Your Comprehensive Guide to Hiring an App Developer in 2022

How to Hire
by Irfan A Rehman
29 Nov

All businesses need apps in this age of amazing smartphone technology. According to Statista, 54.8% of website traffic in 2021 come from mobile devices. And a Compuware report suggests that 85% of consumers prefer apps over websites.

But app development is not a small task or a cheap one. You need professionals with great expertise to work on your app. And knowing how to find an app developer is half the battle.

In this guide, we’ll share valuable tips that can help you find app developers. We’ll cover the platforms where you can find app developers, the cost for various hiring choices and more. You won’t have any trouble finding an app developer once you’re done reading this article.

How to Hire an App Developer?

Before you go online looking for programmers for your app, you first need to have a clear idea of what kind of app you want. You could develop a native app, meaning that it will operate only on either Android or iOS depending on what you choose. Or you could create a cross-platform app that can work on both these systems. Deciding this is essential because the skills required for each app are different. Android developers work with different frameworks, programming languages and APIs as compared to iOS developers. Here’s an overview of the skills and tech capabilities you need to look for when hiring programmers for your app.

Skills to Look For In an App Developer

Android App Developers	iOS App Developers
1. Proficient in Kotlin and Java	1. Proficient in Swift and Objective – C
2. Understands MVP and MVVM	2. Has experience in various APIs
3. Should be familiar with Android Studio IDE	3. Understanding of app publishing on App Store
4. Experience in frameworks such as Jetpack Compose and Android UI	4. Should be familiar with Xcode IDE
5. Skilled in material design guidelines.	5. Experienced with Core Data framework

Then you need to decide on which type of app developer or developers you need based on your project. Your budget will play a big role in this process, but that shouldn’t be the only consideration. A small app with minimal features can cost around $25,000 – $50,000 including all the stages from discovery to maintenance. But eCommerce or other business apps could easily require a budget of $200,000 to $500,000 to be successful. Here are a few hiring options for app programmers along with a mention of the cost to hire app developers:

1. Hire Freelance App Developers

Freelance app developers can be individuals or teams. This is a great option if your project is small or if you need their services just once. There are many platforms where you can find app developers almost instantly. We’ll cover them in detail in the section below. The most common issue that you could face when hiring international freelancers is the language barrier. Although many of them understand English, they might not be proficient in it which can result in a lack of understanding of project requirements and unnecessary stress for you. Another problem that could come up is that you might not be able to scale the app should you need to. Because finding the same person again isn’t always a possibility. Otherwise, freelancers are a great option for app development, not to mention one of the cheapest. Freelance app developer cost: According to Upwork which is one of the largest freelance platforms, beginner app developers usually charge around $30/hour while experienced ones can charge $120/hour or more. There is also a difference between the type of app you develop. iOS app developers charge between $45 and $75+/hour while Android app developer rates are between $25 to $85+/hour.

2. Hire an In-House App Development Team

Hiring an in-house app development team is by far the most expensive option. It’s suitable only for large-scale development projects with multiple apps and requirements for continuous maintenance. The benefits of this approach are that you’ll have access to your developers all the time which leads to better communication and sometimes quicker results. The downside is that you’ll have to rent a space, pay for sick days and maybe even hire a project manager to lead the app development team. But if you’re looking for more control and need the app development team to be close by then this could be a good option for you. The salary for an in-house iOS developer can be over $109k annually. You also have to account for designers (average $65,000 annually), project managers and equipment on top of that, so the cost to hire in-house app developers can be really high depending on where you set up the office.

3. Hire App Development Agencies

Outsourcing to mobile app development agencies can offer you the best ROI. You don’t have to pay for additional managers, health insurance or find and maintain office space.

The best feature of app development agencies is that they have developers for different kinds of projects. So you can hire the same company for Android app development, or iOS or cross-platform mobile apps. These companies also offer great NDA terms and ensure that your app has top quality code.

You also don’t need to hire a separate project manager for supervising enterprise-level projects because the agencies have skilled professionals for that. These teams are experienced in working with short deadlines and complex apps so this is a great option if you’re pressed for time.

Agencies can cost more than individual app developers but significantly less than in-house teams. Some companies charge between $150 to $250/hour. While others set up project-based contracts. The cost of hiring app development agencies can vary widely but these still offer you a great deal for the services.

Five Best Tips on How to Find an App Developer

Once you know what kind of app you need to develop and have also figured out the kind of app developer you’re going to hire, you need to begin the actual hiring part of the process. You can place ads on online marketplaces and other freelance platforms (mentioned in the next section). Then evaluate the applications to see who the best fit is.

Here are our five best tips on how to hire an app developer that’s perfect for your needs.

1. Look Closely At Their Portfolio

Looking over the case studies showcased in the app developer’s portfolio is important. You don’t have to look for projects exactly the same as yours. Instead, use the case studies to assess the diversity of the developer’s skill set and try to observe how well they can incorporate client instruction.

That’ll help you know if they can fulfil your requirements. Also, check their technical proficiency in the kind of app you need such as iOS or Android or cross-platform. App developers tend to list their expertise in their portfolio so that’s where you’ll need to focus.

2. Testimonials and References

Client reviews are one of the most important things to check before hiring an app developer. You should see if the reviews are specific and point to problems that the app developer solved for the clients. Too many generic reviews could be a bad sign or indicate that the reviews are staged.

Video testimonials or reviews from websites that are included in the case studies are good signs.

Some platforms show the rating of the app developer on their profile while others even give you a breakdown of the ratings in different areas. Of course, if you’re hiring for a full-time position then you’d want to call previous employers and ask for feedback about the potential hire.

3. Check Their Development Methodology

Different app developers have their own approaches to projects. So you should review their methodology in detail before hiring. Getting a good idea of the working model will help you understand how they integrate feedback, manage prototype versions and troubleshooting.

This section will also generally tell you the various services they cover. For example, some app development agencies might offer you market research, project manager and long-term maintenance while others don’t.

4. Look at their FAQs and Pricing

FAQs are helpful to find answers to questions about their teams’ experience, duration of the project, billing flexibility and other such common questions.

Look through the terms of the agreement if it’s provided on the website; otherwise, ask them about NDAs and policies about confidential information. This is critical if your app developer is operating in some other country because the laws there can be different.

Also, go to the pricing section and explore your options. Determine if they offer per hour or project-based contracts. Or if post-launch maintenance is covered in the project cost and whether or not you can pay in instalments. These are important things to check before hiring an app developer.

5. Gather General Information about the App Developer

You should also look at some general information about the app developer you’re considering hiring. This includes their communication skills, years in the industry, number of developers in the team, tech stack, relevant awards and such things.

Also check what frameworks and CMS they use and if that’s enough for your project, how they fix bugs and what their quality assurance procedure is like.

If you’re hiring a team of app developers then check their websites and social media platforms. It can show you a glimpse of their current projects or some more customer reviews.

Where Can You Find an App Developer?

Whether you want to assemble an in-house team or outsource it to freelance app developers, knowing where to find app developers is essential because it can save you a lot of time and resources.

One way to go about it is to do a Google search with the relevant keywords and look for the aforementioned things in the app developer websites that pop up.

Or you could place ads on specific platforms and hire an app developer from the list of applicants. Here are a few such platforms where you can find programmers for an app:

Full-Time App Developers or In-House Teams

App developers looking for a full-time gig tend to be active on the following platforms:

Hire App Developers from LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social media and networking site. App developers mention their skills and experience there so you should have no trouble finding the one with the skills you need. Professionals can endorse each other’s skills so you can be reassured that the developer is authentic.

This is best if you’re looking for a professional to work with you full-time and on-site, although remote workers are also available here.

App Developers from Indeed

Indeed is another professional job board site for companies looking to hire full-time employees. You can post an opening for an app developer on your company page with all the relevant details. Interested candidates will apply and then you can narrow the list and hire the one you like.

Hire App Developers with Dice Platform

This is a tech-specific platform to hire full-time app developers. The developers list their skills and the platform matches them to your job posting that requires similar skills. Dice has amazing fraud detection so you can rest easy knowing that any talent you find here will be authentic.

Finding Freelance App Developers

Some platforms to hire freelancers or outsource app development teams include:

Find App Developers with DevTeam.Space

This is one of the leading platforms for hiring freelance app developers. Each member is thoroughly screened before they’re allowed to join. You can post a job and hire either individual developers or entire teams. The best feature is that DevTeams.Space has a large pool of top talent in all areas; Android, iOS and cross-platform to name a few.

You also don’t have to find the app developer yourself because the platform has a team for it. They read the requirements of your project and select the most appropriate app developer for your project.

Reach App Developers from Stack Overflow

This freelance marketplace is specifically for software developers; for both websites and apps. The job board lists the members with the highest-ranking developers at the top, so you can choose your own programmer based on their skills and performance. Or you could post the job and find an app developer from the applications.

This platform also offers discussion boards that are quite informative. Your app developer can use these to find solutions to any problems they might face while working on your app.

How to Hire App Developers from Upwork

This is a freelance platform for all industries. So you’re likely to receive a lot of applications in response to your job posting. That can make it difficult to find the one with the most relevant skills. It offers some useful features such as developer score, client testimonials and portfolio right there on the profile. You can also easily find either individual freelancers or teams here.

You can find programmers for any kind of project or even for small changes in your current app. The downside is that you might need to hire a separate project manager if you hire more than one developer or designer.

Hiring App Developers – In Summary

You have many options when it comes to hiring app developers. You can choose between freelancers, outsource teams or build an in-house team. There are various platforms to find app developers such as Stack Overflow, Indeed and Dice.

But before you begin to find a programmer for your app, you need to chalk down your requirements. This should save your time finding an app developer or web development company.

If you know what kind of app you want for your business and need someone to develop it for you, then contact ClickySoft for our expert app development services. We have Android and iOS app developers, designers and full-stack developers that can create a remarkable app for your business.

Irfan A Rehman

Irfan A. Rehman is a managing partner of ClickySoft USA, a well-recognized full service digital transformation agency based in Houston, Texas. He has been attached with the ICT sector for over twenty years, helping businesses & start-ups as strategic partner & planner in USA & MENA region.

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