labs@atheron:~/alternatives$ diff ./us ./them
Ways to get it built
Five routes, what each costs, and where each wins.
You can hire an agency, go offshore, find a freelancer, build it yourself without code, or hire your own team. We are one option among those, and not always the right one. Each page below says when another route is the better choice.
// Said first
What we are not
Said here rather than left for you to find.
- Not an old firm. We are a new studio, and our own products are our only case studies.
- Not the cheapest. Offshore firms and freelancers charge less by the hour, and a no-code plan costs less than any build.
- Not in your office. Our calls are online, from Kelowna, and held in English.
- Not certified. Atheron holds no SOC 2 or ISO certificate of its own. We build to the controls and support your audit; independent auditors issue certification.
// The comparisons
One page for each route
Every figure about anyone else comes from a published page, linked, with the day we read it.
Us or an agency
A firm you pay to design and build your software, usually by the hour or by the project, with its own team and process.
Us or offshore
A development firm in another country, often with lower salaries, that builds your software remotely.
Us or a freelancer
An independent developer you hire directly or through a marketplace, usually paid by the hour or by the job.
Us or no-code
A platform where you build an app by arranging blocks and rules instead of writing code, and pay a monthly plan to keep it running there.
Us or your own team
Hiring has its own page: our estimate beside the cost of hiring people to build the same thing, by country, over twelve months, including when hiring is cheaper.
// Honestly
When not to pick us
- The job is small and well defined. A good freelancer will do it for less.
- You want to test an idea this week and change it yourself. Try a no-code builder first.
- The hourly rate decides it and someone on your side can manage a remote team.
- You need references from years of client work before you sign.
// Sources
How we checked
- A figure about anyone else is printed only where we read it on a public page, linked here with the day we read it.
- Agency rates are Clutch's published ranges, from its verified client reviews. They describe the firms Clutch lists, not any one firm.
- Where a route is many firms or people, the honest answer is often that it depends, and the table says so.
- Names are used to compare, nothing more. We are not affiliated with any company named on these pages.
- clutch.co/developers/pricing
- bubble.io/pricing
- bankofcanada.ca/valet/observations/FXUSDCAD/json USD/CAD
October 3, 2026. US dollars converted at 1.4246 USD/CAD, the Bank of Canada daily average for October 2, 2026. Our conversion, not their price.
// Next step
Price your build
The estimator prices it from the same rate card as every number on this page, in a few minutes, with no call.