South Africa’s most trusted software development company in 2025

Analytico’s 2025 Business Technology Survey revealed that Codehesion is South Africa’s most trusted software development company, followed by Synthesis and Derivco.

The 2025 Business Technology Survey was conducted in January 2025, and 1,348 respondents completed it.

The survey results only included responses from people who decided which ICT products and services their company uses.

As part of the survey, businesses were asked which software development company they would choose for a large project.

The results revealed that Codehesion was a clear winner with 24% of the vote, well ahead of its closest competitors.

Codehesion was founded in 2017 by software architect and computer engineer Hector Beyers. It initially focussed on mobile app development.

Codehesion built a reputation for having highly qualified and skilled software developers and project managers.

Over the last few years, Codehesion has expanded its services. It now offers back-end, front-end, and mobile development.

It also helps companies with business analysis, UX/UI design, DevOps, cloud computing, and code audits.

This helped the company to rapidly expand and increase brand awareness in South Africa’s business market.

Analytico’s survey results showed that Codehesion is now a clear favourite for large software development project among South African companies.

Synthesis was the second most popular choice, with 15% of IT executives saying they would use them for a large software development project.

Synthesis was founded in 1997 by Jake Shepherd and Jack Cohen, who shared a passion for software development.

The company built exceptional skills in developing software for the financial sector. In 2006, Synthesis built its first Internet banking platform in South Africa.

In 2017, Capital Appreciation acquired Synthesis. In the same year, it became the first company in Africa to achieve AWS advanced consulting partner status.

Derivco ranked third, with 13% of IT executives saying they would use them for a large software development project.

Derivco increased its rating by three percentage points since the start of the year, which shows it is increasing its brand awareness among ICT decision-makers.

Derivco was founded in Durban in 1996 as part of the emerging online gaming industry. Since then, it has evolved into a prominent global technology and software development company.

The chart below shows South Africa’s preferred software development companies for large business projects.