Best AI Staff Augmentation Companies

EPAM Systems vs Nearsure: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

EPAM Systems (4.6/5) edges ahead of Nearsure (3.9/5) overall. EPAM Systems is the better choice for large enterprises, regulated industries, multi-team AI programs. Nearsure is the stronger option for U.S. teams adding Latin American GenAI developers. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

EPAM Systems vs Nearsure: head-to-head summary

Criterion EPAM Systems Nearsure
Founded 1993 2018
HQ Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA Montevideo, Uruguay (U.S.-incorporated)
Team size 61,000+ 500–850 (sources vary)
Rating 4.6 / 5 3.9 / 5
Primary differentiator Thousands of certified GenAI engineers inside a publicly listed firm with enterprise security and procurement processes Augmentation-first business model with a growing AI studio
Pricing model Time and materials for augmented engineers; dedicated team and managed program contracts; rates on request Monthly staff augmentation rates; project development; rates on request
Min. engagement Not published Not published
Primary tech stack Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow Python, OpenAI, AWS
Industries served Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences, Retail & e-commerce, Software & SaaS, Travel, Manufacturing Software & SaaS, Healthcare & life sciences, Financial services

EPAM Systems vs Nearsure: overview

EPAM Systems

EPAM Systems was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, with roughly 61,000 employees across delivery centers in Europe, the Americas and Asia. It is a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. On its Q2 2026 earnings call, management said EPAM had more than 5,700 Anthropic-certified engineers and was among the five largest certified partners worldwide, with AI-native work making up about 11% of revenue. EPAM employs its engineers directly and sells them as augmented capacity, dedicated teams or managed programs, though most large accounts end up in the managed model.

Nearsure

Nearsure started operations in 2018 under co-founder and CEO Giuliana Corbo and is described by Bloomberg as a Uruguayan IT services company, though it is incorporated in the United States. Bloomberg reported a 2024 plan to grow to about 850 staff. Remote staff augmentation for U.S. clients is its core business, and the service list has widened to generative AI, cloud migration and Salesforce work through a Data & AI studio.

Services and capabilities: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

Capability EPAM Systems Nearsure
LLM / GenAI engineers ✓ ✓
MLOps & deployment ✓ ✗
Computer vision ✗ ✗
Data engineering ✓ ✓
AI agent development ✓ ✗
Fractional / part-time experts ✗ ✗
Risk-free trial period ✗ ✗
Nearshore time-zone overlap ✗ ✓

Tech stack comparison: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

Framework / platform EPAM Systems Nearsure
PyTorch ✓ N/A
TensorFlow ✓ N/A
LangChain ✓ N/A
Hugging Face N/A N/A
OpenAI ✓ ✓
AWS ✓ ✓
Azure ✓ ✓
Databricks ✓ N/A
MLflow N/A N/A
Kubernetes ✓ N/A

Pricing comparison: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

Criterion EPAM Systems Nearsure
Minimum engagement Not published Not published
Engagement models Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team, Managed delivery Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

Dimension EPAM Systems Nearsure
Best company size Mid-market to enterprise Startup to mid-market
Best industries Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences, Retail & e-commerce Software & SaaS, Healthcare & life sciences, Financial services
Best use cases Adding a 15-person GenAI squad to a bank's existing platform team, Rolling out agentic workflows across several business units under one master agreement Adding a GenAI developer to a U.S. SaaS team, Staffing data engineers for a cloud migration
Typical project type Full-time dedicated engineers Full-time dedicated engineers

EPAM Systems vs Nearsure: pros and cons

EPAM Systems
+ A Q2 2026 earnings call put its Anthropic-certified engineer count above 5,700, the largest verified GenAI bench on this list
+ Public-company reporting, audited financials and mature security reviews make vendor onboarding easier at banks and insurers
+ Can staff ten or more AI engineers in parallel across several time zones without running out of senior people
+ Deep data-platform practice means LLM work and the data engineering under it can come from one supplier
- Rates are among the highest on this list and are only shared after scoping
- Small requests for one or two engineers rarely get the same attention as large programs
- Engagements tend to drift toward managed delivery, which moves decisions away from your own team
Nearsure
+ Staff augmentation is the main business, so processes are built around it
+ Latin American engineers on U.S. hours
+ Has been profitable since early in its history, per AméricaEconomía
- AI is a newer studio inside a general staffing company
- Headcount reports vary between 525 and 850
- HQ location differs between sources

Who should choose EPAM Systems?

A typical fit: adding a 15-person GenAI squad to a bank's existing platform team.

Thousands of certified GenAI engineers inside a publicly listed firm with enterprise security and procurement processes. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences, Retail & e-commerce, Software & SaaS, Travel, Manufacturing.

Who should choose Nearsure?

A typical fit: adding a GenAI developer to a U.S. SaaS team.

Augmentation-first business model with a growing AI studio. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Software & SaaS, Healthcare & life sciences, Financial services.

Decision matrix: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

Your situation Recommended choice
You need a dedicated team for a long programme Both; EPAM Systems rates higher overall
You want the supplier to own delivery as well as staffing EPAM Systems
You need one expert part-time Neither lists part-time experts; ask about reduced hours
You want to test an engineer before signing for months Neither publishes a trial; ask for a short first term
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: EPAM Systems (Not published) vs Nearsure (Not published)
You need overlap with U.S. working hours Nearsure
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical EPAM Systems

Use case fit: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

Use case EPAM Systems fit Nearsure fit Winner
Adding a 15-person GenAI squad to a bank's existing platform team Strong Strong Both equally
Rolling out agentic workflows across several business units under one master agreement Strong Limited EPAM Systems
Adding a GenAI developer to a U.S. SaaS team Strong Strong Both equally
Staffing data engineers for a cloud migration Limited Strong Nearsure

Verdict: EPAM Systems vs Nearsure

EPAM Systems (4.6/5) is the stronger overall choice for most AI Staff Augmentation projects. Thousands of certified GenAI engineers inside a publicly listed firm with enterprise security and procurement processes.

Nearsure (3.9/5) is worth a look if you need staffing data engineers for a cloud migration. If your situation matches that, Nearsure is a competitive option.

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EPAM Systems vs Nearsure FAQ

Is EPAM Systems better than Nearsure?

EPAM Systems (4.6/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. EPAM Systems's strongest advantage: a Q2 2026 earnings call put its Anthropic-certified engineer count above 5,700, the largest verified GenAI bench on this list. Nearsure's strongest advantage: staff augmentation is the main business, so processes are built around it.

How do EPAM Systems and Nearsure differ in pricing?

EPAM Systems uses time and materials for augmented engineers; dedicated team and managed program contracts; rates on request pricing. Nearsure uses monthly staff augmentation rates; project development; rates on request pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: EPAM Systems or Nearsure?

Nearsure 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 EPAM Systems and Nearsure?

EPAM Systems's primary differentiator is: thousands of certified GenAI engineers inside a publicly listed firm with enterprise security and procurement processes. Nearsure's primary differentiator is: augmentation-first business model with a growing AI studio. They also differ in team size (61,000+ vs 500–850 (sources vary)), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences vs Software & SaaS, Healthcare & life sciences).

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