How Does AOC Compare to Hiring Freelancers?
For startups, hiring freelancers is an attractive option as developer rates are extremely competitive. The below top 3 results were taken directly from Upwork.
Freelance developers can be found and hired for $10 an hour which is far less than what AOC
charges. So why are we showing you rates that are less than ours?
Because, we not only started out as an e-commerce furniture company using freelancers, but
employ several former freelancers who also no longer found it as a viable long term option.
Freelancers are great for short term projects or if one person can do the job. For starting, building,
and growing an e-commerce business, an entire team is needed.
How Does AOC Compare to Hiring In-House?
The average base pay for one full time junior developer prices most SMB’s out of the market for an in-house position. Below is taken directly from Glassdoor.
Fortunately, with the advent of SaaS e-commerce platforms (BigCommerce/Shopify) the reliance
on developers have greatly decreased. No longer are owners beholden on a webmaster,
programmer, or a single 3rd party development company to manage the entire infrastructure of
their online business.
For an SMB who is actively selling online, a developer on a SaaS ecommerce platform is only
needed for an average of 40-50 hours a month. Simple maintenance is still recommended as well
as constant improvements to enhance the UX.
Unfortunately, a developer is not a singular solution for an e-commerce business. Many more skill sets are required as starting, building, and growing an e-commerce business takes an entire team.
How Does AOC Compare to Traditional BPO’s?
The tried and true outsourcing model is a dedicated staff who work directly for one company throughout the life of the contract. This is great for large Enterprises as the cost savings vs. hiring in-house is substantial. However, SMB’s still cannot afford to hire multiple full time positions even at outsourced rates.
The below rates were provided by a reputable BPO in the Philippines for junior level positions.
While this is not a fair apple to apple comparison as the workload of the dedicated staffing model
is far greater than AOC’s hybrid staffing model. This is a great example of how we save SMB’s
money as we distribute your work to multiple skill sets which allows your staffing cost to scale with
your business.
Our hybrid staffing model is the result of 8+ years of trial, error, and by learning through our own
e-commerce business that we manage every day. It’s called a hybrid as it provides SMB’s the best
We give you a team to start, build,
and grow your e-commerce business.
Compare All
It is not feasible for a SMB to hire one experienced skilled position for anything less than $3,000 USD a month before taxes. Hiring on a part-time basis is even less practical.
The Bottom Line
For SMB’s who are serious about their e-commerce business AOC is the most affordable and one of the most productive staffing solutions on the market. Grow Your Team, Not Your Payroll.