Who to hire to make an app: in most cases, a team rather than one person. Most apps are built either by small startup teams where people combine several roles or by professional development agencies where roles are shared across specialists. In both, the developer is the critical role, and for a non-technical founder, the developer you pick decides how the product works in practice, not only what it does.
Execution matters more than the idea: Product Hunt’s library of failed startups is full of app ideas and designs that never worked out. When you evaluate a developer or a team, look at the portfolio with similar cases, a solid base in one language plus newer technologies, diligence in debugging, calm under deadline pressure, teamwork, lessons from failed projects, and focus on the user. The same criteria apply whether you hire productivity mobile app developers or a team for a consumer product.
Below, we look at why mobile apps took the lead, who makes them, and the qualities to check when you hire an app developer.
Mobile banking app by Conceptzilla
Who Makes These Apps?
Whenever we install a new app on our phones, we barely can tell where it comes from. I mean it me be an official Apple or Google app and it is an instant draw, but about the rest 2 million apps on iOS and 2.2 million apps on Android?
Behind most of the emerging apps stand startups. Ranging in size and contesting each other in their company names’ wit, they can be either a dorm room company or a professional development agency. What’s common for all of them is that behind the curtain there is a team of developers operating on different levels of creation to come up with an app that will hopefully go viral.
The team might consist of a few people with multiple roles or a huge team with shared roles. Let’s take a detailed look at one of the roles, as hiring a company to develop your app means hiring a complex crew of specialists. Recognizing the role might be the key to understanding the development process broadly.
Hire An App Developer
The critical role in the app-building team is the developer. A lot of actual startups are founded by former developers. In that case, the product owner is like a fish in the water, the experience and practical knowledge is a huge advantage, but what if the startup is founded by a non-tech person?
Well here’s what you want to see in a developer you can trust:
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Extensive portfolio
Nothing speaks of a master better than their work. The Hattori Hanzō reputation was built on the basis of the swords he crafted. So the more and the better projects under a developer’s belt, the more likely the chances to succeed. Hiring a developer to make an app with a background in similar cases is the best case scenario.
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Technical skills
The number of years of coding in one of the older programming languages and, perhaps the lower stack of newer ones does not mean a developer is outdated. On the contrary, a strong base in one of the fundamental languages provides better opportunities to gain proficiency in new languages. The perfect balance would be a long-established expertise in some solid language plus a stack of newest technologies. In our analogy, the technique of forging a sword has to be augmented by the new tools and materials.
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Diligence
It’s not only about writing code, it’s the way the code is handled in terms of debugging and applying fixes. Stopgaps and workarounds in code cannot remain as permanent solutions, the complete knowledge of the product you create makes you an expert and a trustworthy source of weapons to confide your life in.
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Grace under pressure
A stressful situation of dealing with a project deadline, bug fixing, feature behavior, etc might put the claw on the product. Performing in a heart-pounding scenario and not bending under pressure when things get hot is a trace you would want to see in your developer. On the other hand, when things are going smooth, you want to see them rise to the occasion and never stop perfecting the craft.
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Teamwork adherence
In the world of contractual workers and freelancers this skill might not be that significant. But when dealing with multiple people and numerous projects, the teamwork mentality plays a huge role. The extremes are out there and you might agree to deal with some BS coming from a rockstar programmer as long as the code they deliver sells out the show. But in the long run, your goal is to have a well-adjusted team, capable of further cooperation.
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Handling shipwrecks
Not everything goes as planned. Sometimes projects fail or get abandoned. Mistakes can teach and season developers, instigate their growth, and thicken their skin. These errors, however, can’t define you and stop you from pushing further. Instead, they must be a challenge and provoke the passion to win and better make the next time count.
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Dominant user focus
A UX designer appeals to a user on multiple levels, while a developer does what they have to to galvanize the experience. However, what separates a good developer from a great one is their focus on the user. Being aware of user problems and committing to solving it through the number of tools available and on the critical sector they are in charge for, is what determines success in a lot of ways. Hiring a programmer to make your app with delightful UX focus is feather in a cap of a product owner.
Travel Booking Mobile App Design by Shakuro
As much as technical proficiency and impressive expertise are important, they should not be considered the sole main factor of hiring a developer for your app startup. What’s more dangerous is ending up with a person in a key role of the project, so full of themselves, it harms the entire enterprise.
Avoid that by putting things into perspective and maybe investing into a less ego-affected team members willing to spend more energy for the development of the project as well as their own.
Want to hire someone to build an app? Looking for expert developers for iOS and Android? Reach out to us and let’s build your next project together.
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FAQ
Who should I hire to make an app: a freelancer or a development team?
For most products, hire a team. Building an app takes developers, designers, and someone who manages the process, and a team can be a few people with multiple roles or a larger crew with shared roles. A freelancer can cover a narrow task, but when several people and projects are involved, teamwork and long-term cooperation matter more than one strong individual.
What should I look for when hiring an app developer?
Look for an extensive portfolio, ideally with cases similar to yours, and a strong base in a fundamental programming language plus newer technologies. Check diligence: stopgaps and workarounds should not stay in the code as permanent solutions. Good developers stay calm under deadline pressure, work well in a team, learn from failed projects, and keep the user’s problems in focus.
How can a non-technical founder choose an app developer?
Start with the portfolio: the more good projects a developer or team has built, especially in your domain, the higher the chances of success. Ask how they handle debugging, deadlines, and fixes, and how they work with designers and other team members. Avoid people who put their ego above the project; a well-adjusted team that keeps improving is worth more than a single rockstar programmer.
Why does user focus matter when hiring app developers?
A UX designer shapes the experience, but developers make it work, and what separates a good developer from a great one is focus on the user. A developer who understands user problems uses the available tools to solve them in their part of the product. Technical skills matter, but they should not be the only factor when you hire someone to build an app.
Related reading
- Outsourcing Mobile App Development Done Right: When, Why, and How
- Understanding Mobile App Development Costs: Complete Breakdown
- Dedicated Development Team: A Complete Guide to Hiring and Managing Remote Developers
- The Hidden Side Of Mobile App Development Lifecycle
This article about finance app development was originally published in June 2017 and was updated in June 2026 to make it more relevant and comprehensive.