Outsource vs. Freelance vs. In-house
As we have said earlier, the rise of NFT developers is imminent. However, the cost of hiring and the roles can fluctuate due to each team of programmers. Therefore, let’s look at the main approaches of NFT developers for hire, as well as the pros and cons of each type – outsource, freelance and in-house.
Outsource NFT developers
This is the most popular option for businesses and companies due to the expertise of outsourcing firms out there. More specifically, when a business attempts to hire an outsourced team of NFT developers, they eventually get the most qualified programming-related result without splitting up their business concentration.
Pros
- Low yet concise cost of hiring and location (if needed): An outsourcing team of developers will always have a concise hiring cost, depending on your project’s scale. Moreover, you won’t have to hire a location for them, as they already have a fixed site.
- High-quality results due to the expertise of programmers: Outsourced NFT developers have enough knowledge and proven projects to showcase their knowledge; therefore, the result will always be assured.
- The flexibility of hiring time: There are many different firms offering outsourcing services; therefore, it should be easy for businesses to hire a team of NFT developers 24/7.
- Compatible with non-crypto and crypto-related companies: The expertise of outsourcing teams of NFT developers should help even non-crypto businesses to participate in the world of blockchain and NFTs with the concepts showcased.
- More time for other business development processes: Companies run on programming and other aspects. Therefore, by outsourcing NFT developers, businesses will release a programming burden and focus more on the business-related side.
Cons
- Hard to find a trustworthy company: This is due to the variety of outsourced blockchain development teams and the unproven qualities of some outsourcing firms that may need to be clarified for non-crypto businesses.
- Time zones can be different: Hiring a quality team of programmers can be difficult due to their fixed location. In other words, the communication process can’t be assured for both businesses’ time and internet connection.
- Working process can’t be controlled: Businesses can keep track of their projects due to the signed agreement of both parties, but not all the time. Therefore, the working process can be fully accessed, which may delay the project schedule.
Freelance NFT developers
The freelancing approach is used when companies want to conduct small projects like the latest airdrops. Moreover, freelancers may commit to more than one project; therefore, it’s crucial always to keep track of their working process. While the cost of hiring an NFT-related freelancer is relatively lower than the whole team, communication and results should be vigorously assessed and discussed when the project is completed.
Pros
- Cheapest means of hiring NFT developers: This is undoubtedly the most affordable way for companies and businesses to hire and conduct the project, as the cost is spent only on one developer.
- Best for small and quick NFT projects: due to the scale of hiring, the size of projects should be relatively small – NFT drops may be the perfect choice for crypto-related businesses.
- The flexibility of hiring time: Similar to hiring an outsourcing team, you can get an NFT programmer working freelance 24/7.
Cons
- Communication problems: This can be difficult due to the time zones, as well as the internet connection that harnesses the ability to communicate between parties.
- Expertise can be limited: Though freelance NFT developers have enough qualifications to attain NFT projects, their knowledge is limited to one or two aspects related to NFT development. In some cases, businesses may need help to negotiate the required tasks.
- Working performance can’t be assessed: We agree that keeping track of their work is the main problem when hiring outsourced developers. Freelancers tend to attain multiple projects at a time, which more or less affects the process of your schedule.
In-house NFT developers
If you have a sustainable source of cash and want to invest NFTs in your team, then in-house employees should be the best approach. Moreover, the process and result of your NFT project will be assured and assessed thoroughly. However, the cost of recruitment, training, and location will be a burden of your own, as well as the more extensive time your business has to spend from scratch.
Pros
- Fully control of the working process: By having all developers under a single roof, the working process should be transparent. The whole team will be attached to a fixed project for the most concentration; therefore, each step of the development process can be controlled thoroughly.
- No communication problem: Another benefit of working together in the same room is the concise and direct communication. A face-to-face discussion should solve the problem much more easily without chat rooms and inboxes.
- The result can be assessed and assured thoroughly: By the end of the project, the team will have the chance to sit down and see through the process. Moreover, they can propose some solutions to minimize any problem that occurs, which will improve the working environment.
- Works for any type of NFT project: To keep the business running, the team will have to take on any type of NFT project for the company’s sake, regardless of its significance.
Cons
- The cost of human resources and location is high: Start up a company requires a lot of money and effort to recruit and train its employees. Moreover, the cost of hiring a place for work is fluctuated – which, at a time, can be skyrocketed.
- Lengthy training and development time: The time to start a business from scratch is much longer due to the training process and working ethics foundation. This could be a problem because of the rapid development of blockchain and NFTs.
- Difficult for non-crypto companies in the transition process: Non-crypto businesses will find it hard to shift from regular web-app development to blockchain-related aspects due to the expertise of employees and the cost of new recruitments.
The complete comparison of each type is summarized here:
| Outsourced | Freelance | In-house | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Moderately cheap | Cheap | Expensive |
| Time | Fast | Slow | Prolonged |
| Quality | Moderate to high, depends on the project | Immeasurable | High but required assessment and training |
| Process | Can be tracked | Can’t be tracked | Can be tracked thoroughly |
| Expertise | High | Fluctuated | Low to intermediate, required time to develop |
Skills required for NFT developers
The required expertise for becoming an NFT developer can be varied. Here are some of the most requested knowledge that companies may need.
Ethereum (ETH)
This is the most popular blockchain used to develop NFTs. Ethereum comes with the vast technical knowledge developers should know for their process. Moreover, the EIP-2309 standards of NFT minting should be familiar to NFT programmers.
Crypto-related knowledge
Developers should have a considerable amount of knowledge that may assist them in their development. Some docs that programmers should know are private key encryption, hash functions, ring signatures, encrypted storage, and so on.
Web development
A large number of NFT-related traffic will go through browsers, which requires developers to have the most experience in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to convert them into NFTs.
Thorough knowledge of ERC-721
Most Ethereum-based NFTs are built on this token standard; therefore, programmers should be acquainted with this to create and implement it into their NFT projects.
Solidity knowledge
Developers should know Solidity to implement their smart contract creation onto the NFT project.
Flow familiarity
This blockchain network is created to mint NFTs in specific applications and games. Flow is used regularly as a competitor and a replacement for Ethereum, so NFT developers should have an intensive knowledge of this network.
Smart contracts
It’s crucial for NFT developers to know about smart contracts and implement them into their NFT projects.
Scripts
Developers should know and apply this thoroughly, as those scripts will act as a reader to the state of the blockchain. Also, with no gas fee or sign-up process required, knowing them is a must.
Solana (SOL) expertise
This blockchain network has tons of different NFT projects, and it is the direct competitor of Ethereum, so the expertise of Solana is required.
C, C++ and rust
Those programming languages are essential to engineers when they want to build and develop their NFT projects through websites and applications.
- Also read: Best NFT game development companies in 2024
Where to find NFT developers?
Freelancing/Outsourcing websites
Some websites provide users with freelancing and outsourcing options, especially when it comes to NFT and blockchain developers. These websites may allow access to working expertise, ratings, and portfolio. Therefore, businesses and companies can choose the best option possible. Some notable freelancing/outsourcing websites are Upwork, Freelancer.com and Clutch.
Social platforms
If you want to expand your connection and hire the best developers on the internet, then the social platform is the approach that may fit. These channels can provide a search bar function, which helps users find the exact options through keywords. LinkedIn, Facebook and Behance are the three most usable options.
Word of mouth
One of the best ways to choose any NFT developer type is by endorsing people. The working reputation of a person or a team can be spread in the most positive way, which helps both non-crypto and crypto-related businesses to choose the best one possible. Businesses can reach out to partners online or through meetings, leading to an agreement in a nick of time.
Top freelancing sites for hiring NFT developers
Here are some of the best freelancing websites for you to find NFT developers for hire based on users’ ratings and our research.
1. Upwork
Upwork has a variety of NFT developers to choose from. Those developers will be listed through ratings, relevancies, portfolios and endorsements from which businesses can choose. Moreover, companies can post a job recruitment post and place the desired bid for freelancers.
2. Fiverr
Fiverr is currently one of the best freelancing websites companies and developers use and commit to. NFT-based jobs and developers are listed daily at competitive prices; therefore, this site is perfect for every user with the required skills and expertise.
3. Toptal
Finding NFT developers for hire at Toptal is an easy thing to do and a quality choice. This is because all freelancers working through Toptal are among the top 3% best, with skills proven on many projects and endorsed by qualified clients.
4. Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com helps businesses choose the best NFT engineers from every corner of the world with just a single click-to-search feature. To be more specific, companies can post a job with the needed requirements or use the Recruiter Service to filter out the best developers.
5. Clutch
This website is also an awesome place for companies to find NFT developers for hire. Moreover, Clutch has the feature of helping businesses choose outsourcing firms, which lists out every information benefitted to customers such as portfolios, ratings and reviews.
6. Guru
The best NFT-related freelancers are working on the Guru platform. This is because Guru is user-friendly for both businesses and developers. It is bundled with secured options that will ensure both parties’ working process and the agreed payment.
7. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour (PPH) is the perfect choice for non-crypto businesses that want to shift from the usual web/app development to blockchain-related development. Hiring NFT developers is easy, and tracking them is easier on PPH thanks to the invoicing, review and messaging features.
8. Arc
Within 72 hours, Arc can ensure companies find the best NFT developers. Businesses can just explain the concept and requirements for the upcoming projects, and the rest is checking tasks for the chosen programmer.
9. Elite Brains
Being a worldwide network of over 8300+ certified freelancers, companies will have many options. Besides, Elite Brains has the option of hand-picking NFT engineers through the testing results, which assessed developers’ skills on the spot.
10. Turing.com
Turing.com connects high-quality NFT engineers to every company that wants to build an NFT project from scratch. Their remote developers are among the 1% best, with over 100+ skill sets for companies to choose from and compensate with an affordable price.
11. Gun.io
Gun.io is compatible with companies with crypto-related experiences that prefer applications over websites. Developers on this website are highly endorsed by trustable clients, with skills and expertise proven on numerous projects.
12. Supersourcing
Supersourcing is the website that connects top-rated NFT programmers to top-rated companies. Those profound developers are trusted by global brands and businesses and have the required skills that companies may need for their blockchain-related projects.
13. lemon.io
Developers who want to join lemon.io have to pass the entrance test. Therefore, the quality and expertise will be assessed on the spot, which helps the companies on choosing the most qualified and dedicated programmers possible.
How to choose NFT development company
1. See through the reviews
Reviews and ratings are the main source of information for companies that want to find the best outsourcing firm possible. Those reviews could be the speed of the working process, the cost of hiring, the quality of final products, etc. Moreover, the more positive reviews a company has, the more trustworthy and dedicated it will be and vice versa.
2. Consult others
Social platforms make connections easier and more proficient, so consulting other clients that have any kind of cooperation or relation to your business will be a must if you want to find the best NFT-based outsourcing companies. Seeing the pros and cons through direct conversations will bring many benefits to the upcoming NFT project.
3. Assess the portfolio
Projects and case studies listed on the companies’ portfolios should be assessed thoroughly due to the scale and quality your business might need for your future project. The more specific each project listed, the more dedicated that company will be. Also, while consulting the portfolio, you can check out the reviews from previous clients – who had worked alongside that company on previous tasks.
Our blockchain and NFT-related services are listed carefully on the portfolio, with countable blockchain achievements and multiple solutions to your marketplace. Check out our portfolio HERE.
Frequently asked questions
You must consider some things when you want to find NFT developers for hire:
– Reviews and ratings – crucial, as those will showcase the pros and cons of each programmer on the related subject. The more detailed a review is, the more trustworthy a developer will be.
– Location and time zones – you may want to find NFT developers within your proximity. This will ensure the quality of your project. However, if the scale of that project is huge, consulting qualified firms in different time zones should suit you more.
– Budget – The scale of your project may require rising fees. Therefore, it’s important to ensure a sustainable amount of cash in your pocket to cover every corner of your project.
Read more: How to estimate NFT marketplace development cost
The salary range of NFT developers is usually compensated by hours and by projects, especially when it comes to freelancers. To be more specific:
Outsourced NFT developers’ hourly rate: $81 – $100
In-house NFT developers’ hourly rate: $61 – $80
Freelance NFT developers’ hourly rate: $45 – $60
Wrapping up
Finding NFT developers for hire can be tricky, not only because of the variety of different NFT-based outsourcing firms but also for the quality of them. Therefore, businesses and companies will get ahead of the crypto-based race by having the most qualified team of NFT programmers in their hands. If you want to see more interesting blockchain-related articles, check out Synodus’s blog page.
And if you are struggling to build your NFT marketplace, we’re here to help.
