Vector Informatik
Dominant automotive embedded tools and AUTOSAR standards vendor from Germany
Founded 1988 | Stuttgart, Germany | 1,001–5,000 employees
rtos-developmentfirmware-developmentembedded-consultingcybersecurity
What is Vector Informatik?
Vector Informatik was founded on April 1, 1988 in Stuttgart, Germany by Eberhard Hinderer, Martin Litschel, and Dr. Helmut Schelling, and has grown the wider Vector Group to roughly 4,000 employees with subsidiaries across Germany and international offices in Brazil, China, France, Italy, England, India, Japan, South Korea, Austria, Sweden, and the US. Vector is best known as a developer of software tools and solutions for automotive embedded systems and electronic control units, and is one of the primary commercial forces behind the AUTOSAR standard — making it more of a tools-and-standards vendor with services attached than a pure custom-development shop, which is an important distinction for buyers comparing it to project-based consultancies.
Vector Informatik works primarily with clients in Automotive sectors. Its primary differentiator is: One of the primary commercial forces behind the AUTOSAR standard, combining automotive embedded tooling with engineering services.
Vector Informatik tech stack and services
AUTOSARCAN busC/C++ECU diagnostics toolingEmbedded Linux
| Service area |
|---|
| RTOS Development |
| Firmware Development |
| Embedded Consulting |
| Cybersecurity |
Vector Informatik pricing
Short answer: Vector Informatik uses a tooling licenses, engineering services, consulting pricing approach. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed; a discovery call is required.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling/licensing | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Engineering services | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Consulting | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Vector Informatik does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Vector Informatik pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +One of the primary commercial contributors to the AUTOSAR standard, giving deep standards-compliance credibility | -Primarily a tools-and-standards vendor with services attached rather than a pure custom embedded development shop — buyers wanting bespoke firmware built from scratch should confirm fit |
| +International presence across 10+ countries supports globally distributed automotive OEM programs | -Automotive-only focus means no relevant track record for non-automotive embedded work |
| +35+ year history focused specifically on automotive embedded tooling and ECU development | -Public pricing and minimum engagement figures are not disclosed |
Vector Informatik vs alternatives
How Vector Informatik compares to the other top Embedded Software companies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemberg Solutions | Full-stack embedded builds needing hardware through cloud in... | 360° engineering across electrical, firmware, Linux, FPGA, and cloud under one roof with a certified in-house hardware lab | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| eInfochips | Enterprise clients wanting embedded engineering backed by Arrow's... | Component sourcing and supply-chain access via parent company Arrow Electronics, paired with a 30-year product engineering track record | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| DMC, Inc. | Manufacturers needing embedded work bundled with factory automation. | Combines embedded systems engineering with manufacturing and test automation under one US-based team | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Integra Sources | Startups wanting one team for both hardware and... | Turnkey hardware-plus-firmware delivery from a single small team, avoiding the coordination overhead of separate vendors | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Innowise | Buyers wanting embedded work bundled with broader software... | Large-scale IT outsourcing capacity with an IoT/embedded delivery line inside a much broader software portfolio | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Avenga | Enterprises wanting IoT engineering inside a broad digital... | Broad software, data, and IoT portfolio backed by scale from consolidating multiple acquired firms since 2017 | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| ByteSnap Design | UK/EU clients needing custom electronic board design paired... | ISO 9001-certified UK boutique with named partnerships across STMicroelectronics, NXP, Microchip, Digi, and Analog Devices | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| LTTS | Large enterprises needing embedded engineering with public-company governance. | Publicly-listed engineering R&D scale (23,800+ engineers) backed by the L&T Group, spanning embedded, automotive, and industrial IoT | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| DornerWorks | Aerospace, defense, and medical programs needing safety-critical embedded... | Deep specialization in high-reliability aerospace, defense, and medical embedded systems, including FPGA and hypervisor work | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Sirin Software | Semiconductor and IoT teams needing deep wireless protocol... | Named specialization in wireless stacks (Wi-Fi, BLE, Matter, UWB, NFC, LoRaWAN) across Linux, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, and ThreadX | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Promwad | European clients wanting hardware, firmware, and FPGA from... | End-to-end European design house covering PCB, FPGA, embedded Linux, and manufacturing coordination in one contracted partner | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Timesys | Teams needing embedded Linux security and long-term maintenance... | Nearly three-decade specialization in embedded Linux security and long-term-support tooling, now under Lynx Software Technologies | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| emlix | Industrial and safety-critical clients needing deep embedded Linux... | Over two decades of pure-play embedded Linux specialization serving 350+ customers in German industrial and safety-critical sectors | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Pengutronix | Teams needing genuine upstream Linux kernel expertise, not... | Developers directly contribute upstream to the Linux kernel (2,500+ changes across 4,000+ files in 2023 alone), a depth signal few consultancies can match | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Elektrobit | Automotive OEMs needing AUTOSAR and ECU software at... | Automotive-only embedded software specialist with software running in 600M+ vehicles, backed by Continental's manufacturing scale | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| KPIT Technologies | Global automotive OEMs needing software-defined vehicle engineering at... | Publicly-listed, automotive-only embedded engineering at 12,000+ engineer scale, specializing in software-defined vehicle architectures | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Tata Elxsi | Enterprises needing embedded engineering alongside media or healthcare... | Broad ER&D scale spanning automotive, media/telecom, and healthcare, with 35+ years of engineering R&D history | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Capgemini Engineering | Global enterprises needing embedded work inside a broad... | One of the largest global engineering consultancies by headcount, with embedded/electronics as one of many technical domains covered | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Cyient | Aerospace and defense programs needing embedded avionics engineering... | Aerospace-focused embedded avionics practice (fly-by-wire, autopilot, collision avoidance) backed by acquisitions like CERTON Software | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| QuEST Global | Multi-vertical enterprises needing embedded engineering alongside broader R&D. | Very broad engineering-services scale (90+ delivery centers, 18+ countries) with embedded/silicon engineering as one capability among many verticals | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Wind River | Safety-critical aerospace and industrial programs standardizing on VxWorks. | Maker of VxWorks, a certified RTOS deployed in commercial and military aircraft, with over 40 years of real-time systems history | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| GlobalLogic | Enterprises wanting embedded work inside a broader Hitachi-backed... | Hitachi-owned digital engineering scale with silicon and embedded hardware/software solutions plus a named Elektrobit automotive partnership | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Luxoft | Automotive OEMs needing infotainment and digital cockpit software... | Automotive software systems integrator with software in 50M+ vehicles, partnering with 8 of the 10 largest vehicle manufacturers, now under DXC Technology | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Data Respons | Nordic and European clients needing embedded work across... | Nordic embedded specialist with nearly 40 years of history across eight distinct industry sectors, now backed by Akkodis' scale | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Klika Tech | Teams needing edge-to-cloud IoT systems with AWS-native integration. | AWS Premier Partner specializing specifically in edge-to-cloud IoT integration, backed by a documented STMicroelectronics partnership | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Intellias | Automotive clients needing navigation and connected-vehicle software at... | Named automotive navigation technology deployed across 10+ car brands and 10M+ vehicles, inside a broader IT outsourcing portfolio | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| N-iX | Enterprises wanting embedded/IoT work bundled with broader cloud... | 15+ years of dedicated IoT and embedded solutions experience inside a broader custom software engineering portfolio | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| HCLTech | Global enterprises wanting embedded engineering as part of... | Embedded engineering delivered by the Engineering & R&D Services business unit inside one of the world's largest IT services companies | 3.7 | Full comparison |
Vector Informatik FAQ
What is Vector Informatik?
Dominant automotive embedded tools and AUTOSAR standards vendor from Germany
How much does Vector Informatik charge?
Vector Informatik uses tooling licenses, engineering services, consulting pricing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Vector Informatik use?
Vector Informatik works with AUTOSAR, CAN bus, C/C++, ECU diagnostics tooling, Embedded Linux. Primary industries served include Automotive.
Is Vector Informatik right for enterprise?
Automotive teams standardizing on AUTOSAR tooling and ECU development. 1,001–5,000 team size. Key consideration: Primarily a tools-and-standards vendor with services attached rather than a pure custom embedded development shop — buyers wanting bespoke firmware built from scratch should confirm fit.
What are the best Vector Informatik alternatives?
The best alternatives to Vector Informatik depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Lemberg Solutions: 360° engineering across electrical, firmware, linux, fpga, and cloud under one roof with a certified in-house hardware lab
- eInfochips: component sourcing and supply-chain access via parent company arrow electronics, paired with a 30-year product engineering track record
- DMC, Inc.: combines embedded systems engineering with manufacturing and test automation under one us-based team
Compare Vector Informatik with other Embedded Software companies
Vector Informatik vs Lemberg Solutions Vector Informatik vs eInfochips Vector Informatik vs DMC, Inc. Vector Informatik vs Integra Sources Vector Informatik vs Innowise Vector Informatik vs Avenga Vector Informatik vs ByteSnap Design Vector Informatik vs LTTS Vector Informatik vs DornerWorks Vector Informatik vs Sirin Software Vector Informatik vs Promwad Vector Informatik vs Timesys Vector Informatik vs emlix Vector Informatik vs Pengutronix Vector Informatik vs Elektrobit Vector Informatik vs KPIT Technologies Vector Informatik vs Tata Elxsi Vector Informatik vs Capgemini Engineering Vector Informatik vs Cyient Vector Informatik vs QuEST Global Vector Informatik vs Wind River Vector Informatik vs GlobalLogic Vector Informatik vs Luxoft Vector Informatik vs Data Respons Vector Informatik vs Klika Tech Vector Informatik vs Intellias Vector Informatik vs N-iX Vector Informatik vs HCLTech
Verify all details directly with Vector Informatik before making a decision.