If you’re running a growing business, you’ve probably thought about hiring offshore. Not because you want to cut corners, but because you want A-player talent without paying inflated local salaries.
Two countries come up again and again in this conversation: India and Pakistan. Both have strong talent pools in IT, finance, design, and customer service. Both are home to professionals who can easily match the skill level of U.S. hires.
So, should you build your offshore team in India or Pakistan? Let’s take a look at both and help you decide.
What to Keep in Mind When Building Your Offshore Team
Building an offshore team isn’t just about cost savings; it’s about getting it right the first time.
Whether you build your offshore team in India or Pakistan, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want your remote setup to actually work long-term.
1. Vetting is everything.
Don’t get dazzled by resumes. Anyone can list big-name clients or fancy job titles. What matters is work ethic, reliability, and consistency. You want people who take ownership, not just follow instructions.
2. Retention beats speed.
The biggest hidden cost in offshore hiring isn’t the recruiter fees – it’s turnover. Replacing people kills momentum. In Pakistan, loyalty tends to be stronger. Professionals value stable, long-term work relationships, which means fewer surprises down the line.
3. Don’t skip cultural alignment.
Technical skills are easy to test; mindset isn’t. The best offshore hires blend initiative with respect for process. Both Indian and Pakistani teams tend to have a collaborative, can-do approach that fits well with U.S. business culture.
4. Handle the legal stuff early.
Contracts, payroll, compliance, taxes – if you don’t set these up properly from the start, it becomes a nightmare later. Get local expertise or a partner who does this daily.
5. Build your team – not someone else’s.
Agencies love to keep you at arm’s length. They control the people, the contracts, and sometimes even the communication. That’s fine if you just need temp help. But if you’re building a real team, make sure they’re yours; loyal to your company, not an intermediary.
Where to Build Your Offshore Team – In India or Pakistan?
With that foundation in place, let’s break down how India and Pakistan actually compare.
India: Scale and Experience
India has been the world’s outsourcing hub for decades. From Fortune 500 call centers to enterprise IT operations, India’s offshore outsourcing companies have built a global reputation.
Why founders look to India:
- Massive talent pool. You’ll find experienced people in almost every role – developers, accountants, designers, and support teams.
- Strong English skills. Communication is generally smooth, especially with educated professionals.
- Proven track record. U.S. and European businesses have worked with Indian teams for years.
What to watch out for:
- Attrition. With so many outsourcing contracts, professionals often switch jobs quickly for small raises. That creates churn.
- Cost creep. Top engineers, accountants, or designers aren’t “cheap” anymore. Salaries for senior roles are edging closer to Eastern European levels.
- Time zones. Many Indian professionals will work U.S. hours, but it can be draining and impact consistency.
India makes sense if you need access to a very wide pool of professionals and don’t mind managing turnover.
Pakistan: Value and Loyalty
Pakistan doesn’t have the decades-long outsourcing history India does, but it’s growing fast. More and more SMBs are hiring professionals in Pakistan because it offers skilled A-players at a better price – and with stronger retention.
Why founders are turning to Pakistan:
- Better value. Salaries for top talent are typically 20–30% lower than India due to a lower cost of living, so you can build a strong team under $4K/month per role.
- High-quality graduates. Pakistan produces 25,000+ IT grads every year, many trained in U.S. standards.
- Lower attrition. Professionals tend to value long-term stability and are more loyal to one employer.
- U.S. time zone overlap. Many are already used to working U.S. shifts, which makes real-time collaboration easier.
What to watch out for:
- Smaller talent pool. It’s not as big as India, so for very niche roles, it may take longer to find the right fit.
- Less global exposure. Large enterprises are less familiar with Pakistan, though SMB adoption is rising quickly.
Pakistan makes sense if you care about loyalty, long-term retention, and getting top talent at a much better price.
Build Your Offshore Team in India vs Pakistan: A Quick Comparison
| Factor | India | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Talent Pool | Massive, all industries | Growing fast, strong in IT & engineering, marketing, and sales |
| Cost | Skilled roles: $2.5K–$5K/month | Skilled roles: $2K–$4K/month |
| Attrition | Higher — professionals job-hop often | Lower — stronger loyalty and retention |
| Infrastructure | Very mature outsourcing industry | Improving rapidly |
| Best For | Enterprises needing large teams | SMBs/startups needing A-players that stay |
What This Means for SMBs
If you’re running a huge enterprise and need to hire 500 people tomorrow, India’s scale is unmatched. You should definitely build your offshore team in India in that case.
But if you’re a small or mid-sized business (~10 employees with $2M annual revenue), hiring offshore employees in Pakistan often gives you a better deal:
- You still get A-player designers, developers, and business development reps.
- You pay a fraction of U.S. rates, and usually less than India.
- Most importantly, you keep them longer — no constant re-hiring cycle.
It’s not about “cheap talent.” It’s about getting world-class people at a price that makes sense for your stage of growth.
Where Pavago Fits In
Choosing the right country is just the first step. The real challenge is finding reliable people – the kind who actually deliver, stay loyal, and don’t vanish mid-project.
That’s where Pavago comes in.
- We specialize in finding and vetting top-tier talent from Pakistan; professionals who combine strong technical skills, solid English, and exceptional work ethic.
- We handle everything: payroll, HR, compliance, and local legalities, so you can focus purely on growth.
- And with our lifetime replacement guarantee, you’ll never be left scrambling if someone moves on.
Unlike traditional agencies, you don’t “rent” a team from us. You own it. They report directly to you, work your hours, and build your business – not someone else’s.
Pavago makes it effortless and risk-free to build a world-class remote team in Pakistan that works exclusively for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wrapping It Up
Setting up an offshore team in India gives you scale. Pakistan gives you loyalty and better value. Both countries have great talent, but for SMBs, where every hire counts, Pakistan often wins.
India’s outsourcing market is huge, so you can build your offshore team in India in just a few days. However, that speed comes with churn and rising costs. You can find good people fast, but keeping them is another story.
Pakistan offers a different advantage: skilled professionals who stay. You get A-player developers, designers, and business dev reps who value stability, deliver consistently, and cost 20–30% less on average than India.
That’s why more SMBs are building teams there. It’s not just cheaper, it’s smarter.
And that’s exactly where Pavago comes in. We find and vet Pakistan’s top talent, handle payroll and compliance, and back every hire with a lifetime replacement guarantee. You get your own offshore dedicated team with no markups or middlemen.
Ready to build your offshore team in Pakistan?
Book a call with Pavago and hire vetted A-players for under $2K/month.
