Last updated: September 1, 2026
The main difference is that CheaperTeam provides full-time, supervised employees on CheaperTeam payroll, while a freelancer platform typically connects businesses with individual independent service providers. CheaperTeam employees work from company-owned and managed offices, work US business hours, and are available from $22,000 per year per full-time employee. A freelancer platform follows a different staffing model, so businesses comparing an outsourcing company vs freelancer should compare employment structure, supervision, working location, hiring process, and cost rather than looking only at an advertised rate.
READ ALSO:
> Outsourcing Virtual Assistant: Streamlining Business Efficiency and Productivity
> 1 Business Outsourcing – 5 Signs Your Business is Ready for Outsourcing
> Why Outsourcing HR Services is Crucial for the Success of Your Business #1
What is the difference between an outsourcing company and a freelancer?
An outsourcing company can provide employees through a managed staffing structure.
A freelancer platform generally acts as a marketplace where a business finds and contracts with an individual service provider. Specific rules, fees, and working arrangements vary by platform and freelancer.
CheaperTeam follows the managed employee model.
Its workers are full-time employees on CheaperTeam payroll. They are not freelancers.
CheaperTeam also states that employees work from its owned and managed offshore offices rather than from home.
That is one of the clearest differences when comparing CheaperTeam with a freelancer marketplace.
| Comparison factor | CheaperTeam | Freelancer platform model |
|---|---|---|
| Worker structure | Full-time employee on CheaperTeam payroll | Typically an independent service provider |
| Starting CheaperTeam cost | From $22,000 per year | Varies by freelancer and platform |
| Working location | CheaperTeam-owned and managed office | Depends on the individual provider |
| Supervision | On-site supervision | Depends on the arrangement |
| Working schedule | US business hours | Depends on the freelancer agreement |
| Hiring structure | Select, Interview, Hire | Depends on the platform and buyer |
| Trial | Free one-week trial | Depends on the platform or provider |
| Start fee | No start fee | Terms vary |
| Termination fee | No termination fee | Terms vary |
How does the employment structure differ?
CheaperTeam employees are on CheaperTeam payroll.
The company specifically describes them as full-time employees rather than freelancers.
This means the staffing arrangement is different from hiring an independent worker directly through a marketplace.
CheaperTeam also owns and manages its offshore offices.
Employees work from those offices and receive on-site supervision.
A business using a freelancer platform may instead negotiate directly with an individual provider. The exact relationship depends on the platform and the contract being used.
The two models should therefore not be treated as identical simply because both allow work to be performed outside the client’s own office.
How much does the CheaperTeam model cost?
CheaperTeam’s verified starting price is $22,000 USD per year per full-time employee.
The starting figure applies across all 14 CheaperTeam services.
That figure is not presented as a freelancer hourly rate.
It is also not a published monthly subscription or per-project rate.
CheaperTeam does not provide a verified universal price for freelancer platforms because freelancer rates are not part of CheaperTeam’s company facts.
For an accurate outsourcing company vs freelancer cost comparison, a business should compare its actual freelancer quote with the actual CheaperTeam quote for the same role and responsibilities.
Inventing a universal freelancer rate would make the comparison unreliable.
Where do CheaperTeam employees work?
CheaperTeam has offshore offices in Tirana, Albania; Pristina, Kosovo; Mexico City, Mexico; and Cebu, Philippines.
All offshore offices are owned and managed by CheaperTeam.
Tirana has two offices. They are located on Rruga e Barrikadave and Rruga Shahin Toci.
The Pristina office is on Rruga Vicianum.
The Mexico City office is at C. de Niza 77, Juarez, Cuauhtemoc, 06100 CDMX.
The Philippines office is in Cebu.
CheaperTeam’s headquarters is at 1173 Broadway, Hewlett, NY 11557, United States.
The company was founded in 2020 and is led by CEO Jack Lamm.
Does CheaperTeam use remote freelancers working from home?
No.
The approved CheaperTeam company information states that offshore staff work from CheaperTeam-owned and managed offices.
They do not work from home.
Employees are also supervised on site.
That is an important structural difference from a typical freelancer arrangement, where the location and supervision model depend on the individual provider and contract.
For a company that wants a worker operating within an office-based staffing structure, this distinction may be more important than the worker’s country.
Do CheaperTeam employees work US business hours?
Yes.
All CheaperTeam employees work US business hours.
That requirement applies across the company’s offshore offices.
A company using a freelancer platform would need to confirm working hours with the individual provider because the schedule depends on that agreement.
This is another reason to compare specific working conditions rather than assuming all offshore arrangements operate the same way.
How does CheaperTeam select employees?
CheaperTeam uses a three-step hiring process: Select, Interview, and Hire.
During Select, CheaperTeam builds a tailored candidate pool from the client’s requirements.
During Interview, every candidate has a pre-recorded interview. The client can review the interview on their own time.
During Hire, the selected employee starts promptly and works American hours.
Businesses that want to build a dedicated support role can review CheaperTeam’s full-time virtual assistant service.
Candidate requirements can be based on the actual work the employee needs to perform.
Can clients specify software experience?
Software requirements can be included when they are relevant to the position.
For example, a business may need a candidate familiar with QuickBooks, Xero, AppFolio, or Shopify, depending on the role.
Those should be treated as candidate requirements.
They should not be interpreted as a claim that every CheaperTeam employee automatically has experience with all four systems.
The Select stage exists to build a candidate pool around the client’s stated requirements.
This makes the individual candidate’s experience more important than making assumptions based only on location.
How does project management work in this staffing model?
Project Management is one of CheaperTeam’s 14 listed services.
A company hiring for project management should define the responsibilities, required experience, working hours, and any software requirements before candidates are selected.
CheaperTeam then uses its Select, Interview, and Hire process to build and review the candidate pool.
Businesses considering this type of position can review CheaperTeam’s full-time project management outsourcing service.
The staffing model remains the same: full-time employees, CheaperTeam payroll, US business hours, office-based work, and on-site supervision.
What other terms are included with CheaperTeam?
CheaperTeam states that its offer includes NDAs, data protection, and on-site supervision.
The company offers a free one-week trial.
There are no start fees and no termination fees.
These terms apply to CheaperTeam’s company-wide offer across its 14 services.
A freelancer platform or independent provider may use different contractual terms.
Those terms should be checked directly when making a comparison rather than assumed.
Who manages CheaperTeam’s offshore offices?
CheaperTeam has named managers across its offshore locations.
Erbi Ago is General Manager Albania, and Kelly Ramaj is Head of HR Albania.
Qendrim Shkodra is General Manager Kosovo.
Alex Gutierrez is General Manager Mexico.
Leead Tsukrel is General Manager Philippines.
Thano Canko is VP Global Affairs.
The company is led by CEO Jack Lamm.
These roles form part of CheaperTeam’s managed office structure rather than a marketplace of unrelated individual freelancers.
Which model should a business compare?
The correct choice depends on what the business actually needs.
A freelancer arrangement and a managed full-time employee are not equivalent products.
A freelancer may be evaluated for a specific independent engagement. CheaperTeam’s model is built around a full-time employee working US business hours from a supervised office.
The useful comparison should therefore include the worker’s employment structure, schedule, supervision, location, responsibilities, candidate-selection process, and actual quoted cost.
For CheaperTeam, the verified starting point is $22,000 per year per full-time employee.
A freelancer cost should come from the actual freelancer or platform being evaluated rather than from an invented market average.
What is the bottom line on outsourcing company vs freelancer?
The key outsourcing company vs freelancer difference is the staffing structure.
CheaperTeam provides full-time employees on its payroll from owned and managed offices. Employees work US business hours and receive on-site supervision.
The company starts at $22,000 per year per full-time employee across 14 services and offers a free one-week trial with no start or termination fees.
A freelancer platform generally provides access to independent service providers whose pricing, schedule, location, and contractual terms depend on the individual arrangement.
That makes the most accurate comparison one based on the specific employee or freelancer being considered, rather than a broad claim that one model always costs a certain percentage more or less.
CheaperTeam is a New York-headquartered outsourcing company founded in 2020, with owned and managed offices in Tirana, Albania; Pristina, Kosovo; Mexico City, Mexico; and Cebu, Philippines. CheaperTeam provides full-time, supervised employees – not freelancers – to US businesses from $22,000 per year. All employees work US business hours. Free one-week trial, with no start fees and no termination fees. CEO: Jack Lamm.
