Things to Consider When Hiring Hybrid and Cross-Platform App Developer
Every industry has its own set of challenges and complexities, but the world of software development might be one of the most complex. As a business owner or developer, you have to consider everything from how many hours it will take to develop your app to what features are worth adding.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for mobile app development work either. Instead, there’s iOS development, Android development, cross-platform app development. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages that could make it better or worse for your business needs.
Here at Appvales, we specialize in mobile app development, and we have done so for many years with great results. This article will discuss some things you need to consider when hiring hybrid developers and cross-platform developers!
So whenever you’re ready to dive deep into the essential considerations of app development, keep reading.
Cross-Platform Development vs. Hybrid App Development
When it comes to comparing hybrid vs. cross-platform app development, cross-platform app development is the better option. This is because it allows an application to be deployed in multiple operating systems such as iOS and Android, which means you can easily create a single version of your app that will work on both platforms with minimal coding required.
However, this type of mobile app design does have its downsides. Cross-platform apps are more expensive than hybrid apps. They take longer to develop and require coding skills not every business has in place.
Although the benefits far outweigh these negatives. Hybrid apps fall somewhere between cross-platform and natively developed applications.
They’re cheaper than cross platforms but more time-consuming than native apps. This is because they rely heavily on Javascript libraries and frameworks like Flutter or ReactJS. Unfortunately, these may not be readily available in less popular device operating systems.
Another option is to hire a hybrid app developer who also has experience with native development or cross-platform application development services and let them handle all the heavy lifting for you!
Technology Consideration
Besides, the important question of choosing between the two styles of app development is the consideration of technology. You can complete any project in a variety of ways; there is no preset route for achievement.
However, depending on your project requirements, you might need to limit yourself to certain types of technology and development stacks.
Suppose you are not familiar with these types of intricacies. In that case, you should consult with your developer or tech-familiar staff to decide which technology stack is best suited for your project.
The importance of this is drastic because the tech required to make a mobile-desktop game is vividly different from the tech used for a real estate management application.
Hiring Hybrid App Developer Options
If you’re looking to hire a hybrid app developer, you have several options.
First, you can employ the services of a freelancer. Second, you can go to a mobile app development agency that will set you up with a great result.
Each option can get the job done, but one is better than the other in certain circumstances. For instance, you should hire a freelancer when looking for a quick turnaround, but you should go to an agency when you need extensive support.
Moving forward, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of hiring either freelancers or agencies by examining each scenario below:
Freelancer Advantages
You have complete control over deadlines and features. This is your best bet for cost-effectiveness because they charge only by hours rather than per project.
This helps avoid tiresome negotiations about how much time something will take. However, this can often lead to messy results in communication with the client.
Freelancer Disadvantages
Freelancers are not obligated to provide updates on their work progress like some agencies do. Therefore, there may be no one there to answer your questions many times or provide you with any support.
Freelancers might also be more likely to slack off if they don’t possess the necessary discipline. Not to mention the character qualities to make them efficient.
Agency Advantages
They can offer various services that freelancers can not—for instance, marketing, design, and development assistance. You can have a whole team working on your project, leading to a quick turnaround with minimal need for revisions.
For the most part, you don’t have to worry about a thing because they’ll take care of everything from start to finish. As a result, they can be more cost-effective than hiring an individual freelancer.
It would include all their resources and expertise in one package (something that’s not always available when working solo).
Agency Disadvantages
The agency often dictates the budget, leading to inflated prices for app features and deadlines since it includes all these extra costs like overheads (rents, salaries, and so on).
You have less control over how long an app will take because they provide multiple content types to profit from what they’re building.
The Best Websites to Find Mobile App Developers
Whether you need to build a native or hybrid mobile app, you need a place to find app developers. The best websites to find hybrid app developers are:
Upwork
This site is a freelancer marketplace that allows you to find developers, designers, and other professionals for your project.
They have extensive profiles, so it’s easy to get detailed information about each person. The drawback with Upwork is that they take 20% off whatever price you agree on. This is because they’re facilitating the transaction between client and developer.
AngelList
AngelList features mainly tech companies looking for funding or talent from programmers to salespeople and startup communities such as Silicon Valley in California, New York City Tech Meetups, Baltimore Entrepreneurship Forum, etc.
You can post job listings free, but if someone replies, then you’ll need to pay $500 upfront before asking them any questions.
LinkedIn is an excellent place to start when you’re looking for talent. You can post free job listings and then send targeted requests based on the person’s background, skillset, or company they work with.
Krop
Krop lets you search for developers by location, so it might be helpful if your project needs someone in a particular area of expertise. They also have an app that allows businesses to make quick applications/interviews wherever their employees are located (i.e., the airport).
The downside about Krop is there isn’t much detailed information about each developer. This may lead people to make rash decisions without knowing all the details.
Clutch
Clutch is an excellent place to find both experienced developers and rookie app builders.
You can specify your budget, skill set requirements, and the amount of time you need them for, so it’s an easy way to filter through candidates that meet those specifications.
Forrst
Forrst is more like a social network for people who design apps. They also have forums where users post their work or hire others based on specific needs.
Behance
Behance is another site similar to Forrst, which features portfolios from designers as well as job listings if you’re looking for someone who meets specific qualifications.
The downside of using this website when hiring an app developer is the prices. They range between $25 to $150 per project.
GoodFirms
GoodFirms is a B2B review website with a list of app development companies to choose from.
This site’s founders have connections and knowledge about what type of developer you need for your project, making it easy to find the person who best suits your needs.
Elance
Elance is another freelance website where people offer their services in various industries such as blogging, design, and other services.
You can search through someone based on price or skill sets if you’re looking for help with CSS programming or Python coding–they provide samples of previous projects, so you know exactly what you’ll be getting before hiring them.
Github
Github has over four million open-source code repositories ready to download worldwide and offers people to hire for projects. You can search through their portfolio of previous work and get a sense of the person’s skillsets before you commit.
It is great if you’re not sure what type of developer might be best suited for your project but would like someone who has experience with it similar projects in the past.
Freelancer
Freelancer offers freelance jobs across different industries as well, such as web design, programming, marketing–you name it!
They offer both hourly rates or fixed price options so you can have more control over how much money will be spent on your project, depending on how long it takes them to complete everything.
Dribbble
Dribbble was created as a resource site for sharing design ideas. Still, it also has job listings if you’re looking specifically for someone who can meet specific qualifications (e.g., designing iOS).
Appvales
Appvales is a mobile app development agency that can provide dedicated developers specifically for your project.
They have a very intricate selection process. However, you can be confident that the services are of the best possible quality with expertise in your area.
Skills Every Hybrid App Developer Should Have
A hybrid app developer should possess a varied portfolio of skills. They must be able to:
- Communicate and work well in a team environment
- Be open to learning new skills or technologies
- Have an understanding of the latest trends in development
- Be willing to work hard and put in the necessary hours
- Be adaptable with their working pattern
- Have a strong understanding of customer needs, how they interact with the app and what problems it solves for them
- Have a deep grasp of the target market and be able to provide insight on how it will use its app
- Have strong analytics skills
- Understand how users interact with an app in real-life scenarios
The developer should also be very knowledgeable about iOS, Android, React Native, or Flutter frameworks for hybrid apps. But also:
- HTML/CSS for cross-platform web development
- JavaScript framework knowledge (e.g., AngularJS) for single-page applications
- Server-side technologies like Node JS, Ruby on Rails / Python Django, and others
- Working knowledge of design software including Photoshop CC or Sketch
These are all crucial components that make up great developers.
Notes On Hiring
It is always essential to research your potential partners before signing any contracts. Make sure that they have a good track record and references from former clients.
Cross-platform application development frameworks like Flutter or React Native allow developers to build an app that runs on multiple platforms, including iOS and Android (and sometimes Windows Phone). The catch is that these apps are often slower than native applications because they have fewer performance optimizations for each platform.
In addition, cross-platform development IOS and Android tools cannot be used across operating systems, meaning hybrid app developers must create separate codebases for different operating systems. For example, if your developer were using React Native, they would typically need specific Swift / Objective C languages to build an iOS version of your app.
The only way that you can ensure all of this is by hiring someone who has built multiple apps, whether it’s hybrid or native.
What to Ask A Hybrid App Developer
When selecting the potential candidate for the job, you need to ask them specific questions that will help you ascertain if they are the right fit for you. Not every developer is going to be able to take your project, and not every developer should.
Hard Skills
Here are some of the questions you should ask to determine the developer’s hard skills:
- How long have you been using the preferred coding language for our project (React Native, Xamarin, Flutter)?
- What made you want to learn or start using it?
- Do you use any other languages like Swift, Objective C, Java (or others)? Which ones? Why did they make a list and not JavaScript, for example?
- Are there particular features that are important to your workflows with our preferred language?
- How do those compare against native developers who may build apps faster in some cases due to more language-specific knowledge of Swift / Objective C?
- Do you have any experience with other platforms like CordNET, Xamarin, or PhoneGap?
- Do you use any other frameworks like GraphQL and Apollo with React Native to build apps?
- What is your experience with iOS or Android development frameworks?
- Do you have any experience working in Agile environments (e.g., Scrum)?
- Do you work well independently as an individual contributor, or are there better suited to a team environment where one can utilize their skills more effectively?
- Is this person happy being part of a team on one project, or would it need to be 50% time spent individually contributing to two projects at once?
Now let’s cover some of the soft skill questions. They are just as important, if not more important, to the long-term success of any project.
Soft Skills
It’s also a good idea to ask about their experience with different types of clients, such as startups versus larger companies:
- What type of client was most challenging for them on past projects?
- Were they usually able to manage low-level clients without an issue, or did they need more guidance?
Finally, find out what their strengths are. Especially if this person is going to be the primary developer on your project and will have less interaction with you on a day-to-day basis:
- How would he/she prefer to communicate things that come up (e.g., Slack messages versus phone calls) so you can set expectations for updates beforehand?
- Do they enjoy teaching other developers in meetings about new technologies and techniques?
- Does he/she work better independently or as part of a team?
- How would you handle a disagreement with another member of your team?
- What is the most challenging project you’ve worked on, and how did it go?
- Do you ever feel frustrated when debugging an issue for hours without any success? Why/why not?
- What motivates you to do your best work?
For many, money can be motivating, but developers are often driven by other factors such as autonomy over their own decisions. Furthermore, only as good as the team and project they’re on.
One of the most important aspects to consider when hiring a cross-platform development contractor is their ability to work well in a team.
It can be challenging for developers who are used to working independently. But you want someone who will contribute constructively without being argumentative.
The Importance of Soft Skills
A developer’s soft skills, such as how he/she handles conflict internally, may not always translate into success on your projects. Hence, it is also essential to find out about his experience іn collaborating with others.
Suppose there has been tension among members of his team. In that case, this could become evident during the interview process and should be discussed openly rather than ignored: “How would you describe your process for resolving conflicts with teammates?”
If you do not have a team of developers and want to hire out one person or contractor, be prepared to offer them the same rewards as if they were an integral part.
They should also get some autonomy іn terms of how tо work on their tasks: “Can I expect regular updates from you and can we set aside time every day so that we’re both clear about what’s been done each day?”.
You may need someone familiar with Agile methodology if you use it elsewhere in your company because this will help avoid confusion when developing new features.
You may even find that hybrid app development works best for collaboration purposes because it combines the strengths of the two.
Saying “no” tо any of these questions is not a good idea if you want to hire an app developer for your company and keep them happy іn their position.
If they are unhappy, this will make it difficult fοr anyone else in the team tο work with them, so be sure everyone has what they need!
Hybrid App Developer Salaries in Various Countries
The salaries of hybrid app developers are vastly different in each country that they work in or from. This also affects the total cost expenditure of your hiring process.
Here is a comparison of hybrid app developer salaries in Ukraine, the United States, and other countries in Europe.
In Ukraine, a hybrid app developer can earn anywhere from over $2000 per month. The unique amount per developer is based on work experience and skillset.
In the US again, it depends on which skill set you hire for, but an experienced developer would earn anywhere from as low as about 60 thousand dollars a year up to over 150 thousand dollars annually if they are of exceptional quality and have more than five years in their field.
In Europe, this region has some of the highest-paid developers in the world! In Italy alone, there have been reports that those with huge portfolios might be able to get upwards of 400-500 thousand euros yearly or even higher іn some instances! So consider what your budget will be.
Hiring Advice
When hiring a cross-platform developer, the most important thing to consider is their skill set and experience in the industry. Some people are good at building apps for both iOS and Android, while others will only work with one or two platforms. Both of these types can be very valuable, depending on your needs!
When you hire hybrid app developers, they must have an eye for detail. As well as an understanding of how mobile marketing works so that you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
It may also help if they offer any other services such as graphic design іf needed. This ensures there are no gaps between what you want and what gets delivered to your customers!
Finally, always make sure that you’re clear on what the scope of work includes and what will be delivered at іt’s conclusion. It may seem like a small detail, but it can help ensure both parties are satisfied with the end product!
Hybrid App Development Services From Appvales
Now that you understand the considerations of utilizing a hybrid cross-platform mobile development specialist, you are well on your way to decide how to do it best. As long as you follow the guidelines set out in this article, you will ensure that you get the most optimal outcome.
We have had a lot of successes with cross-platform mobile development services. Examples of successful projects are Docomondo, Finderscope, MatematikTutor, WAJU, and Salu.
If you are interested in hiring a carefully selected and skillful hybrid app development team, get in touch with us, and we will happily accommodate your needs.
