We are living in a technology-driven era, where mobile phones, tablets, and other smart devices are ruling our day-to-day lives. With the skyrocketing popularity of such smart devices, the popularity of the app market has also gone up.
But amongst these fierce competitors, how do you make sure that people are downloading your app?
To ensure that your app stands out and gets downloaded, it is essential to have an app that looks amazing. For this, hiring an experienced and skilled app designer is vital.
It is true that the global mobile application market is growing exponentially. However, finding a professional app designer who fits your project requirements is challenging. So, how do you hire app developers for your business?
In this article, we will look at some ways to hire freelance app developers and platforms where you can hire them.
Table of Contents
Top 21 Sites to Hire Best Freelance App Designers
1. UpWork
Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces where you can find freelancers from different fields. Whether you wish to hire a freelancer for software development, design, marketing, or others, you can find them here.
The marketplace offers many perks, such as project management support, milestones, and easy communication. From freshers to experienced professionals and cross-platform application designers, you can hire any type of designer here.
2. Toptal
Toptal will streamline your app development project by offering customized matches, exceptional customer service, and top-notch designers, ultimately saving time and potential risks.
One of the pros of Toptal is that it is not an open marketplace. Instead, it only recruits the top 3% of app designers into its talent pool so that you can work with the top-notch designers.
The platform is known for its exceptional vetting process, which matches clients with designers based on numerous criteria, including developers’ mastery of English, company culture and values, project needs, and team dynamics. To make this perfect match, the site uses a curated machine service.
If you’re concerned about app development cost, Toptal’s no-risk trial period provides an opportunity to assess the fit between your project needs and the selected designer, safeguarding your investment in case things don’t work out.
3. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a freelancing platform that has its headquarters in the UK. The platform is dedicated to assisting businesses and individuals to establish independent careers. They have designers from different parts of the world and offer a range of prices for different design works.
The platform offers an opportunity for individuals to post job opportunities or hire freelance mobile app designers on an hourly basis. In addition, you can analyze their portfolio to see their previous works and evaluate their expertise.
4. Hired
Hired is one of the most effective ways to hire professional budget-friendly app developers for your project. This platform utilizes tailored matching software that will enable you to find the right app designer for your project.
They offer various features such as tech skill assessments, exceptional customer success management, DEI tools, and unbiased insights, making the platform an efficient way to find the right candidate.
To find a skilled mobile app developer, you can use an advanced search system. Once done with shortlisting, you can interview them, making the task of finding the right hire very easy.
5. Fiverr
Fiverr is a marketplace where you can find designers who offer a diverse array of gigs for a set price.
The platform will allow you to search through various design packages that are already posted. This feature will enable you to make decisions by providing insight into what to buy and whether it worked for other individuals or not.
6. Freelancer
Freelancer is one of the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplaces that connects numerous employers and freelancers from across the globe. To hire an app designer, you can easily sign up and post your job.
Furthermore, you have the option to start a contest where designers can submit their concepts. You can also add incentives and features for an extra cost to ensure that your app project garners the attention of freelancers who are capable of meeting your specific requirements.
7. Dribble
Dribble started off as a platform for designers and not for consumers, where designers share ideas and provide feedback. Later, designers started to post their profiles, and the platform extended to incorporate a job posting page for the designers to apply.
Dribble offers different options to help you find the right designer. You can post your job and reach out to them directly, or you can employ the Talent Partner solution to find a suitable match.
8. DesignCrowd
In Design Crowd, you can post your request, and designers will submit their ideas for the app design. You can then evaluate those ideas and shortlist the ones that you think will suit your mobile app development process.
The platform is very affordable, but the price may go high if you want some professional designer to submit their portfolio or want to build some backend.
Design Crowd also has a money-back policy. You will only lose the overhead money if you do not like the design and solutions initiated by your hire.
9. UPSTACK
UPSTACK is a freelance marketplace where you can find the savviest developers from all over the world. They use smart matching to screen all the top developers before finding a match for your project.
You will be able to find both ios and android app developers who are capable of handling all the challenging projects.
10. Guru
Guru is one of the best platforms to find the best freelance talent from across the globe. The platform currently boasts over 1,000,000 successfully finished projects and takes pride in offering an extensive pool of tech talents.
You can just post your job and wait for the quotes. Then, you can compare the quotes and choose the one that meets your requirements.
Through Guru, you will be able to find both individual freelancers as well as agencies. In addition, you can look into the reviews and feedback to make informed decisions.
11. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a product-oriented company that also allows you to find freelancers. You can go to Hubstaff Talent and search for the required skills to find freelancers. Just enter the keyword; you will get a rich talent pool to select from.
One of the biggest flexes of this platform is that you will be able to leverage a combination of cutting-edge tools along with a freelancer marketplace. Additionally, you can choose from freelancers as well as agencies.
12. Truelancer
Truelancer is an online platform that will enable employers to find freelancers who can get their work done. You can simply post your project and accept the bid from a freelancer, or you can host a contest for more complex projects.
With Truelancer, you do not have to worry about the money that you paid. It will keep the money that you paid to the freelancer safe till you get your satisfactory outcome.
13. Dice
If you wish to hire experienced app developers, you do not have to look further than Dice. You can just log in at Dice Employer, click on Talent Search, and see an exclusive roster of elite app designers.
Though known as a leading career hub for tech leaders, it provides access to the best talent within the freelancing community who can help you design apps for your users.
14. Aloa
If you wish to hire mobile app developers who are skilled and experienced, Aloa is the right place to go. The platform has a wide range of skilled app developers from across the globe who are experienced in both iOS apps and Android apps. Whether you are looking for an individual designer or an app development team, Aloa can offer both at affordable rates.
15. Flexiple
Flexiple is a one-stop platform for finding tech designers and developers. Each of these developers undergoes a careful vetting process to assess their competency in various fields.
This evaluation will include their technical expertise, previous project experience, capacity to meet deadlines, and capability to work in a team. This elaborative screening process will help you ensure that you make the best hire.
Further, they will streamline your hiring experience by providing personalized recommendations and flexible payment modes.
16. Arc.dev
The platform first started as CodementorX, a mentoring platform where developers could get help for improving their skills, problem-solving skills, etc. However, today, it has expanded to become a platform that helps individuals and companies hire the best developers in the world.
Arc.dev uses assessment tools to evaluate the quality of the talents and ensure that you get the best talent. In addition, they will also handle matters related to payroll, compliance, and benefits, streamlining the process for both companies and developers.
17. Gun.io
Are you seeking to expand your tech team, or are you initiating a new project that needs the assistance of an expert app designer? Gun.io is the right place for this. They specialize in the swift recruitment of top-notch freelance mobile app developers who are trusted by top companies.
Their community of professional app development freelancers consists of developers who have undergone a three-tier vetting process. Further, you can also hire a full development team or single freelancers.
18. Lemon.io
You can look into Lemon.io if you want to hire vetted developers for freelancing. The majority of the app designers are from Eastern Europe and provide an affordable hourly rating ranging from $25 to $45. However, you will have to purchase hours upfront before starting your collaboration.
The platform has a stringent screening process that focuses primarily on the qualification of the developers, their English proficiency, and their ability to adapt. Additionally, they have easy payment models and exceptional customer support.
19. Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow, with a massive user base of 50 million designers, has emerged as one of the internet’s most renowned networks for tech engineers, designers, and developers.
Originally established as a tutorial repository, Stack Overflow has evolved to encompass job boards and listings to help companies find developers, including those who specialize in mobile app design.
20. YouTeam
YouTeam is a marketplace that will connect you to developers and designers from all over the world. Similar to Upwork, clients can browse through the profiles and portfolios of the app designers and then interview them.
YouTeam has a personalized matching process. Once you leave a project requirement, matching experts in YourTeam will make a list of candidates and will conduct a pre-interview to make sure that the candidate is right for you. Moreover, all the payment-related aspects will be taken care of in one interface.
21. MoonLightWork
MoonLightWork is a community of developers and designers who will work as both Freelancers and full-time employees. You can post the project needs; the platform will notify everyone in its community and find a suitable match.
You can work with the applicant for a paid trial period. And if you feel that it was a successful collaboration, you can hire them on a contract basis or as an employee.
Hire An App Developer: 7 Essential Steps
Finding an app designer can be tricky. Therefore, here are some suggestions for finding the right one:
Thorough Research
Before giving your project to any app developer, it is important for you to have a clear understanding of the industry. If you do not have any idea about mobile and web app development, you can consult some professionals to understand the basics.
Try to learn about programming languages, average cost, pros and cons of different app developer hiring options, etc. This will help you pick the right person for your project.
Create a Requirement List
Once you learn about the basics of your app requirement, make a list of skill sets and requirements that you want to find in your candidate.
Your list can include:
- Portfolio of their previous projects
- Technical expertise and proficiency with specific tech stacks.
- Past experience in handling similar projects.
- Budget preference, whether it’s hourly rates or project-based rates.
- Participation in tech events
- Referrals and feedback from their previous clients.
Explore different App Developer Hiring Platforms.
Once you have set your budget, you can dive into various platforms, including freelance platforms, coding platforms, design communities, and tech forums, to find a suitable candidate.
You can also look into other platforms like, medium, AppFutura, and Reddit to find designer communities.
Further, if you want to meet the developers directly before hiring them, you may also participate in tech conferences, hackathon events or attend some courses related to app design.
However, when searching for a candidate for app designing, be cautious of the platform that asks you for large downpayments
Examine The App Developer’s Portfolio
Before shortlisting a candidate for app development, you need to examine their portfolio. This way, you will get a clear idea about their previous works and their experience in handling similar projects.
You will be able to streamline your hiring process by checking their past work. This will enable you to evaluate their skills and understand how much they already know about the project that you are going to initiate.
Go Through Reviews and Testimonials
Along with shortlisting a candidate with past experience, you also need to consider the testimonials and reviews that they received from their previous clients and co-developers. This is a good way to determine their expertise, credibility, and trustworthiness.
However, you need to be aware that many people resort to creating fake reviews and testimonials. So, it would be best if you could do a background check on the reviewers.
Find Out Specific Technologies
When looking to hire the best mobile app developer, one of the most important factors to consider is whether they have the right skills and knowledge for your project.
To see if the potential candidate is specialized for your project, you need to consider many factors, including:
- Programming languages required for your project
- Determine if the app is web-based or not.
- Decide if you want a graphical user interface or a simpler, more basic one.
These considerations will help you narrow down your candidates. Remember that you do not just want to hire a good app designer, but you need to hire top mobile app designers who knows your project and meets your project requirements.
Keep Communication Open
One of the problems with hiring freelancers is that they will be working remotely. This means that you can contact them only through email and teleconferencing. But what makes it more challenging is that they live in different time zones.
Before hiring mobile app designers in 2023, make sure that these challenges won’t hinder effective communication. Therefore, it is best to hire someone within your time zone and schedule a specific time for updates.
Additionally, make sure that the communication is transparent. Ensure that they clearly state all the payment terms, skills, and limitations.
Wrapping Up
Having a good app designer is essential for the success of your app. However, finding the right candidate who is skilled and fulfills your project criterion is indeed difficult, even though there are plenty of them.
By following this guide, you will be able to find a skilled app designer who fits your project requirements in no time.
Remember that the right app designer will not only come up with a visually appealing and user-friendly interface but will make a design that will resonate with your target audience and business conditions and requirements.
So, invest time and effort in the selection process to find a skilled app designer to develop an impactful app.
FAQs
How much does it cost to hire someone to build an app?
The cost of hiring a developer depends on various factors, such as region and the skill set that you need. For instance, the average hourly rate for an average app developer is $150, while it is about $50 in Ukraine.
How much does it cost to develop a mobile app?
The cost of developing an app depends on the size and complexity of the app being developed. A simple app’s cost may range from $5,000 – $50,000, while a medium complex app’s cost may range from $50,000 to $100,000. It can go up to $300,000 if you are developing a complex app.
How do I find and hire a reputed app developer?
To find app developers who will provide the best user experience (UX) and user interface (UI), you need to evaluate their portfolio, work experience, communication skills, technical knowledge, timeline, and adaptability.
What should I look for in a hiring platform?
There are numerous websites in the market that can help you find a mobile app designer. But to find a professional one, you will have to choose the right hiring platform.
Here are a few aspects that can help you make the right decision:
- Rating Option: Select a website that provides ratings and feedback from previous customers.
- Skill verification: There are some platforms that will verify the developer’s skills through some tests. This will enable you to make sure that the candidates have the necessary skills.
- Customer service: Make sure the platform you are selecting has customer support to assist you in case of any problem with your hire.
- Time Management Application: Select a platform that has built-in employee time tracking software. This feature will enable you to track the number of hours the freelancers spend on your project and check their progress.
- Payment management: To avoid any risk, it is best to choose a platform that has an in-built payment system. This way, all the payments will be tracked and secured.
