Two different jobs share the name
Read the offers closely and "FDE as a service" means one of two things:
- An engineer who builds AI for you. The FDE embeds in your team and ships AI into your product or operations. The vendor arms, most consultancies, and the independents sell this.
- An engineer who staffs your customer deployments. Software companies that need FDEs at their own customers rent them under their brand. A.Team Deployed, Appsierra, Brilliantech, and several marketplaces sell this.
Check which one a provider means before comparing prices.
What the market looks like
- Most sell time, not outcomes. The common unit is an embedded engineer by the month or the hour. Fixed-scope offers are rare: Orq.ai's four-week, one-agent engagement on its own platform, Dinacode's fixed cost per sprint, and pilots from CHI Software, Brilliantech, and Phos AI Labs.
- Prices are mostly hidden. 25 of 33 providers publish no price, including every large vendor. Several sell through AWS Marketplace private offers.
- Guarantees are about people, not results. Replacement guarantees are common (Uvik Software, AY Automate, Uplers), and Terminal and Index.dev offer risk-free trial periods. Only Adaptive ML mentions a money-back guarantee tied to delivery.
- Vendor arms come with a platform. OpenAI, AWS, Microsoft, Anthropic's services company, Vercel, Adaptive ML, and Orq.ai build on their own models or platforms.
Every published price
The 8 providers that show a price on their own page, quoted as published.
| Provider | Type | Price as published | How you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brilliantech | Consultancy | POCs from $8,000; embedded $15,000 to $40,000 a month; multi-site pods from $50,000 | Pilot, monthly embed, or pod |
| Phos AI Labs | Consultancy | Audit from $10,000; embedded delivery from $15,000 a month (its homepage says from $10,000 a month) | Audit, then monthly embed |
| AY Automate | Consultancy | Single embedded FDE from $60,000 a year | Full-time embedded engineer |
| Uvik Software | Consultancy | $50 to $99 an hour by role; engagements start at $25,000 (the page shows slightly different bands in places) | Hourly, monthly statement of work |
| Beetroot | Consultancy | $65 to $95 an hour on sample FDE profile cards | Time-boxed mission |
| A.Team | Marketplace | About $25,000 a month for a senior builder, fully loaded | Monthly, per engagement |
| Second Talent | Marketplace | From $29 an hour, payroll and equipment included | Hourly |
| Uplers | Marketplace | "Starts at $2500" (the page doesn't say per what) | Contract or full-time |
Model and platform vendors (7)
AI labs and platform companies selling their own engineers to their customers. None publishes a price, and the work runs on their own models or platform. OpenAI and Microsoft aim at enterprises; Anthropic's services company at mid-sized companies.
- OpenAI Deployment CompanyA majority-owned OpenAI business that places forward deployed engineers inside customer organizations. It is acquiring Tomoro for about 150 FDEs, subject to regulatory approval.
- AWS Forward Deployed EngineeringA $1 billion AWS unit that embeds AWS engineers with customers to build agentic AI systems in the customer's AWS account.
- Microsoft Frontier CompanyA Microsoft business built on the FDE model that embeds Microsoft engineering, industry, and AI staff inside customer organizations.
- Anthropic's enterprise AI services companyA services firm backed by Anthropic with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, and Goldman Sachs, in which Anthropic's Applied AI engineers and the firm's own engineers build Claude systems. Anthropic's page does not use the term forward deployed.
- VercelVercel's own forward deployed engineers, embedded for Vercel and Next.js migrations, performance work, and AI builds on its platform.
- Adaptive MLForward deployed ML engineers who fine-tune and deploy models and agents on Adaptive ML's platform inside the customer's cloud.
- Orq.aiOrq.ai's engineers work inside the customer's team for four weeks to ship one AI agent on the customer's stack, using Orq.ai's LLM platform.
Consultancies and services firms (18)
The largest group. Most sell an embedded senior engineer or a small pod by the month or under a statement of work, and most quote prices after a call.
- BrilliantechAn India-based staff augmentation firm that embeds FDEs, including in a software company's customer environments.
- Phos AI LabsA US AI consulting firm describing its work as FDE-caliber embedded delivery. The prices come from a ranking post in which it lists itself first.
- AY AutomateAn AI automation firm that places a full-time, nearshore embedded FDE and quotes narrower engagements after a call.
- Uvik SoftwareA Tallinn-headquartered software company that places its in-house senior engineers as embedded FDEs.
- BeetrootA software services company with engineers in Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, and Vietnam, building LLM workflows, RAG, and agentic systems.
- EntransSells "FDE as a Service" for AI agent deployment, legacy modernization, and systems integration. Its cost guide puts the market at $15,000 to $40,000 a month.
- CHI SoftwareA software development company selling phased FDE engagements with senior engineers on-site or remote, aimed at regulated enterprises.
- ClearScaleAn AWS Premier partner selling one dedicated lead FDE as a fixed monthly commitment.
- Jefferson FrankSells one dedicated AWS-certified FDE embedded in the buyer's team, backed by AWS architects.
- The Cloud CatalystsEmbeds an FDE from its delivery network for AI and AWS builds.
- Sia PartnersA management consultancy selling FDE as a service in three formats for enterprises.
- IBM ConsultingSmall senior pods of specialists working with AI agents, embedded with client teams on IBM's delivery platform.
- HatchWorks AIAn AI services firm embedding a senior AI FDE or a small delivery team, plus a fractional Chief AI Officer offer.
- &aboveA London AI build partner that hires and manages senior AI engineers and embeds them in UK client teams.
- NextbrickAn enterprise search and AI company selling its senior engineers as embedded FDEs.
- DinacodeA Valencia software studio whose embedded engineers audit a workflow, then build AI agents for it.
- AppsierraAn India-based firm selling an embedded engineer or pod to work inside a software company's customer accounts.
- ILMTECAn AI firm with offices in Pune, Dubai, and Berlin offering embedded engineers. The $8,000 to $30,000 a month on its page is described as the market rate, not its own price.
Talent marketplaces (7)
Platforms that match you with a contract, fractional, or full-time FDE. Several are built for software companies that need FDEs at their own customers, not for teams that want AI built for themselves.
- A.TeamA talent network supplying senior engineers or pods that embed at a software company's own customers, under that company's brand.
- Second TalentAn Asia-focused hiring and employer-of-record platform placing remote FDEs from Vietnam, the Philippines, India, and elsewhere with US startups.
- UplersAn India-focused hiring platform that shortlists FDEs and handles payroll and legal work for India hires.
- Index.devMatches vetted FDEs from Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe, pitched at SaaS companies scaling AI adoption.
- TerminalA nearshore hiring platform offering vetted FDEs from Latin America and Canada.
- Go FractionalA fractional-talent network matching companies with part-time FDEs, with contract-to-hire and interim options.
- SouthA Latin America hiring service that sources and pays remote FDEs for US companies.
Independents (1)
One-person practices selling their own time. Few show up in search yet; the ones that do sell retainers or fixed-scope pilots.
- Rohit RajA solo AI engineer in Bengaluru selling a fractional FDE retainer, with a fixed-scope pilot as a way in.
Rate cards from the market
Four published estimates of what FDE time costs in general. Each publisher sells FDE services or training, so read them as their view of the market, not a neutral survey.
- Second Talent, cost to hire: US freelance or contract FDE: $95 to $142 an hour junior, $119 to $185 mid-level, $155 to $235 senior.
- Entrans, FDE cost guide: FDE as a service $15,000 to $40,000 a month; offshore $5,000 to $15,000 a month; contractors $60 to $250 an hour.
- ILMTEC, FDE-as-a-service cost guide: $8,000 to $30,000 per engineer per month.
- fde.academy, fractional FDE guide: Fractional FDEs at $250 to $400+ an hour (guidance for engineers setting rates, not a survey).
For a full-time hire, job postings in October 2026 put the median US posted base range at $180,000 to $250,208 (260 roles analyzed). The FDE cost calculator turns that into a first-year cost per shipped workflow.
How to choose
- You're an enterprise committed to one AI platform: that vendor's deployment arm.
- You need an engineer embedded for months and have $15,000+ a month: a consultancy or a marketplace contractor.
- You need ongoing help a few days a week: a fractional FDE on a retainer.
- You need FDEs at your own customers: a marketplace built for that, such as A.Team Deployed.
- You haven't shipped your first AI workflow yet: a fixed-scope engagement first, so you learn what the role would do before paying for it every month.
Where my offer fits
The FDE Sprint is the fixed-scope model, sized for founder-led B2B SaaS teams of 5 to 50: one AI workflow shipped into your product in ten business days, at a fixed $5,000, with a full refund if there's no working prototype on your data by Day 5 or the workflow isn't running to its acceptance criteria by Day 10. It is independent of any model vendor. It is not a monthly embed, and it doesn't staff your customer deployments.
How this list was made
On October 14, 2026, I searched for providers selling forward deployed engineers to other companies and read each provider's own page. A provider is listed only if that page offers FDE work to buyers; prices are quoted only as they appear there. Excluded: Palantir (FDEs come bundled with its platform deals), Google Cloud and Anthropic's direct FDE team (careers pages only), Toptal and Upwork (no FDE hire page found), and firms whose only mention of FDE work is a blog post. Where a page contradicts itself, the listing says so. Providers change pages often; corrections are welcome by email.
Download the data (CSV, 33 providers). Free to reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0.
Frequently asked questions
What is FDE as a service?
FDE as a service means buying a forward deployed engineer's time or output from an outside provider instead of hiring one. The engineer embeds in your team, works in your codebase and data, and ships working software. In October 2026 it is sold by model and platform vendors' deployment arms, consultancies, talent marketplaces, and independent engineers.
How much does FDE as a service cost?
Of the 33 providers checked on October 14, 2026, 8 publish a price. Embedded engineers from consultancies run about $15,000 to $40,000 a month (Brilliantech, Phos AI Labs), a senior builder through A.Team is about $25,000 a month, and hourly rates run from $29 for Asia-based engineers (Second Talent) to $50 to $99 (Uvik Software). Pilots start around $8,000 to $10,000. The large vendors publish no prices.
What is the difference between FDE as a service and a fractional FDE?
FDE as a service usually means a full-time embedded engineer billed by the month. A fractional FDE works part-time on a retainer, for example two fixed days a week for at least three months, with scope that moves as the work goes.
Should a startup buy FDE as a service or hire a forward deployed engineer?
Hire when you'll need the role for years and can wait months to fill it. Buy outside FDE time when the need is a project, or you need it now. If the first AI workflow hasn't shipped yet, start with a fixed-scope engagement so you learn what the role would do before paying for it every month. The FDE cost calculator compares a hire, a contractor, and a fixed-price Sprint.
Which FDE providers work with startups?
Mostly the marketplaces. A.Team, Index.dev, Uplers, and Second Talent all pitch startups or SaaS companies, though A.Team Deployed is built for software companies staffing their own customer deployments. The vendor arms and most consultancies aim at enterprises or the mid-market.
Not sure which model fits? Score your workflow in two minutes, then book a 15-minute Scoping Call.