If you run a business with 5 to 50 employees, you have almost certainly faced this dilemma: you need design, development, and marketing work done consistently — but how do you resource it?
The four most common options are hiring in-house staff, contracting a traditional agency, working with freelancers, or using a subscription-based team. Each has genuine strengths. But when you look at the total cost of ownership — not just the price on the invoice — the picture changes dramatically.
This guide uses real European salary data, agency rate benchmarks, and freelancer market rates to give you an honest comparison. No sales pitch — just the numbers.
Option 1: Hiring In-House
The most straightforward approach: hire full-time employees to handle your digital needs. For a small team covering design and development, you would typically need at minimum a designer and a developer — and ideally a project manager or marketing specialist too.
The Real Salary Numbers
Based on 2025-2026 European market data:
UI/UX Designer
€45,000 – €60,000
annual salary (Western EU)
Web Developer
€60,000 – €80,000
annual salary (Western EU)
Marketing Specialist
€38,000 – €55,000
annual salary (Western EU)
Project Manager
€42,000 – €65,000
annual salary (Western EU)
The Hidden Costs Most Companies Miss
Salary is only part of the story. The true employer cost adds 30-35% on top for:
Total all-in cost per specialist per year
€80,000 – €182,000
Source: Decode Agency 2025 European employment cost analysis
When In-House Makes Sense
Option 2: Traditional Agency
Agencies bring experience, a team of specialists, and established processes. But the cost structure can be prohibitive for SMBs — especially for ongoing work.
Typical Agency Pricing
The Challenges
When an Agency Makes Sense
Option 3: Freelancers
Freelancers offer flexibility and can be cost-effective for individual tasks. But when you need multiple disciplines — design, development, marketing — the coordination overhead grows quickly.
Typical Freelancer Rates (Western Europe)
UX/UI Designer
€53 – €87/hr
Web Developer
€53 – €93/hr
Graphic Designer
€40 – €75/hr
Project Manager
€73 – €113/hr
The Real Challenge: Coordination
If you need design, development, and marketing, you are managing 3-5 separate people. Each needs their own brief, their own follow-ups, and their own quality checks. Research shows this coordination overhead adds 20-40% to the effective cost in time and management effort.
When Freelancers Make Sense
Option 4: Subscription Team (The Flex Way)
A subscription-based model gives you access to a dedicated, full-stack team — design, development, marketing, and video — for a fixed monthly fee. You send work, they deliver. No hiring, no coordination, no overhead.
What's Included
The Pricing
Design
€1,800
20 hrs/mo
Marketing assets, solo founders
Full-Stack
€4,200
50 hrs/mo
Web + app + design, growing teams
Enterprise
€8,000+
100+ hrs/mo
Dedicated engineering & strategy
When a Subscription Makes Sense
Side-by-Side Comparison
[Placeholder: Comparison infographic — 4-column visual table]
| Factor | In-House | Agency | Freelancers | Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | €6,700 – €15,000+ | €5,000 – €15,000+ | €3,000 – €10,000+ | €1,800 – €8,000 |
| Commitment | Permanent hire | 6-12 month contract | Per project | Month-to-month |
| Turnaround | Immediate (once hired) | 4-8 weeks | 1-2 weeks | 24-48 hours |
| Onboarding | 2-4 months | 2-4 weeks | Days | 24-48 hours |
| Disciplines | Limited by hires | Full-service (expensive) | One per person | Full-stack included |
| Flexibility | Low (hiring/firing) | Low (contracts) | High (per project) | High (scale anytime) |
| Quality Control | You manage | Agency manages | You manage per person | PM + QA included |
| Hidden Costs | High (overhead, tools) | Medium (scope creep) | Medium (coordination) | Low (all-inclusive) |
The Bottom Line
There is no single "right" answer — the best model depends on your business stage, budget, and needs. But for most SMBs with 5-50 employees who need ongoing, multi-discipline digital work, a subscription model offers the best balance of cost, quality, speed, and flexibility.
You avoid the overhead and commitment of full-time hires, the rigid contracts and high rates of agencies, and the coordination headaches of managing multiple freelancers. Instead, you get one team, one point of contact, and one predictable monthly cost.