Have you been Googling best mobile app development companies lately? Are you confused and overwhelmed about whom to choose? The top search results are way too expensive. The more affordable options look unheard of. Somewhere in there is a company that isn’t cheap, but isn’t overpriced either. One that has skilled developers who don’t charge an arm, a leg and a kidney.

Should you look for experienced app development companies? You find one has 10 years of experience. That’s promising. Oh but wait! Their portfolio looks full of old legacy design. Maybe you need someone more edgy, more modern, with newer ideas, even if they’re a little short on experience.

And to even think about the technical considerations. Company A is proficient in Python, Ruby on Rails, Ionic, Angular and more. Company B specializes in React Native and Flutter. Words like Kotlin and Swift are in the mix and you don’t know just what you’re to look for.

I guess you’re feeling confused, and that’s understandable. There are over 12 million mobile app developers in the world right now! That’s a long list to narrow down. Finding an app development company that’s a perfect fit for your business takes a great deal of searching, researching and analyzing.

There’s no one best anything for everyone. An iPhone is the best choice of phone for some, and Samsung for others. And there will always be consumers who need a budget friendly option like Xiaomi. Even cheap knock-offs have their place because sometimes, for certain priorities, those are the best fit.

My point here is that the best mobile app development company for you is one that fulfils your needs. So to make sure you’re hiring the right people for the job, here’s a detailed guide on what to look for in an app development company and how to find the best among the rest.

1. First Things First – Know What You Need, Exactly

Every app needs its own kind of expertise. Some apps need to be entertaining. Others need to be informative.

Some need to appeal to millennials or GenZ while others to older crowds like boomers. Financial or business apps need a certain personality while music and social apps need a different vibe.

To nail the right tone for your app, you need to know what you want.

• Who is your target audience? (read everything you need to know about customer research here)
• Do you wish to build the app for revenue, or service?
• What is the primary goal you wish to achieve from this app? (Acquire new customers, keep old customers, build a new business model, reach new areas, etc.)
• Development and maintenance budget you are willing to set aside

Those are some of the things that you need to fully understand before you can tell it to your developers.

2. Read up on Some App Development Basics

Before you start shopping around for app development companies and interviewing your choices, it is advisable that you know a few basic things about apps and their development process. When you know the basic concepts, you not only are able to ask the right questions but can also truly gauge the ability of the development company on the parameters that matter.

i) Types of apps – Native and Hybrid

Native Apps

Native apps are apps built specifically for the iOS or Android platform.

For the richest experience, you will effectively building two distinct apps with two distinct codebases. An Android app build in Java or Kotlin for all your

Android using customers and an iOS app built in Objective C or Swift for all your iPhone using customers.

Native app development is expensive. There’s no getting around that. You need iOS developers, Android developers and a longer development cycle.
However, if truly premium, no holds barred rich user experience is what you are after, native app development is the way to go.

Hybrid Apps

Hybrid apps are a newer and rapidly growing technology. Using specialized platforms like React Native and Flutter, your development team can build an app that works on both iOS and Android platforms with just one codebase.

If you have a good app development company that has skilled, experienced and creative developers, hybrid apps are a way to build reliable, functional apps faster and more affordably.

ii) Design and Development

When developing an app from scratch, you need two primary talents. There is an app designer who helps translate your vision into attractive designs, building app interfaces that look beautiful yet simple to navigate.
Then comes the developer who writes code that can bring the design to life and make it a fully functioning app.
So when you talk to an app development company, ask them about the kind of experience their designer has as well as the developer.

iii) Performance

There are multiple things you need your app to do. Apart from performing the main business function you need it to – like displaying products and processing orders, or downloading and uploading media, you also need your app to perform well on a few basic parameters.

• You want an app that’s bug free. Which means it doesn’t abruptly close or make errors.
• You need an app that’s fast. From making media lightweight to keeping the code clean, your developers must give you an app that loads up in under 2 seconds, or your users won’t be happy.
• You need an app that doesn’t take up enormous space on the user’s phone or drains their battery.

Talk to your developers about these expectations so they know clearly that you won’t be accepting any sub-par product.

3. Ask About How the Team Works

You must have at least a basic idea about how the app development company works – its structure and methodology.

Ask about how many experts will be working on your project. Will there be a dedicated project manager? How often will they be interacting with you? Do they conduct user testing and market research to improve your app’s user experience?

You need a company that answers yes to most of these questions.

In addition, talk about the deliverables. You cannot expect to hire a company and just see the finished app 3 months later. The company must be able to show you different deliverables at different stages of development.

For example, expect to see a well-drawn plan and some wireframes within a week, a low-fidelity prototype in 3 weeks to a month and at least a few completed app pages within 2 months.

Ask about how many reviews they are willing to make.

Another thing you need to ask is the kind of follow-up service they provide. Most good app development companies offer 60-90 days of free servicing and maintenance.

4. Look for Industry Experience

While this isn’t a deal breaker (more on that in a minute), look for an app development company that has some experience in your industry. So if you are a fintech startup or a bank, you could look for a company that has developed finance-related apps before.

A company that has years of experience but has stayed limited to entertainment and social media apps, they may not be the best fit for you, even if they are a really good company in their niche.

However, like I said, this isn’t a deal breaker. Some companies are really truly capable of trying new projects. Can they handle your project? Only talking to them can tell.

5. Don’t Just Choose the Lowest Quote

This might have been the number one on our list. While budget considerations are important and you have to bite what you can chew, cost and performance are a delicate balance. An app is never just an app. It is a prospective business. It is probably the first line of service to your customers. It could be the foundation of your legacy.

Therefore, you may want to shell out a little extra budget if you are really going after quality. In the long run, a good app will make you more money while a bad one will cost you.

Conclusion

To sum it up, hiring a good app development company for your project involves talking to a lot of people and asking the right questions. Once you have read up on the basics of app development as outlined in point 2, and are clear about your expectations from the app, as discussed in point 1, you become capable of conducting a thorough interview and judge the abilities of the developers you talk to. Having done that, you now know what to look for in a good company. Time to start scheduling some consultations.