Howdy.com vs Revelo: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Howdy.com (4.1/5) edges ahead of Revelo (3.9/5) overall. Howdy.com is the better choice for teams that want transparent nearshore pricing. Revelo is the stronger option for companies hiring LatAm developers without a local entity. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
Howdy.com vs Revelo: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Howdy.com | Revelo |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 | 2014 |
| HQ | Austin, Texas, USA | Miami, Florida, USA |
| Team size | 100–249 | 251–500 |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 3.9 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Published 15% fee on top of the engineer's pay | Payroll and compliance handled for LatAm hires |
| Pricing model | Engineer salary plus a flat 15% service fee (published) | Monthly per developer including payroll and compliance; rates on request |
| Min. engagement | 1 engineer | Not disclosed |
| Primary tech stack | Python, AWS, Databricks | Python, OpenAI, AWS |
| Industries served | SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, E-commerce | SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce, AI labs |
Howdy.com vs Revelo: overview
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.
Revelo
Revelo traces its start to late 2014 and is headquartered in Miami, with 251–500 employees according to one directory. It runs a platform of more than 400,000 Latin American developers and handles sourcing, compliance, local payroll and benefits, so clients can hire individuals or whole teams without opening a local entity. It has also moved into LLM post-training work, supplying developers for supervised fine-tuning and RLHF projects. It has raised more than $48 million from investors including Social Capital and Valor Capital Group.
Services and capabilities: Howdy.com vs Revelo
| Capability | Howdy.com | Revelo |
|---|---|---|
| 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: Howdy.com vs Revelo
| Framework / platform | Howdy.com | Revelo |
|---|---|---|
| PyTorch | N/A | N/A |
| TensorFlow | ✓ | N/A |
| LangChain | N/A | N/A |
| Hugging Face | N/A | N/A |
| OpenAI | N/A | ✓ |
| AWS SageMaker | N/A | N/A |
| Azure ML | N/A | N/A |
| Databricks | ✓ | N/A |
| MLflow | N/A | N/A |
| Kubernetes | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Howdy.com vs Revelo
| Criterion | Howdy.com | Revelo |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | 1 engineer | Not disclosed |
| Engagement models | Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team | Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team |
| Rate transparency | Minimum disclosed | Not public |
| Price tier | Accessible | Mid-market |
Target audience comparison: Howdy.com vs Revelo
| Dimension | Howdy.com | Revelo |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare | SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce |
| Best use cases | Hiring a full-time LatAm data engineer with clear cost visibility, Building a two-to-four person nearshore team for a U.S. startup | Hiring a full-time LatAm developer with payroll handled, Staffing LLM post-training projects |
| Typical project type | Full-time dedicated engineers | Full-time dedicated engineers |
Howdy.com vs Revelo: pros and cons
| Howdy.com | |
|---|---|
| + | Fee structure is published, so you can see what the engineer actually earns |
| + | Engineers are employed and supported locally, which helps retention |
| + | GeekHunter acquisition widened its Brazilian candidate pool |
| + | U.S. time zones |
| - | AI depth depends on who is available; it is a general engineering staffing company |
| - | Disclosure: acquired GeekHunter in 2023, so part of its candidate supply comes through a marketplace subsidiary |
| - | Technical screening is lighter than at AI-only companies |
| Revelo | |
|---|---|
| + | Removes the legal and payroll work of hiring in Latin America |
| + | Large candidate pool |
| + | Experience supplying engineers for LLM training work |
| - | Platform model means vetting is lighter than at engineering agencies |
| - | AI focus leans toward LLM training data over product engineering |
| - | Pricing requires a call |
Who should choose Howdy.com?
A typical fit: hiring a full-time LatAm data engineer with clear cost visibility.
Published 15% fee on top of the engineer's pay. Minimum engagement starts at 1 engineer. Works best with clients in SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, E-commerce.
Who should choose Revelo?
A typical fit: hiring a full-time LatAm developer with payroll handled.
Payroll and compliance handled for LatAm hires. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce, AI labs.
Decision matrix: Howdy.com vs Revelo
| 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 | Howdy.com |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Compare: Howdy.com (1 engineer) vs Revelo (Not disclosed) |
| You need specialist depth in a specific vertical | Howdy.com |
| 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: Howdy.com vs Revelo
| Use case | Howdy.com fit | Revelo fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiring a full-time LatAm data engineer with clear cost visibility | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Building a two-to-four person nearshore team for a U.S. startup | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Hiring a full-time LatAm developer with payroll handled | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Staffing LLM post-training projects | Limited | Strong | Revelo |
Verdict: Howdy.com vs Revelo
Howdy.com (4.1/5) is the stronger overall choice for most AI Staffing projects. Published 15% fee on top of the engineer's pay.
Revelo (3.9/5) is worth a look if you need staffing LLM post-training projects. If your situation matches that, Revelo is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Howdy.com vs Revelo FAQ
Is Howdy.com better than Revelo?
Howdy.com (4.1/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Howdy.com's strongest advantage: fee structure is published, so you can see what the engineer actually earns. Revelo's strongest advantage: removes the legal and payroll work of hiring in Latin America.
How do Howdy.com and Revelo differ in pricing?
Howdy.com uses engineer salary plus a flat 15% service fee (published) pricing with a minimum engagement of 1 engineer. Revelo uses monthly per developer including payroll and compliance; 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: Howdy.com or Revelo?
Revelo 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 Howdy.com and Revelo?
Howdy.com's primary differentiator is: published 15% fee on top of the engineer's pay. Revelo's primary differentiator is: payroll and compliance handled for LatAm hires. They also differ in team size (100–249 vs 251–500), minimum engagement (1 engineer vs Not disclosed), and primary industries served (SaaS, Fintech vs SaaS, Fintech).
Verify all details directly with each agency before making a decision.