Highly Ambiguous Requirements
Projects where business goals are still forming and require deep stakeholder workshops, user research, and iterative discovery over months.
Comparison
Outsourcing vs AI Agents
for Software Development
A side-by-side comparison across 10 critical factors — cost, speed, quality, scaling, and more. See why companies are switching from outsourcing to AI-powered development.
Head-to-Head: Every Factor That Matters
| Factor | Traditional Outsourcing | iFeo (AI Agents) |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Start | ✕ 2–6 weeks onboarding, context dumps, codebase walkthroughs | ✓ Start shipping in hours — AI agents read your codebase instantly |
| Cost Per Sprint | ✕ $15,000–50,000+ (devs, PMs, QA — all billed hourly) | ✓ From $2,500/mo — predictable, no hidden PM or QA fees |
| Availability | ✕ Business hours only, timezone delays, multi-day feedback loops | ✓ 24/7 availability — instant feedback, no timezone friction |
| Knowledge Retention | ✕ Knowledge lost on team rotation, context degrades over time | ✓ Perfect memory — zero context loss between sessions |
| Code Quality | ✕ Varies by developer, inconsistent across sprints | ✓ Consistent, tested, documented — enforced standards every time |
| Scaling | ✕ Weeks to hire and onboard additional resources | ✓ Instant scaling — add capacity on demand |
| Human Oversight | ✓ Full human judgment (but slow and expensive) | ✓ Human-in-the-loop at every critical decision point |
| SDLC Coverage | ✕ Fragmented — separate teams for design, dev, QA, DevOps | ✓ End-to-end: requirements → architecture → code → test → deploy |
| Communication | ✕ Email chains, standups, status meetings, Slack noise | ✓ Structured specs and artifacts — no ambiguity |
| Vendor Lock-in | ✕ High switching cost — tribal knowledge trapped in the team | ✓ All code yours — GitHub native, standard tooling |
The Real Cost of Software Outsourcing in 2026
A typical 6-month project with a 5-person outsourced team costs $180,000–600,000+. The same scope with iFeo: $15,000–45,000.
Traditional Outsourcing
5-Person Dev Team
$30K–100K/mo
2 devs + PM + QA + DevOps · hourly billing
- $50–150/hr per team member
- PM overhead: 15–25% of budget
- 2–6 weeks onboarding (unbillable)
- Scope creep = unpredictable costs
- Team rotation = repeat onboarding
iFeo AI Agents
Full AI Development Team
$2,500–7,500/mo
All agents included · predictable monthly pricing
- Full SDLC coverage from day one
- No PM overhead — AI orchestrates
- Start shipping in hours, not weeks
- Flat monthly pricing — no surprises
- Zero onboarding cost on repeat work
When Traditional Outsourcing Still Makes Sense
AI agents aren't the right fit for every project. Here's when traditional outsourcing may be a better choice.
Regulated Industries
Compliance-heavy domains (healthcare, finance) where human accountability and audit trails from named individuals are legally required.
Long-term Staff Augmentation
When you need embedded team members who attend standups, build relationships, and become part of your company culture over 12+ months.
Hardware/Embedded Systems
Physical device integration, firmware, or hardware-dependent projects that require hands-on testing with physical equipment.
Get Started
Ready to See the Difference?
Book a 30-minute demo and see iFeo's AI agents in action. Compare real output from your own project specs — outsourcing quote vs iFeo delivery.