Best AI Staff Augmentation Companies

EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

EPAM Systems (4.6/5) edges ahead of Uvik Software (4.0/5) overall. EPAM Systems is the better choice for large enterprises, regulated industries, multi-team AI programs. Uvik Software is the stronger option for python-heavy AI teams wanting transparent pricing. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software: head-to-head summary

Criterion EPAM Systems Uvik Software
Founded 1993 2015
HQ Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA Tallinn, Estonia
Team size 61,000+ 50–200 (sources vary)
Rating 4.6 / 5 4.0 / 5
Primary differentiator Thousands of certified GenAI engineers inside a publicly listed firm with enterprise security and procurement processes Published rate band, minimum term and replacement guarantee
Pricing model Time and materials for augmented engineers; dedicated team and managed program contracts; rates on request Monthly senior staffing; $50–$99/hr published starting band; specialist roles priced separately
Min. engagement Not published 3 months
Primary tech stack Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow Python, Django, FastAPI
Industries served Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences, Retail & e-commerce, Software & SaaS, Travel, Manufacturing Software & SaaS, Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences

EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software: 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.

Uvik Software

Uvik Software was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, with a commercial office in Ipswich, UK. It places senior Python developers, data engineers and AI/ML specialists with product teams in the U.S., UK and EU, and says about 40% of current engagements involve AI, ML or data infrastructure (per company website; independently unverifiable). Unusually for this list, it publishes a starting rate band and contract terms.

Services and capabilities: EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software

Capability EPAM Systems Uvik Software
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 Uvik Software

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

Pricing comparison: EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software

Criterion EPAM Systems Uvik Software
Minimum engagement Not published 3 months
Engagement models Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team, Managed delivery Full-time dedicated engineers, Dedicated team
Rate transparency Not public Minimum disclosed
Price tier Mid-market Accessible

Target audience comparison: EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software

Dimension EPAM Systems Uvik Software
Best company size Mid-market to enterprise Startup to mid-market
Best industries Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences, Retail & e-commerce Software & SaaS, Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences
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 senior Python ML engineer to a SaaS team, Building data ingestion jobs for an LLM product
Typical project type Full-time dedicated engineers Full-time dedicated engineers

EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software: 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
Uvik Software
+ Publishes a $50–$99 hourly starting band before any sales call
+ States a 30-day free replacement guarantee
+ Python focus fits most ML and data codebases
- Three-month minimum rules out very short trials
- Headcount figures differ across its own pages
- Narrow stack outside the Python world

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 Uvik Software?

A typical fit: adding a senior Python ML engineer to a SaaS team.

Published rate band, minimum term and replacement guarantee. Minimum engagement starts at 3 months. Works best with clients in Software & SaaS, Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences.

Decision matrix: EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software

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 Uvik Software (3 months)
You need overlap with U.S. working hours Neither is nearshore; agree overlap hours up front
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical EPAM Systems

Use case fit: EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software

Use case EPAM Systems fit Uvik Software 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 senior Python ML engineer to a SaaS team Strong Strong Both equally
Building data ingestion jobs for an LLM product Limited Strong Uvik Software

Verdict: EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software

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.

Uvik Software (4.0/5) is worth a look if you need building data ingestion jobs for an LLM product. If your situation matches that, Uvik Software is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

EPAM Systems vs Uvik Software FAQ

Is EPAM Systems better than Uvik Software?

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. Uvik Software's strongest advantage: publishes a $50–$99 hourly starting band before any sales call.

How do EPAM Systems and Uvik Software differ in pricing?

EPAM Systems uses time and materials for augmented engineers; dedicated team and managed program contracts; rates on request pricing. Uvik Software uses monthly senior staffing; $50–$99/hr published starting band; specialist roles priced separately pricing with a minimum engagement of 3 months. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: EPAM Systems or Uvik Software?

EPAM Systems 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 Uvik Software?

EPAM Systems's primary differentiator is: thousands of certified GenAI engineers inside a publicly listed firm with enterprise security and procurement processes. Uvik Software's primary differentiator is: published rate band, minimum term and replacement guarantee. They also differ in team size (61,000+ vs 50–200 (sources vary)), minimum engagement (Not published vs 3 months), and primary industries served (Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences vs Software & SaaS, Financial services).

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