Freelancer or agency: choosing for your project
The freelancer-versus-agency argument is meaningless until the project is named. One is ideal for some briefs and a guaranteed problem for others.
When a freelancer wins
Small, well-bounded work: a one-pager from an existing design, edits to a live site, front-end build, analytics setup. Less overhead, faster turnaround.
Also when you have someone in-house who can specify work and accept it — you are buying hands while keeping control, the most cost-efficient arrangement there is.
When an agency wins
Projects needing several disciplines at once — architecture, design, front-end, back-end, copy, SEO. One person strong in all six is rare.
And continuity. A freelancer can vanish for a month; a studio has cover, documentation and a contract with liability attached.
Reducing risk either way
Pay in stages, keep the domain and hosting in your own accounts from day one, and ask for source access after each milestone.
Check live sites rather than portfolio images: open them on a phone, watch load speed, submit an enquiry. Five minutes of checking beats any presentation.