Outsourcing software development has become a go-to solution for many modern companies around the world. Delegating IT development to another company is convenient, cost-effective, and, if the partner is chosen wisely, can bring great results. There are quite a few hubs of IT services around the world but Ukraine is considered to be one of the best destinations for offshore development. Why do companies around the world choose Ukraine as a trusted software development partner? Let’s dive right into it!
Before talking about why Ukraine is a good place to look for an offshore development partner, let’s first define the offshore development itself.
In a nutshell, offshore software development is a type of outsourcing. It implies hiring another IT company from a foreign country to perform specific projects or tasks and often includes web development or mobile development.
The Ukrainian education system, in general, may not be one of the best in the world but it indeed brings up a lot of ambitious tech professionals. We’ve got quite a few respectable universities that provide world-class tech knowledge to their students — Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Kyiv Polytechnic Institute being the most prominent ones. And those are not mere words — according to Coursera analysis, Ukrainians were ranked No.4 in tech skills proficiency around the world.
Well, actions speak louder than words, so another good indicator of Ukrainian tech competence would be the first-class IT products we’ve created. Just to name a few, those are Grammarly, a widely used errors checker; Playtika, a well-known games development company; and Ajax Systems, wireless security systems developer.
Moreover, as we already mentioned in one of our recent articles, being a software developer in Ukraine has become a new black. First of all, being an IT specialist means getting a good salary. Secondly, software developers usually can work remotely without a problem — and that’s very convenient for young people today! Thirdly, progressive IT companies provide comfortable working conditions and perks. And last but not least, the industry of programming is simply interesting. Not only is programming a universal language but studying it also involves exciting lifelong learning as there is so much happening in the world of tech every day. After everything mentioned above, it’s no wonder that some of the most progressive and driven people flock to IT — and it means that Ukraine is full of clever software development professionals ready to cater to international clients.
In general, Ukraine is in the top-50 countries in terms of English proficiency. However, as mentioned in the previous point, the IT industry keeps attracting the most ambitious and prospective Ukrainians — and they understand the importance of the English language quite well. Usually, young professionals use English not only during their work but in personal life as well: they watch English movies in the original, read English articles and books, and might even have friends abroad. All of these contribute to their language knowledge significantly. In turn, such English proficiency allows them to smoothly deal with clients from around the world.
Ukraine is located in quite a convenient time zone and can smoothly work with clients from many parts of the world. European clients sometimes won’t even notice the difference of one hour while the American ones are quite comfortable with working with us from 3 to 12 pm Ukrainian time.
Another important factor is that offshore development companies in Ukraine provide their clients with good value for money. Ukrainian standard of living is indeed lower than that of major European or American countries, and that means that salary expectations are more conservative. Great news to the companies in need of offshore development partners! It means that the pricing in Ukraine is more favorable for them while the quality is still top-notch.
Offshore development in Ukraine is popular with clients around the world — our software development companies have close ties with dozens of countries globally. Let’s talk about the countries that have shown the most interest in Ukrainian IT services.
First of all, the UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has already become one of the most important partners for offshore development companies in Ukraine. The United Kingdom can boast a favorable innovation ecosystem and has quite a few progressive startups aiming to cover the global market. However, domestic software development is costly so turning to a trusted offshore development partner is a good option — and Ukraine has become the one. Export of IT services from Ukraine to the UK has grown 50% in 2020 and amounted to over $350 million — which equals the export of Ukrainian top-3 goods (ferrous metals, cereals, and oilseeds) combined! And that’s not all. Last month, British Global Sourcing Association recognized Ukraine as the best country in the world for IT outsourcing. So proud to hear that!
Secondly, the USA. The reasons for close cooperation between progressive American companies and offshore development partners in Ukraine are quite similar to those mentioned above. American demand for IT services needs no elaboration, and Ukrainian software developers are there to meet it and provide fast, qualitative, and cost-effective solutions.
Thirdly, Germany. Among all the mainland European countries, Germany tends to be the most active in terms of cooperation with Ukrainian IT professionals. Why? Again, it’s all about it being an innovation hub and its citizens having high standards of living.
Apart from the three countries mentioned above, Ukrainian offshore development gets much attention from Canada, Scandinavian countries as well as other developed nations where English is the first or second language.
Summing up, as outsourcing keeps gaining popularity, Ukraine has become one of the top destinations for offshore software development. And there’s nothing surprising in this fact since Ukrainian IT specialists are skilled professionals with a good knowledge of the English language, much experience and expertise. Another crucial factor contributing to Ukrainian attractiveness as an offshore development partner is our time zone which allows for smooth communication and partnership. And last but not least, while providing qualitative IT services, Ukrainian software development companies are well known for affordable pricing.