Gearheart is a web development company specializing in building custom web and mobile applications for startups and mature companies. Focusing on complex long-term projects and functional solutions, we are fully responsible for the technical part, from planning a roadmap to deploying and maintaining applications. Our team does not limit the types of products developed or the areas for which they are created. But the main focus is on tools for organizing workflows and working with data based on Django and ReactJS.
Gearheart's portfolio has US and European clients from a variety of business areas including but not limited to:
Finance
E-Commerce
Legal
Government
Media, and others.
Our projects include a brokerage platform, CRM photo management software, media monitoring system, task management, and time tracking tools, and others.
The team, founded in 2012, currently has 36 highly qualified specialists, among which all developers are full-stack experts. And we are constantly learning to improve our capabilities and solutions.
Our process is simple, reliable, and available to clients. We provide access to all the necessary project tools and constantly communicate with each other. A Scrum-based workflow allows us to cooperate efficiently, even with time-zone differences between our team and clients.
"We are completely satisfied with Gearheart.io's work and approach."
Aug 2, 2023
CEO, Digital Banking Platform
Anonymous
Software
Ukraine
11-50 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Gearheart.io provided website development services for a digital banking platform. The team built a digital fintech platform that accommodated financial transactions and offered a cashback program.
Gearheart.io successfully developed and launched the platform, meeting expectations. The platform's functionality and benefits impressed users. Overall, the client was satisfied with the results of the engagement and commended the team's high-quality work and approach.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am the CEO of a software company
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
Our company provides innovative financial solutions through a digital banking platform for private and business clients.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Gearheart.io to accomplish?
The platform should be convenient, modern and secure.
The Gearheart team was engaged in web development.
Our joint goal was to build a digital banking platform that provides financial services for private and business clients.
SOLUTION
How did you find Gearheart.io?
Online Search
Why did you select Gearheart.io over others?
High ratings
Pricing fit our budget
Great culture fit
Good value for cost
How many teammates from Gearheart.io were assigned to this project?
6-10 Employees
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
We approached the Gearheart team to work with our team to develop a digital FinTech platform. There were 2 developers in our team. The Gearheart team started with 2 developers and then grew to 4 developers, 2 QA, 1 DevOps and 1 BA.
They understood business needs and processes and started development based on agile methodologies in sprints. It's great that they worked closely with the client and our team to ensure an efficient workflow. All work and releases went according to plan. The Gearheart team completed the following web development tasks:
personal and business accounts сreation;
functionality for transactions with physical and virtual cards;
functionality for basic financial transactions (regular transactions, deposits, loans and bills);
ATMs map displaying;
cashback setting
multi-factor authentication system implementation.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Digital banking platform is already launched and works perfectly! Users are satisfied with the functionality and the benefits it brings them.
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
ko
What was your primary form of communication with Gearheart.io?
Virtual Meeting
Email or Messaging App
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
kok
Are there any areas for improvement or something Gearheart.io could have done differently?
We are completely satisfied with Gearheart.io's work and approach.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Custom Software Development for Digital Sales Tool Developer
Web Development
$50,000 to $199,999
June - Nov. 2022
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"Gearheart integrated really well with our team and we found it easy to communicate and solve problems."
Dec 6, 2022
Head of Design, Popcomms
Javier Serrano
Software
Bristol, United Kingdom
11-50 Employees
Online Review
Verified
A digital sales tool developer partnered with Gearheart to develop an interactive 3D solution for retail space management. The team implemented QA/QC systems and helped the client with research and development.
The client was most impressed with Gearheart's approach to project management. As a result, users found it easy to navigate and the organization can easily manage their tenant spaces. The client highlighted how easy it was for the vendor to communicate and integrate into their team.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Head of design and project Lead
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
For what projects/services did your company hire Gearheart.io, and what were your goals?
We hired Gearheart for an interactive dynamic Wayfinder of public use. We hired Gearheart based on their expertise and managements credentials.
SOLUTION
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
Our selection was purely based on expertise and capabilities.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
We needed o to create an application for the end customer to manage that included the management of retail spaces on an interactive map. The application included front-end interactive wayfinding, smart index search, and tenant information as well as dealing with variables such as accessibility. We needed Gearheart to implement and QA/QC our design and user journeys as well as help us with R&D. We used Typescript, Vue.js, Vite, KeystoneJS, PostgreSQL, Gitlab-ci, Renovate
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
We worked with 3 people from Gearheart. One PM, one full-stack developer, and a front-end developer.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
The project was very well received and has been a feature on Battersea Power Station. Users find it easy to find their way and the organization can easily manage their tenant spaces and spaces.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
We had weekly call to plan our work and daily collaboration through slack ad calls. Gearheart integrated really well with our team and we found it easy to communicate and solve problems.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
I will highlight Gearheart's approach to project management, everything was clear and concise and issues were communicated in a timely manner.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
I couldn't highlight any.
RATINGS
5.0
"I am very impressed and hope we can collaborate further in the future."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"Exceeded expectaions"
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
"Simple and easy"
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"Spot on, better than european counterparts."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"Very likely.
Web App for Software Development Company
Custom Software Development
$1,000,000 to $9,999,999
Jan. 2019 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"Gearheart.io carefully makes it intentionally to guarantee the highest level of expertise in any position."
Mar 18, 2022
CEO, SmartSuite
Jon Darbyshire
Software
Newport Beach, California
51-200 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Gearheart.io provides custom software development services for a software development company. They have built the client's platform from scratch, from its main architecture to the core modules of the system.
So far, the client is happy with the ongoing collaboration with Gearheart.io, working with integrity in building their products. Their overall work ethic impressed the client as the collaboration goes on.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm the CEO of SmartSuite. We provide a work management platform that allows teams to manage processes, projects and tasks on single platform.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
For what projects/services did your company hire Gearheart.io, and what were your goals?
Gearheart was responsible for developing the main web application. Our main goal was to release a product that could be competitive in a crowded market right in its early days, so we were not going for a MVP, but rather a full feature-packed solution
SOLUTION
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
I have evaluated several companies, each of which I have met personally. Gearheart was my choice the moment I met them - we spoke the same language from the start. I really liked their attitude, their culture, their willingness to listen, their commitment to solving customer problems and creating the best product in their niche.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
We are building a huge, game-changing work management platform. The Gearheart team has been there since day one. We have been working on a product for two years silently, until it went public in the beginning of 2022. The team has laid a foundation, the main architecture, and also developed all core modules of the system.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
The team included:
3 project managers
2 business analysts
30 full-stack developers
6 html/css developers
10 QA engineers
3 QA automation engineers
1 DevOps
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
A 14 day trial version is available at smartsuite.com. We highly encourage everyone to check out the result of our work.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Open, human, trustworthy. They will never play games on you or try selling you on something you don’t need. For me, trust is the single most crucial thing when building long term relationships.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
People. As technologies come and go, personal relationships remain. Gearheart’s pricing policy is as clear as it could be.They are open and clear about it. It’s publicly stated on their website.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Working with such talented people would make you want to hire more and more. Gearheart.io carefully makes it intentionally to guarantee the highest level of expertise in any position.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Software Development for Business Software Company
Custom Software Development
$50,000 to $199,999
Jan. 2018 - Ongoing
4.5
Quality
4.5
Schedule
4.5
Cost
4.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
“They've produced high-quality code and the whole process has been very smooth.”
Jan 18, 2019
Founder & CEO, Find a Game, Inc.
Lee Blaylock
IT Services
San Francisco, California
1-10 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Gearheart.io developed a frontend for a SAS-based software that is used for managing golf tournaments. The software is intended for both golf course operators and golfers.
The in-house team is highly satisfied and has already expanded the relationship. Gearheart.io went above and beyond to meet all needs, while their ability to ask insightful questions and make valuable recommendations helped them establish a seamless process.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the founder and CEO of Find a Game, Inc.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Gearheart.io?
We needed frontend developers to help us build our software. We were not satisfied with our previous vendor, so we were looking for a new company.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
They helped us build a SAS-based software for managing golf tournaments that are played over a few months. Working alongside our internal team that managed backend development, Gearheart built the frontend for golf course operators and golfers. They used HTML5, CSS, and Javascript for the frontend, while the backend is built in Python Django. They did a great job, so we started another project with them last week.
What is the team composition?
We primarily work with their owner and 1–2 other members of their team.
How did you come to work with Gearheart.io?
They were referred to us.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent between $50,000–$100,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They've produced high-quality code and the whole process has been very smooth.
How did Gearheart.io perform from a project management standpoint?
They do a great job helping us turn our designs into specs. We use Slack and Google Hangouts to stay in touch. They're are great communicators.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They ask insightful questions about our designs, helping us come up with the best option to prepare designs and specs for developers.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They could be a bit more responsive. When our main point of contact is away, we might wait a day to hear from someone.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Schedule regular meetings. I’d recommend having meetings 2–3 times a week.
RATINGS
4.5
Quality
4.5
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
Cost
4.0
Value / within estimates
"They're a little expensive."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Public Facing Web App for Global Community & Knowledge Network
Web Development
$200,000 to $999,999
Sep. 2017 - Feb. 2021
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.5
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"It's obvious that their team is passionate about the work and really care about delivering results."
Jun 27, 2018
Senior Product Manager, Global Community & Knowledge Network
Anonymous
Information technology
Washington, District of Columbia
11-50 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Gearheart is developing a web app. They're creating wireframes, coding the front- and backend, and designing graphics and layouts.
The app receives positive feedback from users for its clean and professional aesthetic thus far. The Gearheart team is passionate and delivers high-quality work at reasonable costs. Their aggressive approach to deadlines exemplifies their aptitude as a top-tier company.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the senior product manager of a tech startup.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Gearheart?
We wanted to build a web app but didn't have the skill set to develop it. We decided to outsource the project.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
We first brought them in to build a simple but full product. However, over time, this project significantly expanded. They're now responsible for building an entire public-facing web app. We provide the high-level requirements and their team conducts the technical implementation. They develop our wireframes using Django, frontend using AngularJS and React, and backend database using PostgreSQL. Gearheart also provides all our designs. Overall, they deliver all the product-related development.
What is the team composition?
We work daily with a project manager and she's been with us since the beginning. We started with one or two developers, a QA, and designers, but the team has scaled over time. They now provide 4–5 developers, two designers, and a QA.
How did you come to work with Gearheart?
Gearheart was the clear choice in all aspects. We were referred to them for their great cost and high quality. Their previous projects were also exceptionally compelling.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested between $500,000–$1 million.
What is the status of this engagement?
The engagement was from September 2017–February 2021.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our users react positively and always compliment our clean aesthetic.
How did Gearheart perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management is excellent, and their project manager is one of the best I've worked with thus far. I credit a lot of our success to their management skills. Their team never misses deadlines or lets us down. We mainly use Slack for daily communication and collaborate on documents using Google Drive. They have their own proprietary sprint-planning software, which is useful. We also use Confluence for documentation, and Zeplin and InVision to develop the designs.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Gearheart delivers high-quality work. They are a good team and enjoyable to interact with. It's obvious that their team is passionate about the work and really care about delivering results.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I have some small issues with them like planning conservatively instead of aggressively and maybe having better audio quality during our meetings. However, I don't think there's anything significant or egregious.
Any advice for potential customers?
Have the right technical background to do product management. Matching a professional with their expertise will help out a lot. However, they're also perfectly capable of working with someone without technical knowledge and explaining difficult concepts.
RATINGS
5.0
"I consider them one of the top 1% of companies to work with."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"In my perspective, their management is really excellent."
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
"Overall, they are exceptional, but little things have slipped here and there."
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"We used to pay double or triple for the same quality. I would give them a five point five if I could."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Compliance Software Application for Broker/Dealer Firm
Custom Software Development
Confidential
Oct. 2013 - Ongoing
4.0
Quality
4.0
Schedule
4.5
Cost
3.5
Willing to Refer
4.0
"We like the work they’re doing and we’ll continue to work with them. Every year it gets bigger and better."
Oct 6, 2017
COO, Growth Capital Services
Amanda Brown
Financial services
San Francisco, California
51-200 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Gearheart is the full-scope dev team for software that oversees compliance, deals and transactions for private placement securities. They are hosted by AWS, and use Python and JavaScript on Ubuntu. They work with internal teams to deliver enhancements and updates.
The system garners good feedback, especially for usability by non-technical teams. Communication is fairly easy considering the time difference and language barrier. They understand niche businesses, and though they could better integrate designers into the process, they’re proactive and reliable.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
Growth Capital Services is a private placement broker/dealer firm. We provide compliance services for independent placement agents who sell private securities. These agents are typically called registered representatives (“Reps”). I’m the COO.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Gearheart.io?
We initially began working with Gearheart through a local IT developer/manager who outsourced to them. When she moved on, we started working with Gearheart directly because we were happy with their service.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
OLIVIA is our proprietary software. It primarily has 2 major modules. The first is Compliance, which “Reps use to report a number of different things in accordance with federal and state regulations. They file forms to describe their activities, then OLIVIA assigns the forms as tasks to the appropriate supervisor for review. The system has custom workflows for approved or rejected forms, and tasks to keep Reps and supervisors organized.
The second module is for Deals. Reps must seek pre-approval for all deal materials they wish to present to potential investors. OLIVIA allows us to monitor at a document-by-document level, enabling us to provide a full audit trail for our mandatory audits.
The operating system they used was Ubuntu. The programming language is Python for the backend and JavaScript for the UI. We’re hosted with Amazon [AWS]. Our web application framework is Django.
We’re constantly in development. We’ve been developing straight for 5 years, so we’re always building cool new features. For example, we recently implemented a HelloSign API. We’re currently working on a new dashboard that shows supervisor efficiency. I can just tell Gearheart what we want to see as far as functionality goes, and they’ll do a mockup. We say what we like and don’t like, and they do a nice job of taking the business need and creating the functionality that fulfills it.
How did you come to work with Gearheart.io?
We initially had a local IT developer/manager that helped build the framework when we were first starting to develop the software. She hired Gearheart to write the code and implement it.
I am not a technical person whatsoever, but I still felt comfortable continuing the project with them. We weekly via Skype, and we keep a running project list to track feature development and infrequent bugs.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve been working with them for 5 or 6 years. We like the work they’re doing and plan to continue working with them. Every year it gets bigger and better.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We receive feedback from users that OLIVIA is modern and easy to use. Some of our Reps are not as technologically savvy as others, but I think they get it and appreciate that there’s a lot of meat and functionality in our software.
How did Gearheart.io perform from a project management standpoint?
We have a standing 9:00 a.m. [PST] meeting on Thursdays, so they’re working with us towards the end of their day, in the evening. If I need to reschedule or we need extra time or extra help, they’re very accommodating. As far as language barriers go, I haven’t had any problems. Our points of contact speak English fairly fluently, so that hasn’t been an issue.
If there’s ever a time when I feel something’s not being communicated well, I just write it out for clarification. Both timing and language support have actually been better than you’d expect.
In terms of deadlines, sometimes things do take a little longer than we expect. To be fair, some projects turn out to be more complicated than originally thought. They do a good job of managing all that.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I don’t have a lot of experience managing software builds, so I don’t have a lot to compare them to. But we’re such a unique niche business; we’re not aware of any other software product quite like ours, and Gearheart has done a good job of understanding our business.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I have the impression that there are a lot of coders on the team. Sometimes we get a very literal translation of what we’re asking for. For example, if I want a certain function, they might give something that basically works, but isn’t necessarily intuitive for the user. They do have designers on the team that they’ll bring onto the project at certain times.
I find that it’s a better when a designer involved for new features from the outset, someone who can think through all those moving pieces. They do offer that, but we typically have to pay extra to add a designer to specific projects. I wish that process was a little more integrated.
Do you have any advice for potential clients?
The one thing that I would say to somebody who was looking to work with them is to make sure there’s a designer on the team early on.
RATINGS
4.0
Quality
4.0
Service & Deliverables
"I’d like to see more thought about design earlier in the process."
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
"We have a lot going on at any given time, and they do check with us to set priorities. If we’ve got 10 things on a list, they’ll ask what they should work on first."
Cost
3.5
Value / within estimates
"They tend to run a little high."
Willing to Refer
4.0
NPS
Staff Augmentation for Digital Solutions Provider
IT Staff Augmentation
$200,000 to $999,999
Jan. 2014 - Jan. 2016
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"[G]earheart’s quality and passion stand out. They care about what they’re building."
Aug 21, 2017
Former CEO, Digital Solutions Provider
Anonymous
IT Services
San Francisco, California
11-50 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Gearheart.io engineers augmented an internal backend software team with skills in Python and Django and high-scalability architecture. The complex database integrated Apache Solr search, MongoDB, and AWS RDS.
Well-vetted Gearheart resources delivered reliable software that supported more than 100,000 customers in 7 languages. They quickly resolved an English deficiency. Their passionate task ownership, cost-effectiveness and “perfect” project management make them a valuable team component.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
The company is no longer in existence. We provided solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses so they didn’t have to hire contractors and consultants. Clients could drag and drop different elements to build solutions.
For example, a real estate agent wanting to build listings and showings could drag and drop a sheet showing dates, customer ID, and name, and then our company would take care of everything on the web, iOS, and Android.
I’m the founder and CEO.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Gearheart?
My co-founder and I have PhDs in computer science and we used to work at Amazon, Google, and Facebook, so we set our bar high. We were trying to find a high-quality, cost-effective team that could grasp and work with required technologies.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
We are highly technical ourselves, so we weren’t expecting someone to give us an estimate for delivery. They functioned more like an extension of our team. They provided expertise in technologies such as Python and Django backend, APIs, high-scalability architecture, and high-visibility systems. Our stack was super complex. It had an Apache Solr search layer and MongoDB and Amazon Web Services Relational Database Service (RDS).
They worked with us on an hourly basis for 2 years. We had weekly sprints. Our CTO built the tasks and projects, and we also had a design team. Everyone worked together on this complex project.
What is the team dynamic?
I didn’t work day-to-day with the team. They would scale up and down as needed, which was incredibly helpful. They were able to hire quickly and fill needed positions. The most resources of theirs we used were 10–12.
How much have you invested with them?
They were paid hourly. We spent between $300,000 and $400,000 over the course of 2 years.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from 2014 to 2016.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Quality was our utmost priority, and second was delivery. Gearheart was amazing. We communicated our requests and deadlines, and they created incredible, highly reliable software to support more than 100,000 businesses in 169 countries in 7 languages.
How did Gearheart perform from a project management standpoint?
They did their part perfectly. We had clear requirements, and we worked in JIRA so that everything was documented. That worked well since there was a time difference.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Vladimir [Founder and CEO, Gearheart.io] and his team were really impressive. He knew how to vet engineers and team leaders. They were amazing.
We’ve outsourced to other companies in India, China, Ukraine, and Russia, and Gearheart’s quality and passion stand out. They care about what they’re building. That means first understanding what they are building and why. It showed in the quality of their work.
They were incredible about pushing back when they didn’t agree with what we wanted to do. We appreciated that because it resulted in a better design.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They felt like an extension of our company. Some of them weren’t completely proficient in English. We weren’t relying on them as a typical outsourcing company, where there was only one contact—we wanted everyone on the Skype calls discussing the designs and features. So they paid out of pocket for team members to learn English, and we subsidized that as well.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
SaaS Redesign for Photography Management Firm
Other IT Consulting and SI
Confidential
Dec. 2016 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.5
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
“We’ve stayed loyal to Gearheart.io, and ... we consider them to be such an integral part of our process now.”
Aug 10, 2017
Project Manager, Photography Studio Management Firm
Anonymous
Arts, entertainment & music
United States
11-50 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Gearheart.io transitioned Legacy code to Django and Angular frameworks for multiple front and backend augmentations, including booking and proposal platforms.
Gearheart.io’s team continues to leave a positive impression with their consistency and high attention to detail. Even as non-native English speakers, communication is excellent and there are no lapses in project management. Their dedication to problem solving is also commendable.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I manage the technology projects of a business workflow management software for photographers that’s been around for about 10 years. We’re one of the top solutions in the industry for photographers to manage their business. We’ve been in the process of modernizing our software stack and moving our Legacy code into a new architecture, which means rebuilding the front and backend of the application. I’ve been facilitating the process between our company owner and both the internal and external teams.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Gearheart.io?
We had a substantial amount of technical development and business logic from our old application. Rebuilding a 9-10 year old piece of software is no small feat, and we’re not a huge business with dozens of developers, so we needed external resources.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
It’s a complicated piece of software, so there was a lot involved. Initially, they were doing small feature development on the site. The first thing they did for us was the citing process for a type of text editing interface where you can offer a contract and variables, then render that to a final client ready contract that can be sent to customers. They then moved onto the proposal process, which involves a contract, payment schedules, and discounts, all of which are presented to the client. There’s also a sort of mini-website where customers can access this information to review it.
Gearheart.io did the photographer proposal frontend and they also did the booking site, which is the interstitial application where the client is presented with the proposal. They actually did the post booking site as well, which is where the client reviews and signs the contract and becomes committed to payment. This element was crucial, and probably the thing that impressed me the most when working with Gearheart.io. They were very consistent with both their timeline and assessment.
The software was built with a Django backend platform and an Angular frontend.
What is the team dynamic?
Gearheart.io has around 4-5 developers at any given time, as well as their project manager, Anna [Business Analyst, Gearheart.io]. We have our internal team, including some QA people, a couple developers, and myself. We’ve never had any conflict with Gearheart.io. There’s a lot of moving parts, which means there’s a lot of code commits that come in. The only thing that ever happens is that we step on each other’s toes with code commits and need to fix certain things. This is just a normal part of development when you’re dealing with multiple people on a big application.
How did you come to work with Gearheart.io?
We had tried out some other companies along the way, as well as worked with overseas development shops in different locations worldwide. We found Gearheart.io through Upwork. We started small with them, and after seeing the quality of their work and project management skills, we expanded our engagement over time. I had two development teams at one point of equal size working on the project. I ended up firing the other development team and doubling Gearheart.io’s workload after I saw what they were capable of.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in December 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our application isn’t in production yet. We did set some aggressive timelines for getting our MVP application finished, which was important to our customer base who were anxiously waiting to use it. Gearheart.io remained consistent in sticking to our timeline and not letting anything slip up.
How did Gearheart.io perform from a project management standpoint?
Their communication skills are excellent. Everyone, including their senior project manager and company owner, speak excellent English. We communicate primarily over instant messaging applications. We write to each other more than anything else, and there hasn’t been any issues.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They employ mostly full spec developers, which is extremely nice when building this kind of application. If you have people that only either do front or backend development, it puts a real strain on productivity because someone is always waiting on someone else. There’s always this huge communication buffer that you need to keep filled to make sure everyone is on the same page. Having developers who are able to look at the entirety of the software makes the process fairly autonomous, which is very nice.
Their project management is their most valuable asset. Anna [Business Analyst, Gearheart.io] is very impressive because of her amazing attention to detail and ability to never miss a beat. Every step of the way, she has validated our assumptions on some of the design and technical decisions. She’s offered alternative ideas and solutions, and has contributed to the overall health of the project outside of a normal development relationship. She’s definitely helped us think through complexities within the app. It’s like having another person who can analyze and deconstruct to point out flaws. This is one of the biggest reasons we’ve stayed loyal to Gearheart.io, and why we consider them to be such an integral part of our process now.
Are there any areas they could improve?
My only pain point is that they use their own project management software heavily. I understand why they do it, because it’s tied into their process, but it would be nice if the entire process had been done in JIRA. They’ve also been using our project management system, so it’s not like they completely ignored our process.
Do you have any advice for other potential customers of Gearheart.io?
I believe there should always be 80% design and 20% implementation. There should always be time or money spent to come up with a thorough application design or document that is in-depth and capable before engaging with companies. These companies will allocate a lot of resources and will move faster than you, so you have to be completely prepared. When you’re not, that’s when things slow down and you end up having to figure things out on the fly, which is how mistakes are made.
RATINGS
5.0
"We’re in totally different timezones, but their developers are mostly around when we need them. I haven’t had any situations where I couldn’t get a hold of anybody. Working with them is great."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
"I feel nobody should get a 5, so let’s give them a 4.9."
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"We got a lot of bang for our buck. However, they’re a little more expensive than your everyday overseas developer."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"The only reason I wouldn’t want to recommend them is because I don’t want them to split their attention with someone else. I have zero hesitation recommending them to anyone.
Web Dev for Media Monitoring Platform
Web Development
$50,000 to $199,999
June 2013 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"They provide different ways to approach tasks. [They want] to help, and they choose simple but also correct solutions."
Aug 8, 2017
Co-Founder, LookSMI
Vitaliy Sidorenko
Research
Kyiv, Ukraine
11-50 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Gearheart.io helped develop a media monitoring platform using JavaScript and Python. They integrated it with several databases, including MongoDB, Apache Solr, and PostgreSQL.
Gearheart.io was accommodating, collaborative, and transparent with progress and results. They help manage each task and support the system all-around, keeping processes simple and efficient. They’ve provided expertise and advice throughout the project, and help keep the platform stable.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We have developed a media monitoring and measurement platform which is being sold to PR managers of big companies. We monitor and analyze all types of media, including social platforms, TV and radio content, and printed media.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Gearheart.io?
We have developed our platform with their team. At the launch of the company, we had a goal of creating a platform which would aid our clients. We had been using old-school document formats like doc and pdf, which were sent to clients every day. The new platform would give them access to reports across the day, and allow us to use fewer analysts.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Gearheart.io developed our platform using Python. We use several databases, including Apache Solr, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL. On the frontend, we use JavaScript.
What is the team dynamic?
The team varies depending on the task. We currently have 2 developers on our project, as well as an analyst and a tester on a part-time basis. During busier times, we used 3 developers. Vladimir Sidorenko, their CEO, has helped us plan various tasks, acting like a manager of the project.
How did you come to work with Gearheart.io?
Vladimir is my brother, and I know that he is a professional in his area, so we chose Gearheart.io.
How much have you invested with them?
The total budget has been around $70,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Gearheart.io more than 4 years ago, at the launch of our company. We haven’t used any other developers.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We have more than 150 clients on our system, including McDonald’s and VISA. We have received feedback from them, and have seen great results. The platform received good marks from the users.
How did Gearheart.io perform from a project management standpoint?
They collaborated with our in-house development team on a weekly basis. We controlled the process, and had access to the progress and results online. Gearheart.io is not only developing our platform, but are also supporting our system, so we are connected daily, discussing the issues around our project and their solutions.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They provide different ways to approach tasks. Gearheart.io wants to help, and they choose simple but also correct solutions. We have worked on all screens and tasks together, and received great advice from them, which was used in our work and in the planning of our platform.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I haven’t had experience working with other companies, but, at this moment, all our processes are stable, and everyone knows what to do and whom to contact. It’s most likely because we have been working with Gearheart.io for 4 years.
Advice for potential customers?
Any company looking to build a product should put together detailed technical specifications, and maintain contact with the development team. There are many possible issues related to the technical specs of a project.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"We have seen great results with clients, based on our platform."
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"They were very flexible in terms of cost."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"I mention Gearheart.io anytime I’m asked for a recommendation by friends and colleagues.