How to Choose the Right Mobile App Development Company For Outsourcing
So your company has decided to work with a mobile app development partner.
Great!
Outsourcing a mobile app development project is a common amongst businesses. In a previous article, we took a look at the benefits of the different types of mobile app development company partnership strategies. In this post, we take a look a specific one, outsourcing.
There are various advantages to outsourcing. Software development may not be your company’s core strength, or your main industry. Talent can be hard to retain in non-technical industries which is building a technology first solution. Or the project may not require a full-time team, but a smaller, nimble partner who can get the work done quickly.
There are many kinds of mobile app development outsourcing firms. They differ in size, location, specialty, development processes, and pricing. We’ll take a look at all these factors with a focus on size, and location.
Mobile App Development Firm Size
A Boutique Mobile App Development Company
App development firms come in all sizes. Small, nimble firms like SideLabs focus solely on front-end connected apps including mobile app development, OTT app development, and Smart TVs. Their core focus tends to be their development services, as it is not offered as a secondary benefit to other services. That means they generally build the best mobile apps, and have the strongest technical talent for their respective platforms. Small boutique firms generally employ an agile methodology, which means they can be fast, and flexible when building software. Depending on location, technical talent, and expertise, boutique mobile app development firms are often competitive in pricing. Lower than larger firms, but higher than traditional off-shore dev shops.
Large Software and Consulting Firms
Larger firms - think PWC or Accenture, offer a wide range of services which include business consulting, digital transformation, governance, auditing, market research, and may also include mobile app development. While these firms have the research, talent, and expertise to transform companies (think Wal-Mart into e-commerce, TD Bank into e-banking), they often come with their disadvantages as well. Larger moving firms ramp up slower, lack flexibility, and often attach on services clients may not need at the time. While larger firms carry tremendous brand value and global offices, they price at the highest rates usually only affordable to Fortune 500 companies.
Mobile App Development Company Location
On-shore vs off-shore. The decision to choose either is usually based on a variety of factors. Data location restrictions, technology needs, talent, and cost are the primary decision factors.
Off-shore Mobile App Development
The decision to go off-shore is generally a budget based decision. While we understand price is one of the leading decision factors, it often comes at the sacrifice of quality, and design. Off-shore firms, typically ones who are not located in North America, tend to fall short on the cultural understanding of the user which from a design centric ideology, is one of the most important aspects of developing any software. They also often have lax security protocols, and communications barriers if you’re faced with a significant gaps in time zones. Pricing from off-shore development companies can be very competitive as employees wages and benefits are much lower in their respective countries.
On-Shore Mobile App Development
A mobile app development company located in North America, such as SideLabs, carries many benefits when it comes to understanding users, communication, quality of code, intellectual property, security, and risk management. While on-shore companies almost always lose on price to off-shore companies, they are readily available during North American business hours. They live in, and understand the North American market, the user, and the culture. They can work on-site with the client, often making for a smoother transition process for managing the mobile application. Lastly, on-shore development firms are more likely to follow strict security guidelines, insuring data, infosec standards exceed the client satisfaction.
Conclusion
As is the case for many decisions, the choice is never as simple as it seems. There are off-shore giants that provide superior consulting, technical development, and customer service to North American clients. However those firms also rival the prices of their North American counterparts. Similarly, there are boutique mobile app development companies across the United States and Canada which do not specialize in a technology, do not place an emphasis on risk / security, and will offer competitive pricing similar to off-shore firms. If you look closely, you may find that these companies are often just independent contractors who may subcontract app development to an off-shore firm. Our advice is to take into consideration your budget, timelines, and deadlines, but to not sacrifice on user experience, quality of code, and security. While price plays a significant role in determining a mobile app development partner, nothing is costlier than re-writing the app, while your competition is acquiring customers.