Lemberg Solutions vs needCode: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Lemberg Solutions (4.9/5) edges ahead of needCode (4.3/5) overall. Lemberg Solutions is the better choice for RTOS firmware needing secure boot and direct chip-vendor partnerships. needCode is the stronger option for IoT firmware needing built-in cybersecurity compliance work. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
Lemberg Solutions vs needCode: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Lemberg Solutions | needCode |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 | 2015 |
| HQ | Lviv, Ukraine (offices in Hamburg, Germany; London, UK; Kraków, Poland) | Kraków, Poland |
| Team size | 200+ | 11–50 |
| Rating | 4.9 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partnerships paired with an in-house hardware lab for board bring-up and HIL testing | Cybersecurity and compliance capability built directly into the embedded engineering practice rather than outsourced |
| Pricing model | Firmware consulting, design-phase engagement, full development lifecycle, or team extension/staff augmentation | IoT development and staff augmentation |
| Min. engagement | Not published | Not published (per company website; independently unverifiable) |
| Primary tech stack | FreeRTOS, Zephyr, Azure RTOS | C, C++, Secure OTA update systems |
| Industries served | Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA/IEC 62304), Energy (battery management, EV charging), Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing & Industrial IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive | Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT |
Lemberg Solutions vs needCode: overview
Lemberg Solutions
Lemberg Solutions is an engineering firm founded in 2007 and headquartered in Lviv, Ukraine, with additional offices in Hamburg, Germany, London, United Kingdom, and Kraków, Poland. The 200+ person team builds RTOS and bare-metal firmware on FreeRTOS, Zephyr, and Azure RTOS, alongside secure boot, OTA update pipelines, and MISRA-aware testing for regulated clients. It holds direct partnerships with NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip as primary semiconductor partners, plus an in-house lab with oscilloscopes and hardware-in-the-loop testing for board bring-up. Public case studies include a KONVOI truck security firmware audit and a Caltech medical device port to STM32, and the company holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 13485 certifications with full IP transfer to the client on delivery.
needCode
needCode was founded in 2015 and is based in Kraków, Poland, with a team in the 11 to 50 employee range. The firm builds its cybersecurity and compliance capability directly into the core embedded engineering practice rather than treating it as an outsourced add-on, covering secure OTA update systems alongside standard IoT firmware development. Automated CI/CD and hardware pool management for testing reduce the manual regression work that smaller firmware shops often still do by hand, and the firm also offers staff augmentation for clients extending an existing embedded team.
Services and capabilities: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
| Capability | Lemberg Solutions | needCode |
|---|---|---|
| RTOS firmware development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bare-metal & driver development | ✓ | ✗ |
| Secure boot / OTA firmware updates | ✓ | ✓ |
| MCU & platform migration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Connectivity & IoT protocols | ✓ | ✗ |
| Functional safety / MISRA compliance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Embedded AI / on-device inference | ✓ | ✗ |
| Firmware GUI development | ✓ | ✗ |
| Staff augmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
Tech stack comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
| Framework / platform | Lemberg Solutions | needCode |
|---|---|---|
| FreeRTOS | ✓ | N/A |
| Zephyr | ✓ | N/A |
| STM32 | ✓ | N/A |
| ARM Cortex-M | ✓ | N/A |
| BLE | N/A | N/A |
| Embedded Linux | ✓ | N/A |
| Secure OTA | N/A | ✓ |
| PCB | N/A | N/A |
| AWS IoT | ✓ | N/A |
| RISC-V | ✓ | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
| Criterion | Lemberg Solutions | needCode |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | Not published | Not published (per company website; independently unverifiable) |
| Engagement models | Firmware consulting, Design-phase engagement, Full development lifecycle, Staff augmentation | Fixed project, Staff augmentation |
| Rate transparency | Not public | Minimum disclosed |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Mid-market |
Target audience comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
| Dimension | Lemberg Solutions | needCode |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA/IEC 62304), Energy (battery management, EV charging), Transportation & Logistics | Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT |
| Best use cases | Security audit of an existing firmware codebase ahead of a compliance deadline, Secure OTA update pipeline for a fleet of connected industrial devices | IoT product needing a documented cybersecurity compliance process built into firmware, Existing embedded team needing staff augmentation for a security-focused sprint |
| Typical project type | Firmware consulting | Fixed project |
Lemberg Solutions vs needCode: pros and cons
| Lemberg Solutions | |
|---|---|
| + | Direct partnerships with NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip back up semiconductor-level claims instead of a generic all-chips pitch |
| + | In-house lab with oscilloscopes, evaluation kits, and HIL testing capability covers board bring-up work most pure-firmware vendors outsource |
| + | ISO 27001, ISO 9001, and ISO 13485 certifications plus MISRA-aware testing suit regulated industrial and medical firmware |
| + | Full intellectual property and source code rights transfer to the client on every engagement |
| + | Named case studies span automotive security auditing, medical device porting, and industrial telemetry rather than one vertical |
| - | Does not manufacture finished devices or handle mass production in-house |
| - | Does not obtain product regulatory certification on the client's behalf; the client or a third party owns that process |
| - | Minimum engagement size is not published, so budget fit requires a direct conversation |
| needCode | |
|---|---|
| + | Cybersecurity compliance work is built into the core engineering practice rather than a separate line item |
| + | Automated CI/CD and hardware pool management for testing reduces manual regression work |
| + | Staff augmentation option suits clients needing to extend an existing embedded team |
| - | Team size under 50 limits capacity for very large programs |
| - | Smaller public case-study base than more established firms on this list |
Who should choose Lemberg Solutions?
A typical fit: security audit of an existing firmware codebase ahead of a compliance deadline.
Direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partnerships paired with an in-house hardware lab for board bring-up and HIL testing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA/IEC 62304), Energy (battery management, EV charging), Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing & Industrial IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive.
Who should choose needCode?
A typical fit: IoT product needing a documented cybersecurity compliance process built into firmware.
Cybersecurity and compliance capability built directly into the embedded engineering practice rather than outsourced. Minimum engagement starts at Not published (per company website; independently unverifiable). Works best with clients in Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT.
Decision matrix: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope | needCode |
| You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme | Check each company's engagement model |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Compare: Lemberg Solutions (Not published) vs needCode (Not published (per company website; independently unverifiable)) |
| You need specialist depth in a specific vertical | Lemberg Solutions |
| You need staff augmentation or team extension | Lemberg Solutions |
| You need consulting before committing to a build | Lemberg Solutions |
Use case fit: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
| Use case | Lemberg Solutions fit | needCode fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security audit of an existing firmware codebase ahead of a compliance deadline | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Secure OTA update pipeline for a fleet of connected industrial devices | Strong | Limited | Lemberg Solutions |
| IoT product needing a documented cybersecurity compliance process built into firmware | Limited | Strong | needCode |
| Existing embedded team needing staff augmentation for a security-focused sprint | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Fixed-price build | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
| Staff augmentation | Limited | Strong | needCode |
Verdict: Lemberg Solutions vs needCode
Lemberg Solutions (4.9/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Firmware Development projects. Direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partnerships paired with an in-house hardware lab for board bring-up and HIL testing.
needCode (4.3/5) is worth a look if you need existing embedded team needing staff augmentation for a security-focused sprint. If your situation matches that, needCode is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Lemberg Solutions vs needCode FAQ
Is Lemberg Solutions better than needCode?
Lemberg Solutions (4.9/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Lemberg Solutions's strongest advantage: direct partnerships with NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip back up semiconductor-level claims instead of a generic all-chips pitch. needCode's strongest advantage: cybersecurity compliance work is built into the core engineering practice rather than a separate line item.
How do Lemberg Solutions and needCode differ in pricing?
Lemberg Solutions uses firmware consulting, design-phase engagement, full development lifecycle, or team extension/staff augmentation pricing. needCode uses iot development and staff augmentation pricing with a minimum engagement of Not published (per company website; independently unverifiable). Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.
Which is better for enterprise: Lemberg Solutions or needCode?
needCode 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 Lemberg Solutions and needCode?
Lemberg Solutions's primary differentiator is: direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partnerships paired with an in-house hardware lab for board bring-up and HIL testing. needCode's primary differentiator is: cybersecurity and compliance capability built directly into the embedded engineering practice rather than outsourced. They also differ in team size (200+ vs 11–50), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published (per company website; independently unverifiable)), and primary industries served (Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA/IEC 62304), Energy (battery management, EV charging) vs Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT).
Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.