Most MVP hiring decisions get framed around one question:
"What's cheaper?"
The more useful question is:
"What happens if something goes wrong?"
A solo freelancer has obvious advantages. Lower cost. Faster communication. Less coordination overhead. One person making decisions and writing code can move surprisingly fast, especially on a focused MVP.
But the tradeoff is equally obvious.
A solo freelancer creates a bus factor of 1 by default.
If they become unavailable, whether through overcommitment, burnout, illness, or simply moving on, your entire product can stall overnight. There's often no second person who understands the architecture, deployment process, or technical decisions behind the code.
A small team or structured development partner changes that equation.
Progress may be slightly slower at the beginning because coordination exists. Costs are usually higher. But redundancy is built into the process. Documentation tends to happen naturally. Knowledge is shared across multiple people. If one person leaves, the project doesn't immediately freeze.
The mistake many founders make is treating this as an either-or decision.
The practical middle ground is often a solo developer with structure:
• Milestone-based delivery instead of open-ended work
• Documentation requirements built into every phase
• Regular code reviews or oversight from a second technical person
• Clear ownership of infrastructure and access credentials
• Knowledge transfer throughout the project, not just at the end
This preserves much of the speed and cost advantage of a solo freelancer while reducing the risk that your entire MVP depends on one person's availability.
The goal isn't to eliminate risk.
It's to avoid discovering that your entire company was sitting on a single point of failure.
Full framework comparing solo freelancers, small teams, and hybrid approaches: → https://foundersbar.com/articles-and-research/how-to-avoid-freelancer-ghosting-when-building-an-mvp (foundersbar.com)
What's worked best for you: solo freelancer, small team, or something in between?
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