Top Software Outsourcing Companies UK

Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Lemberg Solutions (4.9/5) edges ahead of Ciklum (4.3/5) overall. Lemberg Solutions is the better choice for UK hardware and IoT product companies needing embedded plus cloud under one roof. Ciklum is the stronger option for UK enterprises wanting an actual UK legal entity to contract with. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum: head-to-head summary

Criterion Lemberg Solutions Ciklum
Founded 2007 2002
HQ Lviv, Ukraine (additional offices in Hamburg, Germany; London, UK; Kraków, Poland) London, United Kingdom (Kyiv-founded; large Ukraine delivery centers)
Team size 200+ ~3,900
Rating 4.9 / 5 4.3 / 5
Primary differentiator A London office and Central European timezone overlap paired with genuine embedded and firmware engineering depth One of the few companies on this list genuinely headquartered in London rather than merely selling into the UK market
Pricing model Flexible engagement models: tech consulting, team extension/staff augmentation, or full project development, rather than one fixed template Dedicated-team and consulting engagements
Min. engagement Not published Not published
Primary tech stack C/C++, FreeRTOS, Zephyr Java, React, Data engineering
Industries served Healthcare, Automotive, Energy, Transportation & logistics Retail, Financial services, Media

Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum: overview

Lemberg Solutions

Lemberg Solutions runs its engineering out of Lviv, Ukraine, with additional offices in Hamburg, London, and Kraków, all comfortably within a one-to-two-hour window of UK working hours. Founded in 2007, the roughly 200-person team specializes in firmware, embedded Linux, and electrical engineering, wrapped in a broader Cloud, Data & AI, and Digital practice, so a UK buyer building a connected medical device or industrial IoT platform gets electronics through cloud from one vendor. Clients include Astronics, Caltech, Ferno, Cellink, and Bosch Rexroth, and the company holds ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certification alongside direct partnership tiers with NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip.

Ciklum

Ciklum's legal headquarters moved from Kyiv to London some years after its 2002 founding, which is unusual on a UK-facing list: most outsourcing companies serving British clients are headquartered elsewhere and simply sell into the UK market. Its roughly 3,900-person team still delivers primarily from Ukraine, spanning full-lifecycle product engineering across cloud, data, and digital work for enterprise clients. That London incorporation gives UK buyers a domestic contracting entity, something several peers on this list, however strong their engineering, simply cannot offer.

Services and capabilities: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Capability Lemberg Solutions Ciklum
Custom build
Consulting
Integration
Staff augmentation
Fixed-price projects
Dedicated team model

Tech stack comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Framework / platform Lemberg Solutions Ciklum
React N/A
AWS N/A
Node.js N/A N/A
Java N/A
.NET N/A

Pricing comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Criterion Lemberg Solutions Ciklum
Minimum engagement Not published Not published
Engagement models Consulting, Team extension, Dedicated team, Fixed project Dedicated team, Consulting, Fixed project
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Dimension Lemberg Solutions Ciklum
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Healthcare, Automotive, Energy Retail, Financial services, Media
Best use cases A UK medtech company needing firmware, electrical engineering, and a compliant cloud backend built together., A UK industrial IoT product needing MCU driver work and secure OTA firmware updates. A UK enterprise that specifically requires a domestic contracting entity for procurement reasons., A large program wanting UK legal accountability with offshore delivery scale.
Typical project type Consulting Dedicated team

Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum: pros and cons

Lemberg Solutions
+ A London office gives UK buyers a local point of contact alongside the Lviv engineering base.
+ Genuine embedded and firmware engineering depth that generalist UK-facing outsourcing vendors rarely staff for.
+ 360° coverage from electronics through cloud and AI under one vendor.
+ ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certification, relevant to UK data-protection due diligence.
+ Full intellectual property and source code transfer on every engagement.
- Narrower fit for a UK buyer who just wants a standard web or mobile application with no hardware component
- Does not run mass production in-house, only development and ongoing maintenance
- Does not obtain UK or EU regulatory certification on the client's behalf, only the technical documentation to support it
Ciklum
+ An actual London legal headquarters, a step beyond most peers' UK sales presence.
+ Large delivery capacity built over two decades of real multi-team program experience.
+ Full-lifecycle product engineering practice, beyond narrow staffing focus.
- Delivery workforce is concentrated in Ukraine, so day-to-day contact is rarely UK-based
- Process overhead closer to an enterprise integrator than a founder-led boutique

Who should choose Lemberg Solutions?

A typical fit: a UK medtech company needing firmware, electrical engineering, and a compliant cloud backend built together.

A London office and Central European timezone overlap paired with genuine embedded and firmware engineering depth. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Healthcare, Automotive, Energy, Transportation & logistics.

Who should choose Ciklum?

A typical fit: a UK enterprise that specifically requires a domestic contracting entity for procurement reasons.

One of the few companies on this list genuinely headquartered in London rather than merely selling into the UK market. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Retail, Financial services, Media.

Decision matrix: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope Lemberg Solutions
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme Lemberg Solutions
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Lemberg Solutions (Not published) vs Ciklum (Not published)
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Lemberg Solutions
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: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Use case Lemberg Solutions fit Ciklum fit Winner
A UK medtech company needing firmware, electrical engineering, and a compliant cloud backend built together. Strong Strong Both equally
A UK industrial IoT product needing MCU driver work and secure OTA firmware updates. Strong Strong Both equally
A UK enterprise that specifically requires a domestic contracting entity for procurement reasons. Strong Strong Both equally
A large program wanting UK legal accountability with offshore delivery scale. Strong Strong Both equally
Fixed-price build Limited Limited Both equally
Staff augmentation Limited Limited Both equally

Verdict: Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum

Lemberg Solutions (4.9/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Software Outsourcing (UK) projects. A London office and Central European timezone overlap paired with genuine embedded and firmware engineering depth.

Ciklum (4.3/5) is worth a look if you need a large program wanting UK legal accountability with offshore delivery scale. If your situation matches that, Ciklum is a competitive option.

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Lemberg Solutions vs Ciklum FAQ

Is Lemberg Solutions better than Ciklum?

Lemberg Solutions (4.9/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Lemberg Solutions's strongest advantage: a London office gives UK buyers a local point of contact alongside the Lviv engineering base. Ciklum's strongest advantage: an actual London legal headquarters, a step beyond most peers' UK sales presence.

How do Lemberg Solutions and Ciklum differ in pricing?

Lemberg Solutions uses flexible engagement models: tech consulting, team extension/staff augmentation, or full project development, rather than one fixed template pricing. Ciklum uses dedicated-team and consulting engagements pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Lemberg Solutions or Ciklum?

Ciklum is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each company before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between Lemberg Solutions and Ciklum?

Lemberg Solutions's primary differentiator is: a London office and Central European timezone overlap paired with genuine embedded and firmware engineering depth. Ciklum's primary differentiator is: one of the few companies on this list genuinely headquartered in London rather than merely selling into the UK market. They also differ in team size (200+ vs ~3,900), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Healthcare, Automotive vs Retail, Financial services).

Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.