost and with communication filtered through a manager. Hiring in-house is only justified once the technical product is your business and needs daily ongoing development. Most small and mid-sized companies start with the first option and move later.