In this time and age, apps have become more high-and-mighty in the digital industry. Whether you want to start an eCommerce store or a fintech startup, tapping into the app development sphere will get you a good share of that pie. And for this, you do need to hire an app developer to keep your business competitive in this modern age.
We know that it's not easy to hire app developers. Even though numerous websites and platforms are offering authentic app development services, it is a time-consuming process to scan each company to know if it's the right choice.
To help you with this, we will provide you with 16 names that are proven to be the best platforms for hiring app developers. This post will also help you understand the important factors to consider when recruiting a candidate along with the top 3 hiring options. By the end of this 10-minute read, you’ll know the right platform to hire app developers and be well-versed in the seven tested steps for doing so.
16 Best Places To Hire App Developers
Here’s a list of 16 companies and freelancing sites to simplify your app developer hiring journey.
1. Aloa - Top Pick
Aloa App Development: On Time, On Budget, High Quality
Aloa is a global leader in helping businesses scale their app development teams. Whether you are looking to staff multiple developers or build out a specific product, Aloa ensures that you are working with the best development talent from around the world.
Aloa has vetted 10,000+ software agencies around the globe to identify and hire the best app developers. Our strict vetting process sets you up for success, giving you a clear path to interviewing top-tier candidates. The developers in our network are well-versed in various programming languages like React Native, Flutter, Swift and Kotlin.
Aloa will deliver Performance Reports to ensure you receive consistent updates on your project's progress so you stay informed and confident with every step. At Aloa, we make sure that you get your software built on time, on budget, and high quality.
2. DevTeam - AI-Powered Agile Process
DevTeam is a handpicked community of expert app development teams. With 1200 high-class developers, the company helps augment your existing IT setup to bring extraordinary outcomes. Moreover, this site has a powerful screening process for hiring top app developers based on multiple interviews and test projects.
Every member of the app development team has expertise in a specific product category and technological framework. DevTeam has also engineered its unique set of tools powered by artificial intelligence. You can use them for tracking team performance and smooth communication.
3. Slingshot - Test-Driven App Development
Slingshot is an app and software development company experienced in developing iOS and Android applications. The platform provides onshore and offshore dedicated app development teams with top skills. Your hired teams can build new apps and even migrate your existing products to the latest technology.
Slingshot dedicated teams use agile methodology to create apps. There’s a daily team meetup to discuss strategies and a weekly demonstration of your product so you can stay informed. Moreover, quality assurance experts test your app features at multiple levels to provide you with a high-quality product.
4.QBurst - Intelligent Digital Solutions For All
QBurst is an international app development and consultancy firm. It is recognized as one of the earliest app developers of iOS and Android operating systems. From social networking and eCommerce to education and healthcare, this company provides app development services to global businesses.
QBurst uses agile methodologies to ensure collaborative and transparent app development. You can hire mobile app developers to build customized applications and end-to-end solutions. Additionally, it has a multidisciplinary team that provides successful app development, from strategizing concepts to promotion.
5. WillowTree - Redefining App Development
WillowTree creates full-stack web and mobile applications for leading brands. The company has in-house teams to manage your projects. When you hire mobile app developers from WillowTree, the company picks and assigns the most suitable members to build solutions according to your needs. Once you share app requirements, the team members brainstorm development ideas and discuss strategies with you.
Moreover, WillowTree allocates strategists, developers, designers, and project managers to manage and complete your projects. The entire group of extraordinarily talented craftspeople joins heads together to build apps that ensure high engagement and ROI. WillowTree ensures that apps are delivered on time after passing several testing phases.
6. Nimble AppGenie - Committed To Delivering Successful Results
Nimble AppGenie is one of the leading mobile app development firms known for building next-gen web and mobile apps. You can hire a dedicated team of app developers with extensive experience in the field through this company. Besides, this company has a thorough vetting process that requires talent to pass several assessments.
Nimble AppGenie implements a protective app development process to ensure confidentiality by signing an NDA. Moreover, your app idea undergoes proper planning, MVP development, testing, and deployment. At the same time, this platform also provides outstanding after-launch app maintenance services.
7. Toptal - Utilizing The Talent Of The Very Best
Toptal is a company known for selecting and hiring only the top-rated app developers in its community. This platform prides itself on its transparent and robust vetting process that makes candidates overcome various challenges. Choosing Toptal for your next project opens doors to highly experienced and skilled app developers who can fulfill your requirements.
Toptal has a special unit focusing on finding ideal freelancers for your tasks. They judge and consider talent based on different factors, such as availability, skills, and expertise. Moreover, the company handles all the technical and payroll aspects of the process, so you stay focused on achieving goals.
8. TechAhead - Human-Centric App Development
TechAhead is a software and app development organization with a team of 250+ hand-picked engineers. They are best known for building future-ready mobile apps that ensure user engagement and connectivity with your brand. So far the company has created apps for a variety of industries including
- Fitness
- Finance
- Healthcare
- eCommerce
- Social media
Whether you desire to build iOS or Android applications, TechAhead offers tailor-made solutions for your specific requirements. They use in-demand development languages and frameworks, like Java, Kotlin, and Alamofire, to create interactive apps. Moreover, the platform is famous for its Android and iOS app development methodology, which includes idea validation, app wireframing, prototyping, and testing.
9. Upwork - Trusted Community Of Freelance App Developers
Upwork has proved its mettle in providing expert freelance app developers. This platform is also ideal for you if you need to hire app developers to start working on your project immediately. With Upwork, you can also verify freelancers' portfolios by reviewing their past projects and client testimonials.
Upwork rewards badges to hardworking freelancers, starting from top-rated, top-rated plus, experts, and vetted professionals. These badges confirm the level of brilliance of each freelancer you hire. Upwork allows you to onboard app developers on fixed and hourly contracts and even lets you propose your own rates per project.
10. Intellectsoft - Scalability For Digital Disruption
Intellectsoft is an outsourcing app development company with an experienced team of developers. They are great at native mobile app development for both iOS and Android platforms. You can also count on them for hybrid application development to create cross-platform apps using the latest technologies. But that’s not all this company offers.
Intellectsoft is also best at developing companion apps to synchronize mobile with wearable technology. With their very own process, they take your project through different phases to meet your business requirements, such as ideation, project initiation, testing, MVP, and final launch.
11. Small Planet - Award-Winning App Development Company
Small Planet builds customized web and mobile applications for startups and global brands. They have a complete team of developers, QA experts, UX designers, and product managers that have vast experience in developing user-friendly apps and creating highly-valuable solutions.
Due to disciplined work ethics, Small Planet has built award-winning apps for its clients. They communicate openly to keep you informed throughout the development journey. They have a human-oriented and user-centered approach that allows them to understand your requirements. This makes Small Planet an ideal choice to turn your ideas into a highly profitable app.
12. Netsells - Sustainable & Metrics-Oriented App Development
Netsells is a renowned app development and design company primarily working with leading brands. Their motto is not limited to delivering solutions against the outlines, but they develop apps after carefully planning all the stages. Netsells minimizes risk by building apps after thoroughly studying end-user requirements.
So when you hire app developers from this company, you can be sure of measurable and real results from your developed application. Another great reason to trust Netsells is its app development team. Each member has worked with global companies and played their part in creating excellent applications. Therefore, these talented developers are capable of delivering high-end cross-platform solutions.
13. SimplyHired - Cost-Effective App Development
SimplyHired is a well-known online job board trusted by 3 million customers for hiring talent. While most recruitment platforms require an upfront service fee, SimplyHired offers a pay-to-contact model. That means you only pay to view the candidate’s contact. Signing up for the website allows you to create unlimited free job postings and review developers’ profiles anonymously.
Once you have posted your requirements, this platform shares them on 100+ recruitment sites within its network. You can tailor recruitment questions to shrink the candidate pool only to be approached by the best. It is an excellent feature that saves your time and improves opportunities to hire app developers with greater talent, skills, and experience.
14. MidInventory - Best-In-Class Application Developers
MidInventory puts its workforce at your desk through remote ways. While they are great at producing all sorts of software, their developers have greater experience in building native, cross-platform and end-to-end applications. MidInventory provides a team of professional app developers who can work shoulder-to-shoulder with your company to come up with top-notch solutions.
Their dedicated teams have the experience and expertise to build end-to-end web and mobile apps. You can hire app developers to augment your team to simplify creating complex applications according to your organizational requirements.
15. LinkedIn Business Solutions - Fast & Reliable
LinkedIn Business Solutions is a service of the LinkedIn Corporation which is the world’s largest professional network. This service is designed to recruit the finest candidates in app development and other industries. The platform allows you to hire app developers with real-time information and gives you access to the most talented community.
LinkedIn Business Solutions has a specific LinkedIn Recruiter feature that enables you to search, connect and hire suitable talent quickly. Your job listings are seen in the job recommendation categories, increasing the chances to attract and meet top mobile app developers.
16. Guru - Most Compliant & Secure Apps
Guru is one of the best freelancing websites to hire app developers with great technical skills and expertise. You can start your talent hunt at Guru by posting your job. Get quotes from experts and review their profiles to check performance, portfolio, earning stats, and clients’ feedback. This allows you to select a proficient freelance application developer within your budget.
The platform also gives you access to WorkRooms so you can easily track and manage your project’s status. With Guru, you can pay app developers when you are 100% satisfied with the deliveries. The site also saves time by providing you with an AutoPay tool that automatically approves outstanding invoices.
Now that we know the top sites to hire app developers, let's take a detailed look at the factors that you must consider before hiring one.
Vital Things To Consider When Looking For A Great App Developer
Before heading to developer hiring platforms looking for coders and programmers, you first need to determine this element to help streamline the hiring process:
What app are you planning to get built?
You need to determine what app project you plan on working on. Will it be a web app? A desktop platform app? Or a mobile app?
If it’s a mobile app, will your target audience be Android users or iOS for Apple users? What features do you want your app to have?
By determining the answers to these questions, you’ll know what kind of app developer to hire. You’ll know what skills they need to have. Will you need a developer specializing in Kotlin? Python? PHP? React Native? Java? Or Objective-C (the primary programming language for IOs apps like the one used on an iPhone)? Are they experts on APIs?
This will also help you determine the scope and complexity of your project to help with time and budget estimation. Familiarizing yourself with your app project will also help you determine if it’s best to pay by an hourly rate or on a per-project basis and if you only need a single app developer or a full-blown app development team.
This way, when you find the right candidates, you know what questions to ask and what to tell them about the project. It’ll help with the transparency of the development process. This also provides you with feedback for their estimations of cost and duration to compare.
Granted, not everybody looking to hire an app developer knows what to look for in one. To help you with this, you can either pose questions on tech forums, ask colleagues who are well-versed in this area, or better yet, contact us at Aloa about the project you’re looking to make so we can make specialized recommendations.
To stay in the loop of matters and not have to rely on someone else the whole time, it’s also beneficial if you learn at least the basic ropes of software development. Get basic knowledge of programming languages, the best countries for outsourcing, the best hiring platforms, and average rates. Knowing the ins and outs of app development, even just the core knowledge goes a long way in streamlining your hiring process.
Now let’s briefly cover the hiring options available for you.
3 App Developer Hiring Options
Knowing the scope of your app project will greatly help with this. You have three choices when hiring an app developer:
I. In-House
If you’re planning to work on a long-term app development project, it’s a good idea to hire an in-house team member or simply Android app developers or iOS developers that work with you or your team full-time in the office.
They’re typically the most expensive option because you have to pay a full-time salary and spend on benefits like paid sick leaves, vacation leaves, insurance, and other perks.
II. Freelancer
The second hiring option is contractual. You can hire freelance mobile app developers for short-term projects or if you’re tight on the budget since this work arrangement means you don’t have to cover paid vacation days and other standard employee benefits. It’s more cost-effective.
This also allows you to find talented candidates globally, especially in places known to have expert software engineers like India and Ukraine. Nearshoring or offshoring the project also allows you to maximize the value of your budget.
The only downside with this is that many freelance hiring platforms don’t vet their developer candidates so you can end up with someone who just looks good on the resume but is underqualified to execute the job at hand.
To get higher hiring rates, some turn to exaggerate their software development lifecycle knowledge, programming skills, capabilities, experience, and ability level - a false perception of what they can accomplish.
A safer option is to go with an outsourcing app development company like us at Aloa. We handpick the right developers for you, ensuring that you’ll be working with someone qualified to build your app project with high-quality results. This is a great option if you have little to no knowledge about app development.
III. Outsource Team
For bigger and more complex projects, you can hire a full-blown app to outsource a team from an outsourcing company. This is almost similar to freelancing but involves more than just one developer. The output is usually better than hiring a single freelancer because a whole team of experts can offset the weaknesses of others in the team.
A full-blown development team can include:
- Project Manager: Manages the project progress and coordinates with team members.
- UI/UX Designer: Responsible for app design, user experience, and user interface designs. Coordinates with the project manager and technical staff for task evaluation.
- App Developer: Mainly responsible for coding and has expertise in the tech stack that the app is under. An expert in the backend area of the project.
- QA Engineer: Takes care of bug elimination for the mobile application to work smoothly.
- DevOps Engineer: Is responsible for an efficient software delivery process.
The best thing about outsourcing a team is that it's scalable. You can expand or reduce team members depending on the app project needs. You can easily augment staff as the need increases.
Additionally, many outsourcing agencies like us at Aloa handle the rigorous vetting process to provide you with highly capable development teams. This means one less concern to think about so you can focus on other important aspects of your business.
Some drawbacks would be if you’re offshoring the services to somewhere with a huge time difference, setting team meetings and immediate communication responses could be challenging with varying time zones.
Now to the part, you came here for the complete process of hiring a brilliant app developer in 2024.
7 Steps In Hiring A Brilliant App Developer
1. Make A Requirements List
After understanding the basics of your app project, write down the information you’d want to find in the right app developer candidate. This makes it easier for you to filter out unqualified ones faster.
Your requirements list can include:
- Preferred location
- Tech stack expertise
- Preferred hiring option
- Experience in similar projects
- Preferred hourly rates or project rates
- Portfolio of previous and current projects
- Participation in tech events or developer activities
- Referrals or feedback from previous employers or customers
2. Scout On App Developer Hiring Platforms
Depending on your preference and budget, you can look at candidates on coding platforms, freelance platforms, tech blogs or forums, design communities, and more.
One of the most popular coding platforms to look at is GitHub. Professional software developers save and share their projects on this platform. You can use this platform to find app developers who’ve had experience with the same concept or nature of the app you’re looking to create.
More app developer communities to look at are AppFutura, Quora, Medium, and Reddit. Checking out these platforms can also allow you to realize other app ideas you can later utilize too.
If you’re interested in physically meeting developers, you can join hackathon events, tech conferences, and meetups, as well as attend app development courses.
Whatever platform you decide to scout app developer candidates on, be wary of scam websites that ask you to put down large amounts of downpayment. If you do find a promising platform that seems to be credible, go for those that have an escrow or refund process in place.
3. Examine Portfolios
Before shortlisting a potential candidate, take a look at their portfolio to see their past and current app development experience. You can get a lot of insight and streamline your hiring process by checking out projects candidates have already done.
It automatically gets you an assurance that they know the ins and outs of the project you’re going to create. You can either shoot them a quick message asking for a portfolio or their website if they have one.
You can also head to the App Store or Google Play Market and check out similar concept projects and find out their developers from it.
4. Check Out Testimonials Or Reviews
It’s best to shortlist not just a candidate with past experiences on similar app projects, but one that has garnered testimonials and reviews from past customers or co-developers. It’s a good way to test their credibility and expertise as well.
But beware though, some resort to creating fake reviews and testimonials so you also have to do a bit of background check on reviewers as well. This also means that you can’t solely rely on reviews to shortlist a potential candidate, it can just be one of the factors you’ll consider.
5. Invite Them For An Interview
After completing a shortlisted selection of potential app developer candidates, you can now invite them for an interview and set a schedule accordingly. While the platforms you looked at provide you with an initial knowledge of the candidate, when setting a schedule, you can also ask them to prepare other sources of information you weren't able to see yet.
This can include contact numbers of previous employers or clients and portfolios.
During the interview, you can first ask them to tell a bit about themselves so they can ease out. Then you can move on to ask about their expertise - the tech stacks they specialize in and the previous similar projects they made.
You can then allow them to explain their development methodology to see if it’s an efficient process you can follow. They’ll be talking about their task division and organization and maybe some frameworks they follow so you can also use this in gauging a rough time frame for your app project.
The easier it is for explaining this, the more confidence you’ll have in their expertise and experiences shared.
You can also ask them about the technologies they’ve used and what they specialize in. Maybe they have cross-platform expertise, they’re good with web development and mobile app development. Who knows, their product development skills might include blockchain expertise you can utilize as well.
By knowing all the skills they possess, you’ll be able to maximize the functionality outputs they can provide and avoid needlessly adding more members to the team. The more complex and diverse projects they’ve been involved with, the better it is for you.
Moreover, it’s also important to ask them about the app development problems they’ve experienced. It will tell you how they handled it and if they were able to make a success out of it. Knowing this helps you avoid making the same mistakes.
Also, while the interview is going on, examine their communication skills. If you hire app developers that don’t understand your requirements and grasp your vision, you’ll end up frustrated and unsuccessful. This also allows you to check if they can communicate with you well to see how easy it is for both of you to be on the same page.
Don’t forget to ask them about their preferred payment schemes and whether they want to be paid hourly rates on a per-project basis. It’ll help you see if they can fit the budget you set for the app project.
6. Contact Previous Employers And Clients
After the interview, you’ll be able to narrow down your selection further. To add a layer to their credibility, contact their previous employers and clients to see if they can vouch for the expertise and attitude of the potential app developer candidate.
Additionally, you also ask these people about their company culture. It’ll reveal the working atmosphere your potential app developer has already been in and see if they already fit your company culture or if there are areas of concern you need to address.
It also tells you about the product development setup they’ve been in. Do they have experience with the top-down approach where the bosses give orders and the developers mainly follow or is it more collaborative at a team-based level?
By contacting previous employers and clients, you’ll confirm the skill set of a potential app programmer and better see if they are a good fit for your company or app development team.
7. Choose A Programmer And Finalize Arrangements
Now that you’ve considered every important aspect of finding the best mobile app developers to hire, you can now finalize your choices and contact them back to let them know.
Have every arrangement you agreed on to be written in a contract. It’s also best if you can provide a non-disclosure agreement document or NDA to ensure the privacy and safety of your app development project.
For this, an app development agency like us at Aloa can provide you with the most trusted app developers who underwent meticulous vetting so we can provide you only with the best.
Conclusion
All the decisions you make about going for a particular app development agency largely rely on determining what your project is and what building it entails.
By following this guide, in no time, you’ll be able to find the right platform to hire a mobile app developer that fits your project needs. Not just any mediocre self-proclaimed successful mobile app developer but a proven specialist that has produced high-quality outputs.
Aloa offers talented app development teams for building futuristic and user-centric apps. Reach us at [email protected] to hire app-developing wizards today.
