How to Hire Mobile App Developers

$935 billion. That’s how much revenue mobile apps are expected to generate in 2024 alone.

Thousands of apps are released on varying platforms every single day. They differ in type, functionality, design and more, but there’s one thing they’ve all got in common: they were created by mobile app developers. So, where do companies find these mobile app developers to create apps? How does the recruitment process work? What do they screen for?

Let’s find out.

How to hire mobile app developers?

Hiring mobile app developers is similar to any sort of tech hiring. It requires you to first define your goals and budget, then source and vet candidates, and finally hire and train your chosen developer. Let’s look at these steps one by one to see what they entail, and how you can improve your chances of finding the right mobile app developer from the get-go.

1. Define your mobile app development needs

Your first step in hiring a mobile app developer is to define exactly what it is that you’re looking for. This requires you to consider the mobile app you’re looking to create, the platform you’re creating it for, the technical skills required to realize your vision, and how you see the new hire fitting into the development team.

For example, if you’re looking to build an iOS app to run on Apple devices, you’ll need a developer who has the skills and knowledge to get the job done. iOS apps are built primarily using two programming languages — Swift and Objective-C — and demand knowledge of Apple’s integrated development environment — Xcode. Without these skills, a mobile app developer will likely have trouble bringing your vision to life.

2. Decide on a budget

This is a big one — it plays a large role in the decisions you make further down the line. There are multiple factors to keep in mind when deciding on your budget, and what you need to include largely depends on what you’ve already got. For example, if you’ve already got a marketing team, you don’t need additional resources to market the app once it’s ready.

Here are some of the areas you should consider when creating a mobile app development budget:

- App development: the type of app you’re developing impacts the end cost. Some apps are more expensive to create due to the skills and knowledge required, and others are expensive because of the time spent on them.

- App design: building an app isn’t just about bringing it to life in its most basic form, you want to also ensure it’s intuitive and visually appealing for users.

- App maintenance: apps often require maintenance and updates to keep them running smoothly, so you need to consider the costs of maintaining your app in your budget.

Having a better grasp of these costs will help you determine your budget for hiring an app developer. You’ve likely been allocated — or are allocating — an app development design budget. It’s important to consider the entire project when budgeting, not just the obvious need to hire someone to get the job done.

3. Source mobile app developers

Once you’ve laid out a budget, you’re in a better position to begin the search for a mobile app developer. This can be done in a variety of ways, all of which require you to develop a project or job description.

Your JD should include:

• The project details and requirements

• Must-have skills and experience

• Nice-to-have skills and experience

• Information on your business and company culture

• Information on remuneration

There are plenty of places you can source mobile app developers, such as freelance marketplaces, tech recruitment agencies, and app development agencies, but one thing’s for sure: you need to be crystal clear about what you want.

We’ll talk more about the various ways you can source developers in the next section, but for now, let’s move on to vetting potential candidates.

4. Vet mobile app development skills

By this point, you’ve sourced some potential candidates for the mobile app development project. It’s time to put them to the test to see who comes out on top.

There are a number of ways you can vet mobile app developers, and they all take a considerable amount of time and effort. Here are some of the aspects you should consider when hiring remote app developers:

- Technical skills: have they got the walk to match the talk? Programming languages on a resume mean little if candidates are unable to demonstrate their hard coding skills. You can test these skills with technical skill tests, such as the ones created by Codility or HackerRank.

- Soft skills: these are a little harder to test, but you’ve got some options. For example, the OCEAN personality test is frequently used to get an idea of a candidate’s outlook and attitude.

- Portfolio: look through your developer’s portfolio when making your decision. It’ll include details on past projects they’ve worked on and give you an insight into the experience they’ve got.

It’s also a good idea to interview potential candidates one-on-one—this is especially useful for assessing soft skills and cultural fit. Through conversing with potential hires, you’re able to get a better idea of how they’ll fit into your team and company culture.

Of course, they need the technical skills to back it up—but soft skills can be equally important when it comes to project creation and collaboration.

Prefer to let somebody else handle the mobile app developer vetting process? Remotebase pre-sources and pre-vets remote developers to ensure they’ve got the help you need on hand as soon as you enquire.

5. Hire and train your chosen candidate

Congrats! This is the last step in the app developer hiring process. You want to extend an official offer to your chosen candidate with details on the start date, payment details and more.

Once that’s sorted, it’s time to onboard your mobile app developer to the project. This step depends on the type of mobile app developer you’ve hired. For example, a freelancer doesn’t require the same onboarding as a new team member.

It’s your responsibility to set mobile app developers up for success by providing clear information on what’s needed. This includes the project objectives, project timeline, deliverables and more. It also involves onboarding them to any internal tools or processes that they need to use during the development process — think project management or communication tools.

Hiring mobile app developers is no small task, and it comes with a hefty price tag. Sourcing and vetting developers take lots of time and effort, and there’s no guarantee that you’ve hired the right developer for your project.

Let’s now revisit the best places to source your candidates; you might find self-hiring isn’t your best bet at all.

How to find mobile app developers?

Finding candidates for your app development project is tough, but you’re not short of options. Let’s take a look at some popular places to find developers who can take your team to the next level.

1. Freelance marketplace

One option you’ve got for finding mobile app developers is to source them via freelance marketplaces. Freelancers list their services on these platforms for potential customers to view before reaching out.

This developer sourcing method requires you to take a proactive approach to hiring, one that often involves reaching out to multiple freelancers at once. It’s unlikely that the first freelance app developer you find will be your ideal hire, so be prepared to invest your time in assessing various options.

You can find app developers on popular platforms such as Upwork and Fivver, but there are also software development-specific platforms such as Elementor Experts, for example.

2. Traditional hiring avenues

This mode of hiring mobile app developers doesn’t differ much from how you’d hire any other role. It involves uploading your job description to various job marketplaces, such as LinkedIn, Indeed and more.

You then wait for interested candidates to approach you. You can decide how long you’ll be hiring for the position, maybe two or three weeks, and then you look over applications following the deadline.

Bigger organizations will likely have an HR/recruitment department that can handle some of this process, but in smaller businesses, it largely falls to the department head to carry out this recruitment task. Candidates should be screened before moving on to the next step of the hiring process to ensure profiles are reflective of the requirement — you don’t want to vet and interview candidates that don’t meet the basic role requirements.

Overall, traditional hiring is notoriously time-consuming and might not be your best bet for a fast-paced project that needs attention ASAP.

3. App development agency

Another option is to outsource the project to an app development agency. This essentially means giving the project to an app development team with industry experience and expertise to complete. It sounds ideal, but it doesn’t come without its drawbacks.

Finding the right agency has a lot in common with finding the right freelancer. There are lots of things to offer, but sorting the chaff from the wheat can be just as time-consuming as finding someone to join your team. It requires you to meet with multiple agencies to discuss your needs, or you risk paying big bucks for an app that doesn’t meet the brief.

Speaking of, app development agencies are pricey. You can expect to be paying at least $150/hour for high-quality app development in the US or UK, with less experienced agencies still charging around $100/hour.

This differs by location, with app development agencies based outside of the US and Western Europe charging less for their services. However, with this comes the consideration that these time zones can be complicated to work with — and there’s no guarantee of any overlap.

4. Outsourcing tech recruitment

Your final option is to outsource talent acquisition to a tech recruitment agency. These agencies typically handle everything; all you need to do is share your requirements for the developer.

Working with an agency can help ensure that you find your ideal developer the first time around, as they can connect you with top talent they’ve spent years sourcing. This limits the amount of work you have to do drastically.

The candidates provided by tech recruitment companies come pre-vetted, so you can count on them to have the skills you need for your app development project. Different agencies have different standards and vetting processes, so make sure to find a highly-rated agency with testimonials to back them up.

For example, Remotebase is a tech recruitment agency specialized in matching you with your ideal candidate. All you need to do is provide your requirements, such as the coding skills required and desired time zone overlap, and they do the rest.

All candidates are vetted with domain tests, problem-solving tests, and multiple interviews to ensure that only the world's top applicants make it onto their books. When you reach out, a member of the team gets in touch to discuss your requirements in detail, and then you’re matched with top candidates in a few days.

Looking to hire offshore mobile app developers? Check out our guide for hiring offshore developers for your team.

What is the cost of hiring mobile app developers?

Let’s take a look at what you can expect to pay for mobile app development in different countries. We’ve included the seven most popular countries for outsourcing mobile app development projects, also including the United States and the United Kingdom.

Mobile app developer is one of the highest paying software developer jobs of 2024, placing fifth out of ten roles. Of course, these rates vary depending on where you look—but this should give you an idea of the price disparities across regions. You’ve also got to consider the cost of the hiring process, which involves a number of moving parts. For example, here we’ve got the costs of hiring a software engineer, which includes many of the same steps:

Where to find mobile app developers

We previously discussed the variety of methods with which you can source and hire remote developers. Let’s take a closer look at some of them to help you make your decision.

We’ve included a mobile app development agency for you to consider. However, this doesn’t equate to hiring app developers in-house. If you’re looking for a longer-term solution for your vacancy, you want to consider bringing someone into your team.

Hire your next mobile app developer today

Hiring is hard. Hiring mobile app developers is even harder.

Not only do you have the difficulties associated with any hiring process, such as sourcing and interviewing, but you’ve also got to thoroughly vet and test incoming candidates. With technical roles like that of a mobile app developer, you can’t risk hiring someone who doesn’t have the skill and knowledge to get the job done.

Our suggestion? Let an expert handle it.

Remotebase is experienced when it comes to finding top developers and can connect you with a number of ideal candidates in just 24 hours. All developers are vetted ahead of time with domain tests, technical tests and multiple interviews to ensure that only the top 1% are put up for roles.

It’s one of the few ways you can guarantee risk-free hiring success; if you’re not happy, you don’t pay a thing. Get in touch with the team today to hire top mobile app developers for your team.

Hiring mobile app developers: FAQs

How long does it take to hire a mobile app developer?

Hiring a mobile app developer traditionally takes around 3-6 weeks. This encompasses the whole process, from creating and distributing the job description to interviewing multiple candidates and finding your ideal hire.

With Remotebase, this is cut down to a matter of days — 0-3 to be exact. Candidates are pre-sourced and pre-vetted to ensure Remotebase already has the talent you need.

How much does mobile app development cost?

Mobile app development typically costs:

• $16,000 – $32,000 for simple app development
• $32,000 – $48,000 for medium complexity app development
• $72,000+ for complex app development

It’s really difficult to estimate mobile app development costs without any information on the type of app, your in-house development capabilities, your need to outsource work, and more. These are ballpark figures that highlight one thing: it’s usually pretty costly.

How to outsource mobile app development?

Outsourcing mobile app development involves handing your project over to another team specialized in mobile app development. To outsource the mobile app development process, you need to source a mobile app development agency, meet to discuss your needs, and decide on a plan of action and timeline.

Alternatively, you can find app development experts on Remotebase in a fraction of the time it takes to outsource mobile app development.