Build vs Buy
Outsourcing Firmware Development vs Hiring In-House
Hire in-house when firmware is a permanent core competency and you can absorb a 3–6 month search plus a $180K+ loaded senior salary. Outsource to a senior firm when you need working firmware in weeks, need breadth beyond firmware (electronics, compliance, manufacturing), or have a defined product push rather than permanent headcount. Most hardware companies land on a hybrid: a small internal team that owns the product, with an outside senior pod for surges and specialties.
How to choose
What to look for
Time-to-productive
A senior firmware hire commonly takes 3–6 months to land and months more to ramp on your product. An outside senior pod is productive inside two weeks.
Breadth per dollar
One hire gives you one skill ceiling. A pod flexes across firmware, electronics, power, and compliance as the project phase demands — without three more requisitions.
Key-person risk
A solo firmware owner takes vacations, gets stuck, and eventually resigns with the product in their head. A firm carries continuity, review, and documentation.
When in-house wins
A continuous year-round firmware roadmap, deep product-specific domain knowledge, and culture-critical roles. If that describes you, hire — and we’ll tell you so.
How Kyros compares
| Criterion | Kyros Engineering | Senior in-house hire |
|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Days to weeks | 3–6 months to recruit, plus ramp |
| Cost basis | Pay per milestone, only for project phases | $180K–$250K+ loaded, continuous |
| Skill breadth | Firmware + electronics + compliance + DFM | One person’s stack |
| Continuity | Firm-level; documented handoffs | Key-person risk |
| Best when | Defined product pushes, surges, specialties | Permanent, year-round firmware roadmap |
Frequently asked
Is outsourcing firmware development cheaper than hiring?
For project-shaped work, usually yes: a scoped, milestone-gated program can cost less than one year of a loaded senior salary and delivers a finished, verified product. For continuous year-round work, an in-house team wins.
How do we protect our IP when outsourcing firmware?
Work-for-hire with an NDA before scope is shared; all source, schematics, and documentation live in your repositories; you own everything at every milestone.
What happens at the end of an outsourced engagement?
A deliberate handoff: documentation, architecture walkthroughs, and training for whoever owns the product next — including a new in-house hire we can help you interview.
Can an outside firm work alongside our existing engineers?
Yes — augmenting an internal team on a specific subsystem (power, connectivity, compliance) while they keep product context is one of the most common engagement shapes.
Get an honest build-vs-buy read
Describe the roadmap. If hiring in-house is your right answer, we’ll tell you — and help you scope the role. If a pod is right, you’ll know the cost the same week.
Talk to Our Founder