Consultants are expensive per hour. Full-time hires are expensive per year and slow to find. The decision between them is rarely based on cost alone — the more useful frame is: what type of problem is this, and who is most likely to solve it well?
Architecture decision you need to get right once. Technology due diligence for investment or acquisition. Specific expertise needed for 3 to 6 months. External perspective on a problem the team is too close to. Interim technical leadership.
Long-term product work where institutional knowledge compounds. Culture-defining technical decisions. When accountability matters more than expertise — consultants deliver recommendations, engineers deliver working software they are accountable for in production.
Evidence they have solved your specific problem before. A defined deliverable, not open-ended advisory time. Willingness to tell you when they are not the right fit. The red flag: a consulting firm that never tells you they are not the right choice.
Axented provides IT consulting for growing tech companies — architecture reviews, technical due diligence, and engineering leadership support. → axented.com/it-consulting
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