Top 10 Software Development Companies for SMBs

‍For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the difference between stagnation and success is just one decision: which software development agency do you partner with?

Whether you're launching a brand-new app or building upon existing software, the right agency will help you ensure better quality, tighter security, and faster time to market. Third-party software developers also typically cost less than hiring and maintaining in-house engineers.

It's just a question of whether or not you choose the right agency.

In this post, we'll take a look at the top 10 software development companies that cater to SMBs.

Let's get started.  

Why Should You Hire a Software Development Company?

Here's a quick rundown of the benefits of hiring a software development agency:

• Expedited access to specialized skills — Hiring an agency can save you hundreds of hours searching and interviewing engineers with specific expertise. This can accelerate your digital transformation or software modernization efforts, especially if you need technologies like AI, Machine Learning (ML), and cloud systems.
• Faster development cycles — The third-party software engineering space is now filled with teams that specialize in Agile methodologies. This results in faster iterations, lower costs, and a more ample window for AQ as well as performance optimizations.
• Focus on core SMB tasks — By offloading software development headaches to agencies, your core team can invest all of their time and energy into other functions like marketing, customer service, and business strategy. Most end-to-end software development agencies also provide dedicated, ongoing support and maintenance.
• Budget-focused scaling — Unlike the fixed costs of maintaining in-house developers regardless of productivity, software development agencies offer flexible pricing based on your actual project needs. This could be full-cycle software development, staff augmentation, project management consulting, and so on.

In some cases, working with a top-tier software development agency also lets you take advantage of emerging tech ahead of anyone else — be it agentic AI, blockchain, and cloud-native development.

And with all that out of the way, let's get to the important stuff.

Here are the top 10 software development companies that SMBs can count on in 2025:

1. Horizon Labs

Industry Expertise: Ecommerce, healthtech, fintech, AI, API, and embedded systems

Founder(s): Sinan Sari

Horizon Labs is an ensemble of seasoned software engineers, founders, investors, and YC alums who are passionate about building products.

Our mission is straightforward: Turn innovative ideas into software that not only yields profits but also delivers enriching user experiences.

With over 15 years of experience each, our team understands what it takes for a product to stand out and make a lasting dent — even in hyper-competitive niches. We offer staff augmentation, talent sourcing/management, AI integrations, MVP building, and more.

Thanks to our YC roots, we're also deeply connected with incubators, accelerators, advisers, and other founders who can help you through virtually any scale-up challenge. To learn more, click here and book a free consultation today!  

2. RTS Labs

Industry Expertise: Fintech, insurance, logistics, real estate, and construction

Founder(s): Jyot Singh

RTS Labs is an AI-focused data and software engineering agency specializing in high-stakes economic sectors like financial services and property management. They're a great fit for forward-thinking companies looking to utilize the latest tech to overtake the competition — namely, AI, Business Intelligence (BI), and ML.

In terms of services, RTS Labs offers AI consulting, data engineering, DevOps, and digital transformation designed to take SMBs to the next level. They also offer platform-specific development services for popular solutions like Salesforce, Azure, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

RTS Labs is well-known for its strong, team-oriented workplace culture that fosters lifelong learning, transparency, and community. This commitment is reflected in their proactive and responsive communication style, which benefits virtually every aspect of your project.

3. Designli

Industry Expertise: Fintech, manufacturing, education, retail, ecommerce, and logistics

Founder(s): Keith Shields and Joshua Tucker

Designli is a full-cycle, top-rated software development agency run by experienced founders and software engineers who started from the ground up. They lend their expertise to businesses at any stage of software development — from design to app modernization.

The Designli team also specializes in helping businesses recover from bad or outright failed software builds. This involves auditing your codebase, organizing your backlog, and defining a scalable "takeover" roadmap that ensures your build will finally align with your business objectives.

As far as experience goes, Designli mainly focuses on developing mobile apps, websites, and cross-platform software through Agile development.

4. AppZoro

Industry Expertise: Ecommerce, food, real estate, healthcare, travel, eLearning, fintech, entertainment, sports, and social networking

Founder(s): Sam Agarwal

AppZoro is an Atlanta-based mobile and web app development agency for usability-focused SMBs across a range of industries — from ecommerce to construction. And with an impressive portfolio of over 200 products, rest assured that their developers know how to build seamless experiences that will attract repeat users.

While AppZoro primarily offers web and mobile app development, they're also adept at other software services like UX/UI design, AI development, and IoT app development. And to top it all off, their team is well-known for communicativeness and organization.

5. Matellio

Industry Expertise: Logistics, fintech, ecommerce, healthcare, hospitality, real estate, and eLearning

Founder(s): Apporv Gehlot

Headquartered in San Jose, AKA "the heart of Silicon Valley," Matellio is an international custom software development company for SMBs and enterprises.

Matellio helps companies navigate the challenges of digital transformation through tech consulting, product design, process automation, custom software development, and staff augmentation. They're also praised for doing high-quality work and delivering on time — both of which are ideal for SMBs that prioritize sticking to project timelines.

For services, Matellio offers a robust lineup of solutions, covering AI, IoT, cloud systems, SaaS, and location-based services.

6.  Coherent Solutions

Industry Expertise: Fintech, fitness, manufacturing, and life sciences

Founder(s): Igor Epshteyn

Coherent Solutions offers custom software development for companies in a select number of niches, including fintech, fitness, healthcare, life sciences, and manufacturing.

The Coherent Solutions team consists of a large, diverse team of global engineers, product experts, and designers — all of whom are essential to creating world-class software products. They're also proven when it comes to AI, big data, and cloud technologies.

What makes Coherent Solutions stand out is its commitment to "Digital Value Creation." This pertains to a development framework that combines value-driven design, AI-enabled data, cohesive platforms, and seamless automation workflows.

If the end goal for your software is to achieve substantial gains in your bottom line, Coherent Solutions might be the best choice for you.

7. Emergent Software

Industry Expertise: Healthtech, hospitality, entertainment, insurance, home security, and SaaS

Founder(s): Jamie Anderson and Mark Bajema

Emergent Software is a full-stack software development company functioning as a technology partner for companies in a range of industries, including healthcare, security, travel, and workplace management.

They offer a clear-cut selection of services, including website creation, custom software development, data analytics, staff augmentation, DevOps, and Azure Cloud services.

Emergent Software upholds a client-oriented culture where they position their designers and developers as a virtual extension of your team. This, combined with Agile methodologies, leads to faster iterations, streamlined collaboration, and a long-term client partnership.  

8. Goji Labs

Industry Expertise: Fintech, healthcare, insurance, SaaS, education, and AI

Founder(s): David Barlev and Adam Sumner

If you envision your software project as your next product, Goji Labs is a good fit for your company.

Founded in Los Angeles, Goji Labs markets itself as a digital product agency that can help you create software that your customers will love. Their services revolve around product strategy, UX/UI design, and top-tier software development.

It's also worth noting that Goji Labs is a highly-rated company on websites like Clutch for great communication, timeliness, and work quality. And if you're the type of business that values these qualities, consider checking them out.

9. BMG Media

Industry Expertise: Corporate, real estate, consumer goods, manufacturing, medtech, healthtech, food, and professional services

Founder(s): Blake George

A lot of SMBs still struggle to establish a solid online presence — mostly due to the lack of a high-quality website with a top-tier user experience.

This is where agencies like BMG Media come in.

BMG specializes in building dynamic web designs that can help your marketing front. They're known to produce quality work and stick to project timelines.

Apart from website-related services, BMG Media also offers custom software development, app development, and creative services like illustrations and 3D renderings. This is perfect for companies currently tackling digital marketing and branding challenges.

10. ScienceSoft

Industry Expertise: Fintech, healthcare, ecommerce, manufacturing, professional services, travel, and real estate

Founder(s): Nick Kurayev

Finally, ScienceSoft is a software consulting and development agency with a long history in key economic sectors, like insurance, ecommerce, manufacturing, and healthcare.

Over the years, they built up their arsenal of software services across five categories: software engineering, advisory, BI, IT support, and security. As such, a number of companies consider ScienceSoft as their go-to agency for anything software-related, including MVP development, software modernization, IT consulting, digital transformation, compliance, and app maintenance.

Best Practices for Choosing the Right Software Development Company

As an SMB, choosing a software development agency is definitely not a decision you can rush.

There are several considerations to look at, especially if you want the best value for money and the highest chances of success for your project.

With that in mind, below are five best practices to remember when choosing a software partner:

• Clearly outline your requirements — Start by defining your project's scope, budget, technology requirements, and business goals.
• Look for similar projects in the past — Inspect the agency's portfolio and assess the quality of past projects that are similar to yours.
• Evaluate communication and cultural fit — While technical expertise is important, alignment in terms of communication and work culture will have a significant impact on your project's outcome.
• Get to know their process — The more you understand their process, the better you can align your expectations, budget, and strategy with what's realistically deliverable.
• Understand their pricing — Research if the company charges hourly, flat retainer fees, or based on staff allocation.

What's Next?

Aside from the tips above, remember that some agencies may offer free demo projects and consultations — depending on the potential client's quality.

If you're serious about software, we at Horizon Labs want to work with businesses like you.  

We prefer to let our work do the talking, so consider booking a free consultation here or discussing a potential demo project. Click here to take the next step!