How to Find an App Developer for Your Project

Say you run a business. Online or offline, in either case, there’s a moment when you decide to scale, and developing a custom app sounds like a promising idea. How does it cross your mind? And is there a real need to invest in a mobile app?

The IT industry is growing, and so does the demand for its services. As per the latest available report by Evans Data, a software market research firm, there are 26.9M software developers worldwide. And in recent years, Clutch.co, the largest IT vendors aggregator, found that 42% of the U.S. small businesses had their app, of which:

  • 28% wanted to attract more customers

  • 18% wanted to gain a competitive advantage

  • 17% aimed to increase sales

You probably are guided by the same goals. Mobile apps do help businesses, as they form a new model of consumer behavior and increase customer loyalty. A Business.com study revealed that returning customers spend 67% more than new ones, and it’s clearly something to chew on.

Bad news: it takes much effort to find app developers that would be your perfect fit. Good news: this article is here to simplify your search.

Types of Software Developers

We all know what a good, trusted software developer (or a team of developers) should be like: transparent, reliable, expert… All of these are vague characteristics difficult to evaluate quickly. Every developer states their reliability and such, so we’ll focus on more objective criteria. The main one is how they work.

Freelance Developers

Freelancers are self-employed developers not bound to any company. They are good for handling small tasks or projects, such as creating a landing page or designing an application. Some of them offer to create apps too, but how long it takes is the question. An individual could spend a whole year building a complex app, while a team would only need several months to complete it. So, freelancers charge less compared to a team of developers, but time is money.

To create an application and not wait for ages, you’ll need to hire more freelancers and take on project management yourselves. It can result in poor product quality, as freelancers tend to take on multiple projects at a time and therefore work in a hurry, and working beyond office hours isn’t of much help. Unfortunately, most can provide no guarantees that the product will be finished on time and have no critical issues with performance and/or safety.

Outsourcing Company

Software development companies, or outsourcing companies, are those housing a team (teams) of specialists: front-end and back-end developers, business analysts, QA engineers, DevOps engineers, designers, project managers. Each specialist is skilled in a particular domain and grows in one direction.

Mobile app development outsourcing companies complete all kinds of tasks, from adding certain functionality to the existing product to creating a fully-featured app from scratch.

You only need to give clear instructions, and even if you have nothing but an idea, specialists will help you make up a working concept. And you’ll always know how the development is going and stay in touch with the team thanks to regular meetings and demos.

The language barrier might be a problem if you decide to outsource to EMEA/APAC regions, but as companies care about their image, many of them hire specialists who are fluent in English.

Freelancers vs. Mobile App Development Agencies

These are often opposed due to high competition in the market. The thing is, they can’t compete as they are so much different. To sum up the above here’s to compare:

Freelancers

  • Lower rates

  • Switch between assignments

  • Niche expertise

  • Better for small projects

  • No policies/obligations

  • Difficult to manage

  • Unpredictable expenses

Software Development Companies

  • Higher rates

  • A dedicated team for each project

  • Project-specific expertise

  • For projects of all sizes

  • Have company policies

  • Well-managed

  • Precise project estimation

However, if none is right for you, there’s the third option - less obvious but worth mentioning too. We won’t focus on it a lot here, as the article answers the question of how to find the right app developer, not how to hire them.

In-house Developers

If you want maximum involvement in the development process and plan on creating new products long-term, you find a developer for an app or a team to work for you full-time on a company basis. What we describe here is practically starting a product company.

All from recruitment to setting legal matters for your employees falls on your shoulders. Mind salaries, benefits, and equipment for specialists you hire.



What you get if you assemble an inhouse team is a clear and accessible communication with no language barrier or time zone issues, as well as employees’ deep understanding of the product and company’s principles. But, if you have not much experience in the IT business, hiring your own team is associated with many risks, such as staff dismissal and lack of expertise. One person can hardly know it all, so to grow the team’s versatility you’ll need to hire more and more people.

Where to Find a Programmer for an App

Answering the question of how to find a developer to build an app, it’s not enough to say “turn your laptop on and start googling”. To narrow the search down, here are some resources where clients and vendors find each other.

Companies:

  • Clutch is a B2B platform with a comprehensive list of web and mobile app development agencies. The best thing about this directory is that Clutch representatives verify all reviews and prove the client’s identity.

  • GoodFirms is another directory featuring companies ready to cooperate.

  • TechReviewer also provides a large list of companies to choose from.

Freelancers:

  • Upwork lists all kinds of specialists offering their services.

  • Toptal is a curated freelance platform.

  • Hired helps find mobile app developers for your project.

Besides, word of mouth is always an option. Don’t be shy to ask someone you know and trust about their experience with software developers.

What’s Good to Know

There are questions you should ask yourselves and questions to ask developers to verify their expertise and to ensure fruitful cooperation.

Checklist to ask yourselves:

  • What kind of developer is better for me - a freelancer or a team from an outsourcing company?

  • What kind of solution do I need - a web, mobile, or both?

  • How much can I spend on an app?

Checklist to ask a vendor:

  • What’s your experience in software development?

  • What are the core domains you specialize in (Healthcare, E-commerce, AI, FinTech, etc.) and the tech stack you work with?

  • How do you manage projects?

  • What do you do to assure the quality of products?

  • Are there solutions similar to my project in your portfolio?

  • Can your former customers share their reviews on working with you?

  • How do you ensure you can stay within my budget?

With a clear understanding of your wants and needs, look through the software development company portfolio and customers’ reviews, paying attention to aspects of the most importance to you. For example: if they were responding on time, meeting deadlines, and if the estimated budget was in line with the final cost of their services.

Rates by Countries

If you decide after all to go for an application development outsourcing company,, consider that their hourly rates differ a lot by region. For example:

  • North America - $150-250/hr.

  • Central and Western Europe - $50-140/hr.

  • Eastern Europe - $30-50/hr.

  • Asia - $25-40/hr.

It’s difficult to average the time spent on a project, but here’s to think about. A full-cycle development featuring project management, development itself, and quality assurance services can bring the process duration to around 400 hours. Thus, you can calculate the approximate cost of work.

Where to Outsource in
2023?

To answer the question of how to choose a mobile app development company, you need to consider its geography among other factors. So what are the best countries to outsource software development in 2023? Historically, there appeared and loomed some most popular outsourcing regions - Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and India. But things change fast and dramatically and the positions have shifted.

Now Eastern Europe is not as safe to outsource as several years ago. India remains a popular destination but not the best choice in terms of the quality of the final deliverables. Where else to look? The truth is, the vendors’ geography is broadening and more options appear.

Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and other countries of the Southern European region are not what comes to mind first when thinking about where to outsource software development services. However, the latest events changed the game due to fewer alternatives to the customary destinations left out there.

According to European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO), Southern Europe can create 2.4 million new jobs over the next four years through digital transformation, while raising economic growth and accelerating green transformation. All this gives reason to suppose that over time, developers will distribute and occupy these vacant workplaces.

What about Spain?

Spain flag

Let’s take a closer look at IT in Spain, a country with a level of customer satisfaction with outsourced software development services among the highest in Europe. Spain is a hub of technological innovation and growth, offering a vibrant landscape for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals. In 2023, Spain's ICT spending is projected to reach $64 billion, exhibiting a healthy compound annual growth rate of 4.7% from 2021 to 2026, which speaks volumes about the country's commitment to digital transformation.

Despite global economic challenges, Spain's economy continues to show resilience with a forecasted GDP growth of 1.5% year-on-year in 2023, significantly exceeding the European average of 0.6%​​. This economic stability and growth are partly fueled by the European Union's Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery instrument, which Spain is one of the largest beneficiaries of. This instrument supports economic growth and investments in ICT, providing a conducive environment for professionals and businesses in the field.

How Outsourcing Brings
Value to Business

78% of businesses over the world are positive about outsourcing services. Outsourcing helps companies increase their efficiency by implementing digital technologies in the work process while the business stays focused on its core competencies.

Enterprises benefit from top talent in the industry and save time and money. Software developers give post-launch product support and improve it based on user feedback and reports.

Other Suggestions

  • Consider developing a Minimum Viable Product first. An MVP allows you not only to validate the idea of your product but also to evaluate communication with the team and decide whether you want to keep working with it or switch to another company.

  • It’s useful to download or try some products made by the vendor you’re interested in to get a sense of the quality and consistency of their applications. Find out if their apps give real value to users.

  • When working with foreign contractors, be aware of their national holidays and long weekends that may vary from country to country, and make sure you’re satisfied with their schedule.

  • Agree on the communication channels you’ll use. To deal with the matters faster, arrange meetings and synchronize with tools convenient for both sides. Most companies use Jira, Confluence, Slack, and Trello to manage projects.

Want to Find App Developers?

We hope our article made the problem of how to find a developer to build an app a little bit easier. At least now you have a clue about the criteria for choosing one!

Anadea is a recognized software development company with 20+ years of experience in creating solutions for businesses. Feel free to contact us to bring your idea to life - we’ll be happy to hear from you!

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