Full disclosure: we're Ryz Labs, and we're one of the options on this page. So yes, we're biased. Here's what we'd actually tell a friend, including when you should hire someone else.
Howdy is an Austin-based nearshore partner that recruits Latin American engineers and employs them for you, so they work as full-time members of your team. It's known for a transparent fee (they say 85% goes to the professional and 15% to Howdy) and for "Howdy Houses," physical offices in cities like Buenos Aires, Bogotá and Mexico City. People look at alternatives mainly for speed and evidence. Howdy says a full recruitment cycle typically takes four to six weeks. Its Clutch profile had no reviews when we checked, and its own acceptance figures differ (top 1% on the homepage, under 5% on its blog). We didn't find a published trial period either. If you're building a long-term team and retention matters more than speed, Howdy may still be the right call.
If you want senior engineers embedded in your team on US hours, start with us. Fortune 500 engineering teams trust us for exactly that. We're similar to Howdy in spirit: senior Latin American engineers, embedded in your team, on US hours. The differences are in how we vet and what else we offer. Recruiters source, our in-house ranking system and structured interviews narrow the pipeline, recruiters review candidates before and after, and you run the final interview. Only the top 1% make it, and you keep the person. We also staff data, product and design roles, offer direct-hire placement, and run AI pod teams, dedicated groups of senior engineers that build AI systems inside your cloud. Our vetting process page has the details.
Where we're not the right fit: we don't publish our fee structure the way Howdy does, we don't run physical offices for engineers, and we don't offer employer-of-record. If transparent fees, in-person hubs or engineers employed with benefits are your top priorities, Howdy wins. See Ryz Labs vs Howdy.
If you mainly need speed, Revelo is the closest model to Howdy (it also handles payroll, benefits, taxes and compliance for full-time LatAm hires) but it's built for speed. They say you'll get a shortlist in 48-72 hours and most developers are shipping code within 14 days. They publish a two-week risk-free trial and month-to-month terms with no upfront contract, and claim a pool of 400K+ vetted developers. The catch: it's more of a platform, so you manage engineers yourself, and there are no offices or coaching like Howdy's.
If Howdy's timeline is the problem and you need more than a handful of people, BairesDev says teams are ready in two to four weeks. They claim 4,000+ engineers across 100+ technologies, and they offer staff augmentation, dedicated teams and full outsourcing. Their Clutch rating was 4.9/5 across 63 reviews when we checked, far more independent evidence than Howdy has. The catch: pricing is opaque, and some Clutch reviewers mention rate increases and early churn.
Near lets you choose between a one-time recruiting fee or a monthly staffing model, and claims a 180-day replacement guarantee. Howdy publishes no trial or guarantee that we found, so if de-risking the hire is your concern, Near is worth a look. The catch: with the recruiting-fee option, you take on employment and management once the hire is made.
Tecla offers direct hire through EOR, staff augmentation or fractional engagements across 18+ LatAm countries, and says fewer than 1% of applicants are accepted. That's handy if one role should be a full-time employee and another a part-time specialist. The catch: you'll need a quote, and you should ask what support continues after the hire.
Stay if you're building a long-term, full-time team and retention is the thing you care about most. Howdy claims 98% retention through two years, and it backs that up with benefits, coaching, equipment and access to physical offices across Latin America. Stay if a transparent fee matters to your finance team: a published 85/15 split is rare in this category. Stay if you value soft-skill screening. Howdy says it has 31 full-time psychologists trained as recruiters working alongside live coding interviews with senior engineers. And if four to six weeks per hire fits your plan, the slower cycle isn't a real cost.
Consider moving if you need people faster, want a published trial or guarantee, or want more independent reviews before you commit. Our guide to Latin American staff augmentation companies compares fees, trials and vetting side by side.
Revelo says shortlists arrive in 48-72 hours and most developers ship code within 14 days. BairesDev says teams are ready in two to four weeks.
Few do. Arc publishes freelance rates and a 20% full-time placement fee, but it's a global marketplace rather than a LatAm EOR. Most firms here, including us, give a custom quote.
Not really. Every firm measures acceptance differently, and Howdy's own pages give two figures. Judge vetting by the process (who interviews, what's tested, who makes the final call) rather than a percentage.
Yes. Howdy, Revelo and Tecla all offer employer-of-record setups. See our guide to hiring LatAm engineers directly (direct hire vs EOR).
Last checked October 2026. Pricing, trials and services move fast in this market, so verify the details with each vendor.