Hiring mobile app developers may not seem a serious challenge at the first glance once mobile app market is still fertile, so there must be enough qualified tech talents for hire. Unfortunately, when it comes to real life, it’s a multi-stage task with various pitfalls that may lead to your reputation getting damaged, if the product is poorly developed.
For you to not let that happen, JatApp would like to offer you a step-by-step guide on how to hire mobile app developers that will meet your unique business needs, based on our experience in mobile app development.
What do mobile app developers do?
Mobile app developers are software engineers who design, create, deploy, and maintain mobile apps. More specifically, they are responsible for developing software applications for certain operating systems (OSs), such as iOS or/and Android. Depending on your needs, there are native iOS and Android developers and cross-platform developers who work with Flutter and React Native. Let’s look closely at each type of development.
Native app development
Native development refers to creating a mobile application exclusively for a single operating system, which is either Android or iOS.
Android
Android app developer design mobile apps for tablets and phones that run on the Android OS. Normally, applications are built using Java or Kotlin programming languages. Depending on your project, you can hire Android app developer for a wide range of solutions, starting from electronic book readers and interactive games to navigation apps. Hiring Android developers is a good idea if you want to build an application with flawless performance and complex features.
Android app example
iOS
iOS developers are responsible for creating apps for Apple devices, which include iPhone (iOS), iPad (iPadOS), and Apple Watch (WatchOS). Objective-C and Swift are the main programming languages for developing, testing, and debugging software for iOS. Financial apps, media players, or photo editor apps are only a few examples of projects that you can expect when you hire iOS app developer. iOS developers usually get hired for projects where performance, as well as UI and graphics, are of primary concern in app development.
iOS app example
Cross-platform development
Unlike native development, cross-platform app development refers to creating two separate apps for Android and iOS using a single codebase. This approach is considered to be more cost-effective, as you don’t have to acquire 2 teams to develop your app. The most popular frameworks for cross-platform development include Flutter and React Native.
Flutter
Flutter is an open-source framework developed by Google. Flutter’s programming language, Dart, offers its own widgets and UI elements that give engineers an easy way to build custom applications with visually attractive designs.
These ready-to-use features speed the code writing process, resulting in reduced development cost and quicker time-to-market compared to native development. Flutter is a good choice for projects that involve complex animations and when the functional side is increasingly important. On-demand, gaming, and photo editing apps are some of the examples of such projects.
Flutter app example
React Native
React Native is a framework created by Facebook for cross-platform app development. React Native developers write using JavaScript programming language. Unlike Flutter, React Native cannot function without additional Application Programming Interface (APIs), which makes it less efficient in terms of performance.
React Native is a great option for applications with simple functionality and multiple similar elements, like eCommerce websites, social media, and events applications. If the mobile application is not your primary product, React Native can be your go-to solution, as it helps to market the product significantly quicker compared to Flutter.
React Native app example
Mobile app developer qualifications: Experience, hard and soft skills to look for
After you determine the type of development for your project, you should start looking for professionals to build it. Knowing how to hire mobile app developers requires you clearly understand what to expect from future candidates. Native and cross-platform developers have different skills and experience, so check the list some of the essential requirements for native and cross-platform developers:
Native development
iOS:
Hard skills:
- Basic knowledge of iOS SDK;
- Knowledge of design patterns, such as SOLID, OOP, and POP;
- Proficiency in asynchronous programming;
- Understanding of memory management;
- Experience of working with RESTful web service;
- Familiarity with GIT;
- Deep knowledge of Core Data;
Soft skills:
- The ability to work under pressure;
- Exceptional time management skills;
- Big-picture thinking;
- Intermediate+ English proficiency.
Android:
Hard Skills:
- Understanding of MVP, MVVM, Clean Architecture, and design patterns;
- Experience with Dagger2/Koin/Hilt and Retrofit, REST, and JSON;
- Experience with third-party libraries and APIs;
- Familiarity with Jetpack;
- Expertise in working with Rooms/SQLite;
- Mastery in asynchronous programming (Coroutines, Native Concurrency);
- Knowledge of Java and Kotlin;
Soft skills:
- The ability to work in a team;
- An outstanding problem-solving ability;
- Strong communication skills.
- Upper-intermediate and higher English level.
Cross-platform development
Cross-platform developers’ requirements mainly depend on the framework they utilize. Below we list qualifications for the frameworks mentioned previously – Flutter and React Native.
Flutter:
Hard skills:
- Experience with HTTP/HTTPS, REST API, OAuth, Push Notifications, Offline Data Sync;
- Understanding of design patterns for mobile apps (Bloc, Clear architecture).
Soft skills:
- Strong communication skills;
- The ability to work with minimal supervision;
- Creativity and problem-solving skills;
- Upper-intermediate and higher English level.
React Native:
Hard skills:
- Experience with HTTP/HTTPS, REST API, OAuth, Push Notifications, Offline Data Sync;
- Knowledge of React Native, React, or other JavaScript frameworks;
- Understanding of functional programming.
Soft skills:
- Strong teamwork skills;
- Problem-solving skills;
- Open-mindedness and lust for knowledge.
- High level of English proficiency
When you’re looking for some help in terms of app development, JatApp can provide you with highly-qualified teams to develop mobile apps for iOS and Android. We’ve delivered more than 100 mobile applications, many of which were featured as the best apps by the category in Google Play and App Store. We will make sure to assemble the team to join your project based on your requirements and specific needs.
What’s the best way to hire mobile app developers?
The next step is to define the way how to hire a programmer for app development. There are three common ways how to hire mobile app developers: freelancers, have an in-house team, or collaborate with an outsourcing vendor. If you aren’t sure about what strategy to pursue, it’s a good idea to take a look at the main benefits and limitations of each approach.
In-house developers
By insourcing your app development, you get a dedicated team of mobile app coders to join your company on a full-time basis. Hiring in-house app developers is associated with the following pros:
- Complete control over the project life cycle;
- Fully dedicated developers that share your company’s values;
- Effortless communication and quick responses.
Yet, this approach has not escaped some downsides:
- You need to provide your in-house employees full-time salaries and pay overhead costs, including taxes, sick leaves, and vacations;
- You become in charge of office supplies, equipment, workspaces, and so on;
- When recruiting in-house coders, your list of candidates is limited to professionals living in the nearby area or those who are ready to relocate.
Freelancers
Freelancers are independent mobile app developers who offer their services to different employers and receive payment for completing a particular project. The main advantages of this option are as follows:
- Less costly approach compared to hiring in-house developers;
- No need to take care of office space, taxes, and such.
This approach also has several disadvantages:
- The lack of commitment, as freelancers may work with different clients simultaneously;
- The quality of the product is not guaranteed and fully depends on the freelancer you work with.
Outsource company
When deciding to outsource your app development, you have your project completed by a third-party provider. The strategy is known for a range of benefits:
- You get access to the vast talent pool, as you can hire mobile developers from all over the world.;
- You no longer need to worry about office space or costly equipment, as the outsourcing vendor does this for you;
- You can add and replace team members when necessary, which offers you greater flexibility.
However, there are some drawbacks to consider:
- The lack of face-to-face communication;
- Differences in time zones;
- Potential cultural and language gaps;
- The vendor’s trustworthiness, need to choose only companies that are ready to sign the IP Rights Agreement.
The most practical way to address the challenges mentioned is to collaborate with a vendor that has solid experience of working with foreign companies and has established communication channels. JatApp has more than 6 years of experience in working with clients from Western Europe and the USA, so you can hire dedicated mobile app developers with established communication channels, but we can also adapt to your business needs.
Where to hire app developers?
The next step is to search online platforms that assist in finding professionals. At this step, your choice is determined mainly by the hiring approach you intend to use. Below are some examples of reliable websites for hiring in-house mobile app coders, freelancers, and outsourcing companies.
LinkedIn refers to an online platform that can be used for hiring in-house mobile app developers. LinkedIn allows employers to find talents based on their professional experience, skills, milestones, and interests. Notably, you can sort developers by location, thereby finding the most qualified experts in your area.
Upwork
Upwork is the platform that helps employers to conduct interviews, recruit, and work with freelancers. All you need to do is to post a description of a mobile app development project and a price range you are ready to pay for a developer to complete it.
Clutch
If you decide to hire a mobile app development company, Clutch can help you a lot in this respect. It presents an independent platform that gathers reviews from clients about each agency registered on the website. The platform offers in-depth client interviews about their cooperation with a vendor. Furthermore, fake boosts to the agency’s ratings are not possible due to the website policy. When you are looking to partner with an outsourcing company, you should focus mainly on vendors with a higher rating and many positive reviews. JatApp, for example, has a five-star rating based on reviews from our clients.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire an App Developer?
The cost to hire an app developer mainly depends on the coder’s location. For instance, in America the price of building an app will be significantly higher due to higher costs of living. On the other hand, countries in Eastern Europe like Ukraine deliver products of the same quality but at a much lower cost.
The United States
In the United States, the prices for app development are high compared to Western Europe and other countries. On average, you can hire a developer to make an app for $62 per hour. While the country delivers the majority of software developers on HackerRank, it only managed to rank 28th in the competition for best software development talents.
The United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the cost of building an app is not low either. The price reaches almost $47 per hour for a project of average complexity. On HackerRank, the United Kingdom occupies 29th place in the competition for the most skillful developers.
China
In China, the average hourly cost to hire mobile app developers is $39/hour. The country prides itself not only on lower development costs, compared to America, but talented engineers as well. According to HackerRank findings, China takes first place being rated as the country with the most talented software developers. However, the level of English proficiency in the country leaves much to be desired. The English Proficiency Index is 49 only, showing moderate proficiency.
India
The mobile app developer average hourly rate in India is rather low falling to $8/hour. Even though the price may seem attractive, it won’t look that way when it comes to software quality. Indian developers scored relatively low, taking 31st place on HackerRank.
Ukraine
Ukrainian companies offer high-quality mobile applications while charging reasonable prices for their services. Mobile app developer average hourly rate reaches nearly $26/hour, which is significantly lower than in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.
More importantly, the country outscored India, America, and the United Kingdom taking 11th place in ranking the most skillful software engineers. Ukraine is leading in such domains as distributed systems, mathematics, and security. Besides, many Ukrainian software developers possess strong English skills, as the country ranks 40 in the English Proficiency Index. These findings demonstrate that the IT field in this country has favorable conditions for outsourcing and can meet the demand for a highly competent workforce.
For your convenience, we’ve made a comparison table with the hourly mobile app development rates arranged by country.
Additional tips for hiring an outsourcing company
Apart from the steps we’ve highlighted above, here are some additional tips on how to hire a mobile app development company:
- Examine the company’s portfolio
Before hiring a mobile app agency, check their portfolios to see what challenges they’ve addressed on previous projects. This will help you understand the company’s level of expertise and find out whether they are a good fit for your project.
- Be prepared before conducting an interview with your potential vendor
Before an interview you may need to prepare multiple technical questions to test the company’s expertise and come up with a situation to ask how they would handle it. Pay attention to red flags, such as disrespect for clients or inability to meet deadlines.
- Discover the company’s culture
Last but not least, you need to check whether the core values of your candidates match your company’s ethics.
Why collaborate with JatApp?
Compared to other software companies that offer mobile app development services, JatApp stands apart with its:
- access to most talented Ukrainian coders that will cut your app creation costs up to 60% while preserving software quality;
- ability to perform in-depth niche analysis and deliver feature-rich solutions;
- Agile approach that allows decreasing time to market and produce high-quality products at the same time;
- 6+ years of experience in app development across different industries;
- post-release support to adjust your solution as the market changes.
Want to know more about us? Feel free to have a look at our portfolio.
