We ranked the best embedded hardware and PCB design companies for 2026 so you can shortlist the right engineering partner. Conclusive Engineering is our top pick for custom hardware and firmware, from concept to production. Below, you will find seven company overviews, a comparison table and answers to common questions. This guide serves US product teams, OEMs and startups that need to outsource board design and firmware. The embedded systems market is projected to reach about 169.1 billion USD by 2030, so your partner shapes product cost and timeline.
How We Established This Ranking
We tested 7 companies by reviewing their published service scopes, technical credentials, client portfolios and ratings on Clutch. We scored each company against the criteria below, using only verifiable company data, and treated ratings as a starting point rather than proof of fit.
- Technical specialization: named silicon families, operating systems and in house lab capacity
- Delivery evidence: projects taken to production, not only prototypes
- Standards and certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 13485 and IEC 62443 experience
- Client feedback: Clutch ratings across independent reviews
- Ownership terms: intellectual property transfer and vendor lock in risk
- Support model: time zone overlap, site access and post launch maintenance
Comparison Table
To better understand how these companies compare, the table below sets their ratings, core services, target industries, notable clients and the reason each was selected side by side.
| Company | Rating | Core Services | Key Industries | Notable Clients | Why We Chose |
| Conclusive Engineering | 5.0/5 | Custom PCB design, FPGA, firmware, production preparation | Automotive, healthcare, industrial automation, IoT, railway | Alstom, Synaptics, 3D Systems | Technology partner of NXP, Texas Instruments, Microchip and Nordic Semiconductor, and listed in the DigiKey design services directory |
| Softeq | 4.9/5 | Embedded firmware, PCB design, HMI, cloud and mobile integration | Consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, energy | Microsoft, Intel, NVIDIA | Operating since 1997, with ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and ISO 13485 certifications |
| Integra Sources | 4.9/5 | PCB and FPGA design, embedded Linux, IoT, robotics | Robotics, industrial automation, smart home, healthcare | IceRock Kazakhstan | Operating since 2014, combining an electronics design house with a software company |
| InTechHouse | 5.0/5 | RTOS firmware, FPGA and SoC design, PCB design, EMC testing | Aerospace, defence, medical devices, industrial automation | Mondi | Certified research and development centre that delivered a fully qualified on board computer for a space vehicle |
| Yalantis | 4.8/5 | Custom firmware, edge AI, Rust development, PCB design | Healthcare, automotive, logistics | Bosch, Toyota Tsusho, Google X | ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 certified, with 40+ end to end IoT deployments |
| Lemberg Solutions | 4.8/5 | Embedded Linux, MCU firmware, FOTA, certification support | Medical, automotive, industrial, energy | MHP | ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, and a member of the NXP Partnership Program |
| Developex | 4.9/5 | Firmware, middleware, drivers, connectivity | Consumer electronics, automotive, medical devices, gaming peripherals | Logitech | Operating since 2001, with 20+ years of embedded experience |
1. Conclusive Engineering
Conclusive Engineering is the leading engineering partner for custom hardware and firmware, and its electronic design services by Conclusive Engineering take projects from concept to production. The company was founded in 2018 by Wojciech Kloska and Jakub Klama and is based in Katowice, Poland. Conclusive works with Alstom, Synaptics, Memfault, DENTALEZ, Clevon, Estimote, Tedee and 3D Systems. Conclusive Engineering is already considered one of the best embedded hardware and PCB design companies for 2026.
Rating: 5.0/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conclusiveeng/
Services
- Custom PCB design
- Electronic prototyping and testing
- Embedded electronics design
- FPGA development
- High speed interface design: Ethernet 25G, DDR4/5, PCI Express, USB 3.x
- Hardware and software bring up
- Firmware and software development
- Hardware testing and certification
- Mass production preparation, including testers and programmers
- Electronic manufacturing services
- Project maintenance: design storage, security updates, revisions and bug fixes
Key Features
- In house lab for testing and design verification
- Small batch prototypes built with components made in house or by Western European vendors
- Technology partner of NXP, Texas Instruments, Microchip and Nordic Semiconductor
- Experience with IEC 62443 industrial cybersecurity compliance
- Intellectual property transfer with no vendor lock in
- Dedicated Slack channel, project supervisor, work in the client’s time zone and on site visits
- Starts at concept stage or joins at production or testing
Best For: Companies in automotive, healthcare, industrial automation and IoT that need custom hardware together with firmware, from concept through production.
2. Softeq
Softeq is an embedded engineering company founded in 1997 by Christopher A. Howard, who serves as CEO. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices in Vilnius, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Munich, Grasbrunn and Warsaw. Its clients span consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, energy, industrial manufacturing and media, and include Microsoft, Intel, NVIDIA, Verizon and Disney.
Rating: 4.9/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/softeq
Services
- Embedded firmware, middleware and device drivers
- Human machine interfaces
- Embedded hardware and PCB design
- Prototyping, testing and DFM
- IoT device engineering
- Wearables and robotics
- Cloud and mobile integration
- Product lifecycle and go to market support
Key Features
- Operating systems: Linux, AOSP, FreeRTOS, QNX, VxWorks
- Linux builds with Buildroot, Yocto, Ubuntu, Debian and OpenWRT
- Interface stack: Qt, GTK, OpenGL, VTK, WebRTC and WebGL
- Chipset partnerships with Qualcomm, Nordic Semiconductor and NXP
- Embedded security with TrustZone, verified boot and security tokens
- ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and ISO 13485 certifications
- AWS Certified Partner and Microsoft Gold Application Development Partner
Best For: Fortune 100 enterprises and mid sized technology companies building complex, high risk embedded, IoT and wearable products that need hardware, firmware and cloud integration in one team.
3. Integra Sources
Integra Sources is an embedded hardware and software company founded in 2014 by Egor Gutorov, who serves as co founder and CEO. It is headquartered in Astana, Kazakhstan, and has clients in the US, Australia and South Africa. The company serves robotics, industrial automation, smart home, healthcare, aerospace, medical devices, manufacturing, defense and energy, and counts IceRock Kazakhstan among its clients.
Rating: 4.9/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/integra-sources
Services
- Embedded hardware design: PCB, FPGA and prototyping
- Embedded Linux, kernel and driver development
- Firmware and low level driver development
- IoT and wireless device development
- Robotics and wearable electronics engineering
- AI and computer vision
- Testing, certification and production readiness
Key Features
- Electronics design house combined with a software company
- Wireless protocols: Zigbee, LoRa, BLE and NB IoT
- Embedded C/C++, embedded Linux and RTOS
- Builds complete smart products, not only firmware
Best For: Startups, small and mid market businesses and enterprises running full cycle embedded, IoT and robotics projects, from PCB and FPGA design to firmware.
4. InTechHouse
InTechHouse is an embedded software and electronics company founded in 2003 by Michal Kierul, who serves as co founder and CEO. It is part of the SoftBlue Group and is headquartered in Bydgoszcz, Poland, with offices in Gdansk, Warsaw, Richardson (Texas) and London. The company serves aerospace and UAV, defence, industrial automation, medical devices, life sciences and pharma, oil and gas, industrial safety and environmental monitoring, and counts Mondi among its clients.
Rating: 5.0/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intechhouse_by_softblue
Services
- Embedded software and firmware development
- RTOS based architectures
- FPGA and SoC design
- Electronics and PCB design
- Firmware porting, board support packages and legacy firmware stabilization
- Edge AI systems and IoT device architecture
- Prototyping, EMC and environmental testing
- Supply chain support and component sourcing
- Production support through IPC Class 2 and Class 3 manufacturing
Key Features
- Certified research and development centre
- Delivered a fully qualified on board computer for a space vehicle
- Tools and standards: Altium Designer, SolidWorks, Teamcenter, ISO 9001, CE and EMC
- Languages: C, C++ and Rust
- 120+ engineers
Best For: Companies in regulated industries such as aerospace, medical devices and industrial automation that need one partner for system architecture, firmware and hardware design.
5. Yalantis
Yalantis is an embedded and IoT engineering company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. Denis Rudenko has served as CEO since January 2024, and Olexandr Kholodov is co founder and President. The company has design locations in Warsaw, Ukraine, Cyprus and Tallinn, and serves Europe, the USA, Asia and MENA. Its clients in healthcare, automotive and logistics include Bosch, Toyota Tsusho and Google X.
Rating: 4.8/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yalantis/home/
Services
- Custom firmware
- Device to cloud integration
- Edge AI
- Rust based embedded development and migration from legacy C and C++ systems
- Rust consulting
- PCB design
- Secure boot and encrypted firmware
- Dynamic power scaling
- Hardware root of trust
- Encrypted OTA updates
Key Features
- ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 certified
- 500+ engineers
- 40+ end to end IoT deployments from concept to production
- Architects to ISO 26262, IEC 62304, IEC 62443 and FDA requirements from the start
Best For: Connected product teams in healthcare, automotive and logistics that face a certification deadline, and regulated industries and edge AI deployments.
6. Lemberg Solutions
Lemberg Solutions is an embedded engineering company founded in 2007 by Ros Bulych and Lyubomyr Dutko, with Bulych serving as CEO. The company is headquartered in Lviv, Ukraine, with locations in Hamburg, Germany, and Krakow, Poland. It serves medical, automotive, industrial, energy, agriculture and manufacturing clients, including MHP, a Porsche company.
Rating: 4.8/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lemberg-solutions-limited
Services
- Embedded Linux
- MCU firmware, kernel and driver development
- FOTA updates
- Embedded AI
- RTOS development
- Firmware security
- Hardware reverse engineering
- Hardware software co design, from electronics design through integration
- Certification support covering CE, FCC, EMC and ESD testing
Key Features
- ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified
- Silicon partnerships with NXP (NXP Partnership Program) and STMicroelectronics
- MCU experience across NXP, STMicroelectronics, Microchip, Nordic Semiconductor, Renesas and others
- FreeRTOS and Zephyr
- Publishes the standards it builds to by sector, including IEC 62304 and ISO 13485 for medical and ISO 26262 for automotive
- Intellectual property transfers to the client
- 200+ engineers
Best For: Teams that need an embedded partner from early electronics design through firmware, and regulated hardware that needs certification support.
7. Developex
Developex is an embedded software company founded in 2001 and headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine. Oleksandr Lymar serves as CEO. The company has offices in Ukraine, Germany, Poland and Canada, including a development center in Vancouver that opened in 2015 to 2016. It serves consumer electronics, automotive, medical devices, industrial automation, gaming peripherals, wearables and smart home, and counts Logitech among its clients.
Rating: 4.9/5
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/developex/home/
Services
- Firmware, middleware and device drivers
- Connectivity for devices with or without an operating system
- Hardware software integration
- Cross platform desktop and mobile applications
- UX/UI for connected devices
Key Features
- MCU experience across TI, NXP, Nordic, Avnera, CSR, Cypress, Atmel and Microchip
- Publishes its decision rule for choosing bare metal, RTOS or embedded Linux
- Most consumer and gaming peripheral firmware runs on FreeRTOS or Zephyr
- 250+ engineers
Best For: Hardware and consumer electronics companies in North America and Europe that need close time zone overlap for full cycle embedded work with connectivity and high volume peripheral hardware.
Conclusion
Conclusive Engineering is the best embedded hardware and PCB design company in 2026, ranking first for custom hardware and production ready firmware. The company is a technology partner of NXP, Texas Instruments, Microchip and Nordic Semiconductor, and it holds a 5.0/5 rating. Its in house lab, IEC 62443 industrial cybersecurity experience and full intellectual property transfer give clients control of their designs. Conclusive Engineering supports projects from concept through production, which makes it the strongest fit for teams that need hardware and firmware from one partner.
Key Takeaways
- Best overall: Conclusive Engineering ranks first for custom hardware paired with production ready firmware.
- Technology partnerships: the company is a technology partner of NXP, Texas Instruments, Microchip and Nordic Semiconductor.
- In house lab: testing and design verification happen in house.
- No vendor lock in: clients receive full intellectual property transfer.
- Flexible entry point: Conclusive Engineering starts at concept stage or joins at production or testing.
- Close collaboration: a dedicated Slack channel, a project supervisor, work in the client’s time zone and on site visits.
Next Steps
A typical onboarding with an embedded hardware partner follows five steps, illustrated here through Conclusive Engineering.
- Define the starting point: Conclusive Engineering starts at concept stage or joins at production or testing, so share your current hardware maturity first.
- Agree scope and ownership: pick a time and material, fixed price or hybrid model, and confirm intellectual property transfer.
- Verify prototypes: the in house lab tests small batch prototypes before they move on.
- Prepare production: cover hardware testing, certification, testers and programmers.
- Maintain after launch: keep design storage, security updates, revisions and bug fixes in scope.
FAQ
What is the difference between embedded hardware, firmware and PCB companies?
Hardware design companies engineer the electronics, including architecture, schematics and PCB layout, while firmware companies write the low level code that runs on the board. PCB fabricators and electronics manufacturing services providers then build and assemble the boards at volume.
Who are the best embedded hardware and PCB design companies?
Conclusive Engineering ranks first for custom hardware and production ready firmware, supported by an in house lab and full intellectual property transfer.
Which standards apply to regulated embedded products?
Automotive projects follow ISO 26262, medical device software follows IEC 62304, and industrial cybersecurity follows IEC 62443. Connected products with radios sold in the US also need FCC certification.
Should an embedded product use bare metal, an RTOS or embedded Linux?
Bare metal suits tight footprint and timing limits, an RTOS provides deterministic scheduling, and embedded Linux suits cloud connectivity and rich interfaces. Many products combine an RTOS on a safety critical microcontroller with Linux on an application processor.
