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If you’re a manager looking to hire software developers, you’ll come across two options, To hire Full Stack Developers and Specialized Developers. While one is a jack of all trades, the other is a full-blown specialist. Tech companies usually prefer freelance full-stack developers over specialized ones. So, should you follow the herd or go for software developers who are experts in their field?
Let’s simplify this for you.
Here are the pros and cons of both, full-stack developers for hire and specialized developers:
Who is a specialized developer?
A software developer who is an expert in a particular discipline is known as a specialized developer. A specialized developer, just like a freelance full-stack developer, knows the whole development process. But unlike the latter, a specialized developer will only focus on their particular area of expertise and offer all the solutions needed there.
Who is a full-stack developer?
Software developers who can work on both—the front end and the back end of a website or an application are known as full-stack developers. Such software developers are well versed in areas like frontend development (Vue.js, Angular, Node.js, React), backend development (PHP, Java, NET), UI/UX design, markup languages (HTML and CSS), databases (Firebase, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL), software testing (TestComplete, Katalon studio, Postman, etc.), scalability, architecture, and the roadmap of a project.
Related Posts: Hourly Rate of FullStack Developers
Specialized Developers: Pros and Cons
Pros:
High quality of work
Since these developers are experts in specific disciplines, you can expect the best quality of work from them. And thus, a specialized developer may be able to produce more sophisticated results than a remote full-stack developer.
In sync with the latest developments
A specialized developer is usually up to date with all the trends and development in their area of expertise. It is easier for them to shadow these updates as they’re focused on a particular part of programming and not the whole process.
Dividing tasks among the team is easier
When you are aware of the expertise of each team member, you can easily divide and designate tasks accordingly to it. This knowledge makes the allocation process a lot more effective and efficient, thereby saving time.
Cons:
Expertise comes at a cost
You will have to hire two different software developers for the front end and the back end. This specialization increases the cost of a full stack developer for hire can do both.
Developers need to depend on each other outside their area of expertise
Cross-domain dependency will always be a con of a specialized developer. A specialized developer cannot single-handedly complete the whole development process, and they’re dependent on other specialized developers to complete their tasks.
Full Stack Developers: Pros and Cons
Pros:
Know-it-all!
A freelance full-stack developer is a jack of all trades. Ranging from the front end to QA and testing, such a developer can handle it all. Find Full stack developers that can quickly identify issues across the process and resolve them without relying on specialized developers.
Cost-effective
A full-stack developer can handle the front end and back end of an app or a website on their own. This ability means you can hire full-stack developer to replace two or even three specialized developers at a much lower cost.
Offers flexibility
While a specialized developer will have to stick to his area of expertise, full-stack developers for hire are well-versed with the service and the client side, making it easier for them to switch between different domains and reduce the development time.
Cons:
They may not be in sync with the latest advancements in technology
Now, it is not that remote full-stack developers are not aware of what’s going on. But unlike specialized software developers, they have to work in various fields simultaneously. This generalization makes it challenging for remote full-stack developers to be current on every technology they use.
May not take full responsibility
Full-stack developers tend to work on various tasks simultaneously without distributing their work into smaller tasks. This tendency can confuse no particular developer who may take full responsibility for the job. And thus, it becomes difficult to keep track of the whole development process.
Now, the question is, how will you decide to hire full-stack developers and specialized software developers?
The answer to this question depends on various factors such as the size of the project, flexibility, budget, and quality. Let’s take a look at factors in detail.
Size of the project you are working on
Let’s say you’re a startup looking to hire software developers. In this case, you would want your team to work on a broader range of projects. Here, a team of full-stack web developers for hire would be a better choice. But if you are looking to hire for larger projects, you’ll want specialized developers to work on assorted smaller tasks.
How flexible is your project
Your choice also depends on how frequently the requirements for your project will change. In case you have a project which has rigid requirements, specialized developers would be a better choice.
The money that you are ready to spend
As we saw earlier, a specialized developer will cost you more than a freelance full-stack developer. So, it all comes down to the budget you’re willing to spend on the hires.
The quality of work you’re looking for
Hire Full stack developers that can work on various parts of a project, while specialized software developers are restricted to their area of expertise. However, this also means that the quality of the work is superior in the case of specialized developers. And so, if you are working on a project that demands the best quality of work, specialized developers will be your safe bet.
Still not sure if you should hire a full-stack developer or specialized developers?
Don’t worry! You can let our team of specialists analyze your requirements and match you with the top 1% from the pool of 700k+ professional full-stack developers. There’s no risk. Optymize offers a free two-week trial period to make sure your developers deliver to your standards.
Blog credits: Turing
