Top Nearshore Software Development Services in UK

The nearshore software development model describes a company that outsources their software development teams from a nearby country. It allows businesses to access high-quality software development services that can meet their project requirements for an acceptable price.

Nearshore software development companies are a great option when there are extra projects that an in-house team can’t handle or to make up for budget and skills shortages. Compared with offshore or in-house solutions, nearshoring offers benefits such as time zone alignment and an attractive cost-efficiency balance.

In the UK, there are many local software development companies and services that work under a nearshoring methodology. In this article, we will show you a list of the top 10 best nearshore development services in the UK, which we selected based on their expertise, reliability, industries served, and value for money.

Why Choose Nearshore Software Development Services?

In the UK, software development outsourcing has become quite popular. All types of entrepreneurs are choosing nearshore outsourcing companies to help them meet their business goals, particularly in Europe and nearby regions. Some of the reasons behind these choices include the following:

Time Zone Alignment

Nearshore providers are, by definition, within similar time zones to their employer, which ensures smoother collaboration with in-home teams since their working hours match. For example, choosing a nearshoring service in a European country (such as Poland or Ukraine) can benefit UK teams.

If we compare it to an offshore software development team in Asia or  Latin America, the time zone differences might hinder communications and delay project development.

Cultural Affinity

Geographical proximity doesn’t only allow for better communication between teams. It also means there’s a cultural alignment that helps businesses overcome language barriers and helps them promote innovation.

Cost Savings Without Compromising Quality

Nearshore outsourcing can offer businesses the best balance between affordability and working with skilled talent. Nearshore software development teams offer technical expertise and experience for an affordable price, given the differences in labour costs in different countries.

Additionally, nearshore companies offer scalability. This means they can scale their work up or down as required, which is necessary if their employer has shifting demands.

How to Select the Best Nearshore Software Development Company

To choose the best possible nearshore provider, you must evaluate several options, starting with the best software development companies in the UK. Here’s a little guide with tips you should consider to help you through the process: 

Expertise in Your Industry

First of all, you should look for a nearshore software development company that shows a proven track record in your domain, or that has successfully completed projects similar to the one you want to develop. For example, in the healthcare setting, you’ll need a partner that fully understands HIPAA compliance to protect sensitive data.

When reviewing a company’s expertise, you should also consider its project management capabilities, how they handle infrastructure and technology, its dedication to delivering a high-quality result, and its reliability.

Technology Stack & Innovation

It’s very important that a nearshore software development team have the technological capabilities necessary for your project. This includes making sure that they can handle the up-to-date tools and frameworks that match your business needs.

For example, you should research their capabilities in front-end and back-end development, web development, application development, and mobile app development. In each case, make sure they have the tech talent required to build your software project.

You should also evaluate the approach or methodology your potential service provider uses. For example, the Agile methodologies offer an approach based on flexibility, validation of ideas and giving you a quicker time-to-value. 

On the other hand, the DevOps approach is based on permanent communication and collaboration, as well as the continuous improvement of your project.

Flexibility & Communication

Assessing adaptability and ease of collaboration is another milestone in choosing the best nearshore partner. You should review their communication practices, assessing their established cadence for check-ins and status updates, their suite of collaboration tools, and the platforms employed to distribute knowledge and documentation. 

This is a good opportunity to also check some key factors to ensure their compatibility with your business and your project. These include:

• Becoming familiar with their range of services.
• Making research to better understand their reputation.
• Reviewing case studies, third-party references, and other client’s testimonies to ensure they’ve been successful with similar projects before.
• Checking their certifications for safety and compliance with regulatory laws.

Top 10 Nearshore Software Development Services in the UK

1. Moonshot Partners

Moonshot Partners is the ideal option for nearshore software development outsourcing in the UK. They are an end-to-end custom software development agency that supports ambitious startups, entrepreneurs, scale-ups, and enterprises in creating tailored software solutions. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://www.moonshot.partners/ 
• Portfolio: https://www.moonshot.partners/case-studies 
• Location: London (WC2) Office 7, Bell Yard, London WC2 A2JR, United Kingdom.
• Average hourly rate: $35-55/hr.
• Employees: 50 - 249
• Year Founded: 2020
• Industries: Healthcare, FinTech, Education, E-commerce.
• Services: Web & Mobile app development, Product Design (UX/UI), Product Management, QA Testing.
• Key Clients: Pearson, Chattermill, The Lanby, Speed Invest, Grove.

Moonshot Partners delivers comprehensive products that meet the requirements of their clients, ensuring the technology aligns with their business goals, ultimately leading to an increase in efficiency and better user experiences. They have a transparency policy that keeps their clients involved during all the stages of software development, using their feedback to improve and update their work constantly.

Additionally, Moonshot Partners offers an MVP Development Service that is all about implementing the core functionalities that meet the basic requirements of end users. It ensures that their clients’ software addresses key pain points effectively while remaining agile and adaptable. 

Why Moonshot?

‍Moonshot focuses on strategic planning, advising on technology decisions, and aligning software solutions with business needs and objectives. Unlike regular development firms, Moonshot emphasises a holistic approach, ensuring the technology serves the overall business strategy.

2. Brainhub

Brainhub is a software development agency that specialises in accelerating digital projects and scaling teams as needed by their clients. Their deep technical expertise and tailored support allow them to partner with businesses of all sizes, from startups to established enterprises. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://brainhub.eu/ 
• Portfolio: https://brainhub.eu/case-studies 
• Location: Górnych Wałów 26, Gliwice (44-100), Poland.
• Average hourly rate: $45-70/hr.
• Employees: 100 - 200
• Year Founded: 2015
• Industries: FinTech, gaming, EdTech, MedTech, banking, accounting.
• Services: Web, Mobile and Desktop Development, Product Development, UI/UX Design, Cloud Consulting.
• Key Clients: National Geographic, Beam, Paradox Interactive.

3.  Imaginary Cloud

Imaginary Cloud provides tailored software services built to ensure a digital acceleration for enterprises and scale-up companies, offering to reinforce their competitive advantage. They use a detail-oriented process that positions the user experience at the forefront of the design. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://www.imaginarycloud.com/ 
• Portfolio: https://www.imaginarycloud.com/project 
• Location: 
  
  • Northside House, Mount Pleasant, Cockfosters, EN4 9EB, London, England.
  • Av. Ant. Aug. de Aguiar 108, 3º 1050-019 Lisbon, Portugal.
  • R. Pedro Nunes, Edifício C 3030-199, Coimbra, Portugal.
  • 4 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, California 94111, United States.
• Average hourly rate: $50/hr.
• Employees: 51 - 200
• Year Founded: 2010
• Industries: Fintech, Greentech, Healthtech, Legaltech, Manufacturing, Proptech, Retail.
• Services: Custom Software Development, Mobile Application Development, IT Strategy Consulting, Artificial Intelligence, UI/UX Design and Audit.
• Key Clients: Nokia, Thermo-Fisher, BNP Paribas, Sage, Remax.

4.  Dreamix

Dreamix is an IT-services provider company based in Eastern Europe. From initial design through final delivery and ongoing support, Dreamix offers IT consulting services and end-to-end tailored software development, making sure to accelerate strategic software for their clients. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://dreamix.eu/ 
• Portfolio: https://dreamix.eu/success-stories/ 
• Location: Tintyava 15-17 Str., Sofia, Bulgaria.
• Average hourly rate: $25 - 49/hr.
• Employees: 250 - 999
• Year Founded: 2007
• Industries: Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation, Manufacturing.
• Services: Custom software development, digital product development, AI & ML development, digital transformation.
• Key Clients: VistaJet, ShipCars, Coca-Cola Hellenic, Ericsson.

5.  Zoolatech

Zoolatech is a software development company that creates tailored software solutions and offers full-cycle support for businesses of all sizes through nearshore and offshore outsourcing. Their dedicated team of experts can adapt to fulfil their client’s needs, making transparent communications their top priority. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://zoolatech.com/ 
• Portfolio: https://zoolatech.com/case-studies.html 
• Location: 
  
  • 1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 900 Miami, Florida 33131, United States.
  • Av. Providencia #2411, Col. Providencia, C.P. 44630, Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico.
  • Plazacubes QuickTower Kozyatağı, İçerenköy, Umut Sk. No:10 D:12, 34752, Ataşehir/İstanbul, Turkiye.
  • Mykoly Hrinchenka St, 4-B, Kyiv, 03150, Ukraine.
• Average hourly rate: $70 - 150/hr.
• Employees: 201 - 500
• Year Founded: 2017
• Industries: Software & Technology, Retail, Financial Services, Telecom, Media & Entertainment.
• Services: Custom Software Development, Mobile Development, Legacy Modernization, Cloud Migration.
• Key Clients: Recon Food, Pandora, Glassdoor, Reddit, Toast, Wish, Complete Solaria.

6.  Limeup

Limeup is a software development and UX design company that focuses on creating non-conventional solutions for their client’s particular needs. Their tech teams work on products throughout their life cycle, delivering digital solutions that exceed expectations. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://limeup.io/ 
• Portfolio: https://limeup.io/our-work/ 
• Location: 
  
  • Queens House, 180 Tottenham Ct Rd, London W1T 7PD, United Kingdom.
  • Großbeerenstraße 4, 12107, Berlin, Germany.
  • Grzybowska 43A, 00-855, Warsaw, Poland.
• Average hourly rate: $50 - 99/hr.
• Employees: 50 - 249
• Year Founded: 2019
• Industries: Financial services, Business services, Education, Gambling, Gaming.
• Services: Mobile App Development, Custom Software Development, UI/UX Design, Enterprise App Modernization, Web Design.
• Key Clients: VoloBank, Blockch.in, YugoKraft, Mintplicity, Racoon.Recovery.

7.  BairesDev

BairesDev is a software development company that has over 4,000 software engineers, experts in cutting-edge technologies who can help startups and big enterprises to scale their teams, complete new projects and solve challenges in their software development process. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://www.bairesdev.com/ 
• Portfolio: https://www.bairesdev.com/clients/ 
• Location: 50 California Street, San Francisco, CA, United States.
• Average hourly rate: $50 - 99/hr.
• Employees: 1,000 - 9,999
• Year Founded: 2009
• Industries: Information technology, Financial services, Medical, Advertising & marketing.
• Services: Software Development, Mobile App Development, QA Testing and Automation, UI/UX Design, AI and Data Science, Platform & Infrastructure.
• Key Clients: Google, Rolls Royce, Pinterest, BBVA, Paramount.

8.  Scalo

Scalo is a Polish software development company that builds transformative digital solutions, focusing on the future of the digital world.  Their adaptive approach and their responsiveness help them ensure their client’ success in the dynamic tech landscape. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://www.scalosoft.com/ 
• Portfolio: https://www.scalosoft.com/case-studies/ 
• Location: Scalo Sp. z o.o. (HQ) ul. Powstańców Śląskich 9 53-332 Wrocław, Poland.
• Average hourly rate: $50 - 99/hr.
• Employees: 250 - 999
• Year Founded: 2007
• Industries: Business services, Energy & natural resources, Information technology, Manufacturing, Telecommunications.
• Services: Custom Software Development, AI Consulting, BI & Big Data Consulting & SI, IT Managed Services, IT Staff Augmentation.
• Key Clients: BNP Paribas, Pagaya, ING, Santander, Daimler TBL.X, Discovery, Change Donations.

9.  DOIT Software

DOIT Software is a global partner that connects businesses with remote top-tier tech professionals, offering contract and permanent placements for developers, PMs, QA, and designers. Their team of software engineers helps their clients to increase their product growth capacities. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://doit.software/ 
• Portfolio: https://doit.software/portfolio 
• Location: 
• Average hourly rate: $50 - 99/hr.
• Employees: 10 - 49
• Year Founded: 2014
• Industries: Information technology, Healthcare Tech, Education, GPS, Navigation & GIS, Retail, Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transport.
• Services: IT Staff Augmentation, Recruiting, Staffing.
• Key Clients: ID-Queue, VIGO, VONN, Yrgent, Citizens to the rescue.

10.  iTechArt Group

iTechArt Group is an IT development, testing and consulting company that offers a large talent pool with wide knowledge of different technologies, making them suitable to help all types of clients and work on many types of projects. Here are their specifications:

• Website: https://itechartgroup.by/ 
• Portfolio: https://itechartgroup.by/ 
• Location: Minsk, st. Mogilevskaya, 1, Belarus.
• Average hourly rate: $50 - 99/hr.
• Employees: 1,000 - 9,999
• Year Founded: 2002
• Industries: Finance, Marketing, Healthcare.
• Services: Custom software development, AR and VR, Cloud Computing Services, Mobile & Web development, Enterprise solutions, QA and Testing.
• Key Clients: Bevy, Freshly, Zilch, Dialogue, Thirty Madison, Classpass, Gig.

Benefits of Working With a Nearshore Software Development Partner

Partnering with nearshore providers might be the best solution to improve your business. Here are some of the main benefits of choosing one of these technology companies to help you fulfil your projects:

Enhanced Collaboration & Speed

Nearshore partnerships can accelerate time-to-market for your products. It is far more likely to find a nearshore team that shows the right skills to develop your projects than to find in-house workers who would do the same tasks in the same time. 

Additionally, in-house workers would need to be trained to use your systems, and they would need space within your offices, and both these things take up time and effort from your already existing employees.

Cost-Effective Talent Pool

Accessing a broader talent pool through nearshore software development companies simplifies the process of finding specialists with the technical expertise needed to develop your projects successfully. 

At the same time, it can help you with cost savings. Many countries in Eastern Europe have lower living costs, which means you can provide their workers with generous salaries while keeping low costs for your UK-based business. It’s a similar case for the United States and nearshore partners in Latin America (LATAM).

Improved Quality Assurance

Nearshore software development companies often face fewer regulatory obstacles, which is great for minimising compliance risks and guaranteeing safe operations. This happens because groups of nearby countries usually share similar security laws and QA practices, and therefore, you can work with them in confidence that they follow the same rules as you do.

For example, when outsourcing in the European Union, the nearshore company will probably have a similar regulatory framework based on GDPR compliance, making it easier for the project to progress without delays.

Here’s a list that highlights the main benefits for startups and established businesses alike:

• Talent Access: Wider talent pool, with access to teams with specialised skills.
• Collaboration: Cultural similarities and matching schedules allow for smoother communication, easy and efficient collaboration, and  faster integration.
• Compliance: Nearshore development companies face fewer regulatory and legal hurdles.
• Time zone alignment: Because of overlapping work hours, nearshoring makes real-time collaboration easier when compared with offshore solutions.
• Faster turnaround: Nearshoring avoids the delays inherent in building an in-house team, resulting in a faster time to market and development.
• Cost-efficiency balance: Choosing a nearshore company for project management or services allows you to pick the best possible price there is for a team with years of experience in their field.

Nearshore vs Offshore vs Onshore: Which Is Best for Your Business?

We made a comparison between nearshore, offshore and onshore development to help you understand each of their pros and cons:

It’s clear that hiring remote talent in a nearshore scheme is the perfect middle ground. When compared to onshore software development, nearshoring is cheaper and offers high-quality results. And, when compared with offshore software development, nearshoring offers easier communication and higher cultural compatibility.

How to Get Started With Nearshore Software Development

If you are ready to explore nearshore software development to achieve your business goals, here’s a quick guide to help you through the process:

Define Your Goals

The first thing you need to do is define your objectives and what you need to do to achieve them. This includes the initial budget, project requirements, and the expected timelines to finish the project. Once you have this, you can discuss initiatives, workflows, and other details with a nearshore project manager. 

Keep in mind you should look for a nearshore development service provider that offers the type of tech talent and skills that you need to fulfil this project.

Research & Shortlist Providers

Once you have a clear idea of what you’re aiming for with this project, you can start looking for nearshore software development outsourcing companies and make a list with all the partners that might fit your business needs. You should consider the candidate’s reputation, the quality of their online content, the services they offer and the costs.

This is probably one of the most laborious tasks, since you have to make a thorough investigation about many different nearshore outsourcing companies. To make it easier on you, we made a list of things you should look for to narrow the candidates:

• A contemporary and user-friendly website design.
• Client testimonials and compelling success stories.
• A dedicated career section with current job openings.
• A regularly updated blog showcasing recent posts and insights.
• Clear contact details, including office locations, phone numbers, and addresses.
• Active and engaging social media presence.
• Values that resonate with your business’ values.

Start with a Pilot Project

It might be a good idea to start the collaboration on a smaller scale before committing fully to finish the whole project. This way, you can have a first-hand look at how the nearshore software development company communicates, its methodologies and its efficacy. 

This will also allow for you to reassess your goals and timelines to make sure everything is aligned the way you want it to be.

In summary, what you need to find the ideal nearshoring company for your project is to follow these steps:

1. Understand the nearshore outsourcing model.
2. Define your project’s requirements.
3. Research and shortlist potential partners.
4. Assess their expertise and communication abilities.
5. Evaluate security practices and compliance.
6. Consider the costs and contract terms.
7. Start a pilot project.
8. Make the official onboarding of your new partner.

Turn your idea into reality with Moonshot’s comprehensive software development, product design, and low-code solutions. Our expert team is ready to transform your ideas into innovative applications that drive success. Contact us today to start your journey!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of nearshore development?

Nearshore development is a type of outsourcing where a company hires a third-party team from a country within the same or a similar time zone.  It's a middle ground between onshore and offshore, with the best balance between cost savings and access to talent with easier communication.

What is offshore vs nearshore software development?

Offshore development means hiring a software team in a distant country, which is usually cheaper but can have communication challenges. Nearshore means hiring a team in a nearby country, which offers easier collaboration and cost savings but might not be as cheap as offshore.

Why is nearshore better than offshore in software development?

Nearshore offers easier communication due to similar time zones and often cultural similarities, leading to smoother collaboration and faster project completion than offshore. While potentially slightly more expensive, the improved communication and reduced risk often outweigh the cost difference.

What are the benefits of nearshore software development?

Nearshore development offers benefits, such as a wider talent pool, cost savings (though less than offshore), easier communication due to similar time zones, smoother collaboration due to cultural proximity, and faster integration than fully offshore teams.

What is a nearshore software development company?

A nearshore software development company is an organisation that provides outsourced software development services to clients in a nearby country, typically located in regions with similar time zones and cultural affinities. They offer a balance between cost-effectiveness and ease of collaboration.

Nearshore software development is a smart tech strategy for companies wanting to increase agility, access a wider range of skilled developers, and control costs.  It also offers the advantage of time zone and cultural alignment.  The 10 providers listed above offer a variety of options to suit your specific needs.

‍