Cost To Hire an Android App Developer?

The vast majority of people worldwide now access all kinds of internet-based services through smartphone apps, and the OS platform and device ecosystem most people use is Android. Naturally, Android app development is a significant way to empower digital strategies for companies and organizations across niches. 

According to the Statista report, the worldwide mobile app earnings will cross $935 billion within a year. On the other hand, most apps just struggle to do enough business for survival. This is why hire dedicated Android app developer have become almost imperative if you want your next Android app to be successful. But hiring the best Android development team has become more challenging than finding a unique app idea. 

Getting onboard the best experts for your Android app project is highly resource-consuming, and several key factors continuously influence the cost of hiring the best experts. If you do not have a solid understanding and command of these factors, your Android app project can as well be a failure. 

This blog post will explain the cost of hiring Android app developers and various related factors. Let’s start. 

Development timeline and phases

Once you have figured out the app idea in detail and know what you are going to deliver through the app project, you have to decide the development timeline and, accordingly, all the phases and their respective features. You need to mention the time required for each phase of development to complete. 

Depending upon the features, complexity, and UI/UX elements, an Android app project may require weeks or months to complete, and you need to break down this timeline into phases and their respective time limits. That is how you can know how many development hours you need for every subsequent stage and the total project to conclude. 

Expertise & experience 

The next factor is the expertise and experience of the Android app developers. The need for knowledge and experience depends on the project execution challenges, complexity, features, and value additions. You will likely require higher expertise, skills, and project exposure if they build an app from scratch. 

If the app project uses modular drag and drops tools for the UI and key features, you can get away with a team of intermediate-level developers. With more server-side scripting and experience with API configuration and plugins, they require further expertise and experience of the developers to become non-negotiable. 

Complexity and scope of future evolution 

Measuring the complexities and challenges of the Android app project is crucial for its success. If the app requires complex API configuration and integration, it may require more skilled resources and a longer time to complete. In such cases, the development cost will go up. 

Another important aspect of determining is the scope of future evolution for the app project. Since every app after launch remains open to become outdated without continuous value additions and adherence to the latest trends, you need to ensure accommodating new features and value changes for the app to grow in the future. This future planning of value additions through subsequent updates requires separate cost planning. 

Developer Location

Another key factor for figuring out the cost is the location of the developers. Since remote hiring and outsourcing are widespread for higher exposure to the global talent market and competitive development costs, many Android app projects prefer this instead of hiring an in-house team. 

Now, apart from making the best competitive bargain by communicating with many development companies, you can also target some regions and countries traditionally reputed for their low-cost and high-quality IT services, such as India, East Europe, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and several others.   

Since the developer location is considered to be a key factor for reducing development cost, it is always advisable to have a ready-reckoner sort of cost breakdown across regions. Here we provide this.  

• North America and Western Europe offer developers the most expensive price tag, with a staggering range from $100 to $150 per hour.  
• The cost of hiring Indian Android app developers may vary from as low as $15 to $35 per hour or more. 
• East Europe and Russia developers may charge between $25 to $50 per hour.  
• In South America, the rate of app developers varies between $30 to $50 per hour. 

The cost of hiring Freelancers vs. Remote Developers 

One major consideration that needs to be discussed separately is the hiring and engagement model for the Android app development team. You can choose to hire freelance developers, remote developers, third-party developers, and vendors. From a cost and other perspectives, every option has its own set of pros and cons. 

Hiring Freelance Developers

Pros

• Cost saving can be the biggest motivation for hiring freelancers as there is no need to bear cost components such as health benefits, regular salary, and various compensations and perks. 
• With freelancers, you are also saving the cost of buying new infrastructure, tools, and hardware. 

Cons

• Freelancers are generally less committed than regular employees or dedicated remote teams, and hence quality can be a significant issue. 
• Many data security issues exist with freelancers because developers are not forced to abide by company policy or regulations. 

Hiring Remote Developer Teams 

Pros

• By opting for remote teams from reputed development companies, you can get on board the best global talents for an app project. 
• Remote developer teams of reputed development companies adhere to industry guidelines and policies and deliver the best output. 
• You can make great cost savings as you don’t need to pay for the finished project only and don’t need to bear all overhead costs. 
• You can get access to world-class IT infrastructure for the app project. 

Cons

• Finding the most talented Android app development team can be challenging, involving a lot of effort, time and money. 
• There is a bigger contingency for the app project, as with remote teams, you have less control. Whenever a remote developer falls sick, quits in the middle of the project, or becomes unavailable, the project execution suffers tremendously. 
• It becomes difficult to estimate the team performance, and there is constant uncertainty concerning project management. 

In comparison to the above two options, hiring an in-house team of developers often seems to be a safe bet as you can exercise higher control, monitor productivity more closely, and exercise the best qualitative measures. You need years of experience, technical knowledge, and project exposure, even hiring an in-house team of expert Android developers. On top of all these, you must establish and maintain your development lab and infrastructure for the app project. You need to spend money continuously to keep a team of app developers.  

So, in-house hiring is expensive, especially if a business belongs to a non-technical niche and knows less about critical app development requirements and skills. So, outsourcing or remote hiring can be highly beneficial and a balanced choice from both the cost and quality parameters. 

Finding Android App Developers: Key Places to Hunt

When the typical developer qualities and skills you have come to know about and you have decided on the hiring options, you need to have a clear idea of where to find the right developer teams. Several credible and highly industry-acclaimed platforms allow you to easily access the best developer talents for your app projects. They range from B2B rating sites for tech companies to developer platforms to dedicated platforms for hiring skilled freelancers. 

• Clutch

Clutch is a widely well-known B2B ranking website for tech companies. This is where freelance developers and businesses can make their developer profiles visible, adorned with details of their expertise and coding examples. Clutch creates an industry-validated bridge between the developers ready to be hired and the companies needing the developers with the respective skills. Customer reviews and ratings help you get a clear idea. 

• Upwork

Upwork is a platform for hiring freelance developers. It is a platform where you can access both new and intermediate-level developers and experienced and expert developers with different skills. 

• Toptal

Toptal is a popular job board and a freelance hiring platform across diverse skill sets. The service, by actively filtering spam bots, ensures easier detection of top developer talents across ever niche. 

• GoodFirms

Much similar to Clutch, GoodFirms is another reputed B2B ranking and review website where you can find the best development companies and teams with different skills. It mainly focuses on tech company reviews, ratings, and job listings. 

Wrapping Up 

The cost of every app project is different since every app differs in regard to features, complexity, size, and technical requirements. But with the above guidelines in mind, you can at least enjoy better control and planning of the cost of hiring app developers without really compromising on quality, skills, and experience.