Freelance or agency to build a custom ERP?

An agency is relevant for a programme with several simultaneous streams needing several specialisms in parallel. For a business ERP driven by a single product vision, a Freelance Product Builder covers the whole chain (scoping, design, development, deployment, documentation) with no coordination cost, at a fixed price set at signing and with the code 100% assigned to you.

Can a freelancer handle a six-figure project?

Yes. The project is milestoned into deliverables: each approved milestone triggers the matching payment and you can stop after a delivered milestone, with no penalty. For engagements longer than 6 months, a dev pairing can be brought in, and it’s possible to integrate with a tech team already in place.

And if the freelancer is no longer available mid-project?

The code and the rights are yours from signing, in a private repository your team can have read access to. The architecture documentation is delivered continuously: another developer can take over the project at any time without a hitch.

Freelance or an in-house hire for an SME?

An in-house hire is relevant once product-market fit is reached, for a continuous product roadmap and full ownership. Before that, it’s a fixed cost (€55k-90k/yr loaded) and a lead time of 2 to 4 months plus a ramp-up. A freelancer on a one-shot fixed price avoids that fixed cost before the product is validated.

Is no-code enough for my product?

No-code is ideal for validating an idea very early or producing a prototype. It quickly hits a performance and running-cost ceiling as you grow. No-code stays in use when it’s the right tool for a fast MVP, then a migration to scalable code is run once the product takes off.

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Comparison

Freelance Product Builder, agency, in-house hire or no-code: how to choose?

You keep the choice and the control. The right call depends on your stage — here’s an honest comparison, including when I’m not the right answer.

Let’s talk — 30 min

2 ERPs in production · code 100% assigned · price fixed at signing

The 5 options, one sentence each

Freelance Product Builder. A single brain covers the whole chain, from scoping to deployment, at a fixed price, with no coordination cost.
Agency / dev shop. Its real strength: running several specialisms in parallel on a multi-stream programme — at the cost of heavy coordination and a recurring spend.
In-house hire. The ideal long-term ownership once product-market fit is reached — but a fixed cost and a hiring lead time before you’ve validated anything.
Specialist freelancer. Excellent cost/focus on a precise piece — provided you orchestrate the rest yourself.
No-code / DIY. Unbeatable for validating an idea very early or building a throwaway prototype — a technical ceiling arrives fast as you grow.

The comparison, criterion by criterion

✅ covered · ⚠️ partial / variable · ❌ not covered. Price ranges indicative of the French market, as of 15 May 2026.

Comparison of a Freelance Product Builder, an agency, an in-house hire, a specialist freelancer and no-code
Criterion	Freelance Product Builder (Rémy)	Digital agency / dev shop	In-house hire (permanent)	Specialist freelancer (dev or design only)	No-code / DIY (the founder does it)
Scope: discovery → design → build → ship	The whole chain, a single brain	Complete but many hands	Depends on the profile hired	A single piece	Limited to the tool’s capabilities
Time to a first usable version	3-5 weeks (MVP Sprint)	Long kickoff (scoping + staffing)	Hiring 2-4 months + ramp-up	Fast, but a single piece	Very fast as a prototype
Entry cost	Fixed price €1,500 → €80k excl. VAT, one-shot	Often ≥ €50k-150k + recurring maintenance	€55k-90k/yr loaded, recurring	Low, but partial	Cheapest in cash
Cost model	One-shot fixed price, price fixed at signing	Recurring (time-and-materials / maintenance)	Salary + overheads, permanent	One-off day rate	Tool subscriptions
Single point of contact	Yes	Project manager + rotating team	Yes	Yes	— (you)
Product vision (not just execution)	Yes	Varies by account	Depends on seniority	Execution of a single piece	On you
Code ownership	100% assigned from signing	Varies, to be negotiated	In-house	Per the contract	Platform lock-in
Reversibility / exit	Can stop after each delivered milestone, no penalty	Contractual commitment often long	Ending it = an HR process	Short engagement	Easy, but you throw it all away
Technical scalability	Next.js / Supabase, built to scale	Per the imposed stack	Depends on the hire	A single piece only	Performance/running-cost ceiling
Main risk	One person’s bandwidth — mitigated: a dev pairing is possible, integration with your tech team, docs delivered continuously	Cost, heaviness, junior staffing, turnover	A bad hire, a fixed cost before product-market fit	You have to orchestrate the rest	A technical wall as you grow
Eligible for the French Innovation Tax Credit (20%)	Accredited CII provider, no. 27009163	If the agency is accredited	Not applicable (in-house)	If the freelancer is accredited	No
Ideal for	Fast-growing SMEs, scale-ups hitting the wall on Bubble, pre-MVP founders	Multi-stream programmes needing several specialists in parallel	A continuous product roadmap after product-market fit	A discrete, well-specified task	Very early validation / throwaway prototype

When an agency is the right choice

If your programme involves several simultaneous streams — a mobile app, a back office, a brand redesign and a data migration in parallel under a single deadline — you need four or five specialisms running side by side. An agency or dev shop knows how to staff that, absorb spikes in workload and run a multi-team plan. The budget is sizeable and the model often recurring (time-and-materials, maintenance), but for a portfolio of parallel projects, that’s the right structure. If that’s your case, a serious agency will do better than a lone freelancer — and I’ll tell you so during scoping rather than take the engagement.

When hiring in-house is the right choice

Once product-market fit is reached, when the product roadmap becomes continuous and you need full ownership and a daily presence, a permanent hire makes complete sense. The honest trade-off: hiring a good product/dev profile takes 2 to 4 months, costs €55k-90k/yr loaded, and commits a fixed cost before you’ve even validated the product direction. Before that stage, outsourcing at a fixed price avoids tying up that cost too early.

When no-code / DIY is enough

To validate a hunch very early, show a prototype to a first client or test a flow with no budget, no-code is unbeatable. This isn’t a straw man: I use no-code myself (Bubble, Airtable, Make) when it’s the right tool for a fast MVP. The limit arrives as you grow — a performance and running-cost ceiling — where a migration to scalable code becomes the right move.

Why a Freelance Product Builder, and when

When your product is driven by a single vision and you need to move fast with no coordination cost, a Freelance Product Builder covers the whole chain, solo, never as a black box. You follow progress in real time, we hold a weekly check-in, and the documentation is delivered as we go.

The code and the rights are yours from signing. You can take over with another team at any time, with nothing to renegotiate. And if Odoo or HubSpot covers 80% of your need, I tell you so during scoping and I don’t take the engagement.

The “single person” risk is real — and it’s mitigated: a dev pairing can be brought in on long engagements, integration with an existing tech team is possible, and continuous documentation means another developer can take over without a hitch.

See the offers and prices

Cost comparison

An off-the-shelf ERP like Salesforce + add-ons costs €30k-80k/yr, recurring. An ERP build with me costs €35k-80k, once, and the code is yours. Break-even in 12-18 months, independence for life. The hidden costs to factor into the comparison: an agency’s recurring maintenance, the per-seat cost of no-code tools, and the cost of a failed hire before product-market fit.

One-shot fixed price, price fixed at signing — no drift into time-and-materials
Accredited CII provider, no. 27009163: up to 20% of eligible innovation spend refunded to an SME (to be confirmed with your chartered accountant)

Proof, not promises

2 ERPs in production, 0 contractual deadline overruns. Winner of the Déclics Jeunes prize (Fondation de France), KEDGE incubation. The detailed case studies — an event caterer and a retirement-advisory firm — are public.

See the work

Frequently asked questions

Freelance or agency to build a custom ERP?
An agency is relevant for a programme with several simultaneous streams needing several specialisms in parallel. For a business ERP driven by a single product vision, a Freelance Product Builder covers the whole chain (scoping, design, development, deployment, documentation) with no coordination cost, at a fixed price set at signing and with the code 100% assigned to you.
Can a freelancer handle a six-figure project?
Yes. The project is milestoned into deliverables: each approved milestone triggers the matching payment and you can stop after a delivered milestone, with no penalty. For engagements longer than 6 months, a dev pairing can be brought in, and it’s possible to integrate with a tech team already in place.
And if the freelancer is no longer available mid-project?
The code and the rights are yours from signing, in a private repository your team can have read access to. The architecture documentation is delivered continuously: another developer can take over the project at any time without a hitch.
Freelance or an in-house hire for an SME?
An in-house hire is relevant once product-market fit is reached, for a continuous product roadmap and full ownership. Before that, it’s a fixed cost (€55k-90k/yr loaded) and a lead time of 2 to 4 months plus a ramp-up. A freelancer on a one-shot fixed price avoids that fixed cost before the product is validated.
Is no-code enough for my product?
No-code is ideal for validating an idea very early or producing a prototype. It quickly hits a performance and running-cost ceiling as you grow. No-code stays in use when it’s the right tool for a fast MVP, then a migration to scalable code is run once the product takes off.

The honest recommendation

A multi-stream programme under deadline? An agency. A continuous roadmap after product-market fit? An in-house hire. Very early validation? No-code. A complete business product to ship fast, with a single vision and the code in your hands? Let’s talk for 30 minutes — I’ll tell you frankly whether I’m the right fit.

Let’s talk — 30 min

Last updated: 15 May 2026 · Author: Rémy Ardurat, Product Builder · Comparison drawn from public sources and indicative French-market ranges. Page published by buildwithremy.com — the “Freelance Product Builder” column reflects my own offer, a deliberately balanced presentation.