When To Hire An Android App Development Company vs. Freelancer

Generally speaking, we always trust specialists who bring a unique, specific expertise to the table based on the situation we find ourselves in. If something is wrong with your car, you take it to a mechanic. If something is wrong with your dog, you take it to a vet. The same is true in the software industry, where we typically turn to a mobile app development agency to meet our needs and deliver a project for our end users on-time and on budget.

But at the same time, just how important is it to hire an actual agency to get the job done? Are you staring down a situation where a freelancer will be more than acceptable? It’s a decision that only you can make and the guarantee that you make the right one requires you to keep a few key things in mind.

App Development Companies vs. Freelancers: Breaking Things Down

Typically, there are a few key factors that separate the work output of a dedicated Android app development company versus that of a freelancer. They include:

  • The price. Obviously, you’re going to pay far less money to one person than you will to an entire team. A dedicated Android app development services partner might charge an hourly rate that is about 25% higher than that of a freelancer. But at the same time, it’s important to remember that price alone shouldn’t be your deciding factor. In the world of software development, there’s an old saying that reminds us “you have fast, you have cheap, and you have good. You can only have two of the three.” Based on that, it’s clear that saving money with a freelancer will obviously impact your deliverables in other areas.
  • The expertise. In a lot of cases, freelance workers have exceptional skills in one precise area. This is good because it allows that person the opportunity to become the best in a specific field. If your project only requires that niche level of expertise, a freelancer will be more than capable of doing what you need. But an agency will have a wider array of experience to draw from, which may mean the difference between success and failure for certain complicated projects.
  • Flexibility. In most cases, it will be far easier to deal with only one person (meaning a freelancer) than it will be to deal with an entire team of people. A freelancer probably has a more flexible schedule, which means that they’re more likely to be working on YOUR time as opposed to you working on THEIRS. If you need the job done as quickly as possible, a freelancer might be the way to go for that reason alone.
  • Procurement. Finding a vendor can be difficult, but thanks to sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com finding an independent contractor has never been easier. There are a myriad of different platforms where you can not only find these individuals, but also view samples of their work and see feedback from their customers, too.

Of course, a freelancer by design won’t have all the staff members typically needed for full-cycle development. Only a dedicated agency will be able to provide that type of infrastructure. You’ll be getting access to not only front and back-end developers but also designers, QA engineers and, in most cases, a project manager.

If there are a lot of those functions and positions that you’re planning on filling with your own in-house staff, hiring a freelancer can be a great way to augment your existing workforce and address certain gaps that may exist. But if you don’t have an in-house staff to speak of, a freelance employee probably isn’t going to be able to get you where you need to be. You’ll also get consultation services that a freelancer probably won’t be able to offer, along with improved skills and technologies that a larger company could afford that a freelancer simply couldn’t.

But in the end, remember that there is no “one right choice” when it comes to hiring an Android app development company versus enlisting the services of a freelancer. Some tasks will absolutely require the wider array of skills that a development company brings with it. For others, that would be overkill – and a freelancer would be a great way to save a tremendous amount of money (and likely a good deal of time, too).

For the best results, let your project itself dictate whether you hire an Android app development company versus a freelancer. If you start with your long-term objectives and carefully assess the needs of the project, then work your way backwards to the decision, the correct answer will more or less reveal itself in a much faster way than you were anticipating.

If you’d like to find out more information about whether you should hire Android app developer freelancers or go with a professional Android app development company, or if you just have any additional questions that you’d like to discuss in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact us today.