Development firm research comparison: BairesDev, Approachable Geek, ABCloudz, and DevSquad

Dev firm research | 4 firms evaluated | 7 meetings conducted

Firms evaluated
4
BairesDev, AG, ABCloudz, DevSquad
Total meetings
7
1-hour sessions each
Cost range evaluated
$175K-$460K
4-month MVP build
Best outside quote
$175K
DevSquad, no IT or support
BD
BairesDev
LATAM | Large firm
2 meetings
Business understanding
3/10
Transparency
2/10
Value for cost
1/10
Flexibility
2/10
4-month cost
$380K - $460K
Team size
~10 people
Cancellation
3-6 month lock-in
Most expensive No cost breakdown Long lock-in Oversized team for MVP Large LATAM firm
Proposed a 10-person team for a single MVP - PM, scrum master, 1-2 QA, 4-5 devs - with no detailed breakdown of where the money goes. At $95K-$115K/month, this is the highest quote by a significant margin with the least transparency.
AG
Approachable Geek Top pick
Provo, UT | Local | Design-first
2 meetings
Business understanding
9/10
Transparency
8/10
Value for cost
7/10
Flexibility
9/10
Sprint Zero
~$25,000
4-month cost
~$225,000
Cancellation
Flexible monthly
Understood the business Design-first approach Local - Provo, UT No long lock-in Agile MVP process Still awaiting official bid
Stood out immediately - focused on the business model and future vision, not just technical specs. Design-first, agile approach with flexible monthly terms. Local proximity is a real advantage. Official bid still pending but early estimates are credible and competitive.
AB
ABCloudz
Ukraine | Variable team size
1 meeting
Business understanding
4/10
Transparency
3/10
Value for cost
4/10
Flexibility
3/10
Sprint Zero
~$23,000
4-month cost
~$343,000
Cancellation
3-6 month lock-in
Quoted single portal only Long lock-in Too early to assess Capable on large projects Ukraine-based
Only quoted for one piece of the software - a single portal - not the full scope. Would need several more meetings to understand the full picture. Lock-in terms match BairesDev. Capable, but too much uncertainty remaining after just one meeting.
DS
DevSquad
Utah / LATAM | Lean MVP focus
2 meetings
Business understanding
6/10
Transparency
7/10
Value for cost
8/10
Flexibility
7/10
Sprint Zero
$15,000
4-month cost
$175,000
Cancellation
No long-term contract
Lowest cost No lock-in Fast, professional Lean 2-dev team + PM/QA LATAM-based delivery
The most cost-effective outside option at $175K - and the only firm with no long-term contract. Moved quickly and professionally. Still: $175K for the software alone, with no IT management, no support, and no revenue share upside on the back end.
Our conclusion
Tamarac partnership beats every outside option
Even the best outside quote - $175K from DevSquad - covers software only. No IT, no support, no revenue share. The $3K/month retainer with Tamarac delivers more for less, with upside built in.
3 custom builds included Managed IT + cybersecurity 50/50 airport revenue share No lock-in
$36K/yr
vs. $175K-$460K outside