Android App Development Company or Freelance Android App Developer: Whom to Hire?

Are you thinking of building an Android app?

Wondering whether to outsource to an Android app development company or a freelance Android app developer?

This post might be the answer to all of your questions.

Android app development is on the rise, following the growing number of Android-powered devices across the globe. Hence every business is looking forward to building an Android app to support their business and expose it to the maximum range of audiences.

The decision leads to the same question I asked at the start. When your business does not have an in-house app development team, should you outsource the project to an Android app development agency or a freelance app developer?

Let’s start the discussion by taking a brief overview of Android app development.

A Brief Overview of Android App Development

Android is the most prominent operating system in the world, putting Apple second on the list. According to Statista, Android is the top mobile operating system worldwide, as recorded in the first quarter of 2023, with a market share of 71.4 percent. Thus putting iOS, the operating system behind Apple products, second on the list with a market share of 27.9 percent.

Currently, approximately 2.67 million Android apps are available on Google Play Store, the platform from which Android apps can be downloaded for Android smartphones.

Every business today needs an online presence, and a mobile app is indeed the best solution. The majority of companies today are investing in Android app development for their first business app, looking at the large audience they get to cover and their open-source nature.

Android apps are open-source and, thus, are free to use and easier to modify and distribute. Looking at these benefits, Android app development is on the rise.

It is pretty rare for a business to have an in-house app development team, especially when we are talking about small and medium-scale enterprises. Even many large businesses often don't have in-house app development, especially those belonging to a non-technical sector.

Such businesses often outsource the Android app development task to an Android app development agency or a freelance developer. The decision to choose between the two has always been difficult for businesses owing to the pros and cons both carry.

Let us discuss these two Android app development methods in more detail.

Suggested Reading: How to Develop a Successful Mobile App?

Why Outsource Android App Development?

Businesses outsource software development services like Android app development for various reasons. Let's take a look at some of the prime reasons behind the outsourcing of Android app development.

Now, let’s move ahead to the main focus, which is; to hire an Android app development agency or a freelance app developer.

Whom to Hire? Android App Development Agency or Freelance Android App Developer

Let’s try to answer this question by looking at some of the most defining benefits and drawbacks of both freelance developers and Android app development companies.

Key Benefits of Hiring an Android App Development Agency

#1 Time Effective

When you outsource your Android app development project to an app development agency, you, in a sense, are hiring a whole team of developers and designers to do the job for you. This is unlike hiring freelance developers who usually work on a project independently, thus taking up much time to deliver the app.

Hence by hiring an Android app development company, you can get the app you are looking for in a minimal time as more developers and designers work on your app, thus minimizing the overall development time.

#2 More Professional

Android app development companies are legally registered and licensed to operate. They are professional service providers and comprise professional app developers with years of experience. These developers usually have worked on a good number of projects and hence are good at it.

Therefore when you outsource your project to an Android app development company, you don't have to worry about the quality or guide them at every point.

#3 Access to a Large Number of Resources

Android app development companies usually have a significantly higher budget. Hence, they own more quality resources than what a freelancer can have. These resources allow them to design the Android app as the clients want without comprising any element.

More resources translate into more features and APIs available with the Android app development companies to put into the client's apps and make them more feature-rich and interactive.

#4 More Reliable

Android app development companies are licensed service providers with physical offices. They tend to be more reliable than freelance developers because of their 24/7 availability.

Unlike freelancers, Android app development agencies function in a well-organized structure comprising many teams of web designers and developers. In case one is not able to communicate, you can talk with the other developers, which is not the case with freelance developers as they usually work individually.

#5 Stringent Security

As we said due to the higher budgets and resources that Android app development companies carry, they have access to some of the best frameworks and tools available in the market. Hence they have access to some of the most stringent security tools that allow developers to keep their databases safe and, at the same time, keep the Android app and all the data of potential users safe.

#6 Quick Fixes

Your app might need some fixes and critical security updates later once you have launched the app on the app store. You need to pay heed to the user feedback and respond to it ASAP to ensure a good user experience.

You might need to fix a few things in your app. Android app development companies can help you to make quick fixes and deploy necessary updates in minimal time to ensure that users feel valued. They can do it because of the large team involved with your app, who work together to deploy necessary updates in record time.

This type of prompt service cannot be expected from freelancers.

#7 Higher Scalability

After deploying the app, you might want to add more features and services. Consider that you want to scale your business and increase your portfolio of services. In that case, you would need to update your app accordingly with a new section for the additional service and a new set of features.

In that case, Android app development companies can help you with their years of experience and team capacity to deliver such updates in minimal time. This will help you bring your new service category to attention quickly.

Suggested Reading: Security Practices That Businesses Can’t Miss in Mobile App Development

Top Drawbacks of Hiring an Android App Development Agency

#1 Higher Hiring Cost

When comparing the costs of hiring a freelancer, clients might find Android app development agencies a bit expensive initially. This happens because app development agencies have a lot of people working on the same project; thus, the overhead costs of every team member reflect the overall cost.

Moreover, app development agencies have other costs to cover, including office maintenance and rent, electricity, and framework licenses. All of these costs are reflected in the initial cost of hiring app development agencies, thus making it a little more expensive than the hiring cost of a freelancer.

#2 Slightly Complex Communication

As I mentioned before, many people work on the same project for Android app development companies. The team members usually comprise app developers, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, a Project manager, and business analysts.

If the client has an issue or any doubt, he might have to communicate with various team members fulfilling different roles, which usually complicates communication. This doesn't happen with freelancers, where mostly one individual has all of the mentioned roles.

Key Benefits of Hiring a Freelance Android App Developer

Let's look at some of the key benefits of hiring freelance Android app developers.

#1 Lower Initial Hiring Cost

Hiring freelance Android app developers is much cheaper than hiring an Android app development agency. Hourly rates of a freelance developer are relatively lower.

Based on Upwork's findings, when hiring freelancer Android app developers, clients usually pay around $35-150+ as hourly rates. And considering six months of app development time, an average client pays around $33,600 - 144,000.

Meanwhile, clients can end up paying, on average, $100,000 to $1,000,000 when outsourcing the project to an Android app development company.

#2 Work on a Single Project at a Time

Freelancers usually work on one project at a time, unlike app development agencies, who have multiple projects in their hands and work on all of them simultaneously. This means that Freelancers put all of their time and effort into creating your Android app.

Hence all of their concentration remains on one project at a time. Thus, you will deliver the best and project-oriented service to all of the clients, taking care of every detail and aspect of the Android app you provide.

#3 Easy to Communicate

Working with freelancers is quite simple as you have to communicate with a single person to convey various ideas and updates regarding your Android app. You don't have to explain your needs related to various Android app development operations to multiple people, which is the case with app development companies.

Hence you can convey corrections and important information faster to the app developer, thus ensuring that you get the desired results.

Top Drawbacks of Hiring a Freelance Android App Developer

#1 Takes Longer Time to Deliver the Project

One of the most significant drawbacks of outsourcing the Android app development project to a freelancer is that it usually might take longer to deliver the app compared to the app development agencies. This is because freelancers generally undertake a project and work on it wholly themselves.

That particular freelancer does every step and operation of the Android app development. Hence it takes much longer time for the freelancer to complete and deliver the project.

#2 May End Up With a High Overall App Development Cost

Hiring freelancers might seem cheap initially, but the overall development cost scenario is not the same. As we say, time is money, and as already discussed, freelancers tend to take a significantly higher amount of time for app development. Hence, the larger number of hours directly translates into more money a business needs to spend per hour.

Moreover, to add some sophisticated features that use special frameworks, freelancers might charge more to buy the license or subscription of such frameworks. Meanwhile, Android app development companies usually have a special organization license to use the leading frameworks.

#3 Limited Resources

Freelancers, as they are individual entities, often have access to limited resources. They might not have access to sophisticated frameworks that require high subscription fees. Hence, they can only add a limited set of features they can add to your Android mobile apps.

Hence, if you want to create high-tech Android apps with unique features and robust quality, you must consider hiring freelance Android app developers.

Let's discuss some key benefits and drawbacks of hiring Android app development agencies.

#4 Poor Scalability

You can not expect freelancers to make quick fixes, unlike Android app development companies. This is because freelancers work individually without any team to support and share the work. Hence they might take significantly more time to make corrections and deploy them.

Also, for the same reason, if you want to scale your app or, say, add more sophisticated features and services, freelancers might not be the right choice for you.

Summary of Differences Between Freelancers and Android App Development Agencies

Summing Up

Hiring a freelancer or an app development company has always been a task that clients should decide very carefully. One wrong choice can highly impact the quality of your dream Android app and hence your business's future.

In this post, we discussed the benefits and drawbacks of hiring freelancers and Android app development agencies. While hiring freelancers is cheaper, the professionalism and reliability offered by app development companies are unmatchable.

Service seekers must remember the points discussed above to ensure that they choose the right service provider who can help them meet their demands in minimal time and cost.