Over the past decade, offshore software development has evolved from a cost-arbitrage tactic to a cornerstone of global digital strategy. Outsourcing is enabling organizations to gain access to world-class talent, accelerate delivery through distributed time zones, and improve speed to market.
But not all offshore talent is good enough to match your vision and advance your product development. The distance between your organization and offshore site creates latency and miscommunication creeps in due to cultural differences. Working directly with offshore developers often means that you will be subject to the legal jurisdiction of their countries. The best approach to leverage offshore talent without risk is working with companies that shoulder the risk upon themselves, while connecting you to the best offshore engineers.
There are many US companies that are doing it globally. In this blog post, we will cover the best offshore delivery partners and explore how you can pick the one that suits your project.
Executive Summary
Offshore software development gives organizations access to skilled engineering talent from cost-advantaged regions while supporting predictable delivery across cloud, DevOps, data, security, product development, and AI. As talent shortages rise, offshore models help teams scale faster, tap niche expertise, and extend development cycles through distributed time zones.
This guide profiles 15 leading offshore development companies and outlines how to assess partners based on technical depth, delivery maturity, security, compliance, and cultural alignment. We also compare major offshore hubs across Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Africa, providing a clear framework to evaluate vendors, choose the right geography, and design a hybrid delivery model that fits your business goals.
Who Is This Guide For?
This guide is built for leaders responsible for digital delivery outcomes, including:
- CTOs, CIOs & CDOs evaluating global delivery and engineering scale
- VPs of Engineering & Product Leaders expanding development capacity
- IT Sourcing & Procurement teams assessing offshore partner ecosystems
If your focus is on scaling engineering teams, accelerating product delivery, modernizing tech stacks, or achieving cost-efficient velocity, this guide is for you.
What Is Offshore Software Development & How Does It Work?
Offshore software development refers to partnering with engineering teams located in countries outside your own, typically in regions such as Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Africa, to deliver software applications, platforms, and managed services.
Most organizations engage offshore partners to either:
- Expand product development capacity
- Gain specialized tech talent
- Reduce delivery costs
- Support follow-the-sun operations
Common Offshore Engagement Models
Key models include staff augmentation, dedicated teams/PODs, managed services, and end-to-end delivery.
Key Advantages of Offshore Development
Offshore development offers meaningful strategic and operational benefits that help organizations accelerate delivery and optimize budgets while building scalable engineering capacity. Some of the most relevant advantages include:
- Cost efficiency through access to high-quality engineering talent at globally competitive rates, further strengthened by purchasing power parity.
- Faster scaling through access to large and highly specialized offshore talent pools.
- Time-zone alignment that enables near-round-the-clock development cycles.
- Access to niche skills across AI, cloud, data, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
- Ability to refocus internal teams on strategy and core innovation.
- Cultural exposure that strengthens global perspective.
How To Choose the Best Offshore Software Development Partner?
- Validate technology depth and domain fit: Verify experience in cloud native development, data engineering, cybersecurity, QA automation, enterprise platforms, AI. Around 70% of companies cite access to specialized skills as a top reason for offshoring.
- Assess delivery maturity and governance: Look for disciplined Agile practices, transparent reporting, risk management.
- Evaluate hybrid or onshore leadership models: Better alignment and feedback loops.
- Prioritize security and compliance: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA. 53% of companies identify data security as a top concern.
- Check cultural and communication fit: 54% of offshore projects experience cultural challenges.
- Focus on long-term strategic value: Partners who contribute to planning and optimization.
Top 15 Offshore Software Development Companies
1. Improving
Improving is a global technology consulting and software engineering firm helping enterprises build modern, secure, scalable digital platforms. They combine consulting-led strategy with deep engineering expertise across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud.
Why Improving? Hybrid sourcing model with onshore leadership and offshore delivery. Strengthened by InfraCloud acquisition.
"This acquisition enhances our cloud-native solutions..."
— Girish Shilamkar, President, Improving Pune
Key Stats:
- 100+ clients (CNCF, Fortune 500)
- 170+ engineers (4 CKS, 51 CKA, 19 CKAD certified)
- 2–4 week team launch
- Top 1% talent at offshore rates
Case Studies:
- Mercedes-Benz: Consolidated 1,000+ Azure/400 AWS accounts, 80% faster deployments.
- J.P. Morgan: Reduced deployment from 20min to 5min.
Connect with Improving offshore experts.
2. HCL Global Systems
Offers digital engineering, enterprise applications, infrastructure services across SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, cloud ecosystems.
Why HCL? Large-scale delivery capacity, flexible models for ERP modernization.
Talent: India, Middle East engineers in app dev, ERP, cloud migration.
Track Record: Manufacturing, healthcare, consumer services transformations.
3. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
World's largest IT services company with full lifecycle capabilities in consulting, digital transformation, product engineering.
Why TCS? Mission-critical, multi-year engagements with strategy + execution.
Talent: Massive India-based pool + LATAM/Europe in software eng, data, cybersecurity.
Track Record: BFSI, telecom, public sector, manufacturing.
4. L&T Technology Services (LTTS)
Leader in ER&D, embedded systems, digital industrial transformation, IoT platforms.
Why LTTS? Hardware-software convergence for automotive, aerospace, industrial.
Talent: India-based in embedded systems, digital manufacturing, IoT.
Track Record: Connected vehicles, digital twins, smart factories.
5. Accenture
Global consulting with enterprise modernization, digital product engineering, cloud transformation.
Why Accenture? End-to-end digital transformation, global governance.
Talent: India, Philippines, Eastern Europe, LATAM.
Track Record: Financial services, healthcare, retail, telecom.
6. Wipro
Software development, cybersecurity, digital transformation, legacy modernization.
Why Wipro? Cost-effective delivery, extensive domain coverage.
Talent: India primary, + LATAM/MEA/APAC.
Track Record: BFSI, retail, manufacturing, telecom, energy.
7. Persistent Systems
Strong in product development, platform integration, digital modernization.
Why Persistent? Scalable architecture for digital platforms, customer products.
Talent: India, Eastern Europe in cloud, data, enterprise platforms.
Track Record: BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing, ISVs.
8. Thoughtworks
Technology consultancy specializing in digital product engineering, agile transformation.
Why Thoughtworks? Architectural transformation, rapid iteration, design-led thinking.
Talent: Global network (APAC, LATAM, Europe, NA) in custom dev, DevOps.
Track Record: Retail, travel, technology sectors.
9. EPAM Systems
Digital platforms, product development, enterprise modernization.
Why EPAM? Engineering scale across cloud, digital platforms, complex integrations.
Talent: Strong Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Georgia) + APAC/LATAM.
Track Record: BFSI, media, healthcare, travel, consumer tech.
10. Nagarro
Digital product engineering, data modernization, agile delivery.
Why Nagarro? Flexible engineering-first delivery, legacy modernization.
Talent: India, Eastern Europe, LATAM in cloud, DevOps.
Track Record: Healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, technology.
11. Endava
Digital engineering, product development, platform modernization.
Why Endava? Design-focused product dev, co-creation.
Talent: Eastern Europe (Romania, Moldova, Serbia).
Track Record: Financial services, retail, logistics, media.
12. Globant
Digitally native engineering with UX, AI, product development.
Why Globant? Product innovation, customer experience redesign.
Talent: LATAM hubs (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil).
Track Record: Consumer tech, retail, media, travel.
13. SoftServe
Digital modernization, data transformation, software innovation.
Why SoftServe? Strategic consulting + large-scale engineering.
Talent: Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Poland) + LATAM/Asia.
Track Record: Healthcare, retail, fintech, energy.
14. Slalom
Business/technology consulting with global delivery centers.
Why Slalom? Advisory depth + implementation support.
Talent: Blended global model with US leadership.
Track Record: Consumer, healthcare, financial services.
15. ScienceSoft
Software development, testing, cybersecurity, modernization.
Why ScienceSoft? Predictable execution, cost efficiency.
Talent: Eastern Europe in enterprise dev, QA, DevOps.
Track Record: Healthcare, retail, professional services.
When To Hire Offshore Developers
Consider offshore when:
- In-house talent insufficient for timelines
- Need niche skills (AI, security, data)
- Cost optimization required
- Parallel workstreams across time zones
- Flexible scaling needed
Choosing the Right Offshore Hub
| Region | Key Advantages | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific | Deep talent, scalability, English proficiency | Cloud, QA, enterprise platforms |
| Eastern Europe | Advanced R&D, cultural compatibility, time-zone overlap | Complex product engineering |
| Middle East & Africa | Cost advantage, growing talent | Value-based scaling |
Improving Advantage: Pune, India center with AI/cloud-native expertise.
FAQs
1. What outcomes can offshore achieve?
Scale capacity, accelerate delivery, reduce costs, access specialists.
2. Right engagement model?
- Staff Augmentation: Individual engineers
- Dedicated Teams: Cross-functional PODs
- Managed Services: SLAs/operations
- End-to-End: Full lifecycle ownership
3. How quickly can teams start? 2–6 weeks typically.
4. Time-zone collaboration? Overlapping hours, Agile rituals, Slack/Jira/Teams.
5. Security/compliance? SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, NDAs/IP protection.
6. Need domain/tech experience? Yes, accelerates onboarding, reduces risk.
7. Hidden costs? Onboarding, knowledge transfer—mature partners minimize.
Ready to scale with top 1% offshore talent? Connect with Improving for hybrid delivery models achieving up to 50% cost savings.
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