Outsourcing App Development in 2022 – Actionable Guide and Prices

Outsourcing App Development: Intro

In 2022 more and more companies are switching to the remote work mode, going digital and moving to an app-first or app-only marketing strategy. No wonder that outsourcing app development is one of the key topics to talk about right now.

In this article, we’ll discuss the necessity to outsource your app development today and give you an actionable guide on how to do it effectively. Later on, we’ll give an overview of the prices for outsourcing app development worldwide.

Why is Outsourcing App Development Relevant Today?

Why should you outsource development of your mobile or web app today? It is relevant especially now, when the COVID-19 pandemic is thriving and you do not know what to expect from the next day.

If you are choosing between insourcing vs outsourcing software development, offshore staffing is definitely more appropriate in terms of new demands and conditions. Web or mobile app development outsourcing has some significant benefits that can help your business today.

In brief, it is a game-changer for your digital transformation strategy. Here’s why:

It saves time.

There’s no secret that time is crucial for any ecommerce brand. To save it, quick but wise decisions and digital solutions in business are essential.

Time is money. As we all know perfectly well. So, the next benefit of app development outsourcing is cost-efficiency.

It saves money.

The COVID-19 provoked investing in software development. But outsourcing can help reduce the amount of money needed for any custom app development. Cost optimization was one of the main reasons why the owners of WhatsApp hired a contractor. He was, actually, WhatsApp’s first iOS engineer back in 2009.

It boosts the effectiveness of digital transformation.

Offshore app developers are more flexible. Besides, when you go digital, contracting our reliable app development agency may help you change the priorities and increase the productivity of your in-house team. We have been developing mobile applications for more than 15 years and know exactly what you might need to go digital.

It opens a new talent pool in front of you.

As the competition online grows, you may find better candidates and talented mobile app developers for hire.

It provides free consulting services.

You may get a free consultation about the perfect IT solutions for your business. Professional app development consultants will certainly help you find your bearings and make the best decision, when you go digital with an app.

Now you know the essentials of outsourcing app development. It’s high time for you to learn how to do it effectively.

How to Outsource App Development Effectively

How to outsource mobile app development in 2022 without risk? Hard to answer, isn’t it?

First of all, you need to create a successful outsourcing strategy and choose the best development outsourcing model. Gartner outlined key aspects of the most effective strategies more than 10 years ago. And it’s still one of the best analysis-based approaches to pre-outsourcing.

Yet, there’s much to think about, even if you seem to be ready to outsource your mobile app development on the spot. Scroll down to read the fullest step-by-step guide in the next paragraphs. After that, you might want to learn about the best variants and the safest ways of outsourcing app development.

Let’s start with the guidelines that will help you understand the outsourcing procedure.

Actionable Guide to Mobile App Development Outsourcing

So, you need a mobile app (or web application) for your business. To save time and money (and to get even more benefits mentioned above), you’ve decided to outsource your app development. Let’s see how to do it successfully in 8 steps:

1. Define the purpose of your app to have a clear focus.
2. Make an app outline with the basic requirements: business requirements + system requirements + user requirements.
3. Plan how to spend your budget to achieve the objectives.
4. Set a timeframe for mobile app creation.
5. Decide on the best option to outsource: off the shelf development vs freelance developer vs app development agency.
6. Find contacts and narrow your list down to top 3 variants.
7. Interview app developers – make an extensive discussion and don’t hesitate to ask questions about every detail.
8. Choose one and sign a contract.

Read further on to select the best way to outsource your iOS or Android app development.

Ways to Outsource Development of your App

What are the best ways to find IT engineers and programming specialists? And where to outsource?

Basically, there are 3 options of outsourcing app development:

• Off the shelf product development

It may be the cheapest variant. But not the best, for sure. With an off the shelf product, you get only a general set of features that do not always correspond to your business needs. There are even more challenges – compare some major pros and cons of customized vs off the shelf software.

• Freelancers

Freelance mobile or web app developers may be a tricky choice, though. It is due to many parameters: security, responsibility, resources and the type of service. An interesting read is an article by the serial tech entrepreneur from Forbes. He wrote about hiring reliable developers and explained why it’s better to contract a development company rather than a freelancer.

Where to find freelancers for mobile app development: Upwork, LinkedIn, Golance, Guru, Toptal, Fiverr, etc.

• App development companies

Once you have decided to contract an app development company, you should check its potential. To get the most of it, analyze the following:

1. Their website
2. Their experience
3. Their prices

You may place an inquiry and get a quote on the official website of any app development agency.

Let’s consider the last parameter (that is, the prices) more carefully.

What is the Final Price for Outsourced Mobile App Development?

Asking about the ultimate cost of app development outsourcing is the same as asking about the price of a car. The answer will always be: it depends.

The price range of custom mobile app development is $1,000–$400,000. It can’t tell you much about the final cost of your product, can it?

The rates of offshore, nearshore and onshore app development differ considerably. Typically, the cost of onshore app development is 3x or even 4x times higher than that of offshore app development.

Concerning the type of an app, you will pay different sums for ready-made apps for telehealth services, taxi booking, FinTech, rentals, etc. And, as a rule, the cost of MVP (minimum viable product) development will be lower. It may start at $400.

Commonly, a single freelancer charges less for app development services. When outsourcing development, the smallest team will usually consist of a project analyst, developer, designer and tester.

The price may be measured by hourly rates or a story points system (a relative amount of points for each feature in an app). Hourly rates differ from country to country and are based on the developer’s experience too. You should also bear it in mind that expensive app developers and experienced app developers are completely different categories.

We have analyzed the app development market in 2022. In addition to that, it is based on our experience of delivering web and mobile development services to our clients all over the world. You may get in touch with us instantly to calculate the cost of your app.

The overall price is determined by certain factors summarized in the below table:

Factors	Price dependence
Location	North America – $350,000 Western Europe – $120,000 Eastern Europe and Asia – $80,000
App type	Social media app: $22,000–225,000 AR (augmented reality) app: $150,000–$275,000 Ecommerce app: $65,000–$335,000 Telemedicine app: $145,000–$430,000 EdTech app: $75,000–$115,000 Food delivery app: $90,000–$180,000
Features	Simple app –$25,000 Moderate complexity app – $60,000 Complex app – $200,000 or more
Design complexity	Simple: $2,000–$3,000 Average: $10,000–$20,000 Complex: $20,000–$40,000
Platform	iOS vs Android vs iOS+Android
Workforce and work assessment	Teamwork vs individual development Hourly rates vs story points

Conclusion

In the world of today we are becoming witnesses of an extreme digital pace that is making us move faster in everyday life. The coronavirus crisis caused a major shift to digital consumerism. Under these circumstances, the importance of outsourcing app development is increasing tremendously.

You can benefit with it, if you know how to outsource app development effectively and choose the best way to do it with adequate prices.

If you do not want to just sit still, wait and mentally simulate profits and sales, reach us to take the first step toward app development outsourcing. Our professional product analysts are here to help you with any idea. We, at FutureOne Tech, are ready to be with you on every stage of your product creation.