How to Outsource Mobile App Development in 2024: Reasons, Costs, Process

An alternative could be outsourcing mobile app development. That's why we wrote a detailed guide on how to properly outsource mobile app development. You will learn about what outsourcing is:

Without further ado, let's get down to business.

What Is Mobile App Development Outsourcing?

Hiring a third-party agency to develop your mobile app is called mobile app development outsourcing.

There are several outsourcing models that companies use, but the two main categories are offshore and nearshore outsourcing. Offshore outsourcing involves choosing an outsourcing partner in another country. Most companies are in developed countries. They hire agencies in developing countries where rates are lower. Thus, such companies can save a lot of time and money.

Besides saving time and money, there are many reasons to outsource app development. 

Why Should You Outsource App Development?

Here we have listed the reasons why you should choose an external app development team for your mobile app instead of hiring an in-house team.

You should choose app development outsourcing because:

• The app development process will take less time.
• Development will be much cheaper.
• It is feasible for small startups and enterprises.
• Often results in high-quality products.
• It will help you focus on core business functions.
• It will help you hire international specialists and not rely solely on specialists from nearby countries.

Benefits of Outsourcing Mobile App Development

Let's talk about the benefits you get if you choose an outsourcing mobile app development company instead of an in-house team.

1. Accessible and Fast

If you decide to outsource mobile app development to an agency, the first advantage will be time savings. Hiring an in-house team is a lengthy process.  Sometimes it takes months.

And finding a suitable employee will be even harder. Before hiring, you need to consider personality traits, work ethic, behavior, and many other aspects. On the other hand, if you decide to outsource development, you just need to find a reliable partner.

The agency will take care of everything and make the whole process much simpler. 

2. Agencies Are a One-Stop Solution

Sometimes your business needs both a "native" Android app and a "native" iOS app at the same time. Hiring developers for both types of mobile apps would be incredibly difficult. In this case, an agency is a universal solution. They already have development teams ready to start working on your app in no time.

Moreover, here you will find a full range of services:

• Business analysis and creating a technical specification
• UX/UI design
• Development of both backend and frontend
• As well as digital marketing

And the list of available services does not end here.

3. Quality of the Final Product

A product developed by an experienced agency will be of high quality. The reason is the large number of similar projects under their belt. Experience and skills enable such agencies to design and develop products that appeal to the audience. The same reason - technical solutions are directly linked to the growth of business expertise.

4. Allows You to Focus on Core Business

If you spend energy and time on app development, who will take care of the rest? The success of a startup depends not on the product, but on its values and strategy.

You need to work on marketing, customer research, financing, and other business-related matters. Even if the product is paramount, it must be targeted at the right market, and the business must have proper financial management.

How to Outsource Mobile App Development?
How to Find App Developers for Outsourcing?

We advocate for outsourcing because it's a system where you get access to an entire team at cost-effective prices.

There are four options for finding an agency:

• Search on Google
• Find an agency through listings
• Use freelancer platforms
• Get recommendations

1. Search on Google

Initially, you'll search for "MVP development cost," "app design cost," or "how much does it cost to build an app." All these queries will yield billions of results in Google SERP, but the key is not to go beyond the first page.

Search for various terms, including app development and outsourcing.

Find out how service providers list their services:

• Key features/functionality
• Sharing information on their blog and website.

Look at how your potential service providers have organized their information. Check not only that but also how they wrote the information and designed their website.

While searching in SERP search engines, you should keep a few conditions in mind. This will help you filter out agencies that will handle outsourced mobile app development.

Look for a company that shares the same values as you and wants to reflect them in their product. Outsourcing mobile app development means you need to find a suitable organization that aligns with your offerings. You may also need to review their costs, team composition, and previous projects.

In other words, before outsourcing app development, conduct a vetting process of the potential development agency.

2. Browse Listings

Sites like Clutch, GoodFirms, Bloomberg, and others will help you find the best software development agency for outsourcing. They feature top organizations based on various parameters.

You can find agencies listed based on:

• Cost of their work,
• Rating,
• Number of projects developed,
• Etc.

If needed, adjust the search variables. This will help you find a suitable software development company to outsource mobile app development work.

Pay attention to the services they offer, similar projects they've done in the past, and their experience. App outsourcing requires the company founder to be on the same page with the development team.

You also need to understand their market value in terms of mobile development outsourcing.

To do this:

• Gather social proof by visiting their social media pages.
• Review the posts they've published, as well as testimonials and comments.
• Look for reviews on listing sites and Google.

3. Search on Freelancer Platforms

Freelancer platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, and others have a large repository of individual freelancers.

They also have teams ready to take on mobile development work on an outsourcing basis. However, there is a caveat when looking for the necessary app development talent or outsourcing company on freelancer platforms.

Before resorting to this option, you need to be well-versed in the development concept yourself. For example, you need to know about the app design process or development stages. Additionally, it helps to understand how to find and hire developers in this case.

Knowledge of these matters will make you a better recruiter. It will also make outsourcing mobile development easier and help negotiate the cost of hiring.

4. Get Recommendations

When you're starting a startup, your friends, relatives, colleagues, and family become a source of inspiration and advice.

We want you to use your connections with all your acquaintances and ask them for recommendations. Word of mouth remains the most powerful persuasion tool. 92% of buyers trust their friends and family more than other sources of information.

Therefore, when you are looking for people to outsource mobile app development to, first turn to your acquaintances. If they have already worked with a group of freelancers or an agency, they will let you know and give you an unfiltered review.

These are the four ways to find an agency or freelancers for outsourcing mobile app development. It is better if you focus on choosing an agency. This is because an agency is affordable and gives you access to a wide pool of talented specialists under one roof.

This reduces management issues and simplifies communication.

How to Choose an App Development Outsourcing Company?

Outsourcing app development can increase your work efficiency. But this is only possible if you turn to the right app development outsourcing agency. Before outsourcing mobile app development, be sure to compile a shortlist of potential agencies.

We recommend paying attention to three things before outsourcing app development.

1. Potential That Will Help You Succeed

It's impossible to determine an agency's potential, but we want you to use your business skills. Trust your intuition when it comes to understanding potential. Or use a tool like Instant CheckMate to get more detailed information about the vendors you've selected.

You've probably heard people say to look at the facts. Or something like "data speaks best." All of this is true and relevant. But sometimes our intuitive understanding of something surpasses all data and metrics. So we want you to carefully observe the potential service provider.

Rank them in terms of helping you create the right product. Two things will help you with this: communication and customer reviews.

Communication plays an important role in outsourcing app development. When you communicate with service providers, their speech should be clear and understandable. This includes understanding the concepts and tasks needed to get the job done.

Another way is to study customer reviews. To do this, look at social proof on the agency's social media accounts.

2. Expertise

Any outsourcing agency can list the app development services it provides on its website. But it's one thing to write about them, and quite another to actually deliver them.

You may come across agencies that promise to develop a food ordering app at a high level. But you shouldn't just take their word for it.

Another way to verify their competence is to study case studies. Studying case studies allows you to accomplish two things:;

Suppose you find a case study on the agency's website where they created a clone of an app like TikTok or Uber.

It would be great to study the requirements and how the developers worked on it. Do this before starting to outsource software development.

3. Cost of Services

This is perhaps one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing mobile development outsourcing.

App development outsourcing agencies should be evaluated on several parameters:

• Expertise
• Service delivery
• Potential
• Team composition
• Cost

We put cost last because if all other parameters are suitable, the fee will be justified.

Some companies want to be paid by the hour, others prefer a fixed price.  Some want payment upfront, while others are okay with payment upon completion.

Let's look at the 3 most important pricing factors.

• Description of factors. Cost depends on the region. For example, the cost of services for companies from Russia, the UK, and Western Europe will be higher than for their counterparts in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Asia.
• Cost depending on business needs. For example, to develop iOS apps, you hire Swift developers. But if the requirements change and you need an Android app, you will have to separately find and hire Kotlin developers. However, you can save the budget by hiring React Native or Flutter developers.
• Cost depending on complexity. For example, if you need both a web application and a mobile application, the cost will be higher. The complexity of the application also plays an important role. If the application is complex, it will cost more.