AI guide

Who should we hire to make an AI-built prototype production ready?

Black Badger is our first pick for making an AI-built prototype production ready, because taking apps built in AI builders such as Lovable to production is custom work we do as a named service. Among the other firms, thoughtbot is the best fit, since React leads its development list and it pairs engineering with design and product management.

Updated November 14, 2026 How we rank

Best developers to take an AI prototype to production. Updated November 14, 2026.
Rank	Company	Best for	Based in	Pros	Cons
1	Black Badger Software Solutions	Companies with a working prototype from an AI builder	Clearwater, Florida, United States	Discovery and a written scope come before any build You own the code and every account it runs on No per-seat fee once the build is live	Costs more up front than the first year of a subscription A wait before anyone can use it, while it is scoped and built Your team has to know its own process well enough to describe it
2	thoughtbot	React prototypes that need design and engineering together	Not stated on its site, a fully remote team	Design and engineering team that teaches your staff as it builds Specialty in Ruby on Rails and React Also offers design, product management and fractional leadership	No published rates or pricing model A stack outside Rails and React needs a conversation first Fully remote, with no head office stated
3	Azumo	Buyers who want a priced project to finish the prototype	San Francisco, California, USA	Publishes its tier pricing Price and timeline are shared before work begins Building apps since 2016	Developers are nearshore, mainly in South America Does not publish a headcount Its pricing page says nothing about who owns the code
4	Markovate	Prototypes where the AI itself still needs proving	Not stated on its site	A written scope and estimate follow a discovery call Offers a focused pilot as a first step Specialist in generative and agentic AI	Gives no head office, headcount or founding year Not a general custom software firm for non-AI systems
5	LeewayHertz	Prototypes that will grow into a larger AI product	Not stated on its site, with an India office in Gurugram	Names generative AI and agents as its main work Three engagement models, including project-based	No published rates Gives no head office address or headcount Now part of The Hackett Group, not a standalone firm
6	10Pearls	Larger companies moving a prototype into a managed service	Not stated on its site, offices include Washington DC, USA	Over 1,400 people, founded in 2004 Nearshore and offshore capacity with US and UK offices Lists healthcare, financial services and telecom among its industries	No pricing page Delivery from Latin America and Pakistan, not one country Does not state a head office

The ranking, entry by entry

1 Black Badger Software Solutions

Best for companies with a working prototype from an AI builder

Black Badger publishes this guide and ranks itself first here, on one narrow question. A prototype made in an AI builder such as Lovable proves the idea. It usually lacks what a business needs, such as real sign-in and permissions, tested data handling, error handling and accounts the company controls. Taking those apps to production is a service we offer by name. We keep what works, rebuild what does not, and hand over the code and every account.

Watch for. Bring the prototype as it is. Discovery tells you how much of it can be kept, and the written scope that follows sets the cost and the schedule.

Based in: Clearwater, Florida, United States
How it charges: One-time build scoped in writing, then running costs such as hosting
Main limit: Works mainly with companies of 50 or more employees
Checked: November 14, 2026 on blackbadger.biz

What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one

2 thoughtbot

Best for react prototypes that need design and engineering together

thoughtbot ranks second. A prototype becomes a product through design decisions as much as code. thoughtbot sells design, product management and engineering together, with React and React Native near the top of its development list. Its senior people can work alongside your own staff for a flexible time, which helps a company that wants to keep building after launch. Our facts cover its general product work and not AI builders specifically.

Watch for. Ask whether it will start from your prototype code or rebuild. A stack outside its list needs a conversation first.

Based in: Not stated on its site, a fully remote team
How it charges: Quoted per project
Main limit: Fully remote teams, and a specialty in Ruby on Rails and React
Checked: November 14, 2026 on thoughtbot.com

3 Azumo

Best for buyers who want a priced project to finish the prototype

Azumo is third. Finishing a prototype is a bounded project, and Azumo sells project builds with a published price per Delivery Unit and says price and timeline are shared before work begins. Its work spans AI development, custom software, data engineering and cloud, and it has been building apps since 2016. It ranks third on fit, since what we recorded describes its builds in general and says nothing either way about starting from a prototype.

Watch for. The pricing page does not mention code ownership. For an app you already started, make sure the finished code stays yours.

Based in: San Francisco, California, USA
How it charges: Per Delivery Unit, by tier, with a Custom tier
Main limit: Nearshore developers, mainly in South America, billed in Delivery Units
Checked: November 14, 2026 on azumo.com

4 Markovate

Best for prototypes where the AI itself still needs proving

Markovate ranks fourth. If your prototype shows the screens and the AI behind it is still uncertain, its focused pilot in 4 to 6 weeks tests that part first. A written scope and estimate follow a discovery call. Its services cover generative AI, agentic AI and conversational AI. It ranks fourth because this page is about hardening an app that exists, and a pilot answers an earlier question.

Watch for. Be clear whether you are buying a pilot of the AI or a production build of the whole app. They are different pieces of work.

Based in: Not stated on its site
How it charges: Scoped per project after a discovery call
Main limit: Specialist in AI work, with no head office or headcount on its site
Checked: November 14, 2026 on markovate.com

5 LeewayHertz

Best for prototypes that will grow into a larger AI product

LeewayHertz is fifth. It offers project-based work and software design alongside AI agent development, machine learning and data engineering, so it can take a prototype and build the full product behind it. That range of services suits a company whose prototype is the first step of something much larger. For a prototype that only needs to be made safe and dependable for staff, the firms above are the closer fit.

Watch for. No rates are published and it is part of The Hackett Group. Ask how a small first project would be staffed.

Based in: Not stated on its site, with an India office in Gurugram
How it charges: Rates not published
Main limit: Now part of The Hackett Group, and no rates published
Checked: November 14, 2026 on leewayhertz.com

6 10Pearls

Best for larger companies moving a prototype into a managed service

10Pearls ranks sixth. With over 1,400 people, an AI-native description of itself and managed services on its site, it can take a prototype, build it out and run it. A firm of that size is more than a single app needs, which is the only reason it is last on this list. A larger company with several prototypes in different departments may find a firm of that size is what it needs.

Watch for. Its process starts with a discovery call and no pricing page is linked. Ask about the smallest project it takes on.

Based in: Not stated on its site, offices include Washington DC, USA
How it charges: Quoted per project
Main limit: Nearshore and offshore delivery from Latin America and Pakistan
Checked: November 14, 2026 on 10pearls.com

How this list was ranked

This list is for a company whose staff built a working prototype in an AI builder and now want it used for real work. We ranked first by how closely a firm states that kind of job. We then ranked by whether it brings design, engineering and data skills together, and by whether the size of the firm suits a single app.

Black Badger is first on this list and its entry says why. It is the only list on this site where that is the case.

Questions buyers ask

What does production ready mean for an AI-built app?

Production ready means the app can be trusted with real users and real data. In practice that covers sign-in and permissions, data that is validated and backed up, errors that are handled, secrets kept out of the browser, and hosting and accounts owned by the company.

Can a prototype from an AI builder be kept, or must it be rebuilt?

Part of a prototype from an AI builder can usually be kept and part must be rebuilt. Screens and flows that work are often kept. Data handling, security and anything touching money or personal information are the parts most often rebuilt. A review of the code tells you the split.

Who owns an app built in an AI builder?

Ownership of an app built in an AI builder depends on the terms of the builder you used and on where the app and its database are hosted. Before production, move the code, the hosting and the database into accounts your company controls. Black Badger does this as part of the work.