How to Find App Developers: Top Hiring Channels

According to Statista, 54% of tech companies worldwide struggle to hire and retain talent. With AI, blockchain, and other advanced technologies evolving fast, businesses need more people than ever to adopt innovation. But how to find an app developer when every other company is looking for one?

The competition is fierce, but with the right recruitment strategies, everything is possible. Based on 10+ years of experience, the Neontri team shared several reliable channels to source skilled app developers.  From traditional job boards to outsourcing partnerships, understanding the strengths and limitations of each option is crucial for making informed hiring decisions. 

In this article, we’ll explore all these channels and share best practices that can give businesses an edge in the talent acquisition race.

Key takeaways:

• Businesses can hire app developers through various channels, including freelance platforms, job boards, professional networks, recruitment agencies, and development companies.
• Among these, development companies usually offer the best balance of fast onboarding, specialized expertise, and cost efficiency.
• To maximize the chances of success, businesses should clearly define their expectations, assess the candidates’ technical skills, and do a test project to evaluate their real-world performance.

Key channels to find a developer for an app  

Organizations have multiple ways to connect with experienced app developers. The selection of an optimal recruitment approach depends on factors such as project complexity, timeline requirements, budget considerations, and internal technical capacity.  So, different project scenarios call for different options. 

Outsourcing companies

IT outsourcing service providers combine the recruitment expertise of staffing agencies with deep industry knowledge. This makes them particularly effective for companies looking to hire specialized programmers. By leveraging their established networks and technical screening capabilities, businesses can access pre-vetted developers while benefiting from the provider’s understanding of specific technical requirements and project needs.

Companies trust outsourcing vendors to find app developers because this approach offers unique advantages not available through other hiring channels, including:

• Vast talent pool. Companies can tap into large talent pools, including remote developers from different locations. For instance, Neontri has access to a talent network of 40,000 developers,  which allows us to find suitable candidates in three days.
• Scalability. Partnering with an outsourcing vendor allows companies to hire multiple app developers at once,  expanding their project capabilities as needed.
• Tech expertise. Outsourcing vendors study the project’s specific needs to select a perfect fit. This often includes project management and quality assurance professionals who have experience working with various technologies and methodologies.
• Reduced administrative burden. Companies can focus on their core business while the outsourcing partner handles recruitment, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and compliance issues, significantly lowering administrative overhead.

Hiring app developers through outsourcing vendors has its drawbacks, though:

• Relatively high costs. This channel can be more expensive than other options. However, business leaders may end up spending significantly more by attempting to handle the hiring process themselves.
• Finding a reliable partner. Businesses must thoroughly research potential partners to ensure they have the necessary expertise and reliability.

Freelance platforms

Freelance platforms like Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and Fiverr are rich sources of potential candidates for app development projects. Every job posted on these websites attracts dozens of applicants, providing companies with a wide range of options.

The major pros of hiring freelance developers are:

• Speed. Instead of dedicating weeks or even months to a conventional hiring process, companies can pick a suitable candidate and strike a deal in less than 24 hours.
• Lower costs. Freelance app developers charge per-hour or per-project rates instead of a fixed salary, which often means lower operational expenses for a client. 
• Large selection. Companies on online platforms get to choose from a number of freelancers who respond to their ads.

Many businesses find freelance app developers for their projects, tempted by the benefits listed above. However, this approach comes with certain risks:

• Lack of commitment. A freelance developer might drop out in the middle of the project due to urgent personal issues or force majeure circumstances. There is no effective way to stop them from doing so.
• Collaboration difficulties. Many freelance app developers are used to working solo. Coordinating their effort with the in-house team might be challenging, especially if cultural or time zone differences are significant.

To reduce these risks, it’s essential to check the candidate’s ratings and reviews from past clients. However, even though a high rating signals that a freelancer is a reliable developer, there’s no way to guarantee they will deliver high-quality work for a specific project. 

It makes sense to contract an app developer on a freelance platform only when the existing team will handle the development process and they need help with low-priority and/or highly structured tasks. Otherwise, the app development process calls for a more selective and secure approach to hiring.

Job boards

Job boards are a traditional method for hiring app developers. Companies post job listings and receive applications from interested candidates. Some hiring platforms also allow organizations to reach out to potential employees.

Key advantages of using job boards include:

• Control over the process. The employer retains complete control over the hiring process, including CV screening, interviews, and test tasks.
• Lower risks. Finding a software developer on job boards minimizes the risk of a poor fit, especially in terms of cultural alignment.
• Seamless collaboration. Job boards are primarily used by developers seeking full-time positions, which often means stronger teamwork and communication skills compared to freelancers.

However, job boards are often location-dependent, making them less suitable for finding remote app developers. This limitation is particularly challenging for companies in high-cost regions like the US and Western Europe. Local specialists charge much higher rates than their peers with similar levels of expertise in Eastern European tech hubs. The salary difference is substantial: The average American mobile developer earns approximately $97,614 per year compared to just $40,000 in Poland.

Beyond service costs, other disadvantages include:

• Need for in-house expertise. A company should have enough resources to handle the recruitment process, including an HR team and tech experts who can assess candidates’ skills. 
• Lengthy process. Finding skilled developers who meet the company’s requirements and budget expectations can take up to several months for a single position.

Using job boards is a viable option only if a company seeks an expert to fill a permanent position and has the resources to find the right developer. 

Professional networks

Tapping into the network is a great way to find a developer for an app while bypassing the challenges of traditional hiring. By simply asking for recommendations, hiring managers can be connected with qualified developers through trusted referrals. This approach provides access to pre-vetted talent, potentially leading to stronger working relationships and better project outcomes.

The advantages of relying on referrals when hiring an app developer include:

• Head start on collaboration. Developers are more likely to view an offer positively when it comes from someone they know, which lays a solid foundation for cooperation on app development.
• Access to hidden talent. Many skilled developers aren’t actively job-hunting but may consider opportunities through trusted connections.
• Built-in credibility. Recommendations come with implicit trust, as the referring party vouches for both sides.

In the best-case scenario, a company can find, approve, and onboard the right app developer within days. However, this ideal situation often comes down to luck. Even if a network contact refers a candidate with the right tech stack experience, chances are slim that this app developer will be available exactly when the company needs them. On top of that, non-tech leaders might struggle with such  issues as:

• Limited pool of candidates. Many software developers who would be perfect for the role may go unnoticed simply because they lack connections with potential employers and, as a result, never learn about the opportunities.
• Lack of scalability. Even if a company successfully hires an expert through networking, relying on this approach may not guarantee the same success for future vacancies. This strategy also makes little sense when an entire app development team is needed.

While it certainly won’t hurt to leverage professional networks to find an app programmer, this method is too unreliable to adopt as a stand-alone strategy. It leaves too much to chance and should be combined with other search strategies.

Social media

Browsing LinkedIn or other social media platforms is another popular way to find developers. A company can get a list of potential candidates by just typing the job title (e.g., Android developer or iOS developer). Many business leaders prefer to look for programmers on social media because it promises:

• Low-pressure approach. Sending a quick message to a promising candidate is easy and allows for a casual, friendly conversation right from the start.
• Large talent pool. LinkedIn is full of app developers, often with an “Open to Work” badge on their profile. Even those without it might still be open to new opportunities.

However, many app developers are less active on social media or check their messages irregularly, so there’s little guarantee the job offer will be seen. There are other challenges when using this approach:

• Time-consuming process. Searching for candidates, reaching out, and waiting for responses takes time, especially if candidates ignore messages or aren’t actively job hunting.
• Low success rate. Without a structured hiring process, a company risks spending too much effort on talking with candidates who end up being a poor fit in terms of skills, experience, or budget.

While hiring through social media may seem quick and convenient, it takes time, and the outcome is hard to predict. A more thorough approach would be preferable to find the right app developer.

Recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies take care of the entire app developer search and selection process on behalf of the company. This approach is especially beneficial for businesses that lack the resources to manage hiring in-house. Its key benefits include: 

• Professional approach to hiring. Agencies have their own talent pools and deep hiring expertise. They handle candidate sourcing, interviews, and negotiations efficiently, speeding up the process.
• No wasted time. Since agencies provide only pre-vetted candidates, decision-makers spend less time searching for the right app developer.

While delegating recruitment functions to dedicated service providers can be a convenient solution for non-tech leaders, there are a few important considerations:

• Limited control over the process. Since agencies handle most of the hiring, companies have little say in candidate selection and screening methods, which can lead to mismatches.
• Generalist recruiters. Many recruiters work across various roles, not just IT. As a result, they may lack a deep understanding of what makes an app developer the right fit for a specific project.
• Lack of technical expertise. Agencies pre-screen candidates, but it’s usually recruiters, not tech specialists, who do the vetting. Thus, clients may still need experienced developers to assess a candidate’s technical skills.

Suppose a company chooses this route for finding app developers. In that case, it’s essential to provide the agency with a detailed job description, including required technical skills, soft skills, cultural fit, and work attitude preferences. Having someone on standby to do a technical evaluation is also a must.

Best practices for hiring app developers 

Finding talented developers is most effective when guided by proven best practices. From 10+ years of experience, the Neontri team has learned that creating a structured hiring process and fostering a strong technical culture improve recruitment outcomes for engineering professionals. Our experts devised strategies that can help non-tech leaders maximize their chances of success.

Determine your capabilities and limitations

When seeking skilled app developers, it’s essential to evaluate your company’s capabilities and limitations before starting the hiring process. These include:

• Technical evaluation capacity. Assess whether the company has in-house tech expertise to check the candidate’s qualifications. Without hands-on experience developing apps, it can be challenging to gauge whether an engineer has the skills needed for the project. 
• Budget considerations. If the hiring budget is limited, it might be a good idea to use channels that give access to remote app developers who offer affordable pricing.
• Resource availability. Consider if your company has the time and resources to manage the hiring process on its own. If the in-house team is stretched thin with other responsibilities, leveraging external service providers like recruitment agencies or outsourcing companies may be more effective.

Define the expectations

The expectations for a candidate should be based on the specific needs of the app development project. The level of detail will vary depending on the hiring channel selected. For direct hiring through in-house recruiters or recruitment agencies, you’ll need to provide as many details as possible to find the right fit. 

If you decide to partner with a development service provider,  they can take on the responsibility of outlining job requirements by translating your business goals into technical specifications. This way, you can focus on describing your app’s purpose and functionality rather than specific developer qualifications.

Determining your requirements, regardless of the hiring approach, ensures that you attract candidates with the right expertise for your project. Here’s an example of a basic checklist for hiring an app developer:

Verify technical skills

Making a test task part of the hiring process is essential to assess a candidate’s proficiency with specific programming languages and frameworks. However, non-technical executives and even professional recruiters often lack the technical expertise to create coding assignments or accurately evaluate the results. 

A more effective approach is to partner with an external tech expert or an app development company that can handle this stage. They can design appropriate technical challenges, administer them professionally, and evaluate candidates’ solutions based on industry standards and best practices. 

Start with a test project

Nothing beats a test project for a truly effective assessment of candidates’ hard and soft skills. These hands-on evaluations allow companies to see developers in action. They reveal technical abilities, communication style, problem-solving approaches, and teamwork capabilities. 

Ideally, companies should invite promising candidates for a short trial period. While this evaluation might be difficult to arrange when hiring specialists directly from job boards, outsourcing companies can facilitate this process through the “try-and-hire” model. Such an arrangement allows businesses to work with an app developer on a trial basis before making long-term commitments. 

Hire first-class developers with Neontri

One of the most effective ways to find app programmers is to delegate recruitment to a development company. At Neontri, we specialize in helping businesses scale their tech workforce through our comprehensive  Total  Talent  Management model. This multifaceted service package features seven outsourcing models:

1. The Try & Hire model allows you to test the candidates before hiring them permanently. This way, you know exactly what assets and skills the developer can bring in, yet you don’t have to commit long-term. 
2. Staff augmentation, or body leasing, is an outsourcing practice in which external professionals are hired to work directly with the client’s in-house team to bolster their existing capabilities. 
3. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a way of delegating recruitment operations to an external vendor. As an RPO service provider, we offer tried and tested practices to streamline your recruitment process, including such services as job advertising, reviewing resumes, interviewing and vetting candidates, employee management, and other HR-related tasks.
4. Permanent placement helps you find candidates who are a long-term fit for your company. 
5. The Employer of Record (EOR) services allow you to hire staff abroad without setting up a legal entity in that country. As your EOR partner, Neontri will act as a legal employer for your international team, handling everything from onboarding to tax compliance. 
6. Agile POD is a self-contained, cross-functional delivery team comprising developers, analysts, QA engineers, DevOps specialists, and technical leads. It brings a comprehensive set of skills to each stage of the development process. 
7. Team augmentation enables companies to hire an entire team of software engineers to bridge the skills gap or increase the capacity of their existing in-house team. The client has complete control over team composition, from selecting team members to approving any changes in the structure.

Whether you’re looking to hire engineers to strengthen your in-house capabilities or explore outsourcing options, we’ll help you navigate the recruitment landscape. Our experts will help you find the perfect development solution for your budget, timeline, and technical requirements.

Final thoughts

While businesses compete fiercely for tech talent, it’s still possible to find a developer to build an app. Potential channels include job boards, social media, recruitment agencies, networking, and outsourcing companies. To choose the best fit for specific business needs and resources, the company should weigh the strengths and trade-offs of each option.  

Navigating these options can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our experienced team is ready to help you determine which talent acquisition strategy best aligns with your unique business needs. Contact us today!

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