As an upcoming entrepreneur you will be in a dilemma to find an app developer especially when you have an idea about the app but not sure how to go about the market response. When you are in tune with different mobile app industry, finding one is very easy, however, if you are new, there are two essential ways of finding your app developer.
First, check on your friends and college mates who know the best app developer in their locality. The key to utilizing network is to brief your targeted network groups on your businesses or interest and the quality of the app you need.
The second way is to check on freelance outlets such as Upwork, Odesk or Elance to allow you to hire solid freelance talents. Have a list of their profiles then compare and hire app developer from the list. An example of a freelancer’s profile that will allow you to have the best developer looks like the image below:
Choose an app development location
You could be having one of the most excellent mobile app ideas, and you could be thinking that the hardest thing is hiring app developer. The hardest thing for you, however, is not the developer to hire but the best location for your development. Experts currently estimate that there are close to 2.5 million app developers worldwide and each location has app developers for specific businesses.
You have the task of choosing an app development location that suits your business. Currently, app development locations include Ukraine, United Kingdom, India, and America. However, North America supports almost half of the developers, therefore, looking for app developers from these locations will give you quicker choices rather than starting with South America or Asian countries.
Individual or company
The next big decision in hiring an app developer is whether to go with individuals or hire a company. Regardless of the app, you are looking for, an individual freelancer is self-managed but will suit your needs and specification when you need someone to handle short-lived tasks. When making this decision you have to note that you might have a challenge with individuals when something goes wrong with your app because individual developers might not be there always to reconcile your mobile app platform.
Companies will offer you with well-established workflow, and each specialist in the company will play different roles in the development. You will have a pull of developers designed to handle your app at different levels of coding. On the other hand, all these supplementary services come with costs that you need to evaluate. The choice between an individual and company is within the scope of your mobile app and its functionality.
Where to find mobile app developers
You have a variety of choices on the exact place to find an app developer for hire. The following options give you available channels:
Personal network
As you approach conclusion on your business idea and ready to look for the best developer you can partner with other stakeholders, business associates, and business managers to help you find the best person in the market. Sharing your ideas with different people will earn you value as they will give you a programmer to help you leverage your needs.
Local universities
Local institutions are the hub of talents to offer the options. Having a college mate who knows someone in the local university will enhance your existing networks in finding the best developer.
Freelance desks
Currently, there are freelance desks such as Upwork, Odesk or Elance that allow you to build your cross-platform app solutions. When you go with these desks, you have the opportunity of reviewing different app developers’ profile so that you find mobile app developers whose competencies and skills complement your functionalities and needs.
Internet communities
Internet communities offer you the opportunity to build organic search of different developers. Online discussion and fora will further, provide you with the opportunity to actively engaging with various merchants who have dealt with different developers.
App design agencies
There are mobile app design agencies that help you expand your business needs. You need to engage with, and share with them your potential brand ideas and the niche market. An excellent example of the agencies you can hire is in the image below:
How much does it cost?
Perhaps, you have known the basics, checked profiles and experiences of the developer, and finally, built a relationship between the developer and other stakeholders. The next worry you are having is the cost of hiring a developer in 2018 or the next few years? For 2018, the cost of developing apps depends on different categories.
These categories include:
- Simple apps;
- Messaging apps;
- Database apps;
- Social networking apps;
- Gaming apps and;
- Enterprise apps.
After understanding your app category, the cost of finding an app developer for hire in 2018 calculated according to the image below:
| Type of application | Details | Hours (iOS) | Hours (Android) | Rates (avg.) |
| Simple app | Templates, dropdown menus, stored on device | 70-150 | 80-160 | $50-100 |
| Database app | Backend, stored on server, integrated | 150-200 | 170-220 | $50-100 |
| Messaging app | Various data formats, chats and calls, stored in cloud | 500+ | 600+ | $70-120 |
| Enterprise app | Business features, stored on device and/or server | 200+ | 250+ | $100-150 |
| Social networking app | Themes, photo editing, backend, stored on server | 300 | 300+ | $70-120 |
| Gaming app | Single player/Multiplayer, Unity 3D, rendering, stored on server | 400+ | 500+ | $70-120 |
Tips for hiring a developer
You must have heard about the breed of developers’ names you are told to be the best in the market. But did you know that even top companies such as Facebook may be hesitant to hire them? It is because there are some hiring tips you need to consider.
First, check their background information including education qualification. A degree in computer science, for instance, should be the starting point. Secondly, they need to be good at handling different coding languages to suit your business needs. The developer should show the ability to work in a team, direct other developers, and offer the vision for the final product you require.
Explaining your app idea
The path from your app idea to final product could be difficult if you did not explain your app ideas to the developer. The following are two ways of explaining the idea when hiring app developer:
Divide your mobile app development project into finer chunks to allow the developer to understand areas that need focus and project vision.
Explain to your developer each function of the app segment so that the developer will understand what to include. These could be the need to add chat, picture upload, and video calls among other features.
Post-hire stage
The success of finding app developer does not stop you finally hire them because understanding this concept will help determine the cost of the app in future days. Assess their progress at intervals, allow them to show you the basic functionalities, let them share with you every screen and design interfaces so that you can put constant input. As shown in the five steps below:
According to the figure above, ensure you build trustworthy relationship with the developer hiring them to make the process smooth.
Hire the best app developer!
You now have a list of options for your app, the necessary steps, and the cost factor before hiring your app developer. However, it is not about hiring instead, but following the correct channels. You are sure to get the best app developers by checking freelance outlets such as Upwork, Odesk or Elance.
Remember to have a list of their profiles then compare and hire the best top app developer from the list. Realize that freelance outlets will not only give you the best app developer but allow the developer to share with you their previous works or referrals.