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app developer

An app development gig covers scoping (what the app does and doesn't do in version one), design, the build for iOS and Android (often from one cross-platform codebase), the back-end and APIs behind it, testing on real devices, and submission to the App Store and Google Play. A proper gig also includes handover of the code, developer accounts and documentation.

Start with the honest question: does it need to be an app at all? A mobile-friendly website or web app covers many cases without app store overhead. If you do need an app (push notifications, offline use, camera or location features), cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter ship to both stores from one codebase and usually cost less than two native builds. Fully native makes sense for performance-heavy apps. Ask the freelancer to justify the recommendation off your brief.

A first version usually takes 3 to 6 months, and complex apps run longer. A simple MVP with a tight feature list can ship sooner. Add a week or two at the end for store review: Apple and Google both review submissions, and a first submission sometimes bounces back with required changes.

As little as possible. The single job the app exists to do, done well, plus accounts and payments if the model needs them. Every feature in version one adds cost, build time and bugs, and most ideas change once real users touch the app. Write a 'not in v1' list into the gig brief; it's the cheapest scope control you'll ever do.

For testing an idea, sometimes. Tools like Bubble, Glide and FlutterFlow can get a prototype in front of users without code, and that's a cheap way to validate before committing real money. Anything customer-facing that handles payments, personal data or needs to be reliable at scale usually outgrows no-code. A sensible path is no-code prototype first, then a developer for the real build.

You do, and it matters more with apps than with websites. The code and repository, the Apple Developer and Google Play accounts, the back-end hosting and any third-party services should all be registered to your business, not the freelancer's. If the store accounts sit in the developer's name, you can't ship an update without them. Make handover of all accounts a stage before final sign off.

Apps are not finished at launch. Budget for ongoing work: operating system updates break things once or twice a year, the stores update their requirements, users find bugs, and your back-end hosting has monthly running costs. A common rule of thumb in the industry is to set aside a meaningful slice of the original build cost each year for maintenance, so agree with your freelancer how post-launch support works before the gig starts.

App development in Australia is a bigger investment than a website: a full build typically runs $40,000 to $150,000, with basic apps from around $25,000 and large complex builds going well beyond that. Freelance developers charge roughly $100 to $225 an hour. A cross-platform build and a ruthlessly small version one are the two best levers for keeping cost down.

Download apps they have actually shipped and use them; live apps in the stores beat any portfolio page. Ask how they handle the unglamorous parts: store submission, crash reporting, OS updates, post-launch fixes. Check their verified reviews on Unjumble for whether past clients launched, and make sure the quote covers handover of code and accounts, not just the build.

Post an app development gig in 60 seconds. Describe the work, set your budget and timeframe, and choose whether it is time-based or outcome-based. Local freelancers send a bid with a quote, you compare their profiles, portfolios and reviews, then pick the one that fits. Posting is free, so you only pay for the work.

Every gig runs on a payment schedule you both agree on up front, and every payment is held securely through Stripe. On an outcome-based gig you fund each stage before the work starts and it is released once you sign off. On a time-based gig you are charged for each month as it starts, and it is released to your freelancer once that month has been worked. For a build this size, stages matter: tie them to working, demonstrable progress, not vague phases. No chasing invoices, and no paying for work that is not done.