Gone are the days, where smartphones are just limited to calls and messages. The increased penetrability of smartphones coupled with the affordable data packs has extended the applications of smartphones. Nowadays mobile apps have become the epicenter of day to day transactions. A major chunk of the users prefers to carry online transactions at the palm, rather than offline mode. Recognizing the enormous potential many businesses these days have its apps to cater to the needs of the users. Be it food ordering, taxi booking, bus, train, and flight ticket bookings, booking an appointment with the doctor, everything happens on smartphones.
If you happen to own a business and looking for mobile application development, you have two options to choose; either hire a mobile app development company or depend on the freelancer to get the work done. Each of these options has its own set of pros and cons. Before proceeding with your project, it becomes utmost important to have a basic understanding of both pros and cons.
Hiring a freelance developer; Pros and Cons
Pros of hiring a freelance developer
- Freelance app developers are an affordable solution when it comes to mobile application development.
- Freelance app developers are easy to find; many platforms are featuring a bunch of freelancers along with their portfolios.
- Freelancers master the skills in one specific area and this facilitates them to complete the projects seamlessly.
- Freelancers come with fewer obligations and usually work under a contract. You need to pay them once after the completion of the project.
Cons of hiring a freelance developer
- Freelancers usually work on multiple projects, and there is every chance of them disappearing from the contact from a few days or weeks.
- The job of freelancer ends with the completion of the project. They are not at all concerned with bug fixing, support, and maintenance.
- Since most of their projects are time bound, the freelancers do not seem to attribute much attention to product quality.
- Most of the freelancers tend to be lacking skills when it comes to planning and work organization. Hence, it is a typical scenario that your project meets the stipulated deadlines.
On the contrary, a mobile app development company houses a team of certified and experienced app developers, creative designers, project managers. Each of these individuals has designated roles and thereby ensuring a professional experience. Unlike a freelance developer, it is quite easy to hire a mobile app developer from a reputed company.
Now let’s take a look at some of the pros of hiring a mobile app development company for your project:
#1 Complete package of services: A mobile app development company features all under one roof. The company features a rich resource of app developers, designers, project managers, and other experts. The client has the option to avail a host of services that include app development services, idea verification, business consulting, monetization models and so on.
#2 Companies strive for quality: A company’s reputation very well depends on the quality of the products. The companies lend utmost importance for delivering the best quality since the products become a part of their portfolios. A lousy product impacts the reputation of the company. Unlike the freelancers, the job of an app development company does not end with the development of a project. Customer satisfaction has been the highest priority and companies make sure to develop an app that exceeds the expectations of the customers.
#3 Accountability: Probably the USP of mobile app development companies, when compared to freelancers, is accountability. The companies abide by the rules and regulations laid down in the agreement and follow a professional approach to ensure on-time delivery. The companies lend utmost importance to long-term relationships with the clients, and thereby they seem to focus more on quality rather than quantity. Unlike a freelancer, the company stands accountable in case of any discrepancies.
#4 Let’s you keep track of your app development: Most of the mobile app development companies follow a streamlined process allowing you to monitor the progress of the application development. Each of the projects is assigned with designated project managers and they effectively communicate with up to date reports regarding the developments from time to time. On the other hand, a well-tuned process helps to meet the deadlines facilitating on-time delivery.
#5 Time-bound: Professional mobile app development company features a full-fleet of professional app developers who hold the experience of having handled similar projects earlier. It makes it easier for them to handle the project effectively. You can hire a developer, to ensure the app development is professional and meets the set deadlines.
#6 Budget-friendly: Even though, it appears hiring a freelancer for your project is much cheaper when compared to hiring a developer from a company, in reality, it is not as such. When you hire a mobile app development company, you would be billed based only for the work done and it may be calculated per hour or fixed. So, as a result, the overhead costs go down drastically and ensures to have affordable business expenditure. Most of the companies offer flexible, affordable models that fit within the budgetary requirements. Such models allow you to get the app built in time and within the stipulated budget.
#7 Enhanced security: With freelancers, there is a greater risk of maintenance of confidentiality. Even though there is an agreement in place, still, it is quite difficult to solely based on it. On the contrary, companies lend the utmost importance to data security. They garner the highest level of security to the client’s data and applications. You can count on mobile app development companies when it comes to data security.
#8 Abide by strict legal guidelines: If you are dealing with an online business, there is a higher chance that you may be the potential victim of fraudulent activity. But hiring the services of a reputable firm helps to eliminate the legal issues. Initially, there would be an agreement made between the company and the clients and the company strictly abides by the guidelines mentioned in the agreement. The company takes care of the legal process; you just needed to go through it and sign on the agreement to begin the project. But before signing, make sure to go through the agreement from beginning to the end.
#9 Post technical support and maintenance: The job of a mobile app development company does not end with the completion of app development. The operation of the app warrants the incorporation of new and advanced features. The company features an arsenal of a professional team, infrastructure and set up required to meet the long term goals required for app sustenance. With 24X7 customer support and post-maintenance services, you are free to approach them anytime.
#10 Availability round the clock: Hiring a mobile app development team offers the client with access to the support services round the clock. It is in contrast to a freelancer who is unavailable at some time owing to personal reasons. In case, the lead developer falls sick or leaves the company another developer from within the development team takes over ensuring the continuity of the process. As a result, there is no minimum to no loss of money, time or data.
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