Best Embedded Firmware Service Providers

Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

Lemberg Solutions (4.8/5) edges ahead of NOVO Engineering (4.3/5) overall. Lemberg Solutions is the better choice for RFPs needing hardware and firmware scoped under one vendor. NOVO Engineering is the stronger option for multi-discipline RFPs spanning mechanical, electrical, and firmware. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering: head-to-head summary

Criterion Lemberg Solutions NOVO Engineering
Founded 2007 2004
HQ Lviv, Ukraine (offices in Hamburg, Germany; London, UK; Kraków, Poland) Vista, CA, USA
Team size 200+ 48–60
Rating 4.8 / 5 4.3 / 5
Primary differentiator In-house hardware lab plus NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status covers both the board bring-up and firmware line items in a single SOW Systems-engineering scope built for programs that bundle mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements into one vendor relationship
Pricing model Firmware consulting, design-phase engagement, full development lifecycle, or staff augmentation Fixed-scope product engineering engagements
Min. engagement Not published Not published
Primary tech stack FreeRTOS, Zephyr, Azure RTOS C, C++, Embedded Systems Programming
Industries served Healthcare (FDA, HIPAA, IEC 62304, ISO 13485), Energy (battery management, EV charging), Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing & Industrial IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology, Commercial products

Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering: overview

Lemberg Solutions

Lemberg Solutions was founded in 2007 in Lviv, Ukraine and has grown to a 200+ person team with additional offices in Hamburg, London, and Kraków. Its engagement scope runs from RTOS and bare-metal firmware architecture through embedded GUI work, secure boot and OTA update design, and hardware validation in its own lab with oscilloscopes, evaluation kits, and hardware-in-the-loop testing capability. Direct partnership status with NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip, plus ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 13485 certifications, gives a procurement team the kind of verifiable vendor-qualification evidence an RFP typically asks for, and the company transfers full IP and source code rights to the client on delivery.

NOVO Engineering

NOVO Engineering was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Vista, California near San Diego, with a second location near Minneapolis and a team reported between 48 and 60 engineers averaging 16 years of experience each. The firm's engagement scope covers hardware and software development, systems engineering, custom automation, and pre-production manufacturing support across medical devices, biotech instrumentation, and commercial products. For an RFP that bundles mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements into one program, NOVO's systems-engineering framing is built specifically for that kind of multi-discipline scope.

Services and capabilities: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Capability Lemberg Solutions NOVO Engineering
Firmware development
Hardware / PCB co-design
Functional safety / certification
Defense / aerospace credentials
Medical device firmware
Secure firmware updates
IoT connectivity
Embedded Linux
Staff augmentation

Tech stack comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Framework / platform Lemberg Solutions NOVO Engineering
C
C++
Embedded Linux N/A
PCB Design N/A N/A
FPGA N/A N/A
MISRA C N/A
ITAR N/A N/A
AWS IoT N/A
ASIL N/A N/A

Pricing comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Criterion Lemberg Solutions NOVO Engineering
Minimum engagement Not published Not published
Engagement models Firmware consulting, Design-phase engagement, Full development lifecycle, Staff augmentation Fixed-scope product engineering, Pre-production manufacturing support
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Dimension Lemberg Solutions NOVO Engineering
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Healthcare (FDA, HIPAA, IEC 62304, ISO 13485), Energy (battery management, EV charging), Transportation & Logistics Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology
Best use cases RFP requiring hardware validation, firmware development, and compliance documentation in one response, Secure OTA update infrastructure for a fleet of connected devices already in the field Multi-discipline RFP bundling mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements, Biotech instrumentation program requiring custom automation alongside firmware
Typical project type Firmware consulting Fixed-scope product engineering

Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering: pros and cons

Lemberg Solutions
+ In-house hardware lab covers board bring-up and HIL validation, a line item many pure-firmware vendors subcontract out
+ ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 13485 certifications give a procurement team documented evidence for vendor qualification checklists
+ Direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status is independently verifiable against each vendor's own partner directory
+ Engagement models span consulting, design-phase, full lifecycle, and staff augmentation, matching how most RFPs are structured
+ Full IP and source code transfer on delivery removes a common negotiation point in vendor contracts
- Does not run mass production in-house, so a manufacturing line item still needs a separate contractor
- Does not submit regulatory certification filings on the client's behalf, only the supporting technical documentation
- No published minimum engagement figure, so budget fit for a specific RFP needs a scoping call
NOVO Engineering
+ Engineering team averages 16 years of experience per engineer, a strong bench-depth signal for a technical evaluation
+ Systems engineering scope covers mechanical, electrical, and firmware together, matching how many hardware RFPs are actually structured
+ Two US locations near San Diego and Minneapolis give onsite coverage options for a geographically constrained RFP
+ Pre-production manufacturing support extends past firmware delivery into getting a product built
- 48 to 60 engineers caps how many large concurrent RFP-scale programs the firm can run simultaneously
- No published pricing or minimum engagement figure
- Firmware is one discipline inside a broader systems-engineering practice, not a standalone firmware specialist brand

Who should choose Lemberg Solutions?

A typical fit: RFP requiring hardware validation, firmware development, and compliance documentation in one response.

In-house hardware lab plus NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status covers both the board bring-up and firmware line items in a single SOW. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Healthcare (FDA, HIPAA, IEC 62304, ISO 13485), Energy (battery management, EV charging), Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing & Industrial IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive.

Who should choose NOVO Engineering?

A typical fit: multi-discipline RFP bundling mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements.

Systems-engineering scope built for programs that bundle mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements into one vendor relationship. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology, Commercial products.

Decision matrix: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Your situation Recommended choice
You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope NOVO Engineering
You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme Check each company's engagement model
Your budget is at the lower end Compare: Lemberg Solutions (Not published) vs NOVO Engineering (Not published)
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical Lemberg Solutions
You need staff augmentation or team extension Lemberg Solutions
You need consulting before committing to a build Lemberg Solutions

Use case fit: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Use case Lemberg Solutions fit NOVO Engineering fit Winner
RFP requiring hardware validation, firmware development, and compliance documentation in one response Strong Strong Both equally
Secure OTA update infrastructure for a fleet of connected devices already in the field Strong Limited Lemberg Solutions
Multi-discipline RFP bundling mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements Limited Strong NOVO Engineering
Biotech instrumentation program requiring custom automation alongside firmware Limited Strong NOVO Engineering
Fixed-price build Limited Limited Both equally
Staff augmentation Limited Limited Both equally

Verdict: Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering

Lemberg Solutions (4.8/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Embedded Firmware projects. In-house hardware lab plus NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status covers both the board bring-up and firmware line items in a single SOW.

NOVO Engineering (4.3/5) is worth a look if you need biotech instrumentation program requiring custom automation alongside firmware. If your situation matches that, NOVO Engineering is a competitive option.

Related comparisons

Lemberg Solutions vs NOVO Engineering FAQ

Is Lemberg Solutions better than NOVO Engineering?

Lemberg Solutions (4.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Lemberg Solutions's strongest advantage: in-house hardware lab covers board bring-up and HIL validation, a line item many pure-firmware vendors subcontract out. NOVO Engineering's strongest advantage: engineering team averages 16 years of experience per engineer, a strong bench-depth signal for a technical evaluation.

How do Lemberg Solutions and NOVO Engineering differ in pricing?

Lemberg Solutions uses firmware consulting, design-phase engagement, full development lifecycle, or staff augmentation pricing. NOVO Engineering uses fixed-scope product engineering engagements pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: Lemberg Solutions or NOVO Engineering?

NOVO Engineering is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each service provider before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between Lemberg Solutions and NOVO Engineering?

Lemberg Solutions's primary differentiator is: in-house hardware lab plus NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status covers both the board bring-up and firmware line items in a single SOW. NOVO Engineering's primary differentiator is: systems-engineering scope built for programs that bundle mechanical, electrical, and firmware requirements into one vendor relationship. They also differ in team size (200+ vs 48–60), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Healthcare (FDA, HIPAA, IEC 62304, ISO 13485), Energy (battery management, EV charging) vs Medical devices, Biotech).

Verify all details directly with each service provider before making a decision.