While running a business, a lot of times you just wish if people were multi-talented and you would not get indulged in the exhaustive process of finding a talented and experienced resource. But let us warn you – it might backfire as well. Sure, you can easily manage manpower and reduce overhead expenses, but not always the tasks would be met with quality, and eventually work would suffer.

The best way to decide between a full stack developer and a specialized developer is by understanding the need of the hour and know what would be right for your company, here is everything you need to know about the two. And also what would it mean to hire one over the other.

Full-stack developer vs specialized developer

Developers that specialize in both front-end (user side of the application) and back-end (server-side of the application) technologies are known as full-stack developers. Whereas specialized developers hold expertise over only a single discipline – either the front-end or the back-end technology.  

Which one to hire?

The hiring process is more about knowing what is right for your company and what is the need of the hour. A lot of times a full stack developer is good to go, mostly when the application is deployed and it only needs maintenance or small tweaks, but when you are working on a new project and starting to develop something from scratch a specialized developer comes in handy and also ensures faster development. However, both have their fair share of pro’s and con’s, here is an in-depth analysis of their skillset, strengths, weaknesses, and more.

Full-Stack Developer 

Skillset

One of the major benefits of hiring a full-stack developer is their technical know-how. They would be well-known with the mark-up languages, databases, and even with software testing. This broadens their skillset immensely and to be very honest it is impressive and they get more paid than specialized developers. Down the line, they are appropriate for the role of CTO in any company as they have the required knowledge to make decisions based on various facets of the project.

Pros of Full Stack developer

–       Quick at identifying is issues

Their knowledge and experience give them an upper hand in the identification and fixing of the issues. They are familiar with all the stages of development and thus, can give you various solutions to fix a particular problem.

–       Quick at Learning 

Their hands-on experience of multiple tools and technology allows them to use their experience in relating better to the new found concepts of development. 

–       Economical 

They simply cut down the need of hiring multiple specialized developers. However, if there are multiple on-going projects this quality might not come as a boon, but would only create more problems for the company. 

–       Development time

The ability to switch between tasks helps in the elimination of confusion, and thus more productivity. A full-stack developer is more of an independent role than a specialized developer that needs collaboration regularly to understand the needs of the project. 

Cons of Full-Stack Developer

–       Lacks Expertise in new developments in the tech world

Working on a wide range of technologies also limits their opportunities to go out of the way and stay updated on the latest trends and technologies. This might make a specialized developer more of an appropriate fit for the project when trying to implement new features in your product.

–       Agile development practices missing 

Agile development practices allow developers to breakdown the entire project into small pieces and delegating it to specialized developers. But since a full stack developer works alone on a project they work on huge junks, making it difficult to track the progress of the project. 

–       Average Service 

Jack of all trades and master of none, this fits perfectly on the role of a full stack developer. There would be situations in a project where you would need an expert’s attention. In-depth understanding is required to bring innovation to a product. 

–       Availability 

Finding a reliable and experienced Full Stack developer is very difficult and thus a lot of people go for dedicated developers only. High-dependency on one resource also makes an organization weak as they face difficulties finding a replacement. 

Specialized Developer 

Skillset 

Specialized developers are dedicated to a particular area of software development and hold the experience and in-depth knowledge of particular technologies. This gives them the advantage to troubleshoot during the development process and implement the right solutions. Some of the best examples of specialized developers are when you hire someone specifically for designing, database management, architecture, and more.

Pros of hiring a specialized developer 

–       Quality 

A specialized developer is a master of technology and thus their expertise ensures the quality of the work. The output of their effort is far superior to what you see of a full-stack developer’s.

–       Expertise in the latest trends 

Working on a singular area allows them to sail through the new happening in the technology world. A lot of developers keep themselves updated and you can expect an out-of-the-box idea during the brainstorming session.

–       Delegation is easier

The sharing of the workload is much easier in a team of specialized developers. The work can be divided into smaller tasks and this optimizes the entire development project.

–       Hiring is easier 

The hiring of dedicated resources becomes easier as compared to the hiring of full-stack developers. The talent pool is big and also it is much easier to analyze their skill set and determine the usability of it in your company.

Cons of hiring a specialized developer 

–       High Investment 

Compared to a full-stack developer, you would be required to hire multiple specialized developers – aces of their specific areas. This increases the cost of hiring.

–       Coordination 

Coordination between the teammates has to be made seamless to ensure high productivity. Dependency on an individual resource is high as they would determine the progress of a project. But with regular meetings, discussions, tools such as Jira, Trello, and more it is easily attainable.

Determining what is right for your company 

When to hire full stack developer 

–       Small Project

A full-stack developer is a preferable choice as they can cover a wide range of aspects of a project and can switch between the tasks as required.

–       Less Complex Projects 

Less complex tasks can easily be handled by a full stack developer as they don’t require in-depth knowledge.

–       Low Budget Projects

They are a good fit for small projects as the budget is small and hiring one resource is more economical as compared to having a full-fledged team of experts.

–       Business Size 

In the initial phase of a project, you can hire a full stack developer to build an MVP and seek investment. This is a great solution for startups to manage the budgetary constraints and time taken to get out in the market.

–       Time Constraints 

Hiring a full stack developer for a small project with very little time and budget is highly recommended as there would be no problem of coordination and as per requirement, they can switch between the task.

When to choose a specialized developer 

–       Large Projects 

A large project would just increase the workload on a full stack developer with no guarantee of quality. Having a long-term project means you need to have a specialized team of developer that can divide the task and complete the project in an organized manner.

–       High complexity projects

High complexity projects need in-depth knowledge and expertise to bring out innovation. A specialized team is more expert in handling complicated projects.

–       Quality 

Premium results need expertise and in-depth knowledge, if there is a project that is completely new in the market and needs team contribution for out-of-the-box technology implementation– get experts on board.

Have you found what you were looking for?

Still can’t make up the mind? Consult the experts at i2TECHS that provide you a free consultation on technology and have the largest pool of specialized and full-stack developers to hire from. With resources having 5+ years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the latest technologies and trends, end your search at i2TECHS and rest assured of quality. No hidden costs, no extended deadlines – full stack developer or specialized developers, hire from the best software development company.