The short answer
The four largest software and IT companies headquartered in Portugal, ranked by reported number of employees, are Glintt, Critical Software, Feedzai and Quidgest. Glintt is the largest, with about 1,200 employees. We could verify four companies meeting our criteria, so this list is shorter than ten rather than padded with unverified names.
The four companies at a glance
| # | Company | Headquarters | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glintt | Sintra | 2008 | 1,200 |
| 2 | Critical Software | Coimbra | 1998 | 900+ (2019) |
| 3 | Feedzai | Coimbra | 2011 | 500+ |
| 4 | Quidgest | Lisbon | 1988 | 150 |
Ranked by the most recent employee count stated on each company’s Wikipedia article or official website, checked 24 October 2026. Years in brackets show when that figure applies; companies without a stated figure are listed last.
The companies in detail
1Glintt
SintraOne of Portugal’s largest technology companies, providing software and IT services to healthcare, banking, energy and public administration in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
- Headquarters
- Sintra
- Founded
- 2008
- Employees
- 1,200
- Ownership
- Public company (Euronext: GLINTT)
2Critical Software
CoimbraBuilds safety- and mission-critical software and systems for aerospace, defence, automotive, railway, telecoms, finance and energy.
- Headquarters
- Coimbra
- Founded
- 1998
- Employees
- 900+ (2019)
- Ownership
- Private
3Feedzai
CoimbraBuilds real-time machine learning software that detects payment fraud and financial crime for banks, retailers and e-commerce companies.
- Headquarters
- Coimbra
- Founded
- 2011
- Employees
- 500+
- Ownership
- Private
4Quidgest
LisbonDevelops software, including its own AI-assisted software generation platform, with offices in Portugal, Germany, Mozambique and Timor-Leste.
- Headquarters
- Lisbon
- Founded
- 1988
- Employees
- 150
- Ownership
- Private (S.A.)
Also worth knowing
These companies did not make the ranking, for the reason given, but are often mentioned alongside it.
- OutSystems: Low-code platform company founded in Lisbon in 2001 with large engineering teams in Portugal; now headquartered in Boston.
What this list tells us about Portugal’s software industry
- Coimbra is the main hub. 2 of the four companies on this list are headquartered there, with others in Sintra, Lisbon.
- A long track record. The oldest company here, Quidgest, was founded in 1988; the youngest, Feedzai, in 2011.
- Ownership mix. 1 of the four are publicly listed and 0 are subsidiaries of, or majority-owned by, other groups; the rest are independent private companies, cooperatives or state-linked organisations.
Portugal at a glance
- Capital
- Lisbon
- Official languages
- Portuguese
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Population
- 11.4 million (2025 est.)
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $35,434 (2026 est.)
Economy. An advanced economy relying mainly on services, industry and tourism.
Country figures from Wikipedia’s article on Portugal, checked 24 October 2026. Estimates are rounded and dated as stated there.
Working with software companies in Portugal
- Time zone. Portugal spans several time zones, from UTC-01:00 to UTC+01:00 across the year. Agree overlap hours in writing before a project starts.
- Data protection. The country is part of the European Union or the European Economic Area, so the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies and personal data is handled under the same rules as across the EU and EEA.
- Due diligence. Large companies on this list mostly sell their own products or enterprise services. If you need a development partner for a specific project, ask for case studies, interview the engineers and start with a short paid trial. Our guide on how to choose an IT staff augmentation company includes a free vendor scorecard.
- Budget. Typical 2026 hourly rates by region are in our IT staff augmentation cost and rates guide.
- Extra capacity. If you want developers to join your own team rather than outsource a whole project, our IT Staff Augmentation Services provide dedicated engineers who work in your time zone, tools and processes.
How we built this list
- Candidates. We started from Wikipedia’s list of companies of Portugal, the country’s best-known technology firms and companies regularly named in the local and international business press.
- Scope. We kept companies whose main business is software, IT services or a software-based platform, and that are headquartered in Portugal. Telecom operators, banks and hardware makers were left out, as were local offices of foreign groups. Companies founded in Portugal but now headquartered abroad are listed separately when relevant.
- Verification. For every company we checked headquarters, founding year, ownership, size and whether it is still active against its Wikipedia article or, where none exists, its own official website, on 24 October 2026. Each entry links to the page we checked.
- Ranking. Companies are ranked by their most recently stated number of employees, the most comparable size measure available for public and private firms alike.
- No payments. No company paid or was asked to appear. iCreativez Technologies is itself a software and IT services company, so we do not include or rank ourselves on country lists.
Employee figures come from different years, are sometimes self-reported on company websites and sometimes count a whole group rather than one company, so treat the ranking as a guide to scale rather than an exact league table.
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Software companies in nearby countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest software company in Portugal?
By reported number of employees, Glintt is the largest software and IT company headquartered in Portugal, with about 1,200 employees. It one of Portugal’s largest technology companies, providing software and IT services to healthcare, banking, energy and public administration in Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Which city is the main software hub in Portugal?
Among the companies on this list, Coimbra is home to the most: 2 of the four are headquartered there.
What is the oldest software company in Portugal on this list?
Quidgest, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Lisbon.
How did you choose the software companies in Portugal?
We considered the best-known companies headquartered in Portugal whose main business is software or IT services. We verified each one against its Wikipedia article or official website and ranked them by reported number of employees. No company paid to be included.
Why are there fewer than 10 companies for Portugal?
We only list companies we could verify. Rather than pad the list with names we cannot confirm, we show four verified companies and suggest nearby markets.
What is the economy of Portugal based on?
An advanced economy relying mainly on services, industry and tourism.
What languages and currency are used for business in Portugal?
The official language is Portuguese, and the currency is the Euro (EUR).
Can I hire software developers to work with a team in Portugal?
Yes. Many businesses combine local partners with remote developers. iCreativez Technologies provides dedicated developers and offshore teams that can work your hours; see our dedicated developers page or contact us.
Sources
All company details were checked on 24 October 2026 against these pages:
- Wikipedia: List of companies of Portugal
- Glintt: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glintt
- Critical Software: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Software
- Feedzai: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedzai
- Quidgest: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quidgest
- Wikipedia: Portugal (country profile)
If you represent a company on this page and a detail has changed, contact us and we will review it. Related guides: top IT staff augmentation companies 2026 · staff augmentation vs outsourcing vs managed services.