White Label Web Development Agency vs Freelance DeveloperS

The web development industry isn’t going anywhere, with all modern businesses reliant on being digital in some form. 

A recent study estimated that 175 websites are created every minute worldwide, which comes to around 252,000 websites daily. This is great news if you’re a web development service company — as the industry just keeps growing!

But there is a catch: in the UK alone, there are over 2,000 web development agencies and counting.

Hiring and training developers in house isn’t guaranteed to fuel your agency’s long-term growth anymore. With rising competition and tighter budgets, many agencies are now outsourcing their development projects to white label partners or freelancers, avoiding the cost of full-time hires while focusing on their core services, whether that be SEO, paid ads or other digital marketing services.

This guide explores why partnering with a white label development agency like Zestcode can help your agency expand on services or capacity, without compromising on branding, quality, and client satisfaction.

What is a White Label Development Agency?

Agencies offering white label development services usually deliver a particular service or product to be rebranded and sold by another company as their own. This business model allows businesses to scale up and down without investing in hiring, training, and managing a full-time staff. Additionally, hiring and retaining competent developers is getting harder and harder.

As the UK web development industry is growing, so is the competition, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll have the same client flow every month. Working with a white label company means you’ll have access to industry leading web developers who act as an extension of your team without the commitments. 

But aren’t freelancers the same? The answer is no. Let’s explore how they differ.

What is Freelance Web Development?

A freelancer is an independent, self employed contractor who typically works individually rather than as part of a team or agency. They often work on a project-to-project basis. 

Working with a freelancer can give you quick access to in-demand skills, allowing you the flexibility to manage new projects as they arise, that your core team may not be able to handle. However, freelancers typically have unstable availability, are more prone to delays and can vary wildly in terms of costs.  

As an agency, if you’re looking to successfully outsource web development services, working with freelancers can be a great short term solution for specific problems, but relying on freelancers long term can lead to inconsistent quality and accountability issues. 

Why Choose White Label Development Over a Freelancer?

When you’re planning to outsource web development, you’ll face two choices: work with a freelancer or partner with a white label development agency. 

Both systems have their merits, but there are some key differences that give white label developers a little edge over freelancers. These include:

Cost-Effectiveness

When you’re comparing costs for the first time, hiring a freelance website designer or developer might seem like the more cost-effective option. Freelancers usually don’t work on a retainer basis and typically charge an hourly or project rate. That said, a freelancer isn’t the best option when you’re thinking about ROI.

According to a report by ColorWhistle, businesses that partner with white label agencies often end up saving 30% in costs compared with managing freelancers. 

A white label agency operates with established teams, streamlined processes, and tested frameworks, so they can usually deliver faster turnarounds with a lower likelihood of making mistakes.

Improved Scalability and Flexibility

When you’re working with freelancers, the amount of work you can assign is limited by one person’s availability. For example, if the freelance professional falls sick or goes on vacation, your project may be delayed.

But when you work with a white label development agency, they can not only deliver your website on time but also help you scale when required. If there’s an increase in demand on your end, rather than turning down customers, you can rely on the agency to meet the increased demand.

At Zestcode, we work as an extension of your team, which is why we care about getting you results. Get in touch today to talk about how we can help you achieve your business goals.

Ability to Focus on Core Business

One of the primary reasons why you’re probably thinking about outsourcing is so that you can focus on your core business offerings. 

Working with a white label agency that does all the technical work for you means that you don’t need to constantly follow up for updates or micromanage timelines, so you have more time to focus on growth, sales, and results.

When you outsource work to a freelancer, you’re still in charge of the project and need to coordinate with them every step of the way, which doesn’t leave you enough time to work on your own roles and responsibilities.

Ease of Branding

When you work with a white label design expert, all deliverables are presented under your own brand. Your clients are presented with your branding, your emails, and your processes, which means you’re credited for the work while ensuring that the client experience remains cohesive and professional. 

Comparatively, a freelancer might not fully be aware of or fit with your brand voice or visual standards. They might also want to display the work they do for you on their website or portfolio, which might confuse the client in the long run. 

Expertise and Quality Service

Developing a fully functional website isn’t a one-person job. You need a variety of experts, ranging from front-end and back-end developers to UX designers, QA testers, SEO experts, and project managers. A freelancer may specialise in one or two of these roles, but they’ll rarely be able to do it all.

A white label development agency can offer you a team of experts who will deliver the best product based on their experience. That means you’re not just relying on a single person’s expertise or bandwidth.

Security Concerns

One of the concerning drawbacks of working with a freelancer is that they might not have formal contracts or data security practices in place. This can be a problem if your client is working with sensitive data. 

When you work with a white label agency, they have everything structured, from NDAs to GDPR compliance. They should also have strong security features, along with multi-level backups. A recent report by Inc. has revealed that 60% of small businesses that suffer a cyberattack shut down within six months. That’s a chance neither you nor your client would want to take.

White Label vs Freelancer ss

See the table below for a quick breakdown of the key differences between white label companies and freelancers. 

Feature	White Label Development Agency	Freelance Website Designer and Developer
Cost Over Time	Initially higher but better ROI over time	Initially lower but higher risk over time
Scalability	The team has the ability to adapt as per project needs	The individual will be able to deliver as per their personal capacity
Skill Set	You get access to a full team of skilled experts	The freelancer might have knowledge of all roles, but have expertise in only one or two of them.
Brand Control	The work will be 100% under your brand	A freelancer might use the work as a part of their personal brand or portfolio
Turnaround Time	Faster because multiple people are handling different processes	Slower because a single person is handling different roles and different clients
Security and Compliance	There are structured policies that offer data protection	The processes are often informal or inconsistent. They might not offer data protection
Accountability	A dedicated project manager acts as a link between the team and the client	Freelancers are often representing themselves to the client and might not always deliver on time
Client Perception	The client will believe that they are a part of the same agency	If the client is interacting on their own, they might not be able to offer the same agency experience

Contact Zestcode for White Label Web Development Service

At Zestcode, our team of professionals is here to help your agency create websites that your clients will love. Whether you need help delivering custom websites, managing website maintenance, or scaling up fast, our team is here to act as an extension of your agency.

We offer a wide range of white label development services, including mobile-optimised design, secure builds, ongoing support, and a 3-step quality testing process. You’re in charge of your relationship with the client while we deliver high-quality websites.

Get in touch with Zestcode today and see how we can support your agency and your clients with expert white label development.