Best AI Staffing Agencies

Xenoss vs EPAM Systems: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Xenoss (4.3/5) edges ahead of EPAM Systems (3.9/5) overall. Xenoss is the better choice for ad-tech and high-volume data teams. EPAM Systems is the stronger option for global enterprises with large, compliance-heavy AI programs. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Xenoss vs EPAM Systems: head-to-head summary

Criterion Xenoss EPAM Systems
Founded 2013 1993
HQ New York, USA Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA
Team size 50–249 62,850
Rating 4.3 / 5 3.9 / 5
Primary differentiator Data engineers with ad-tech throughput experience Scale, compliance maturity and vendor certifications
Pricing model Time and materials; staff augmentation; rates on request Enterprise time and materials; dedicated teams; rates on request
Min. engagement Not disclosed Not disclosed
Primary tech stack Python, Apache Spark, Kafka Claude, OpenAI, Gemini
Industries served Ad tech, Media, Fintech, Retail and e-commerce Fintech, Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing, Travel

Xenoss vs EPAM Systems: overview

Xenoss

Xenoss was founded in 2013 by ad-tech veterans led by CEO Dmitry Sverdlik and is based in New York, with offices in London and Kyiv. It describes itself as a specialized AI and data-engineering company, and Clutch places it in the 50–249 employee band. Client reviews describe staff augmentation in practice: one London ad-tech client hired Xenoss after failing to find engineers locally, and Xenoss sourced candidates from Ukraine and integrated them into the in-house team. Its background in high-throughput ad-tech systems shows in its data-engineering work.

EPAM Systems

EPAM Systems was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, with about 62,850 employees as of June 30, 2026, of whom roughly 56,650 work in delivery. It reports more than 5,700 Claude-certified engineers and set a target of 10,000, along with thousands of OpenAI- and Gemini-certified specialists. The company is targeting $600 million in AI-native services revenue for 2026. Its model is enterprise delivery, so individual staff augmentation usually sits inside a larger program.

Services and capabilities: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Capability Xenoss EPAM Systems
LLM / GenAI engineers ✗ ✓
MLOps & deployment ✓ ✓
Computer vision ✗ ✗
Data engineering ✓ ✓
AI agent development ✗ ✗
Fractional / part-time experts ✗ ✗
Risk-free trial period ✗ ✗
Nearshore time-zone overlap ✗ ✗

Tech stack comparison: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Framework / platform Xenoss EPAM Systems
PyTorch N/A N/A
TensorFlow N/A N/A
LangChain N/A N/A
Hugging Face N/A N/A
OpenAI N/A ✓
AWS SageMaker N/A ✓
Azure ML N/A ✓
Databricks ✓ ✓
MLflow N/A N/A
Kubernetes ✓ N/A

Pricing comparison: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Criterion Xenoss EPAM Systems
Minimum engagement Not disclosed Not disclosed
Engagement models Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team, Managed delivery Dedicated team, Managed delivery
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Dimension Xenoss EPAM Systems
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Ad tech, Media, Fintech Fintech, Healthcare, Retail
Best use cases Adding streaming-data engineers ahead of an ML launch, Placing ML engineers in a bidding or attribution product Staffing a multi-team GenAI program at a global bank, Adding certified Claude engineers to an enterprise AI platform
Typical project type Full-time dedicated engineers Dedicated team

Xenoss vs EPAM Systems: pros and cons

Xenoss
+ Strong on real-time data infrastructure that ML features depend on
+ Has placed engineers into UK teams that struggled to hire locally
+ Senior leadership comes from the industry it serves most
+ Covers both data engineering and model work
- Ad-tech focus is narrower than general AI staffing
- Mid-sized bench
- Rates are not public
EPAM Systems
+ Largest bench on this list, with security and compliance processes to match
+ Thousands of engineers certified on major model platforms
+ Can staff any role an AI program needs
- Built for enterprise programs; a single-engineer request is a poor fit
- Highest overhead and slowest procurement on this list
- Rates not published

Who should choose Xenoss?

A typical fit: adding streaming-data engineers ahead of an ML launch.

Data engineers with ad-tech throughput experience. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Ad tech, Media, Fintech, Retail and e-commerce.

Who should choose EPAM Systems?

A typical fit: staffing a multi-team GenAI program at a global bank.

Scale, compliance maturity and vendor certifications. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Fintech, Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing, Travel.

Decision matrix: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope Both offer fixed-price models
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme Xenoss
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Xenoss (Not disclosed) vs EPAM Systems (Not disclosed)
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical EPAM Systems
You need staff augmentation or team extension Neither; consider alternatives that offer staff aug
You need consulting before committing to a build Both may offer discovery engagements

Use case fit: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Use case Xenoss fit EPAM Systems fit Winner
Adding streaming-data engineers ahead of an ML launch Strong Strong Both equally
Placing ML engineers in a bidding or attribution product Strong Limited Xenoss
Staffing a multi-team GenAI program at a global bank Limited Strong EPAM Systems
Adding certified Claude engineers to an enterprise AI platform Strong Strong Both equally

Verdict: Xenoss vs EPAM Systems

Xenoss (4.3/5) is the stronger overall choice for most AI Staffing projects. Data engineers with ad-tech throughput experience.

EPAM Systems (3.9/5) is worth a look if you need adding certified Claude engineers to an enterprise AI platform. If your situation matches that, EPAM Systems is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

Xenoss vs EPAM Systems FAQ

Is Xenoss better than EPAM Systems?

Xenoss (4.3/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Xenoss's strongest advantage: strong on real-time data infrastructure that ML features depend on. EPAM Systems's strongest advantage: largest bench on this list, with security and compliance processes to match.

How do Xenoss and EPAM Systems differ in pricing?

Xenoss uses time and materials; staff augmentation; rates on request pricing. EPAM Systems uses enterprise time and materials; dedicated teams; rates on request pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Xenoss or EPAM Systems?

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

What are the main differences between Xenoss and EPAM Systems?

Xenoss's primary differentiator is: data engineers with ad-tech throughput experience. EPAM Systems's primary differentiator is: Scale, compliance maturity and vendor certifications. They also differ in team size (50–249 vs 62,850), minimum engagement (Not disclosed vs Not disclosed), and primary industries served (Ad tech, Media vs Fintech, Healthcare).

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