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How to Hire a Mobile App Developer and From Where?

  • 09 September, 2021
How to Hire a Mobile App Developer and From Where?

As an entrepreneur, you may have a general idea about the kind of application you want and the basic features you want the app to have. But to realize your dreams of making an award-winning app, you need to hire a mobile app developer who is skilled, experienced, and dedicated.

The question is, how? 

In this article, we explain how to hire the right mobile developers for building the most robust apps.

Before You Hire an App Developer:

mobile app developer for hire

It's critical to have a clear concept of the kind of app you want to create and a basic understanding of app development before hiring an app developer.

Employers often make the mistake of delegating all essential and non-essential tasks to an expert. However, learning more about your app and its features may help you in choosing the ideal candidate.

  1. Know What Kind of App You Want

Before considering a mobile app developer for hire, make sure to determine your mobile app development budget and the project timeline. These variables are mainly determined by the kind of app you want to create.

  • Native apps: These kinds of apps are designed to operate with a particular mobile platform (OS). A native iOS app, in other words, cannot be used on an Android or Windows device.

  • Web apps: Web applications may be accessed via any device's web browser. They aren't independent applications that need to be installed. They function as responsive web pages within your browser.

  • Hybrid apps: Hybrid applications, as the name suggests, look and feel like native apps but function as web apps.


  1. Determine Your Budget

The total cost of creating a mobile app for your business will be greatly influenced by the number of complex functions and features. A developer may charge by the hour, so the longer it takes to create your software, the more expensive it becomes.

This problem may be avoided by hiring a freelance mobile app developer who charges a single fee for your whole project to be delivered within a certain time period.

It's important to keep in mind that the prices of various developers are never the same. It's the same as going to two different pizza places; the prices will be different. This is true for app developers as well.

The idea is that you should take your time and come up with a realistic budget that you can live with.

Apart from the app development, you'll need to test and release the finished product, which also comes at a cost.

This isn't the end of it. App development and deployment are not the only things. Post-development maintenance is also essential.

The cost of maintenance must also be included in the package. This is a standard procedure that involves bug repairs and updates.

Hence, an experienced app developer who can develop as well as look over the app maintenance would be an ideal pick. However, discussing post-development maintenance expenses before the project begins is always a good idea.

Where to Find Mobile App Developers?

hire mobile developer

Finding the right mobile app developer for your project is a difficult task. However, if you look in the right place, you can save yourself plenty of time and resources. 

The two most common approaches to hiring a mobile app developer are to either opt for a freelancer or outsource the development to an agency. 

Hiring Freelance Mobile App Developers

When you’re on a tight budget, your ideal choice will be to hire a freelancer to get the best mobile app development services. 

In doing so, first, ask for recommendations from people within your circle. They may be colleagues, workers, or even acquaintances who have previously finished a comparable project.

This approach ensures that you get a qualified reference while also expediting the recruiting process. However, it confines you to your network only. To widen the scope of your search, consider using the Internet. 

Some of the most popular internet resources for finding a developer include:

  • Freelance sites: Most freelance developers advertise their services on freelance marketplaces such as TaskShift. You can easily look up their portfolios, client reviews, and recommendations to make an informed decision. The good part is that you can access talent from all over the world and choose the one that suits your requirements.

  • Developer forums: Sites like Stack Overflow and Github are good places to look for developers. They, too, have employment boards where you can advertise your project openings.

  • Social media: This is another method for locating a mobile app developer. You may put up a post on your Facebook, Linked In, or Twitter feeds and groups, or you can just search by area. Social media sites also allow you to push sponsored advertisements based on particular criteria.

  • General forums: There are additional sites where you may discover professional developers in addition to the ones mentioned above. In communities like Medium, Quora, Hacker Noon, and others, you may discover enthusiastic applicants.

Hiring Mobile App Development Agency

A mobile app development agency has multiple app developers who are domain specialists and are skilled at using various technologies. But when choosing an agency, you will lose control over who will work on your project.

You won’t be able to convey your ideas directly and the communication chain with an agency is difficult to maintain. On the flip side, freelancers are usually available for communication and productive discussions. 

Moreover, they have fewer projects in the pipeline as compared to an agency. 

Most importantly, if you are not a company with deep pockets, you may not be able to afford a development agency since it is a lot more expensive than freelancers.

How to Hire a Freelance Mobile App Developer?

mobile app development

  1. Examine Their Portfolio

If you’re planning to hire a freelance mobile app developer, you must check out their profiles on freelance platforms like TaskShift.

Their profiles will give you invaluable information on their work ethic, the quality of their service, and their overall client satisfaction.

These can be there in the form of reviews, stars, ratings, and recommendations. 

Consider hiring a developer that has worked on applications similar to yours. To that end, you may go through their portfolios.

Search for apps that correspond to your idea and download them on your device to see how well they work. You're fine to go if these apps function properly and run smoothly without any problem.

On the other hand, if these applications function poorly or the developer has a track record of producing unsuccessful apps, you already know what's best for you.

You may also look at the user reviews for the applications to see whether you should employ that developer. If a significant number of comments are unfavorable, you should consider hiring someone else.

  1. Ask for References

Nothing is more compelling than a third-party endorsement.

So, what do past customers of this developer have to say about their work?

If your developer's website/portfolio lacks testimonials or reviews, ask them to provide you with some references.

You may also contact their previous customers directly if you know what applications they've created.

Simply search up those businesses' contact information and phone or email them to inquire about their experience working with that developer.

Having a vote of confidence from such individuals may help you feel more confident about employing the developer in question.

  1. Evaluate Their Expertise

When looking for a mobile app developer for hire, you should look into their expertise with respect to platforms, technologies, and languages.

For instance, if you want to hire an iOS app developer, you should know the answer to this question, “Which is better for iOS app development –  Objective-C Vs Swift?”

So, you should look for a developer who develops iOS apps using the appropriate programming language while using modern technologies that go hand-in-hand with the project’s requirements.

Furthermore, don’t forget to ask if the potential candidate is just a developer or he/she knows how to design the UI/UX of an app, as UI/UX design is essential for mobile applications.

  1. Build a Relationship and Ask for Post-Project Support

The creation of a mobile app is often a long process, depending on the complexity of the project, the number of developers on your team, the features you want to add, and other variables.

For this reason, one of the most important factors in executing effective mobile app development and pleasant working circumstances is to maintain a healthy relationship. 

Additionally, look for a developer who stays with you throughout the product's lifetime, rather than walking out after the initial development is complete because apps must go through numerous iterations as a result of continuous user input. 

  1. Conduct A Technical Interview

Although recruiters tend to ignore this aspect of the hiring process, it is a vital source of information about the applicant.

Through behavioral questions, the non-technical interview enables you to learn more about your applicant. 

During this interview, you will have the opportunity to assess a candidate's past experiences and behavior patterns in order to assess their suitability for your project.

Here are a few examples of behavioral questions that might be appropriate for an iOS developer:

  • Have you ever had any Swift tutoring or mentoring experience?

  • What are you most proud of in terms of your projects?

On the other hand, technical interviews are conducted to assess a candidate's technical abilities and expertise.

Here are a few examples of some technical questions for a mobile app developer interview:

  • Given that you develop for both Android and iOS, which platform is your favorite? And why is that?

  • Please provide a comparison between Swift and Objective-C.

  • Which iOS technologies are widely used right now, and which are likely to become popular in the future?

Parting Thoughts

Hiring the right mobile app developers is an essential part of successful app creation. If you pick the wrong guy, it’s going to cost you time, money, and poor app performance.

It’s ideal to look for someone who is knowledgeable about all areas of app development.

Check to see if they have experience in design and product management in addition to development.

The kind of app you intend to create will have an effect on the developer you choose.

It's critical that you locate someone with expertise with such features and functionalities, depending on the category and complexity of your project.

You must also ensure that you can afford to pay the developer within the confines of your company's budget.