Data study
Software outsourcing statistics from 3,218 European suppliers
We analyzed the public websites of 3,218 software outsourcing and IT services companies across 49 European countries. The study counts the services, technologies, certifications, engagement models, industries, and delivery locations that suppliers state on their own sites.
Key findings
- Azure is named more often than AWS. 1,382 companies mention Microsoft Azure, compared with 1,123 mentioning AWS.
- Data and AI is the most common service claim. 1,239 companies list it, compared with 1,045 that list custom software development.
- SAP is the third most named technology. 1,161 companies mention it, ahead of Java and Python in this dataset.
- ISO 27001 claims outnumber SOC 2 claims by nearly four to one. 784 companies mention ISO 27001. Another 216 mention SOC 2.
- Build-Operate-Transfer is listed more often than staff augmentation. 552 companies offer BOT, compared with 265 offering staff augmentation.
- We found no case study for 94% of companies. Only 197 of 3,218 companies publish at least one client case study.
- Polish and German suppliers show different service mixes. 65% of Polish suppliers claim custom software development, compared with 17% of German suppliers. Embedded and IoT work appears more often in Germany.
How the data was collected
We visit public pages on software services company websites and record what each company states about itself. We respect each site's access rules, stay outside logins and paywalls, and collect no personal contact details. Each recorded fact keeps its source page and the date it was first seen.
The figures were current on 2026-08-13. Counts refer to distinct companies with a current fact. A company listing three services appears once in each service count. Every chart names its denominator because many companies omit details such as headcount, founding year, and certifications.
The study measures published claims. Production use and certification status sit outside its scope. Read the certification figures as website claims unless you confirm them with the issuing body.
What software outsourcing companies sell
Data and AI leads the service list, and 738 companies mention generative AI. Web development ranks twelfth among the tracked service claims.
Most claimed services
Companies claiming each service, of 2,871 stating any
An AI service claim now places a supplier alongside 1,239 others in this dataset. Buyers need client evidence, industry experience, or a specific delivery model to judge depth.
The technology stack behind European outsourcing
Azure leads AWS in the supplier claims. SAP ranks third across all named technologies.
Most named technologies
Top 15 by companies naming each, of 2,748 naming any
Cloud platform, head to head
Companies naming each hyperscaler
Azure leads AWS by 259 companies in this dataset. The data cannot show why. Azure and SAP experience appears often enough to include in a European enterprise shortlist.
Certifications and compliance
Certification and compliance claims
Companies claiming each, of 1,538 claiming any
784 companies mention ISO 27001 and 216 mention SOC 2. ISO 27001 is a certifiable information security management standard. SOC 2 is an attestation report on controls. Buyers should ask for the exact certificate or report, its scope, and its current period.
GDPR appears most often, at 1,050 companies. GDPR is a legal framework. A website claim provides less evidence than a current ISO certificate or SOC 2 report.
Engagement models
Engagement models offered
Companies offering each, of 1,673 stating any
Build-Operate-Transfer appears on 552 sites, compared with 265 for staff augmentation. BOT usually covers the setup, operation, and later transfer of a delivery team, so buyers should check the transfer terms and timeline behind the label.
Industries served
Most claimed industry verticals
Top 12 of 24 tracked, of 2,384 claiming any
E-commerce leads at 1,261 companies. Logistics and fintech follow within two companies of each other. Healthcare appears at 792 and biotech at 355, where buyers may need to check certifications, data handling, and regulatory experience in more detail.
Market structure: size and age
Company size
Employee band, 1,118 companies stating a headcount
The distribution has two clusters: companies with 11 to 200 employees and companies with 5,000 or more. Fewer suppliers fall in the middle bands. Published headcount data is available for 1,118 companies.
Founding cohorts
1,390 companies stating a founding year
The largest founding cohort is 2015 to 2019, with 329 companies. The post-2020 count may be understated because younger firms have had less time to enter the source lists and may omit a founding year.
How specialised are suppliers?
Services claimed per company
2,871 companies. Median 4, mean 5.2
Half of the suppliers with service data list four services or fewer. Another 244 companies list at least twelve of the 24 tracked services. A long service list shows breadth of positioning. Case studies and named specialists provide stronger evidence of depth.
Service mix by country
Raw counts reflect the number of companies captured in each country. The table uses each country's own supplier count as the denominator, which makes the service mix easier to compare across markets.
Service mix by market
Share of each market's companies claiming each service. Top 10 markets by company count
| Market | Custom software | Data and AI | DevOps and cloud | Embedded and IoT | Data analytics | Mobile dev | Cybersecurity | Digital transf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polandn=167 | 65% | 59% | 51% | 50% | 40% | 53% | 32% | 33% |
| Germanyn=1022 | 17% | 32% | 34% | 34% | 30% | 17% | 23% | 18% |
| Netherlandsn=185 | 32% | 42% | 30% | 32% | 21% | 19% | 19% | 19% |
| Switzerlandn=179 | 17% | 30% | 47% | 26% | 25% | 17% | 23% | 16% |
| Italyn=123 | 18% | 44% | 17% | 42% | 40% | 20% | 33% | 38% |
| United Kingdomn=111 | 42% | 55% | 34% | 40% | 37% | 37% | 38% | 41% |
| Francen=100 | 23% | 47% | 35% | 37% | 35% | 23% | 26% | 34% |
| Austrian=100 | 28% | 32% | 34% | 37% | 26% | 23% | 20% | 15% |
| Czechian=84 | 29% | 39% | 29% | 48% | 26% | 33% | 18% | 21% |
| Finlandn=79 | 59% | 48% | 38% | 46% | 28% | 25% | 29% | 28% |
65% of Polish suppliers claim custom software development and 53% claim mobile development. Each service appears on 17% of German supplier sites. German suppliers more often list embedded and IoT work, DevOps, and cloud. Cloud services appear on 47% of Swiss supplier sites and 17% of Italian sites in this sample.
Country is a useful starting filter only when the local service mix matches the work. Buyers still need to check company-level evidence, rates, language, time zone, and legal terms.
Coverage by country
| Country | Companies | Share of corpus |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1,022 | 32% |
| Netherlands | 185 | 6% |
| Switzerland | 179 | 6% |
| Poland | 167 | 5% |
| Italy | 123 | 4% |
| United Kingdom | 111 | 3% |
| France | 100 | 3% |
| Austria | 100 | 3% |
| Czechia | 84 | 3% |
| Finland | 79 | 2% |
| Denmark | 73 | 2% |
| Belgium | 66 | 2% |
Germany makes up 32% of the corpus because of how the source list was seeded. This sample cannot estimate Germany's share of the European outsourcing market. The concentration also affects every corpus-wide average on the page.
The proof gap
We found 1,225 case studies across 197 of the 3,218 companies. We found none for the other 94%.
Service and technology claims are common, and 1,538 companies mention a certification. Published client work is far less common. Buyers can use relevant case studies to narrow a shortlist, then verify the client, project scope, and result. Suppliers can make those checks easier by publishing specific outcomes and delivery details.
What this data cannot tell you
These limits define what the figures can support.
- Coverage: Europe. All 49 countries are European or adjacent, and Germany accounts for 32% of the corpus. India, the United States, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific sit outside the study.
- Evidence: published claims. Certification status and production technology use require separate verification.
- Pricing: excluded. Most suppliers publish no rates, so the public pages cannot support a rate-card comparison.
- Time: one snapshot. The current corpus has too little history for a reliable year-on-year trend.
Frequently asked questions
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