In-House Developers vs Outsourcing
Want to Develop Mobile App? Read this guide before coming to conclusion!
Hiring a developer for your project is always a difficult decision to make. And it becomes tougher when it comes to choosing between hiring in-house developers and outsourcing your mobile or web development.
There are many factors that you should consider before hiring the right person for the job and by focusing on the right factors you will be able to take the right decision in an easier and faster manner.
However, before reaching a decision, you must need to understand the 3 main factors that are associated with your decision making.
Let’s walk through the considerations.
- Risks
- Advantages
- Costs
Each factor is broken down by using the same scale, to weigh the options for each.
Risks: In-House vs. Outsourcing:
Both developers have some basic risks. If you are not a tech geek, there is always a risk in trusting folks who claim to be the best. Then, there is also a risk of hiring viable talent.
“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary” – Jim Rone
Success and risk run parallel to each other and you should be willing to own both the advantages and disadvantages.
Risks associated with in-house developers:
When you engage with in-house developer, you take all the risk in term of their expertise, which give rise of the basic question…
How to Hire a Tech Talent?
That’s pretty much a prerequisite to hiring in-house. If you don’t, you will need help from someone who does or you’ll be taking a huge risk in how you’ll recognize the right talent when you see it.
What skill sets are needed?
Having access to a pool of pros, with current and evolving skill sets will undoubtedly help your company to thrive. But, what skill sets would exactly be required to build the product and manage its execution after launch? How many resources are needed to develop native apps or engineer relevant software? Which alternatives will deliver the skill sets to provide the level of services you will need —now and in the future?
Also read: Do Not Become a Victim in App World
During the 1990’s, plenty of forward-thinking companies managed to stay fairly in power with the race by staffing one or two IT professionals. And when those guys weren’t playing Minesweeper, they were successfully staying ahead of the tech curve. Today, it takes an IT village to raise an online and mobile success that meets the needs of the masses.
The typical resources required, to develop a successful app business include:
- iOS developer
- Android developer
- Back-end developer (server-side)
- Interactive designer
- Front-end (web) developer
- Project manager
- Product manager (this could be you or could be someone else from your team)
- Business analyst (you’re building a business here, not just an app)
- App Store Optimization (ASO) expert
- App marketing expert (could also be an ASO expert)
- And quite possibly a data scientist
Risks associated with Outsourcing your Project:
When choosing to hire an app development company, your main risks include:
- The firm going out of business
- Not being able to deliver the right product
- They take your money and disappear
- It ends up costing you way more than anticipated
Main risk is in hiring the right firm, with the right people, with the right process.
Also read: Estimated costs of developing mobile app & advantages for business
Therefore, you have to know what you’re looking for and what questions to ask to ensure you hire the right firm. Here we have listed a few questions to get you started:
- Is it a start-up dev shop?
- Does the firm have grievous complaints with the Better Business Bureau or horrible Yelp! Reviews?
- Was the group unable or unwilling to provide you with a recent portfolio?
- Have they built similar apps or similar components to yours?
- How is the quality of their work?
- Will they help you build the business or just the product?
- Did they only provide you with a one-page bid?
Advantages: In-house vs outsourcing
You might have got a bit worried reading the risks but what about the advantages? Surely there are distinct advantages to each option. Yes, you are correct. Let’s review them…
Advantages of an In-House Team:
Once you’ve established your in-house crew, you’ve got them to work exclusively for you. You’re the boss. However labor some it may be to attain, develop, and manage IT talent, having some seasoned pros in your home court is one sizable advantage of an in-house operation.
This means you have a greater ability to create a culture around your product and your business – A team that is only focused on one product, one mission, all in alignment toward a common goal.
Also read: Top 5 Reasons How Apps Can Increase Your Business
Advantages of Outsourcing the development
The most coveted advantage to outsourcing software development is, by far, the availability and scalability of the powerhouse skills concentrated in a proven tech development firm. The skills that can provide business acumen, data science, design, programming, and ongoing enhancements of the product and business, represent the immense value of outsourcing to an experienced third party and trusting them to nurture your baby.
Cost: In-House vs. Outsourcing
A steep bottom line exists on both sides of the scale. How much will it really cost for your company to hire a firm to develop your software or app vs. in-house IT staffers for the project? How much, in total, should you expect to shell out for quality web development and the creation of your first native app? What are the true costs of hiring in-house vs outsourcing?
Let’s find out…
The Cost of Hiring In-House Developers
| Title | Salary (approx.) yearly |
| iOS Developer | $85,000 |
| Android Developer | $84,562 |
| Back-End Developer | $116,808 |
| Designer | $67,281 |
| Project Manager | $91,440 |
| Data Scientist | $91,440 |
The Cost of Outsourcing Your Development
App costs vary greatly depending on the size of the development firm and, of course, the complexity of your project.
| Firm Size | Project Cost |
| Large firms | $250,000 – $1,000,000+ |
| Medium firms | $150,000 – $450,000 |
| Small firms | $50,000 – $150,000 |
Must read: Why Choose India for Mobile Apps Development?
So, now we have discussed all the significant factors that you would have considered being a businessman, it should not be really difficult for you to decide which option to go for.
