Best AI Staff Augmentation Companies

Globant vs Howdy.com: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Globant (4.1/5) edges ahead of Howdy.com (3.9/5) overall. Globant is the better choice for enterprises wanting AI capacity on a subscription model. Howdy.com is the stronger option for U.S. startups hiring full-time Latin American AI engineers. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Globant vs Howdy.com: head-to-head summary

Criterion Globant Howdy.com
Founded 2003 2018
HQ Luxembourg Austin, Texas, USA
Team size 28,000+ Not disclosed
Rating 4.1 / 5 3.9 / 5
Primary differentiator Subscription-based AI Pods as an alternative to per-engineer billing Full-time, single-client placements with employment handled by Howdy
Pricing model AI Pods monthly subscription with token-based capacity; staff augmentation and SOW contracts; rates on request Monthly all-in fee per engineer quoted per engagement; rates on request
Min. engagement Not published Not published
Primary tech stack Python, OpenAI, Azure ML Python, OpenAI, LangChain
Industries served Media, Financial services, Travel, Retail & e-commerce, Healthcare & life sciences Software & SaaS, Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences

Globant vs Howdy.com: overview

Globant

Globant was founded in Buenos Aires in 2003 and is now headquartered in Luxembourg. The NYSE-listed company reported 28,773 employees at the end of 2025. In 2025 it launched AI Pods, a monthly subscription for AI-assisted engineering capacity metered by tokens. Third-party reviews say classic staff augmentation runs mainly through Belatrix, a firm Globant acquired, while large accounts usually buy managed pods or statements of work.

Howdy.com

Howdy.com was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2018 to connect Latin American engineers with U.S. companies, and it acquired the Brazilian talent marketplace GeekHunter to expand its pool. Engineers work full time for one client while Howdy handles employment, benefits and equipment. The company now markets itself around AI-capable engineers, and pricing is quoted per engagement rather than published.

Services and capabilities: Globant vs Howdy.com

Capability Globant Howdy.com
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: Globant vs Howdy.com

Framework / platform Globant Howdy.com
PyTorch N/A N/A
TensorFlow N/A N/A
LangChain N/A ✓
Hugging Face N/A N/A
OpenAI ✓ ✓
AWS ✓ ✓
Azure ✓ N/A
Databricks ✓ N/A
MLflow N/A N/A
Kubernetes ✓ N/A

Pricing comparison: Globant vs Howdy.com

Criterion Globant Howdy.com
Minimum engagement Not published Not published
Engagement models Dedicated team, Managed delivery, Full-time dedicated engineers Full-time dedicated engineers
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: Globant vs Howdy.com

Dimension Globant Howdy.com
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Media, Financial services, Travel Software & SaaS, Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences
Best use cases Buying a monthly AI engineering pod for a marketing-tech roadmap, Staffing agent development across several brands Hiring one full-time LLM application developer for a startup, Building a small Latin American team on U.S. hours
Typical project type Dedicated team Full-time dedicated engineers

Globant vs Howdy.com: pros and cons

Globant
+ AI Pods give finance teams a predictable monthly cost
+ Large Latin American delivery footprint on U.S.-friendly hours
+ Public-company governance suits procurement-heavy buyers
- Individual staff augmentation is a side channel run largely through the acquired Belatrix business
- Headcount fell about 8% during 2025, according to Bloomberg Línea
- Pod and token-based pricing is hard to compare with per-engineer quotes
Howdy.com
+ Engineers work for one client full time
+ Howdy covers benefits, equipment and local employment
+ GeekHunter acquisition widened access to Brazilian talent
- Company headcount is not disclosed
- No published rates despite transparent-pricing marketing
- AI focus is a recent repositioning

Who should choose Globant?

A typical fit: buying a monthly AI engineering pod for a marketing-tech roadmap.

Subscription-based AI Pods as an alternative to per-engineer billing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Media, Financial services, Travel, Retail & e-commerce, Healthcare & life sciences.

Who should choose Howdy.com?

A typical fit: hiring one full-time LLM application developer for a startup.

Full-time, single-client placements with employment handled by Howdy. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Software & SaaS, Financial services, Healthcare & life sciences.

Decision matrix: Globant vs Howdy.com

Your situation Recommended choice
You need a dedicated team for a long programme Both; Globant rates higher overall
You want the supplier to own delivery as well as staffing Globant
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: Globant (Not published) vs Howdy.com (Not published)
You need overlap with U.S. working hours Both; Globant rates higher overall
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Globant

Use case fit: Globant vs Howdy.com

Use case Globant fit Howdy.com fit Winner
Buying a monthly AI engineering pod for a marketing-tech roadmap Strong Limited Globant
Staffing agent development across several brands Strong Limited Globant
Hiring one full-time LLM application developer for a startup Limited Strong Howdy.com
Building a small Latin American team on U.S. hours Limited Strong Howdy.com

Verdict: Globant vs Howdy.com

Globant (4.1/5) is the stronger overall choice for most AI Staff Augmentation projects. Subscription-based AI Pods as an alternative to per-engineer billing.

Howdy.com (3.9/5) is worth a look if you need building a small Latin American team on U.S. hours. If your situation matches that, Howdy.com is a competitive option.

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Globant vs Howdy.com FAQ

Is Globant better than Howdy.com?

Globant (4.1/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Globant's strongest advantage: AI Pods give finance teams a predictable monthly cost. Howdy.com's strongest advantage: engineers work for one client full time.

How do Globant and Howdy.com differ in pricing?

Globant uses ai pods monthly subscription with token-based capacity; staff augmentation and sow contracts; rates on request pricing. Howdy.com uses monthly all-in fee per engineer quoted per engagement; 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: Globant or Howdy.com?

Globant 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 Globant and Howdy.com?

Globant's primary differentiator is: subscription-based AI Pods as an alternative to per-engineer billing. Howdy.com's primary differentiator is: Full-time, single-client placements with employment handled by Howdy. They also differ in team size (28,000+ vs Not disclosed), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Media, Financial services vs Software & SaaS, Financial services).

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