Agency Comparison
Abelium R&D vs Alpdev
Two top-rated AI Development agencies in Ljubljana.
Comparison updated · Newest review
Side by side
Published data on both agencies. Where one side measurably differs, the dot marks it: the higher score, the lower published rate, the larger team, the more recent review. Which of those is an advantage depends on your brief.
| Attribute | Abelium R&D | Alpdev |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | 51/100 | 51/100 |
| Hourly rate | €85-130/hr | Lower published rate: €45-85/hr |
| Team size | Larger team: 10-49 | 2-9 |
| Location | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Founded | 2009 | 2025 |
| Last reviewed | Sep 7, 2026 | Sep 7, 2026 |
What we said about each
Our take on Abelium R&D
Abelium is a research house first: founded 2009 in mathematical optimization and operations research, with EU-funded projects—satellite-based photovoltaic forecasting for grid stability, digital tooling for cattle farming—sitting alongside the client work. The AI-era evidence is its own product rather than a client deployment. so-yesterday.
Reviewed Sep 7, 2026
Read the full assessment →Our take on Alpdev
Nine client references, every one named and every one describing what was actually built: for Polfin, a three-score lead model whose intent score is language-model derived, with a separate cooling layer for churn risk, and a second engagement putting a real-time assistant with live transcription into the sales team's calls alongside CRM and telephony. Bent's assistant is described as deterministic on purpose—it recommends cleaning products by linking to real catalog entries through the ERP…
Reviewed Sep 7, 2026
Read the full assessment →Best for
Where each agency measurably leads on the published data — team capacity, declared specializations, editorial scoring, and rates where both publish them. Use these to match an agency to your project priorities.
Choose Abelium R&D if you need
- larger team capacity for multi-stream or enterprise-scale programs
- disclosed specialization in Manufacturing
- broader service offering — also covers AI Consulting
Choose Alpdev if you need
- a more cost-effective engagement (~65% lower rate)
- closer collaboration at a smaller team scale
- disclosed specialization in E-commerce
- broader service offering — also covers AI Automation and AI Agents
Strengths and watch-outs
Both upsides and risks, straight from our editorial assessments.
Abelium R&D
Strengths
- Optimization and operations research as the core discipline, with published EU-funded research projects behind it rather than a services page
- The architecture of their own platform names the hard parts: on-premise models for confidential data, frontier APIs only where they earn their place, and an audit trail tying every claim to a source
- The GoOpti engagement ran four years and is backed by a client review on a third-party directory
Watch-outs
- The AI-era system is their own product, not a client deployment—ask for an engagement where they built this architecture for someone else
- The named client work predates the language-model era—ask what has been delivered since 2023 and for whom
- At €85–130/h this is the highest published rate in Ljubljana—confirm what research-grade work costs against a scoped delivery
Alpdev
Strengths
- Nine named clients, with each reference stating the architecture rather than the benefit: scoring layers, telephony integration, ERP-linked retrieval
- Design decisions are defended, including a deterministic recommender chosen over a generative one
- The founder's technical background is published and checkable, and the firm is an OpenAI Select Partner
Watch-outs
- No reference carries a measured outcome—ask each named client what changed after launch
- Founded in 2025 with fewer than ten people—ask what happens to support and maintenance as the client list grows
- Several references are recent builds—ask which systems have been running longest and what broke
Service coverage
Where the two overlap, and where each covers ground the other does not.
Industry coverage
Where the two overlap, and where each covers ground the other does not.
Pricing math
What a 12-week engagement at one full-time equivalent (~480 hours) costs at each agency’s published rate. An arithmetic projection, not a quote — real scopes move with seniority mix and team shape.
Abelium R&D
Rate: €85-130/hr
€40,800–€62,400
Alpdev
Rate: €45-85/hr
€21,600–€40,800
At this scope the published midpoints are about €20,400 apart, with Alpdev lower. Abelium R&D publishes Manufacturing work that Alpdev does not — that is the one difference on this page that bears on the gap. If your brief does not touch it, the gap is buying something this comparison cannot see.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Abelium R&D or Alpdev?
- Alpdev is cheaper by roughly 65% — €65/hr median vs €108/hr at Abelium R&D. Published rates cover different things at different agencies — seniority mix, discovery and included revisions are the usual variables — so treat the gap as a question to ask, not a verdict.
- Which has more FinTech experience, Abelium R&D or Alpdev?
- Both agencies show documented FinTech work and have similar industry breadth. Compare directly on the agency profiles: Abelium R&D and Alpdev.
- Which scores higher overall, Abelium R&D or Alpdev?
- Both score equally well overall (51/100). The deciding factor is specialization — see the editorial quotes and Strengths sections above. Full methodology.
- When should I consider both Abelium R&D and Alpdev?
- Consider running parallel discovery briefs with Abelium R&D and Alpdev if your project spans multiple workstreams, you want competitive proposals to compare scope and approach, or you're undecided between the specialization angles each brings (see the Best for cards above). Most engagements ultimately go with one — but the parallel-brief phase is a low-cost way to validate fit.
Read the full reviews
A side-by-side is a starting point. The full assessments carry the portfolio analysis, documented engagements, and the evidence behind every strength and watch-out above.