Tensorway vs Index.dev: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Tensorway (4.8/5) edges ahead of Index.dev (4.2/5) overall. Tensorway is the better choice for CTOs who want an engineer, not a recruiter, to have vetted every candidate before the first interview. Index.dev is the stronger option for startups that want a 30-day refundable trial before committing to a remote ML engineer. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
Tensorway vs Index.dev: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Tensorway | Index.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 | 2019 |
| HQ | Alicante, Spain | London, United Kingdom |
| Team size | 50–249 | 30,000+ network |
| Rating | 4.8 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Senior AI engineers run a code review and a specialization-specific task on every candidate | A 30-day trial with full refund on every placement |
| Pricing model | Monthly rate per full-time dedicated engineer; hourly or weekly billing for part-time fractional experts; two-week trial sprint; rate card on request | Monthly rate per engineer; direct-hire fee option; 30-day trial with refund; rates on request |
| Min. engagement | Not disclosed | Not published |
| Primary tech stack | Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow | Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow |
| Industries served | SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, Retail and e-commerce, Manufacturing, Logistics, Education | SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce, Healthcare, AI labs |
Tensorway vs Index.dev: overview
Tensorway
Tensorway is an AI engineering company from Alicante, Spain, founded in 2019, and the people behind its delivery process have been building software for more than twenty years. What sets its staffing service apart is who does the screening. Senior AI engineers review each candidate's code, set a practical task in the exact specialization the client asked for and check how the person communicates, so a CTO receives two or three people who have already passed a technical bar (per company website; independently unverifiable). The roles cover ML, computer vision, NLP, MLOps and RAG work. Smaller published projects include an agent that grades GAMSAT practice essays, invoice extraction for a fintech client and ball-hit detection for a fitness game (per company website; independently unverifiable).
Index.dev
Index.dev is a London company, founded in 2019 according to its own job ads, trading under the legal name Index Soft Limited. It calls itself an AI-first engineering talent platform. Its main network has more than 30,000 engineers in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe, and a separate AI unit supplies Master's and PhD-level people for LLM fine-tuning and RAG work. Every engineer goes through five stages of vetting run by people, including a live screening call and technical validation, and Index.dev says about 1% are accepted. All placements come with a 30-day trial and a full refund if the match fails.
Services and capabilities: Tensorway vs Index.dev
| Capability | Tensorway | Index.dev |
|---|---|---|
| ML engineers | ✓ | ✓ |
| LLM / GenAI engineers | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI agent developers | ✗ | ✗ |
| MLOps engineers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Computer vision engineers | ✓ | ✗ |
| NLP engineers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data engineers | ✗ | ✗ |
| Engineer-led technical screen | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fractional / part-time experts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Trial before commitment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nearshore time-zone overlap | ✗ | ✓ |
| Direct hire option | ✗ | ✓ |
Tech stack comparison: Tensorway vs Index.dev
| Framework / platform | Tensorway | Index.dev |
|---|---|---|
| PyTorch | ✓ | ✓ |
| TensorFlow | ✓ | ✓ |
| LangChain | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hugging Face | ✓ | ✓ |
| OpenAI | ✓ | ✓ |
| AWS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Azure | N/A | N/A |
| Google Cloud | ✓ | ✓ |
| Databricks | N/A | N/A |
| Kubernetes | ✓ | N/A |
Pricing comparison: Tensorway vs Index.dev
| Criterion | Tensorway | Index.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | Not disclosed | Not published |
| Engagement models | Dedicated engineer, Fractional expert, Trial period | Dedicated engineer, Dedicated team, Direct hire, Trial period |
| Rate transparency | Not public | Not public |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Mid-market |
Target audience comparison: Tensorway vs Index.dev
| Dimension | Tensorway | Index.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare | SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce |
| Best use cases | Adding a computer-vision engineer for an edge defect-detection model, Hiring an NLP specialist to build an essay-grading or document-review agent | Trialling a Latin American ML engineer for a month before committing, Hiring a PhD-level specialist to fine-tune an open-source LLM |
| Typical project type | Dedicated engineer | Dedicated engineer |
Tensorway vs Index.dev: pros and cons
| Tensorway | |
|---|---|
| + | The technical screen is a code review plus a hands-on task in the role you are hiring for, set by working AI engineers |
| + | Covers the harder-to-fill roles on this list, including speech, edge computer vision and RAG specialists |
| + | A two-week trial sprint comes before any longer commitment, and a poor fit is replaced at no cost (per company website) |
| + | Code, documentation and trained models stay in your repositories, and handover to in-house staff is planned from the start |
| - | No published rate, so budgeting needs a call |
| - | The bench is in the low hundreds at most, so it cannot staff twenty seats in a month the way Turing or Andela can |
| - | AI and ML roles only; a CTO who also needs front-end or mobile engineers will need a second supplier |
| Index.dev | |
|---|---|
| + | The 30-day refundable trial is the most generous published trial on this page |
| + | A separate AI unit for advanced work such as fine-tuning |
| + | Clients can hire directly as well as contract |
| - | Vetting is human-led but not specifically run by ML engineers |
| - | Network figures and acceptance rates are company claims |
| - | Founding date only appears in job listings |
Who should choose Tensorway?
A typical fit: adding a computer-vision engineer for an edge defect-detection model.
Senior AI engineers run a code review and a specialization-specific task on every candidate. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare, Retail and e-commerce, Manufacturing, Logistics, Education.
Who should choose Index.dev?
A typical fit: trialling a Latin American ML engineer for a month before committing.
A 30-day trial with full refund on every placement. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce, Healthcare, AI labs.
Decision matrix: Tensorway vs Index.dev
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want a working engineer, not a recruiter, to run the technical screen | Tensorway |
| You need one specialist for a few days a week | Tensorway |
| You need several engineers working as one team | Neither lists dedicated teams; check team size before signing |
| You want to test an engineer before committing | Both; Tensorway rates higher overall |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Compare: Tensorway (Not disclosed) vs Index.dev (Not published) |
| Your team works U.S. hours | Index.dev |
| You may want to hire the engineer permanently later | Index.dev |
Use case fit: Tensorway vs Index.dev
| Use case | Tensorway fit | Index.dev fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adding a computer-vision engineer for an edge defect-detection model | Strong | Limited | Tensorway |
| Hiring an NLP specialist to build an essay-grading or document-review agent | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Trialling a Latin American ML engineer for a month before committing | Limited | Strong | Index.dev |
| Hiring a PhD-level specialist to fine-tune an open-source LLM | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
Verdict: Tensorway vs Index.dev
Tensorway (4.8/5) is the stronger overall choice for most AI Engineer Staffing projects. Senior AI engineers run a code review and a specialization-specific task on every candidate.
Index.dev (4.2/5) is worth a look if you need hiring a PhD-level specialist to fine-tune an open-source LLM. If your situation matches that, Index.dev is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Tensorway vs Index.dev FAQ
Is Tensorway better than Index.dev?
Tensorway (4.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Tensorway's strongest advantage: the technical screen is a code review plus a hands-on task in the role you are hiring for, set by working AI engineers. Index.dev's strongest advantage: the 30-day refundable trial is the most generous published trial on this page.
How do Tensorway and Index.dev differ in pricing?
Tensorway uses monthly rate per full-time dedicated engineer; hourly or weekly billing for part-time fractional experts; two-week trial sprint; rate card on request pricing. Index.dev uses monthly rate per engineer; direct-hire fee option; 30-day trial with refund; 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: Tensorway or Index.dev?
Tensorway 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 Tensorway and Index.dev?
Tensorway's primary differentiator is: senior AI engineers run a code review and a specialization-specific task on every candidate. Index.dev's primary differentiator is: a 30-day trial with full refund on every placement. They also differ in team size (50–249 vs 30,000+ network), minimum engagement (Not disclosed vs Not published), and primary industries served (SaaS, Fintech vs SaaS, Fintech).
Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.