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 | DEPT | Rewire |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | 64/100 | Higher score: 68/100 |
| Hourly rate | Lower published rate: €130-170/hr | €260/hr |
| Team size | Larger team: 1000-9999 | 50-249 |
| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded | 2016 | 2006 |
| Last reviewed | More recent review: Aug 6, 2026 | Aug 4, 2026 |
What we said about each
Our take on DEPT
Signs is the most visible AI work here: a sign-language learning platform using computer vision to check the learner's signing, which reached more than 20 million people in its first week and recorded 20,000 signs learned in ten days. It is a collaboration with NVIDIA and the American Society for Deaf Children rather than a commissioned client project, which is worth knowing when you read it as evidence. The commissioned AI work is more ordinary and more useful as a guide: a return-value…
Reviewed Aug 6, 2026
Read the full assessment →Our take on Rewire
The impact studies are the most consistently quantified set in the register: Eneco's personalized engagement platform delivering recommendations to two million households automatically, a pricing engagement reporting an 11% profit increase, and clinical-trial site selection that widened the eligible patient pool by 40% and picked fifteen sites contributing a quarter of the enrollment target. Named clients run to bol. com, ABN AMRO, Rabobank, Eneco, Heineken, KPN and NS, though the deeper…
Reviewed Aug 4, 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 DEPT if you need
- a more cost-effective engagement (~42% lower rate)
- larger team capacity for multi-stream or enterprise-scale programs
- disclosed specialization in SaaS & B2B
- broader service offering — also covers AI Marketing
Choose Rewire if you need
- closer collaboration at a smaller team scale
- disclosed specialization in FinTech / Healthcare
- broader service offering — also covers AI Consulting
- a higher overall editorial score
Strengths and watch-outs
Both upsides and risks, straight from our editorial assessments.
DEPT
Strengths
- Named clients with figures attached across three sectors: retail returns, clinical search, sports fan engagement
- Computer vision applied to genuinely hard interaction problems, not generative demos
- International delivery capacity, so multi-market rollouts do not need a second agency
Watch-outs
- Signs is collaborative work with NVIDIA, not a client engagement—judge the commissioned cases separately
- Published AI work is weighted toward audience-facing products—ask for an operated system with an SLA if that is what you need
- At this scale, insist on knowing the named team, not the agency's aggregate credentials
Rewire
Strengths
- Publishes outcome numbers on most engagements, including profit and forecast-accuracy figures rather than adoption metrics
- The Eneco platform is running unattended at two-million-household scale, which is a rare thing to be able to check
- In-house academy means the capability can stay with your team rather than leaving with the consultants
Watch-outs
- The most detailed studies anonymize the client by sector—ask for a reference in yours before committing
- Rewire publishes no rate itself; the €260/h figure shown here comes from a third-party directory listing—expect program-scale pricing
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.
DEPT
Rate: €130-170/hr
€62,400–€81,600
Rewire
Rate: €260/hr
€124,800+
At this scope the published midpoints are about €52,800 apart, with DEPT lower. Rewire publishes FinTech work that DEPT 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, DEPT or Rewire?
- DEPT is cheaper by roughly 42% — €150/hr median vs €260/hr at Rewire. 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 scores higher overall, DEPT or Rewire?
- Rewire scores 68/100, 4 points higher than DEPT at 64/100. See our methodology for how scores are calculated.
- When should I consider both DEPT and Rewire?
- Consider running parallel discovery briefs with DEPT and Rewire 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.