Best Software Development Outsourcing UK

Made Tech vs SoftServe: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Made Tech (4.1/5) edges ahead of SoftServe (4.0/5) overall. Made Tech is the better choice for UK central and local government buyers. SoftServe is the stronger option for big cloud and data programmes, Ukrainian rates at volume. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Made Tech vs SoftServe: head-to-head summary

Criterion Made Tech SoftServe
Founded 2008 1993
HQ London, United Kingdom Austin, United States and Lviv, Ukraine (London offices)
Team size 400–500 10,000+
Rating 4.1 / 5 4.0 / 5
Primary differentiator Public-sector-only focus with a growing contracted backlog Scale and cloud partner status combined with Eastern European rates
Pricing model Framework call-offs, time and materials, fixed price Dedicated team, time and materials, managed service
Min. engagement Not published Not published
Primary tech stack Ruby, Python, Java AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
Industries served Public sector, Local government, Healthcare Healthcare, Retail, Financial services, Manufacturing, Media

Made Tech vs SoftServe: overview

Made Tech

Made Tech was founded in London in 2008 and listed on AIM in 2021. FY25 revenue (to May 2025) rose 20% to £46.4m with a contracted backlog of £92.2m, and the company reported around 430 employees after a period of hiring. Almost all of its work is for UK central and local government, health and other regulated bodies. Contractor use rose to 19% of the workforce in FY25, and management has said it plans to bring that back toward 10%.

SoftServe

SoftServe was founded in Lviv in 1993 and is now co-headquartered in Austin, Texas. Revelio Labs estimated about 13,100 employees in 2025, down roughly 3% on the year. It opened its London office around 2014 as part of a Western European expansion and trades in the UK as SoftServe Systems Ltd. Most delivery happens in Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria and Latin America.

Services and capabilities: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Capability Made Tech SoftServe
Custom software development ✓ ✓
Mobile app development ✗ ✗
Cloud & DevOps ✓ ✓
Data & AI ✓ ✓
Legacy modernisation ✓ ✗
Embedded & IoT ✗ ✓
Dedicated team model ✗ ✓
Fixed-price projects ✓ ✗

Tech stack comparison: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Framework / platform Made Tech SoftServe
.NET N/A ✓
Java ✓ ✓
Python ✓ ✓
React N/A N/A
AWS ✓ ✓
Azure ✓ ✓
Kubernetes N/A ✓
Embedded N/A N/A

Pricing comparison: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Criterion Made Tech SoftServe
Minimum engagement Not published Not published
Engagement models Fixed project, Time and materials Dedicated team, Managed service, Time and materials
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Dimension Made Tech SoftServe
Best company size Startup to mid-market Enterprise
Best industries Public sector, Local government, Healthcare Healthcare, Retail, Financial services
Best use cases A council wants legacy case-management systems replaced., A government department needs a discovery and alpha phase for a new service. A retailer needs a large cloud migration team., A healthcare firm wants a data platform with machine learning features.
Typical project type Fixed project Dedicated team

Made Tech vs SoftServe: pros and cons

Made Tech
+ Deep familiarity with GDS service standards and government frameworks
+ Public reporting makes financial health easy to check
+ A growing backlog points to sustained repeat business from government
- Little private-sector experience, so commercial buyers have better options
- No offshore delivery, so rates are UK onshore rates
- Contractor reliance roughly doubled in FY25
SoftServe
+ Very large talent pool for fast ramp-up
+ Strong cloud and data engineering practices
+ Lower rates than UK-headquartered vendors of similar size
- UK office is mostly a commercial presence; delivery is overseas
- Smaller UK accounts may struggle to get senior attention
- Headcount has edged down since 2024

Who should choose Made Tech?

A typical fit: a council wants legacy case-management systems replaced.

Public-sector-only focus with a growing contracted backlog. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Public sector, Local government, Healthcare.

Who should choose SoftServe?

A typical fit: a retailer needs a large cloud migration team.

Scale and cloud partner status combined with Eastern European rates. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Healthcare, Retail, Financial services, Manufacturing, Media.

Decision matrix: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope Made Tech
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme SoftServe
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Made Tech (Not published) vs SoftServe (Not published)
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical SoftServe
You want engineers added to your own in-house team Neither lists team extension; ask about dedicated teams
Your product includes hardware, firmware or connected devices SoftServe

Use case fit: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Use case Made Tech fit SoftServe fit Winner
A council wants legacy case-management systems replaced. Strong Limited Made Tech
A government department needs a discovery and alpha phase for a new service. Strong Limited Made Tech
A retailer needs a large cloud migration team. Limited Strong SoftServe
A healthcare firm wants a data platform with machine learning features. Limited Strong SoftServe
You need hardware, firmware or IoT work in the same contract Limited Strong SoftServe
You want a fixed-price first phase before a longer engagement Strong Limited Made Tech

Verdict: Made Tech vs SoftServe

Made Tech (4.1/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Software Development Outsourcing projects. Public-sector-only focus with a growing contracted backlog.

SoftServe (4.0/5) is worth a look in a scenario like this: a healthcare firm wants a data platform with machine learning features. If your situation matches that, SoftServe is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

Made Tech vs SoftServe FAQ

Is Made Tech better than SoftServe?

Made Tech (4.1/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Made Tech's strongest advantage: deep familiarity with GDS service standards and government frameworks. SoftServe's strongest advantage: very large talent pool for fast ramp-up.

How do Made Tech and SoftServe differ in pricing?

Made Tech uses framework call-offs, time and materials, fixed price pricing. SoftServe uses dedicated team, time and materials, managed service pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Made Tech or SoftServe?

Made Tech is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each company before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between Made Tech and SoftServe?

Made Tech's primary differentiator is: public-sector-only focus with a growing contracted backlog. SoftServe's primary differentiator is: scale and cloud partner status combined with Eastern European rates. They also differ in team size (400–500 vs 10,000+), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Public sector, Local government vs Healthcare, Retail).

Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.