Agencies, particular those with remote workers, often span multiple timezones which means you can have someone available to support you around the clock. If it's more of a 'traditional' agency you can expect typical 9am-5pm Monday-Friday availability.

With larger teams, they're equipped to scale and can handle fluctuating workloads better than a freelancer. Larger teams with overlapping skills keep you covered over holidays, illnesses and other time out of the office.

Your freelancer's availability will depend on their individual workload and other commitments. If they're fully committed, your project will have to wait until they're able to pick it back up again. They may also have different bill rates for different clients and your prioritization may shift accordingly. 

One of the draws to being a freelancer is that you can set your own schedule. While some will prefer to work 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, others will not. 

Freelancers are responsible for their own work which can be a blessing if they have enough capacity. They're not limited to 9am-5pm or capped by their salary and may choose to work extra hours to churn out your project quickly. 

Turnaround time for questions

This ties back to 'Expertise'

Cost per deliverable/hour

Agencies tend to cost more than freelancers as they have to charge more to pay their staff + add some buffer to cover their own agency costs. 

Agency rates can differer a lot from agency to agency.

Freelancers tend to cost less than an agency (no middle man/ less overhead/ fewer hidden costs). You may also find that freelancers with different specialities and in different locations charge different rates as their costs and market conditions are different. 

If you do not care about location, you can find excellent freelancers around the world. 

Varies wildly based upon the deliverable and the person who is doing it. 

Varies wildly based upon the deliverable and the person who is doing it.  

Some agencies have standardized templates and will invest more time for a 'polished' and professional looking documentation, but others won't. Generally speaking, agencies will have fancier decks as they have more resources to support their internal teams and their clients.

For both agencies and freelancers, you'll get an idea of what their presentation standards are while you're going through the sales cycle.

Agencies have more capacity and flexibility and may find it easier to accommodate a last-minute request. However, some agencies do have 'rush work' fees associated with shifting due dates and requirements. 

Some agencies are quick while others are slow. When interviewing your agency ask them a few questions about timelines to get a better feel for what to expect when working with them. 

Freelancers have limited capacity, might be less likely to take on last-minute requests. 

You may not always get a choice of, or get along with, the key stakeholders who get placed on your account. With a large team you have the benefit of being able to ask for a different account manager or specialist. If a key stakeholder leaves you'll have better transition and continuity in the agency model. 

You will have a direct 1:1 relationship with the person working on your account. You will be able to build that relationship and you'll know who is working on your account. The downside to this is if they take on another job or cannot take on your work, your transition to someone else will require building a new relationship. 

If you're looking for someone to be a long-term partner for your business, both agencies and freelancers can be good options but ultimately it depends upon what you need and how much you are able to pay.

Generally speaking, freelancers are more tactical partners who will move your idea from concept to creation.