Advantages of Hiring an Independent Developer

The main reason for hiring an independent web developer is to save money. A freelance designer has little or no overhead and hopefully, transparent and flexible prices. You pay low rates and still get quality work.

When you hire a freelance designer, you deal directly with the builder instead of a CEO or project manager. You will have a more personal relationship and therefore, more say in the outcome of your project.

Dealing with one person goes much faster than having to channel your feedback through a team of people.

If one's living depends on delivering quality work, on time and within budget, they will have an invested interest in doing so. I don't believe you need to hire a big firm in order to get reliable, good quality service. In fact, it's possible that one of the team members handling your project is still wet behind the ears.

(I'll share my secret: that's how I learned - by making mistakes as part of a development team).