How to Hire an App Developer and How Much Does It Cost?

Smartphones have revolutionized our lifestyles, business operations and environments, and how we conduct most transactions and interactions with the external world. Mobile app development has assumed a valuable space for a significant profit. In fact, it is reported that mobile apps are to generate more than 770 billion Euros in revenues in 2023. That said, before you hire app developers to make millions for your business, find out the best way of going about it. Whether you prefer to hire Android app developers or need to hire iPhone app developers, finding out how to make the development costs that best suit your project budgets is a must.

Planning to Hire App Developers – Know Trends in App Development

Mobile phones are slowly taking over the world of technology. It has successfully created an important arena around it, forcing us to shift our attention from technologies that do not support apps to the ones that do. Web and mobile apps have become the first preferred interaction point for people to interact with any person, business, bank, professional service provider, or other point of contact.

Applications can be classified as native apps, web apps, and hybrid apps based on the platforms and operating systems they use.

Any app you are trying to build – gaming apps, e-commerce apps, educational apps, social media apps, productivity apps, ERP-based mobile apps, utility apps, banking apps, chatting apps, entertainment apps, etc. – you would need to first decide whether you need a web app that works on mobile browsers well or a native mobile app or a hybrid one.

Be it Android, iOS, or some other mobile platform, one can find an app for almost every purpose. Due to the flourishing of smartphones and their uses, businesses today have laid more stress on developing their profits around them.

They are constantly on the lookout for the latest trends in mobile application development, such as M-Commerce, which is integrated into existing E-commerce portals to offer one-click ordering, voice shopping, and omnichannel retail for a fast and hassle-free experience.

Beacon Technology is another promising trend with a wide scope in healthcare, travel, tourism, mobile payments, and gaming, built to provide users with relevant notifications and guidance.

Another latest trend for mobile apps is seen in AR and VR technologies, which impact camera, video, and gaming. Features like motion tracking, people occlusion, destination navigation, and visual learning have been added to make it a total package. Some other major trends are seen in Enterprise mobile apps, mobile wallets, folding displays, cross-platform app development, and many more.

All this information indicates there is a lot to think about and plan before you hire app developers for your business. Here is how you can get started.

How To Hire App Developers?

1) List The Web and Mobile Apps You Want To Develop

To hire app developers, the first crucial step is to list down the type of web or mobile app you want your team of developers to build for you.

Undoubtedly, there are numerous options in the market, and you ought to do enough research before choosing one. If you are a company dealing with other businesses, B2B applications are recommended for you.

If you are a company whose products move directly from a business to the end-user who has purchased the goods or service for personal use, then B2C applications are made for you. You can also choose to build order management applications if your business deals with order capturing, tracking, managing, and fulfilling customer orders.

You might be an organization that could benefit from a fleet management app that can be used for tracking, maintaining, analyzing, and improving fleet operations. Fleet apps offer various features such as recording driver behavior and staff information, monitoring fuel and tax expenses, assigning jobs to drivers, scheduling vehicle maintenance, GPS fleet tracking, and more.

Office and factory visibility apps are other options that will enable you to elevate productivity and make data-driven decisions by tracking real-time KPIs and monitoring production status, cycle time, and more.

If your company is largely customer-oriented, the customer service app is for you. It is an excellent go-to resource for customers in need of assistance from service agents to resolve any issue.

There are also other options, such as Lifestyle mobile apps, Social Media mobile apps, utility mobile apps, games/entertainment mobile apps, and so on, from which you can choose accordingly.

2) Frame App Development Requirements Documentation

Once you are done with the decision to choose an app, the next step in the process is to frame app development requirements documentation by focusing on exact goals and target users.

When building an app, three basic aspects must be taken into account – the look, the ease of use, and the conversion potential. Whether you hire Android app developers or decide to hire iPhone app developers instead, your app must not only have the best UI and UX fit to attract your target audience, but it must possess a robust architecture and top-notch security for ensuring smooth deliverables.

Another aspect of deciding is the revenue model. Are you going for paid or free apps? Whether the type of app would be simple or complex. Specify your product concept, design, and functionality beforehand.

Adopt a holistic approach while deciding the functions and uses of your application so that the expected outcome is achieved. Get great market insights and consult with expert developers who understand your vision and can judge it in terms of the challenges, risks, and benefits involved.

3) Partner With an App Developer Recruitment Agency

Partnering with an app developer recruitment agency is a worthy option in the sense that its team of top-notch consultants will not only help you steer your project in the right direction by defining its requirements but by providing expert guidance in finding the right app development resource requirements.

Whether your project needs a part-time individual developer or a full-service organization, a recruiting agency makes sure that they are competent, dedicated, and trustworthy enough through their in-depth business understanding and diverse network.

Making use of references and prior evaluations, they conduct interviews only to select the best fit for your company with industry-specific exposure, niche expertise, the right programming tools, and growth method.

Moreover, whether you want to hire app developers as a full-time dedicated resource or choose between a freelancer or remote staff, recruit top agencies to hire candidates that best suit your requirements.

4) Budgeting

Setting up the app development budget based on different parameters is an important step.

Decide your budget by including all these factors in making estimates:

• App development platform and OS – iOS or Android
• Type of app – native, mobile web, hybrid
• Development time – 30 days, 60 days, so on
• Location Of App Development – North Americas, The UK, Eastern Europe, India, South Asia, etc.

In most cases, the mobile app development process comprises five stages that need considerable spending. These include: pre-development, also called – discovery or research, UX/UI design, app development, app testing and deployment, support, and maintenance.

Vendor type and location, complexity and the number of app features, app concept, back-end infrastructure and connected APIs, and inclusion of additional branded visual elements also influence the app budget.

The cost of production also varies depending on the experience and expertise of the app developers. Visual representation of the app prior to the actual app coding and spending for future needs such as scaling up, customer services, and on-demand customization are some other expenditures involved.

5) Contracts and MoUs

After your agency sources you 5-7 best-match developer teams or freelancers, do not rush with your decision.

Shortlist the one that optimizes your business outcomes by conducting interviews and various evaluations which bring out the skills that are best suited for your app development project.

Run background checks, use references and consult with the experts before signing contracts. Once you are satisfied, proceed with the right contracts, NDAs and MoUs. Discuss the rates since most developers charge hourly and payment processes such as clients’ billing services and the flexibility of the process. Signing the NDA agreement to keep app information confidential is also important.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire App Developers?

The solution, technology, and location of the app developers determine the budget largely. The most popular countries for mobile app development are the USA, Canada, South America, the UK, Ukraine, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, where the hourly rates charged by app developers also vary significantly.

Undoubtedly, working with an experienced developer team is much easier since they understand your needs and use the best methods for their fulfillment. But the greater the experience, the more the budget.

Hence, the best mobile app development companies in the USA and India charge on the basis of the work experience of their team. However, a high price does not necessarily guarantee the required quality. Sometimes, cheap development costs may give you better project solutions than expensive ones.

According to a survey, developer’s hourly rates calculated with the average economic app developments (average economic cost – average high-end cost) in different countries are indicated here: