How Much Does It Cost to Hire an Android App Developer in 2021?

Image: novateus

With each year, people use computers less, while mobile phones get more and more complex. Thus, each day more and more mobile apps get developed and released. Mobile application development is growing pretty fast, as the number of smartphone owners is expected to hit 4 billion people within several years. 

There are two major mobile software – Android and iOS. Nowadays, usres have the phone running on one of the software. But who stands behind the creation of the software? And how much does it cost to hire a developer to build an app for iPhone or any device running on Android?

With the number of users constantly growing, Android development services are in high demand. The cost of hiring a developer is one of the first questions that pop up when you are set to create an app. But you can’t just focus on the salary of the developer. You need to figure out the whole budget beforehand. The main things to consider are:

1. App purpose – the purpose of the app, as well as its functionality, is the first step of figuring out your budget. What will your app do? What is the use of your app for the end-user? These questions will help you. 
2. Mobile platform – which platform your app is developed for? Will it support only the Android device? Or will it be a cross-app that can also run on iOS? Figuring that up will help you plan your budget. 
3. Integration – you need to decide whether your app will have a content source in the form of third-party apps. Whether the app will be integrated with other apps on the market defines the budget. 
4. Visual objects – another thing that impacts the cost is the complexity of visual objects that the app will use. The higher the quality and complexity of the visuals inside the app, the higher the cost. 
5. Utilization of smartphone features – most of the apps are using certain hardware features of the smartphone they are installed on. Thus, whether your app will use features like motion coprocessor or GPS navigation, will also influence the cost. 
6. Technical support – the last aspect that forms the budget is the maintenance plan. Once the project is completed and released, your app will require technical support.Whether you are going to take care of the technical support or the developer, will also influence the cost. 

Now, getting the budget breakdown from the way, you can finally start looking for the developer. But there are also a few things to consider. Whether you are going to look for them on your own or you are going to hire an IT recruitment company that will help you looking for Android development services. Let’s check out the perks of both variants.

Image: Pentalog

Searching for the Candidates Yourself

At the first glance, you may think that hiring a developer on your own is a good idea. You have a clear picture of what you need, and it will be better to go through all the recruitment challenges. But that’s not as easy as it seems. Yes, you won’t have to pay extra for the recruitment company, but you are going to meet these obstacles:

1. fierce competition for talents from larger businesses;
2. going through a bunch of resumes and CVs;
3. scheduling and conducting numerous interviews;
4. wasting your own time, which can be devoted to something more useful;
5. hiring someone with the lack of experience;

After all, if you are not an expert in IT recruitment, you may find a lot of problems looking for Android development services. Without the right database, it will take a lot of time, and it will exhaust you or your HR managers if they are the only people in your company who are qualified for conducting the interview. 

Hiring an IT Recruitment Company

While this process will take time looking for the right recruitment service, such companies are a real salvation for small businesses. First of all, they are doing this job for you, while you can devote your time to other things in your company. Thus, here, you have only two problems: finding the right service and explaining what you really need. The benefits are:

1. The recruitment company has its own databases;
2. It can provide you with several candidates for hire;
3. Their recruiters will conduct pre-screening for you;
4. They will provide candidates with test assignments;
5. The company can already have someone you are looking for;

While finding a suitable candidate via an IT recruitment agency will also take time, it will definitely take less than you doing it yourself. The agency will evaluate the candidates for you based on your needs and requirements. This means that they are going to check the candidate’s experience, technical skills, and soft skills if needed. 

Experience and Rate

Now, whether you’ve picked an IT recruitment company or decided to source on your own, it’s time to figure out which developer is an ideal candidate for your app. A lot of things depend on the requirements of the app. Most likely you want an experienced developer to work on your project, but you need to remember that experience is reflected in the salary expectations. 

Junior Android Developer

This type of developer has at least two years of working experience. There is one thing that actually draws prospective employers to them. Generally, their hourly rate is in the $15-$20 range. But there is a major drawback here. Are they really experienced enough to satisfy your requirements?

Generally, they know basic Android development. They are good at wireframing and storyboarding. They know Java, as well as Android SDK and the Android Studio IDE. You need to figure on your own if that’s enough for you or not. But mind that years of experience don’t always count. Some developers can be talented despite being less than three years in the industry. 

Middle/Senior Android Developer

These developers’ knowledge goes beyond the fundamental basics. They are skilled in frameworks like Ionic and Material Foundation. Most of them are experienced in at least two frameworks. Aside from that, such developers are familiar with bug tracking systems and dependency management tools. 

So, if you need someone skilled in Jira or Gradle, you should opt for a middle or senior developer. Yet, be ready that their salary range starts from $35 per hour. At the same time, you can be 100% sure that your app development is in the right hands. 

Android Developer-UI/UX Designer

Most likely, you want a developer to do everything from ground zero to the end. This means that, aside from building the application, the developer will also work as a designer. In this case, you should opt for the Android developer who is familiar with UI/UX design. 

Such experts will work with different visual mockups in Photoshop and with Android Material Design. In the end, you are going to have an application with a top-notch design. But mind that those developers are the most expensive ones. Their salary range starts from $45 per hour. 

Final Thoughts

While it may seem confusing at first glance, things are less complicated. The web developers market is large, and you can always find the expert you need. To do that, you just should know what exactly you want. When you know the skills of your prospective developer, you won’t face any problems in finding the perfect one for your app.