Best Firmware Development Companies

NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech: full comparison for 2026

Quick verdict

NOVO Engineering (4.4/5) edges ahead of Klika Tech (4.1/5) overall. NOVO Engineering is the better choice for multi-disciplinary product programs spanning mechanical, electrical, and firmware. Klika Tech is the stronger option for IoT firmware designed around an AWS-based cloud backend from the start. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.

NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech: head-to-head summary

Criterion NOVO Engineering Klika Tech
Founded 2004 2013
HQ Vista, CA, USA North Miami Beach, FL, USA
Team size 48–60 Not published
Rating 4.4 / 5 4.1 / 5
Primary differentiator Systems-engineering team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer across medical, biotech, and industrial product lines AWS IoT and DevOps competency partner status combined with STMicroelectronics hardware partnership
Pricing model Fixed-scope product engineering engagements Project-based IoT and cloud-embedded engagements
Min. engagement Not published Not published
Primary tech stack C, C++, Embedded Systems Programming AWS IoT, C, C++
Industries served Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology, Commercial products Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT, Cloud-connected devices

NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech: overview

NOVO Engineering

NOVO Engineering was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Vista, California near San Diego, with a second location near Minneapolis and roughly 48 to 60 engineers depending on the source. The firm's services span hardware and software development, systems engineering, custom automation, and pre-production manufacturing support across medical devices, biotech instrumentation, printing technology, and commercial products. Its firmware work sits inside that broader systems-engineering practice rather than standing alone, which suits clients that need a single partner across mechanical, electrical, and firmware disciplines on one program.

Klika Tech

Klika Tech was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in North Miami Beach, Florida, with delivery centers across North America, Europe, and Asia, including a Wrocław, Poland office opened in 2021. The company builds IoT, cloud, and embedded product solutions together, holding AWS IoT and DevOps competencies alongside STMicroelectronics partner status on the hardware side, positioning itself for clients whose firmware needs to talk directly to an AWS-based backend from day one. That cloud-first framing distinguishes it from firmware vendors that treat cloud integration as an afterthought handled by a separate team.

Services and capabilities: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

Capability NOVO Engineering Klika Tech
RTOS firmware development
Bare-metal & driver development
Secure boot / OTA firmware updates
MCU & platform migration
Connectivity & IoT protocols
Functional safety / compliance
Embedded AI / on-device inference
Firmware GUI development
Hardware co-design / board bring-up
Staff augmentation

Tech stack comparison: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

Framework / platform NOVO Engineering Klika Tech
FreeRTOS N/A N/A
Zephyr N/A N/A
STM32 N/A N/A
ARM Cortex-M N/A N/A
Embedded Linux N/A N/A
BLE N/A N/A
MISRA N/A N/A
Secure Boot N/A N/A
AWS IoT N/A
RISC-V N/A N/A

Pricing comparison: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

Criterion NOVO Engineering Klika Tech
Minimum engagement Not published Not published
Engagement models Fixed-scope product engineering, Pre-production manufacturing support Project-based IoT and cloud-embedded engineering
Rate transparency Not public Not public
Price tier Mid-market Mid-market

Target audience comparison: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

Dimension NOVO Engineering Klika Tech
Best company size Startup to mid-market Startup to mid-market
Best industries Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT, Cloud-connected devices
Best use cases Firmware development as part of a full mechanical, electrical, and software product program, Biotech instrumentation requiring firmware alongside custom automation software IoT device firmware designed to integrate directly with an AWS IoT backend, Combined cloud and embedded firmware development for a new connected product
Typical project type Fixed-scope product engineering Project-based IoT and cloud-embedded engineering

NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech: pros and cons

NOVO Engineering
+ Engineering team averages 16 years of experience per engineer, well above the industry norm for a firm of its size
+ Systems engineering scope covers mechanical, electrical, and firmware together rather than firmware in isolation
+ Two US locations near San Diego and Minneapolis give geographic coverage for onsite client work
+ Pre-production manufacturing support extends past firmware delivery into getting a product built
- Firmware is one discipline inside a broader systems-engineering firm, not a standalone firmware specialist brand
- 48 to 60 engineers caps how many large concurrent programs the firm can run at once
- No published pricing or minimum engagement figure
Klika Tech
+ AWS IoT and DevOps competency status backs its cloud-first firmware positioning with a verifiable AWS partner credential
+ STMicroelectronics partner status on the hardware side pairs cloud integration with direct chip-vendor support
+ 12 years of operating history with delivery centers spanning North America, Europe, and Asia
+ Cloud-and-firmware co-design suits products where the backend and the device firmware are built by the same team from the outset
- Its AWS-centric framing is a narrower fit for firmware projects that need to stay cloud-agnostic or target Azure or GCP instead
- Public team size is not published, making capacity harder to gauge against other mid-size firms
- No published pricing or minimum engagement figure

Who should choose NOVO Engineering?

A typical fit: firmware development as part of a full mechanical, electrical, and software product program.

Systems-engineering team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer across medical, biotech, and industrial product lines. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology, Commercial products.

Who should choose Klika Tech?

A typical fit: IoT device firmware designed to integrate directly with an AWS IoT backend.

AWS IoT and DevOps competency partner status combined with STMicroelectronics hardware partnership. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT, Cloud-connected devices.

Decision matrix: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

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: NOVO Engineering (Not published) vs Klika Tech (Not published)
You need specialist depth in a specific vertical NOVO Engineering
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: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

Use case NOVO Engineering fit Klika Tech fit Winner
Firmware development as part of a full mechanical, electrical, and software product program Strong Strong Both equally
Biotech instrumentation requiring firmware alongside custom automation software Strong Limited NOVO Engineering
IoT device firmware designed to integrate directly with an AWS IoT backend Strong Strong Both equally
Combined cloud and embedded firmware development for a new connected product Limited Strong Klika Tech
Fixed-price build Limited Limited Both equally
Staff augmentation Limited Limited Both equally

Verdict: NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech

NOVO Engineering (4.4/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Firmware Development projects. Systems-engineering team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer across medical, biotech, and industrial product lines.

Klika Tech (4.1/5) is worth a look if you need combined cloud and embedded firmware development for a new connected product. If your situation matches that, Klika Tech is a competitive option.

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NOVO Engineering vs Klika Tech FAQ

Is NOVO Engineering better than Klika Tech?

NOVO Engineering (4.4/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. NOVO Engineering's strongest advantage: engineering team averages 16 years of experience per engineer, well above the industry norm for a firm of its size. Klika Tech's strongest advantage: AWS IoT and DevOps competency status backs its cloud-first firmware positioning with a verifiable AWS partner credential.

How do NOVO Engineering and Klika Tech differ in pricing?

NOVO Engineering uses fixed-scope product engineering engagements pricing. Klika Tech uses project-based iot and cloud-embedded engagements pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.

Which is better for enterprise: NOVO Engineering or Klika Tech?

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 company before shortlisting.

What are the main differences between NOVO Engineering and Klika Tech?

NOVO Engineering's primary differentiator is: systems-engineering team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer across medical, biotech, and industrial product lines. Klika Tech's primary differentiator is: AWS IoT and DevOps competency partner status combined with STMicroelectronics hardware partnership. They also differ in team size (48–60 vs Not published), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Medical devices, Biotech vs Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT).

Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.