Best Firmware Development Service Providers

Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Dojo Five (4.6/5) edges ahead of ScienceSoft (3.7/5) overall. Dojo Five is the better choice for product teams wanting firmware with CI and test automation. ScienceSoft is the stronger option for healthcare IoT platforms with light firmware needs. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft: head-to-head summary

Criterion Dojo Five ScienceSoft
Founded 2018 1989
HQ Saint Paul, MN, USA McKinney, Texas, USA
Team size 11–50 750+
Rating 4.6 / 5 3.7 / 5
Primary differentiator Firmware-only consultancy that also sells its own embedded DevOps product, EmbedOps Healthcare IT and IoT platform experience, with security testing in-house
Pricing model Time & materials, fixed project Fixed project, time & materials
Min. engagement Not disclosed Not disclosed
Primary tech stack C, C++, Zephyr C, C++, FreeRTOS
Industries served Medical devices, Consumer electronics, Industrial IoT Medical devices, Industrial IoT

Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft: overview

Dojo Five

Where most vendors on this list sell hardware and firmware together, Dojo Five sells only firmware, plus the tooling around it. The Saint Paul, Minnesota company was set up in 2018 and employs a few dozen engineers, most of them working remotely across North America. Alongside contract development it sells EmbedOps, a DevOps product for embedded teams that runs containerized builds, unit tests and static analysis in CI. Dojo Five is a Nordic Semiconductor partner, and its client work leans toward connected medical, consumer and industrial devices built on Cortex-M parts.

ScienceSoft

ScienceSoft traces its origins to a cooperative founded in 1989 and is now headquartered in McKinney, Texas, with about 750 staff. It has offered IoT services since 2011, with projects such as the AKLOS Health physiotherapy platform, and lists embedded software among its services. Most of its revenue comes from healthcare IT, finance IT, data analytics and security testing. For firmware buyers it is mainly useful when the device side is small and the larger job is the platform around it.

Services and capabilities: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Capability Dojo Five ScienceSoft
Bare-metal & RTOS firmware ✓ ✗
Embedded Linux & BSP ✗ ✗
Electronics & PCB design ✗ ✗
Wireless & IoT connectivity ✓ ✓
Secure boot & OTA ✗ ✓
FPGA development ✗ ✗
Firmware testing & HIL ✓ ✗
Dedicated team model ✗ ✗

Tech stack comparison: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Framework / platform Dojo Five ScienceSoft
FreeRTOS ✓ ✓
Zephyr ✓ N/A
Embedded Linux N/A N/A
Yocto N/A N/A
AUTOSAR N/A N/A
STM32 ✓ N/A
Nordic ✓ N/A
NXP N/A N/A
FPGA N/A N/A

Pricing comparison: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Criterion Dojo Five ScienceSoft
Minimum engagement Not disclosed Not disclosed
Engagement models Consulting, Fixed project, Time & materials Fixed project, Time & materials
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Dimension Dojo Five ScienceSoft
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Medical devices, Consumer electronics, Industrial IoT Medical devices, Industrial IoT
Best use cases Setting up automated firmware builds, unit tests and static analysis for an in-house team, Writing Zephyr firmware for a Nordic-based Bluetooth LE wearable Building a remote patient monitoring platform with BLE device integration, Security testing an IoT product's cloud and mobile components
Typical project type Consulting Fixed project

Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft: pros and cons

Dojo Five
+ Every engineer works on firmware, so you never get a web developer reassigned to your bootloader
+ Clients keep the CI setup, unit-test harness and Docker build images after the engagement ends
+ Nordic partner status and heavy Zephyr use suit Bluetooth LE and cellular IoT products
+ Remote model makes it easy to embed a Dojo Five engineer inside an existing in-house firmware team
- No in-house PCB or electrical design, so hardware has to come from you or another partner
- A team of a few dozen people limits how many parallel workstreams it can staff
- Delivery is North America–focused, which can mean limited overlap for European or Asian clients
ScienceSoft
+ Long healthcare IT history useful for connected medical platforms
+ In-house security testing team
+ Fixed-price proposals available for well-defined scopes
- Firmware is a minor service line, and public embedded case studies are few
- No hardware design
- Better suited to the platform around a device than to the device itself

Who should choose Dojo Five?

A typical fit: setting up automated firmware builds, unit tests and static analysis for an in-house team.

Firmware-only consultancy that also sells its own embedded DevOps product, EmbedOps. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Medical devices, Consumer electronics, Industrial IoT.

Who should choose ScienceSoft?

A typical fit: building a remote patient monitoring platform with BLE device integration.

Healthcare IT and IoT platform experience, with security testing in-house. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Medical devices, Industrial IoT.

Decision matrix: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope Dojo Five
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme Check each company's engagement model
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Dojo Five (Not disclosed) vs ScienceSoft (Not disclosed)
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Dojo Five
You need engineers to extend your own firmware team Neither lists a dedicated-team model
You need consulting before committing to a build Dojo Five

Use case fit: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Use case Dojo Five fit ScienceSoft fit Winner
Setting up automated firmware builds, unit tests and static analysis for an in-house team Strong Limited Dojo Five
Writing Zephyr firmware for a Nordic-based Bluetooth LE wearable Strong Limited Dojo Five
Building a remote patient monitoring platform with BLE device integration Limited Strong ScienceSoft
Security testing an IoT product's cloud and mobile components Limited Strong ScienceSoft
Fixed-price firmware build Strong Strong Both
Extending an in-house firmware team Strong Strong Both

Verdict: Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft

Dojo Five (4.6/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Firmware Development projects. Firmware-only consultancy that also sells its own embedded DevOps product, EmbedOps.

ScienceSoft (3.7/5) is worth a look if you need security testing an IoT product's cloud and mobile components. If your situation matches that, ScienceSoft is a competitive option.

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Dojo Five vs ScienceSoft FAQ

Is Dojo Five better than ScienceSoft?

Dojo Five (4.6/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Dojo Five's strongest advantage: every engineer works on firmware, so you never get a web developer reassigned to your bootloader. ScienceSoft's strongest advantage: long healthcare IT history useful for connected medical platforms.

How do Dojo Five and ScienceSoft differ in pricing?

Dojo Five uses time & materials, fixed project pricing. ScienceSoft uses fixed project, time & materials pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Dojo Five or ScienceSoft?

Dojo Five is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each service provider before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between Dojo Five and ScienceSoft?

Dojo Five's primary differentiator is: firmware-only consultancy that also sells its own embedded DevOps product, EmbedOps. ScienceSoft's primary differentiator is: healthcare IT and IoT platform experience, with security testing in-house. They also differ in team size (11–50 vs 750+), minimum engagement (Not disclosed vs Not disclosed), and primary industries served (Medical devices, Consumer electronics vs Medical devices, Industrial IoT).

Verify all details directly with each service provider before making a decision.