How to Outsource App Development in 2024?

Quick Summary: Do you have a brilliant app idea and are looking for a reliable development partner to bring it to life?

Outsourcing app development or hiring an offshore developer can solve your purpose. Read the blog to discover the benefits of outsourcing mobile app development services. Further, know how you can outsource application development to a mobile app development agency in 2024 to save your development costs and time to a great extent. 

Outsourcing mobile app development projects or hiring offshore developers is a trend that is hugely benefitting companies and business owners globally. 

The outsourcing agencies hold a professional team of developers specializing in mobile app development and other support services. Thus, they help companies develop high-quality custom mobile applications in less time. Further, the outsourcing agencies provide full-stack development support, from app planning, design, deployment, and post-launch support.

Why Outsource Application Development?

Why should you consider outsourcing mobile application development to an outsourcing agency? Outsourcing is preferred by startups, medium-sized businesses, and large-scale enterprises alike for its numerous benefits. We all know that outsourcing helps you save costs in the development process and offers many benefits. Let us look at the benefits in detail.

Reduced Costs

The prime advantage of outsourcing mobile app development is cost reduction. The developer’s hourly rates vary from one location to another. The hourly developer rate also depends on the experience and position of the developer. The average developer rates in countries like India or Ukraine are way less than in the US or Europe. 

So, outsourcing application development to countries with low developer rates helps business owners save costs. Moreover, low developer rates do not mean less talent. Business owners can hire the most qualified developers and programmers globally.

Use case

WhatsApp founders had a limited budget to build the app and wanted to keep their development costs minimal. So, they outsourced the app development project to developers in Russia to keep the development cost within the budget.

Time-Saving

Outsourcing application development will eliminate the need to organize recruitment as required for in-house hiring. The outsourcing agency will recruit the perfect fit engineers and programmers for you. You can also hire a complete app development team to take the complete charge of your mobile app development project.

Use case

SeatGeek hired an outsourcing agency to build the infrastructure of their application. Consequently, they could get the infrastructure ready in less time and at a lower cost. The company has a transaction value of over $1 million per day.

Access to the best Resources

Outsourcing app projects enables business owners to hire the best mobile app developers globally. It is the most affordable way to get the right resources to build desired applications.

Use Case

MetaLab designed the Slack app as the Slack company outsourced the development project to the agency. The stunning and intuitive designs by Metalab helped Slack stand out in the market.

24 x 7 Availability

Companies tend to provide their customers with 24*7 support services. They can make this possible by outsourcing their business processes to foreign countries.

For instance, if you have your company headquarters in New York, you can outsource your business processes to India. The time zone difference will enable you to provide 24/7 services to the customers.

Use Case

American Express manages its customer service department in India.

Thus, the company manages to provide services to the customers 24×7.

Expand Technology stacks

With every passing day, new technologies come that enhance the performance and structure of mobile applications. Your in-house team may not be familiar with the new technologies. Or if they are, they might not have the experience working with that technology.

The outsourcing agencies hold a vast pool of mobile app developers from across the globe. The developers work for multiple clients from different industries and thus they hold extensive experience working with advanced technologies.

How to Outsource Mobile App Development?

Know Your Requirements

Before you start looking for a perfect outsourcing agency, you need to be clear on your app development needs. You know your business objectives, target audience, target market, and expectations from the application.

If you have a clear picture of all this in your mind, you can explain the same to the developers precisely. Outline your app development requirements to share with the outsourcing agency.

If you don’t explain the app requirements clearly to the development team, they may create an app that does not solve your business purpose. You would not like to waste a fortune and months to get a mobile application that does not align with your business objectives.

Know Your Estimated Budget

After having a clear picture of the mobile app requirements, the next critical aspect to consider is the app development budget. It will help you choose the best outsourcing agency based on your budget. It will also help you decide what route to take- hire freelance mobile app developers or an outsourcing agency.

Find Offshore Developers

The project requirements, budget, and hiring route are the basis for your search for mobile app developers. Choose between hiring a freelancer or a dedicated mobile app developer on the following basis:

• The complexity of your Mobile application
• App development budget

Freelance Mobile App Developers

If your business needs a simple mobile app with basic design and functionalities, you can rely on the knowledge of freelance mobile app developers. The basic apps require simple design and features that developers can create using standard codes.

The budget of such apps is not higher, thus business owners can launch their applications within a limited budget.

Trust websites like Upwork, Fiverr, or Clutch to hire freelancers. These websites list verified and reputable developers with details of their past work. Further, you can read reviews from the clients to make a decision.

Outsourcing Agency

Hiring an outsourcing agency is a wiser decision if your mobile application development requirements are complicated and involve a higher budget.

The offshore mobile app developers are highly qualified and experienced. They work with multiple clients across various countries and assure delivering high-quality mobile app development services. Moreover, they guarantee timely project completion and constant post-launch services.

Spend a few extra bucks on qualified and experienced offshore mobile app programmers to develop business-oriented mobile applications.

You can check the portfolios of mobile app developers to see their knowledge, experience, and past work history. If the developer has worked on a similar project, you can benefit from their experiences.

Screen Developers

After looking at multiple websites online to search for the perfect outsourcing agency or remote developers, you may have a long list ready to sort. 

You can make this list crisp and relevant by sorting out the agencies or developers with a deep examination. Make in-depth research about the outsourcing agency’s information, past experiences of developers, and client recommendations. You can eliminate the irrelevant developers this way and make your list concise. 

One aspect you can consider is looking at their experience, and if they have worked on a project like yours before, you can move further with them for an interview.

Interview the Developers

After screening, the next step is to conduct one-on-one interviews with the shortlisted mobile app developers. You can ask as many questions to test their skills and get an idea of whether they are relevant to your app development project.

Consider preparing a list of questions to ask the developers before the interviews. You can ask questions about

1. The technologies they use for mobile app development.
2. Their familiarity with advanced mobile app frameworks and libraries.
3. Their past projects.
4. Their strengths and weaknesses
5. Time zone flexibility

Based on their answers, you can choose the best-fit mobile app developer for your mobile app development project.

Hire Application Developer

After the one-to-one interview with the developers and complete satisfaction, you can pick a developer to onboard. You can approach the outsourcing agency for further proceedings. The outsourcing agency signs a non-disclosure agreement with you to promise the confidentiality of your business information.

Signs of a Good Mobile App Outsourcing Company

While choosing an outsourcing agency, you can consider looking for a few things to discover which outsourcing agency is worth hiring.

1. The company listens to your app development needs patiently and asks questions about your app expectations. Further, make suggestions to make your app idea even better.
2. The outsourcing agency is prompt in responding and is flexible in working with multiple time zones.
3. They do not hesitate to talk about their past projects or connect you with a developer or a programmer. However, they do not disclose their clients’ names as per the NDA agreement. It shows the outsourcing agency is ethical and follows industry best practices.
4. The project manager is friendly and talks in a professional tone. Further, he has a great command of language and conveys his points.
5. The outsourcing agency asks for justified developer rates.
6. The developers are experienced and well-versed with advanced technologies and talk about the modern tech stack.
7. The agency promptly comes up with a complete app development plan based on your business objectives and app development needs.

Things to Consider For Mobile App Development Outsourcing

You will have concerns before choosing an outsourcing agency as a business owner. We know this very well. So, we have listed a few tips to help you reduce the risks of mobile app development outsourcing. These tips will help you make a well-informed decision.

Check Company’s Background

The research step is crucial for outsourcing a reliable mobile app development agency. You must check the background, past projects, and client reviews about the company you wish to partner with.

Take advantage of the Trial Period.

You may screen and interview app developers, but will you be delighted?

You will still doubt their work skills, culture, and quality. The best way to eliminate this doubt is with a trial task.

You can assign developers a small task that aligns with your app development project to test their skills. For instance, you can ask them to create an app mockup.

You can sign an agreement based on a money-back guarantee to avoid negligence or poor work.

Sign an NDA

Signing a non-disclosure agreement will keep your business information secure and in safe hands. The outsourcing agency will be legally bound to create your app idea and other confidential information protected from unauthorized access.

Communication Guidelines

Constant communication is the key to keeping an eye on your project’s progress. Ensure to have clear guidelines on how the developers will communicate with you. When will they report to you about the project, and on which platform?

Knowing the channel they will use to inform you about the project is better. It will help you contact the project head for any queries or doubts.

Split Payment

Developers ask for advance payments to avoid the risks of unethical clients. However, companies can protect themselves from dishonest developers by avoiding huge upfront payments. They can split the payment in installments initially.

How much does it Cost to Outsource an Application Development?

The exact answer to the question- How much will it Cost to Outsource an Application Development does not have an exact answer. The cost will always depend on the different factors of the type of application and the development agency. The factors on which the outsourcing cost depends are as follows:

• App Complexity
• App Features
• Location of Outsourcing Agency
• Experience of developers

For instance, the developers or outsourcing agencies in the USA have a higher hourly developer cost. Moreover, a senior developer will charge higher than a junior developer with no or less experience.

So, the way to find the cost of outsourcing mobile app development is to calculate the hours required to develop an application and multiply it by the hourly developer rate. 

The cost will depend on the cost of different steps and elements of the mobile application including:

• App Research
• App Design
• App Platforms
• Backend Development
• Admin panel

Here, we assume the average hourly developer cost is $40.

The average time to build a mobile app ranges between 1600 to 2570 hours.

So, the cost of outsourcing a mobile app development will range from $ 63,770 to $1,02,000.

FAQs

How much will it cost to outsource app development?

The cost to outsource an application depends on a few factors. The location of the outsourcing agency, experience, app complexity, etc.

How to hire a mobile app development outsourcing agency?

First, you need to have a clear understanding of your app requirements, target audience, target market, and budget. Then search for an outsourcing agency online that can provide suitable app developers. You can check the details of the company, their reviews, and their complete background. Contact the agency, screen and interview their developers, and make a hiring decision.

Will the outsourcing agency keep my app idea secure?

Yes. A reliable app development company with a reputed background will sign a non-disclosure agreement. The agreement assures that they do not disclose your business information to an unauthorized person. They will be legally bound to keep your app idea safe.

Conclusion

With a saturated market, finding a reliable outsourcing agency is not easy. You need an experienced mobile app development company to make a top-notch mobile application.

Valuetree is a leading IT outsourcing agency, delivering best-in-market mobile app developers from India. The dedicated mobile app developers hold an average of 8+ years of experience.

The engagement models at Valuetree are flexible, enabling companies to hire remote mobile app developers full-time, part-time, and hourly. We follow the agile method for application development to deliver our projects within the deadline.

Feel free to email us at sales@valuetree.io for further queries or discussion.