DE Design Works vs Rigado: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
DE Design Works (4.4/5) edges ahead of Rigado (4.3/5) overall. DE Design Works is the better choice for industrial and medical products needing PCB design with firmware. Rigado is the stronger option for commercial IoT deployments needing pre-certified BLE modules and firmware. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
DE Design Works vs Rigado: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | DE Design Works | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 | 2010 |
| HQ | Chesterfield, Missouri, USA | Portland and Salem, Oregon, USA (also London, UK and Shenzhen, China) |
| Team size | 11–50 | 12–17 |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Pairs custom PCB hardware design with firmware development for industrial, medical, and military clients | Pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts |
| Pricing model | Contract electronics and firmware design | Product and firmware engagements, plus module and hardware sales |
| Min. engagement | Not published | Not published |
| Primary tech stack | Embedded C, PCB design tools, IoT connectivity modules | BLE, 802.15.4, Edge computing platforms |
| Industries served | Industrial, Medical, Military | Retail IoT, Smart buildings, Asset tracking |
DE Design Works vs Rigado: overview
DE Design Works
DE Design Works was founded in 2002 and is based in Chesterfield, Missouri, with a team in the 11 to 50 employee range. The firm pairs custom PCB hardware design with embedded firmware development for industrial, medical, and military clients, which reduces handoff friction on projects where hardware and firmware need to be co-designed rather than contracted separately. Public case studies and named clients are limited, so most specific claims beyond the company's core services rely on its own materials.
Rigado
Rigado was founded in 2010 by Justin Rigling and Ben Corrado and is headquartered in Portland and Salem, Oregon, with additional offices in London and Shenzhen; employee counts are reported between roughly 12 and 17 people depending on the source. The firm provides pre-certified low-power wireless modules alongside gateways, firmware, and an edge computing platform for commercial and industrial IoT deployments such as asset tracking and smart buildings. Its small team size focused on Bluetooth Low Energy and edge connectivity makes it a narrower specialist than the larger, broader-scope firms on this list.
Services and capabilities: DE Design Works vs Rigado
| Capability | DE Design Works | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| RTOS firmware development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bare-metal & driver development | ✗ | ✗ |
| Secure boot / OTA firmware updates | ✗ | ✗ |
| MCU & platform migration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Connectivity & IoT protocols | ✓ | ✓ |
| Functional safety / MISRA compliance | ✗ | ✗ |
| Embedded AI / on-device inference | ✗ | ✗ |
| Firmware GUI development | ✗ | ✗ |
| Staff augmentation | ✗ | ✗ |
Tech stack comparison: DE Design Works vs Rigado
| Framework / platform | DE Design Works | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| FreeRTOS | N/A | N/A |
| Zephyr | N/A | N/A |
| STM32 | N/A | N/A |
| ARM Cortex-M | N/A | N/A |
| BLE | N/A | ✓ |
| Embedded Linux | N/A | N/A |
| Secure OTA | N/A | N/A |
| PCB | ✓ | N/A |
| AWS IoT | N/A | N/A |
| RISC-V | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: DE Design Works vs Rigado
| Criterion | DE Design Works | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | Not published | Not published |
| Engagement models | Fixed project | Fixed project |
| Rate transparency | Not public | Not public |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Mid-market |
Target audience comparison: DE Design Works vs Rigado
| Dimension | DE Design Works | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | Industrial, Medical, Military | Retail IoT, Smart buildings, Asset tracking |
| Best use cases | Custom PCB and firmware bring-up for an industrial controller, Military-spec device requiring both hardware design and embedded firmware | Large-scale commercial IoT deployment needing pre-certified BLE modules, Smart building or asset-tracking program requiring an edge computing platform alongside firmware |
| Typical project type | Fixed project | Fixed project |
DE Design Works vs Rigado: pros and cons
| DE Design Works | |
|---|---|
| + | PCB hardware and firmware handled by the same team reduces handoff friction on co-design projects |
| + | Military and medical client base suggests comfort with stricter documentation requirements |
| + | Two decades of operating history under one ownership structure |
| - | Team of 11 to 50 people limits how many programs can run in parallel |
| - | Public case studies and named clients are limited, so most claims rely on the company's own site |
| Rigado | |
|---|---|
| + | Pre-certified BLE and low-power wireless modules can shorten time to certification for a new IoT product |
| + | Offices spanning Oregon, London, and Shenzhen give reach across major IoT manufacturing and deployment regions |
| + | Edge computing platform plus firmware and modules covers the full connectivity stack for large rollouts |
| - | Team size in the low teens limits capacity for large, multi-workstream programs |
| - | Narrow specialization in BLE and edge connectivity is a weaker fit for RTOS-heavy or bare-metal firmware projects outside that scope |
Who should choose DE Design Works?
A typical fit: custom PCB and firmware bring-up for an industrial controller.
Pairs custom PCB hardware design with firmware development for industrial, medical, and military clients. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Industrial, Medical, Military.
Who should choose Rigado?
A typical fit: large-scale commercial IoT deployment needing pre-certified BLE modules.
Pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Retail IoT, Smart buildings, Asset tracking.
Decision matrix: DE Design Works vs Rigado
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope | DE Design Works |
| You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme | Check each company's engagement model |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Compare: DE Design Works (Not published) vs Rigado (Not published) |
| You need specialist depth in a specific vertical | DE Design Works |
| You need staff augmentation or team extension | Neither; consider alternatives that offer staff aug |
| You need consulting before committing to a build | Both may offer discovery engagements |
Use case fit: DE Design Works vs Rigado
| Use case | DE Design Works fit | Rigado fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom PCB and firmware bring-up for an industrial controller | Strong | Limited | DE Design Works |
| Military-spec device requiring both hardware design and embedded firmware | Strong | Limited | DE Design Works |
| Large-scale commercial IoT deployment needing pre-certified BLE modules | Limited | Strong | Rigado |
| Smart building or asset-tracking program requiring an edge computing platform alongside firmware | Limited | Strong | Rigado |
| Fixed-price build | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
| Staff augmentation | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
Verdict: DE Design Works vs Rigado
DE Design Works (4.4/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Firmware Development projects. Pairs custom PCB hardware design with firmware development for industrial, medical, and military clients.
Rigado (4.3/5) is worth a look if you need smart building or asset-tracking program requiring an edge computing platform alongside firmware. If your situation matches that, Rigado is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
DE Design Works vs Rigado FAQ
Is DE Design Works better than Rigado?
DE Design Works (4.4/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. DE Design Works's strongest advantage: PCB hardware and firmware handled by the same team reduces handoff friction on co-design projects. Rigado's strongest advantage: pre-certified BLE and low-power wireless modules can shorten time to certification for a new IoT product.
How do DE Design Works and Rigado differ in pricing?
DE Design Works uses contract electronics and firmware design pricing. Rigado uses product and firmware engagements, plus module and hardware sales pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.
Which is better for enterprise: DE Design Works or Rigado?
Rigado is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each company before shortlisting.
What are the main differences between DE Design Works and Rigado?
DE Design Works's primary differentiator is: pairs custom PCB hardware design with firmware development for industrial, medical, and military clients. Rigado's primary differentiator is: pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts. They also differ in team size (11–50 vs 12–17), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Industrial, Medical vs Retail IoT, Smart buildings).
Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.