Vega IT Alternative: StepTo vs Vega IT
StepTo is a 15-20 engineer software team in Belgrade; Vega IT is a Novi Sad company that states 900+ in-house people. Both deliver on Central European Time. Below, sourced from each company’s own pages, is where each one fits.
Reviewed by Igor Gazivoda, Founder & CEO of StepTo · Published · Updated
What Is the Short Answer on StepTo vs Vega IT?
StepTo is the small Serbian option: 15-20 engineers in one Belgrade office, a public rate card of $25-85/hr, and a team that has worked together since 2014. Vega IT is the large one: a Novi Sad company operating since 2008 that states 900+ in-house people, 200+ clients and offices in London, New York and Riyadh.
Pick Vega IT when you need scale, a Salesforce partner or a supplier with a local office. Pick StepTo when one product needs a small senior team, and you want to know the monthly cost before anyone schedules a discovery workshop. The same regional talent market supplies both, so this is a decision about company shape, not about Serbian engineering.
What Does Vega IT Say About Itself?
Everything in this list is quoted or paraphrased from Vega IT's own pages and one EBRD release, read on 25 September 2026. Figures a company publishes about itself change, so check them again before you sign anything.
- Founded and based in Novi Sad. Vega IT has operated "since 2008" and gives its headquarters as Novosadskog sajma 2, Novi Sad (Who we are).
- Scale. The same page lists "900+ in-house innovators", "200+ clients" and "1500+ projects launched", while its FAQ still describes "over 750+" engineers, business analysts and problem solvers (Who we are).
- Where the work happens. Its contact page lists ten locations: Novi Sad, Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Niš and Podgorica in the region, plus London, New York, Amsterdam, Riyadh and Abuja (Contact). Its history pages date the New York office to 2023 and the UK office to 2024.
- Engagement models. "We usually work on a 'dedicated team' basis but we are also fine with 'time and material' and 'fixed price' models when the scope of work is well known in advance" (FAQ). Its services page adds an outcome-based model.
- Funding. In March 2024 the EBRD and the Enterprise Expansion Fund II announced a EUR 3.1 million loan to Vega IT, to open offices in the US, UK and Middle East and hire engineering and sales staff (EBRD).
- Who it sells to. Its FAQ says it usually works with companies from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland (FAQ).
- Platforms. It describes itself as a certified Salesforce partner (Who we are).
How Do Vega IT and StepTo Compare Row by Row?
| Topic | Vega IT (its own figures) | StepTo |
|---|---|---|
| Home base | Headquartered in Novi Sad, at Novosadskog sajma 2 source | Belgrade, one office, which is also the only place anyone works from |
| Headcount it states | "900+ in-house innovators" on its company page (its FAQ still says 750+) source | 15-20 engineers |
| Client roster it states | "200+ clients" and "1500+ projects launched" source | A short list, deliberately: each account is a noticeable part of the company |
| Offices in the region | Novi Sad, Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Niš and Podgorica source | Belgrade only |
| Offices further afield | London, New York, Amsterdam, Riyadh and Abuja source | None; every conversation is with people in Belgrade |
| How engagements are set up | Dedicated team by default; time and materials, fixed price or outcome-based engagements source | Dedicated team, staff augmentation, or fixed price for an agreed scope, each listed on the pricing page |
| Platform partnerships | Certified Salesforce partner source | None claimed; the work is custom web, mobile, backend and AI software |
| How it has funded growth | A EUR 3.1 million loan from the EBRD and ENEF II in 2024, to open offices in the US, UK and Middle East source | No outside funding or debt-financed expansion; the company stays one team |
| Prices on the website | Its FAQ explains engagement models and publishes no rates source | $25-85/hr by seniority; three engineers from $13.5K/month |
| Staff continuity | Not stated on the pages we read | 2.5+ years average tenure on a client engagement |
| How long the team has worked together | Counts its milestones "since 2008"; team history is not stated source | Same size on purpose, one team in Belgrade since 2014 |
When Is Vega IT the Better Choice?
You need twenty engineers, or three teams at once
A supplier stating 900+ in-house people can staff parallel squads and absorb a sudden jump in headcount. With 15-20 engineers in total, StepTo cannot, and we would rather lose the deal than half-staff it.
Salesforce sits in the middle of the programme
Vega IT presents itself as a certified Salesforce partner. StepTo builds custom software and holds no platform partnerships, so CRM configuration, licensing advice and partner-tier support are outside what we sell.
Procurement wants a local office
Some buying committees need a supplier with an address in their own country. Vega IT lists offices in London, Amsterdam and New York. Every StepTo conversation happens with people in Belgrade.
You want a long reference list across many industries
A company quoting 1500+ projects and 200+ clients has references in more sectors than a 15-20 person team can offer. If breadth of prior work is your main filter, that favours the larger firm.
When Is StepTo the Better Choice?
You want the number before the meeting
Our rate card is public: $25-85/hr by seniority, and three engineers from $13.5K/month with management and HR included, with equipment agreed per engagement. You can put a figure in a budget request without a scoping call.
See the rate cardYou want the whole team in one room
Vega IT says its in-house people work across Serbia, Montenegro, the UK, the US and the Middle East. All StepTo engineers share one Belgrade office, so the people on your product sit together and review each other’s work in person.
How a dedicated team worksYou want AI in the architecture, not a separate practice
StepTo describes itself as an AI-first software house: every engagement includes an AI strategy layer, so model choice, evaluation and cost sit in the same design review as the database schema.
About StepToYou want to try before committing for a year
Engagements start with a structured two-week paid trial. If an engineer is not the right fit during that period, the replacement costs you nothing.
The engagement processWhat Should a European Buyer Ask Both Suppliers?
If your shortlist holds two Serbian companies, the useful questions are structural. Ask Vega IT and StepTo the same five, in writing, and compare the answers side by side.
- Which office will my engineers work from, and will all of them be in the same one?
- Who reviews the code on my product, and does that reviewer appear on my invoice?
- Can I see a rate card before the scoping call, or only a quote after it?
- What happens in the first fortnight if one of the engineers is the wrong fit?
- Most engineers at both suppliers work outside the EU. Which entity signs, and will you sign EU Standard Contractual Clauses for personal data?
Our own answers, briefly: one Belgrade office; the reviewing engineer sits on your team; yes, the rate card is public; a free replacement during the paid trial; and yes to SCCs, with the details on our outsourcing to Serbia page. For the wider market both companies recruit from, see the Serbia software development report and our unranked list of software companies in Serbia.
StepTo vs Vega IT: Questions Buyers Ask
Is Vega IT a bigger company than StepTo?
Much bigger. Vega IT describes itself as a Novi Sad company operating since 2008 with 900+ in-house people, 200+ clients and 1500+ launched projects. StepTo is 15-20 engineers in Belgrade. That gap is the whole comparison: Vega IT can staff large, multi-team programmes; StepTo gives a small product team the attention of the entire company.
Sources:Vega IT, Who we are
Do Vega IT and StepTo work the same hours?
Mostly. Vega IT’s offices in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Niš and Podgorica are on Central European Time, like StepTo’s Belgrade office: the same clock as Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels and Zürich, and one hour ahead of London. Vega IT also has people in the UK, the US and the Middle East and sells onsite, nearshore and offshore delivery. For a US buyer, a CET team gives 3-4 hours of overlap with the East Coast working day.
Which of the two publishes its prices?
StepTo does: $25-85/hr depending on seniority, with a three-engineer team from $13.5K/month. Vega IT’s FAQ explains that it usually works on a dedicated-team basis and also accepts time-and-material or fixed-price work when the scope is well known, but it does not list rates, so you will need a quote.
Sources:Vega IT, FAQ
Vega IT says it mostly works with Dutch, British, Belgian, German and Swiss companies. Does StepTo?
Those are the countries Vega IT names on its own FAQ, and they overlap heavily with StepTo’s buyers: companies in DACH, the Benelux and the UK who want a team on their own working day. StepTo also works with US companies that accept a 3-4 hour East Coast overlap.
Sources:Vega IT, FAQ
What do we give up by choosing StepTo instead?
Headcount headroom, a Salesforce practice, and a supplier office in London or New York. What you get back is a team that stays: engineers average 2.5+ years on a client engagement, and at 15-20 people you can check that claim by name.
Where to Go From Here
- Every provider we compare StepTo with, including the larger regional firms in one table
- StepTo vs HTEC Group and StepTo vs Levi9, the other two large names with engineering in Serbia
- Nearshore development from Belgrade for DACH, Benelux and UK teams
- A dedicated React team case study
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