Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Lemberg Solutions (4.8/5) edges ahead of DornerWorks (4.5/5) overall. Lemberg Solutions is the better choice for CTOs needing one team across hardware, firmware, and cloud. DornerWorks is the stronger option for aerospace and defense programs needing FPGA and hypervisor expertise. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | Lemberg Solutions | DornerWorks |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 | 2000 |
| HQ | Lviv, Ukraine (offices in Hamburg, Germany; London, UK; Kraków, Poland) | Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA |
| Team size | 200+ | 51–200 |
| Rating | 4.8 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Owns electrical, firmware, Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI in-house, backed by a certified hardware lab and named semiconductor partnerships | Narrow, verifiable specialty in FPGA co-design and Xen hypervisor work for aerospace, defense, and medical reliability requirements |
| Pricing model | Technical consulting, team extension/staff augmentation, and end-to-end product development | Fixed project, time and materials |
| Min. engagement | Not published | Not disclosed |
| Primary tech stack | FreeRTOS, Zephyr, Embedded Linux (Yocto) | C/C++, FreeRTOS, Xen hypervisor |
| Industries served | Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA), Energy (battery/EV chargers), Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing/Industrial IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Agritech | Aerospace, Defense, Medical devices, Industrial |
Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks: overview
Lemberg Solutions
Lemberg Solutions is a 200+ person embedded and full-stack engineering firm founded in 2007, headquartered in Lviv, Ukraine, with additional offices in Hamburg, Germany, London, United Kingdom, and Kraków, Poland. For a technical buyer evaluating a delivery partner rather than just a firm to outsource to, the relevant detail is ownership of the whole stack: electrical engineering, bare-metal and RTOS firmware, embedded Linux, FPGA, GUI, connectivity, edge AI, and cybersecurity all sit inside one team, with ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 13485 certifications backing regulated-industry engagements. Semiconductor partnerships are named and specific — NXP, Microchip, and STMicroelectronics as primary partners — rather than a generic capability list, and named clients (Astronics, Caltech, Speede, Ferno, Cellink, Bosch Rexroth) give a checkable production track record. All IP and source code transfer to the client on delivery.
DornerWorks
DornerWorks was founded in 2000 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to bring electronics engineering discipline to aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial clients where reliability isn't negotiable. Over two decades it has grown into what the company describes as one of the larger dedicated embedded engineering design firms in the US by team size, though exact current headcount isn't publicly disclosed. For a technical evaluator, the two most concrete signals are the firm's FPGA practice and its work with the open-source Xen hypervisor — both narrower, harder-to-fake specialties than generic "embedded software development," and both directly relevant to safety-critical systems needing hardware/software co-design and workload isolation. Being US-based also simplifies export-control and ITAR considerations for defense-adjacent programs, which matters more to a procurement team than to a casual buyer.
Services and capabilities: Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks
| Capability | Lemberg Solutions | DornerWorks |
|---|---|---|
| RTOS firmware development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Embedded Linux (Yocto/BuildRoot) | ✓ | ✗ |
| FPGA programming (Verilog/VHDL) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hardware & PCB / electrical engineering | ✓ | ✓ |
| IoT connectivity & protocols | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edge AI / on-device ML | ✓ | ✗ |
| Embedded GUI development | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cybersecurity & secure boot | ✓ | ✓ |
| Staff augmentation / team extension | ✓ | ✗ |
Tech stack comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks
| Framework / platform | Lemberg Solutions | DornerWorks |
|---|---|---|
| FreeRTOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zephyr | ✓ | N/A |
| Embedded Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| AUTOSAR | N/A | N/A |
| AWS | ✓ | N/A |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | N/A |
| LoRaWAN | ✓ | N/A |
| CAN bus | N/A | N/A |
| Qt | ✓ | N/A |
| Verilog | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks
| Criterion | Lemberg Solutions | DornerWorks |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | Not published | Not disclosed |
| Engagement models | Technical consulting, Team extension, End-to-end product development | Fixed project, Time and materials |
| Rate transparency | Minimum disclosed | Not public |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Mid-market |
Target audience comparison: Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks
| Dimension | Lemberg Solutions | DornerWorks |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA), Energy (battery/EV chargers), Transportation & Logistics | Aerospace, Defense, Medical devices |
| Best use cases | Multi-domain hardware programs where coordinating separate electrical, firmware, and cloud vendors has become the bottleneck, Medical device firmware needing ISO 13485/IEC 62304-aware development from a certified team | Avionics or defense systems requiring DO-178C-aware development and FPGA/software co-design, Multi-domain embedded systems needing Xen-based workload isolation between safety-critical and general-purpose functions |
| Typical project type | Technical consulting | Fixed project |
Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks: pros and cons
| Lemberg Solutions | |
|---|---|
| + | Single accountable team across electrical design, firmware, embedded Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI, removing the coordination overhead of a multi-vendor stack |
| + | ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 13485 certifications directly support FDA/HIPAA medical, ISO 26262 automotive, and IEC 62443 energy engagements |
| + | Named semiconductor partnerships (NXP, Microchip, STMicroelectronics) plus a documented in-house lab for board bring-up and hardware validation |
| + | Full IP and source code transfer to the client on every engagement — no vendor lock-in on the codebase |
| + | Public case studies with named outcomes: OCPP-compliant EV charging control software, a bioprinter capability upgrade, STM32 firmware porting for a Caltech medical device |
| - | Does not manufacture at scale — supports development and ongoing maintenance but hands off mass production to the client or a third party |
| - | Does not carry regulatory certification itself — provides documentation and engineering support, but the client owns the actual approval process |
| - | No published pricing tiers; scoping requires a direct technical discovery call rather than a self-serve rate card |
| DornerWorks | |
|---|---|
| + | FPGA and open-source Xen hypervisor work are specific, checkable specialties rather than generic embedded-software claims |
| + | Two decades of concentrated focus on aerospace, defense, and medical — domains where reliability requirements are highest and hardest to fake |
| + | US-based team simplifies export-control and ITAR-sensitive engagements for defense procurement teams |
| - | Exact current headcount is not published — only described qualitatively as among the larger firms of its type in the US (per company website; independently unverifiable) |
| - | Domain concentration in aerospace/defense/medical means less demonstrated experience in high-volume consumer electronics manufacturing concerns |
| - | No public pricing tiers or minimum engagement figures for budget pre-qualification |
Who should choose Lemberg Solutions?
A typical fit: multi-domain hardware programs where coordinating separate electrical, firmware, and cloud vendors has become the bottleneck.
Owns electrical, firmware, Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI in-house, backed by a certified hardware lab and named semiconductor partnerships. Minimum engagement starts at Not published. Works best with clients in Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA), Energy (battery/EV chargers), Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing/Industrial IoT, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Agritech.
Who should choose DornerWorks?
A typical fit: avionics or defense systems requiring DO-178C-aware development and FPGA/software co-design.
Narrow, verifiable specialty in FPGA co-design and Xen hypervisor work for aerospace, defense, and medical reliability requirements. Minimum engagement starts at Not disclosed. Works best with clients in Aerospace, Defense, Medical devices, Industrial.
Decision matrix: Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope | DornerWorks |
| 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 DornerWorks (Not disclosed) |
| 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 DornerWorks
| Use case | Lemberg Solutions fit | DornerWorks fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-domain hardware programs where coordinating separate electrical, firmware, and cloud vendors has become the bottleneck | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Medical device firmware needing ISO 13485/IEC 62304-aware development from a certified team | Strong | Limited | Lemberg Solutions |
| Avionics or defense systems requiring DO-178C-aware development and FPGA/software co-design | Limited | Strong | DornerWorks |
| Multi-domain embedded systems needing Xen-based workload isolation between safety-critical and general-purpose functions | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| Fixed-price build | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
| Staff augmentation | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
Verdict: Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks
Lemberg Solutions (4.8/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Embedded Software Development projects. Owns electrical, firmware, Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI in-house, backed by a certified hardware lab and named semiconductor partnerships.
DornerWorks (4.5/5) is worth a look if you need multi-domain embedded systems needing Xen-based workload isolation between safety-critical and general-purpose functions. If your situation matches that, DornerWorks is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
Lemberg Solutions vs DornerWorks FAQ
Is Lemberg Solutions better than DornerWorks?
Lemberg Solutions (4.8/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. Lemberg Solutions's strongest advantage: single accountable team across electrical design, firmware, embedded Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI, removing the coordination overhead of a multi-vendor stack. DornerWorks's strongest advantage: FPGA and open-source Xen hypervisor work are specific, checkable specialties rather than generic embedded-software claims.
How do Lemberg Solutions and DornerWorks differ in pricing?
Lemberg Solutions uses technical consulting, team extension/staff augmentation, and end-to-end product development pricing with a minimum engagement of Not published. DornerWorks uses fixed project, time and materials pricing with a minimum engagement of Not disclosed. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.
Which is better for enterprise: Lemberg Solutions or DornerWorks?
DornerWorks 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 Lemberg Solutions and DornerWorks?
Lemberg Solutions's primary differentiator is: owns electrical, firmware, Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI in-house, backed by a certified hardware lab and named semiconductor partnerships. DornerWorks's primary differentiator is: Narrow, verifiable specialty in FPGA co-design and Xen hypervisor work for aerospace, defense, and medical reliability requirements. They also differ in team size (200+ vs 51–200), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not disclosed), and primary industries served (Healthcare (FDA/HIPAA), Energy (battery/EV chargers) vs Aerospace, Defense).
Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.