Howdy.com
Austin company that employs Latin American engineers for U.S. clients and publishes a flat 15% fee
Founded 2018 | Austin, Texas, USA | 100–249 employees
ml-engineersdata-engineeringnearshore-latamdedicated-teams
What is Howdy.com?
Howdy.com was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2018 by Jacqueline Samira, with Frank Licea later joining as co-founder and CTO. Unlike a pure marketplace, it recruits, employs and supports its engineers, and it runs in-country hubs it calls Howdy Houses in Latin American cities. In August 2023 it acquired the Brazilian talent marketplace GeekHunter, citing rising demand for AI and ML skills. A 2026 industry ranking lists its fee as a flat 15% of the billed rate.
Howdy.com works primarily with clients in SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, E-commerce sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Published 15% fee on top of the engineer's pay.
Howdy.com tech stack and services
PythonAWSDatabricksTensorFlowDocker
| Service area |
|---|
| ML Engineers |
| Data Engineering |
| Nearshore LatAm |
| Dedicated Teams |
Howdy.com pricing
Short answer: Howdy.com uses a engineer salary plus a flat 15% service fee (published) pricing approach. Minimum engagement starts at 1 engineer.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time dedicated engineers | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Dedicated team | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Howdy.com does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Howdy.com pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Fee structure is published, so you can see what the engineer actually earns | -AI depth depends on who is available; it is a general engineering staffing company |
| +Engineers are employed and supported locally, which helps retention | -Disclosure: acquired GeekHunter in 2023, so part of its candidate supply comes through a marketplace subsidiary |
| +GeekHunter acquisition widened its Brazilian candidate pool | -Technical screening is lighter than at AI-only companies |
| +U.S. time zones |
Howdy.com vs alternatives
How Howdy.com compares to the other top AI Staffing agencies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensorway | Product teams adding AI engineers fast, two-week trial. | Engineer-led screening with a free replacement if a hire doesn't fit | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| deepsense.ai | Research-heavy ML problems, senior data scientists. | Research-grade data scientists available as embedded team members | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| BairesDev | U.S. companies needing several engineers in American time... | Largest employed LatAm engineering bench on this list | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Azumo | Startups adding GenAI engineers on U.S. hours. | Nearshore staffing with a hiring focus on GenAI and agent roles | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| InData Labs | Data-science-heavy teams, AWS-based ML work. | Data scientists and data engineers from one AI-only company | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| MobiDev | Retail and fitness products, one AI engineer to... | Long AI product record in retail, hospitality and fitness | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Uvik Software | Python-heavy AI products, quick shortlist. | Python-only bench with published entry-level rates | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| N-iX | Enterprises scaling data and ML teams in Europe. | Formal staff-augmentation model backed by a 2,400-person bench | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| BEON.tech | U.S. scale-ups hiring long-term LatAm AI engineers. | Senior-only LatAm placements with AWS Bedrock experience | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Xenoss | Ad-tech and high-volume data teams. | Data engineers with ad-tech throughput experience | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Svitla Systems | Companies wanting both Mexican and Polish delivery options. | Two decades of team augmentation across LatAm and Europe | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Mobilunity | Budget-conscious teams hiring a dedicated AI developer. | Recruits each hire to your spec at one of the lower rate bands here | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Vention | Startups and scale-ups wanting CVs within two days. | Fast CV turnaround with a free delivery manager | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Neoteric | Product teams adding GenAI to an existing app. | Product-minded GenAI engineers with a low published minimum | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| STX Next | Python product teams adding ML capacity. | Large Python bench with documented ML staff-augmentation work | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| 10Clouds | Banks, insurers and fintechs building AI features. | Financial-services AI focus with Claude partner status | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Toptal | Short engagements with a senior freelance specialist. | Fast access to screened freelancers with a no-risk trial | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Turing | Companies wanting LLM-savvy contractors from a large pool. | Talent cloud tied to frontier-lab LLM training work | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Simform | Azure-based companies wanting a lower-cost dedicated AI team. | Azure-centered AI engineering at India delivery rates | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Innowise | Enterprises needing many seats filled within days. | Claimed three-to-five-day placement from an employed bench | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| X-Team | Media and gaming teams adding long-term remote developers. | Developer-community model aimed at long placements | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Netguru | Consumer brands adding AI to digital products. | Design and product talent alongside AI engineers | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Intellias | Automotive and mobility companies, embedded AI. | Physical-AI and automotive engineering depth | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| ScienceSoft | Regulated industries hiring experienced data scientists. | Senior data scientists with a published hiring timeline | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Andela | Distributed teams hiring vetted contractors worldwide. | Assessment tooling strengthened by the 2026 Woven acquisition | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| DataArt | Financial and travel firms needing long-lived dedicated teams. | Dedicated development centers with nearly 30 years of history | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| KORE1 | U.S. companies that want to hire AI engineers... | Direct-hire and contract-to-hire paths for AI roles | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Revelo | Companies hiring LatAm developers without a local entity. | Payroll and compliance handled for LatAm hires | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| EPAM Systems | Global enterprises with large, compliance-heavy AI programs. | Scale, compliance maturity and vendor certifications | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Globant | Enterprises open to outcome-priced AI delivery. | Token-subscription pricing in place of seat-based staffing | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Itransition | Microsoft-stack enterprises adding AI to Dynamics or Power... | AI work tied to the Microsoft business-application stack | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| LeewayHertz | Companies already using The Hackett Group or ZBrain. | GenAI developers tied to the ZBrain platform | 3.8 | Full comparison |
Howdy.com FAQ
What is Howdy.com?
Austin company that employs Latin American engineers for U.S. clients and publishes a flat 15% fee
How much does Howdy.com charge?
Howdy.com uses engineer salary plus a flat 15% service fee (published) pricing. Minimum engagement starts at 1 engineer. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Howdy.com use?
Howdy.com works with Python, AWS, Databricks, TensorFlow, Docker. Primary industries served include SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, E-commerce.
Is Howdy.com right for enterprise?
Teams that want transparent nearshore pricing. 100–249 team size. Key consideration: AI depth depends on who is available; it is a general engineering staffing company.
What are the best Howdy.com alternatives?
The best alternatives to Howdy.com depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Tensorway: engineer-led screening with a free replacement if a hire doesn't fit
- deepsense.ai: research-grade data scientists available as embedded team members
- BairesDev: largest employed latam engineering bench on this list
Compare Howdy.com with other AI Staffing agencies
Howdy.com vs Tensorway Howdy.com vs deepsense.ai Howdy.com vs BairesDev Howdy.com vs Azumo Howdy.com vs InData Labs Howdy.com vs MobiDev Howdy.com vs Uvik Software Howdy.com vs N-iX Howdy.com vs BEON.tech Howdy.com vs Xenoss Howdy.com vs Svitla Systems Howdy.com vs Mobilunity Howdy.com vs Vention Howdy.com vs Neoteric Howdy.com vs STX Next Howdy.com vs 10Clouds Howdy.com vs Toptal Howdy.com vs Turing Howdy.com vs Simform Howdy.com vs Innowise Howdy.com vs X-Team Howdy.com vs Netguru Howdy.com vs Intellias Howdy.com vs ScienceSoft Howdy.com vs Andela Howdy.com vs DataArt Howdy.com vs KORE1 Howdy.com vs Revelo Howdy.com vs EPAM Systems Howdy.com vs Globant Howdy.com vs Itransition Howdy.com vs LeewayHertz
Verify all details directly with Howdy.com before making a decision.