Hiring a freelance mobile app developer: native, cross-platform and what to ask

Building a mobile app is one of the most common reasons companies look for freelance developers. It is also one of the easiest projects to get wrong. Mobile has its own constraints: app store reviews, many device sizes, offline behavior, push notifications and users who uninstall at the first crash.

Here is how to find the right developer for your app.

First decision: native or cross-platform?

Your choice of technology determines who you hire, so make it first.

Native (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android)

• Best for: apps that need top performance, heavy use of device features (camera, Bluetooth, sensors) or the most polished platform feel.
• Trade-off: two codebases, often two developers. See iOS developers and Android developers.

Cross-platform (React Native or Flutter)

• Best for: most business apps, MVPs and products where one team needs to ship to both platforms.
• Trade-off: occasional platform-specific work, and a dependency on the framework's ecosystem. See React Native developers.

If you are unsure, a short paid consultation with an experienced mobile developer is money well spent. A good one will tell you honestly which approach fits your product.

Skills to look for

• Shipped apps. Ask for links to apps in the App Store or Google Play that they personally built. Download them and try them.
• App store experience: signing, provisioning, release builds, store listings and handling review rejections.
• State and data: syncing with an API, caching, and behaving sensibly when the network drops.
• Push notifications and deep links, which nearly every business app needs eventually.
• Performance: smooth scrolling, fast startup and sensible memory use on older devices.
• Testing: unit tests for logic, and a plan for testing on real devices.
• Analytics and crash reporting, so you know what happens after launch.

Questions to ask

1. "Walk me through the release process for your last app, from code freeze to live in the store."
2. "How do you handle an app that must work offline and sync later?"
3. "Tell me about an app store rejection you dealt with. What happened?"
4. "Which devices and OS versions do you usually test on, and why?"
5. "How would you structure the app so a second developer could join later?"

What a typical engagement looks like

1. Discovery (1–2 weeks): screens, flows, back-end needs and a technical plan.
2. MVP build (6–12 weeks for a typical business app): core flows, authentication, API integration and analytics.
3. Beta testing: TestFlight and Google Play internal testing with real users.
4. Launch: store listings, screenshots and release.
5. Maintenance: OS updates, bug fixes and new features. Budget for this. Apps that are not maintained break as operating systems change.

If you are building your first version, read how to build an MVP with freelancers.

Don't forget the back end

A mobile app is usually the visible part of a larger system: an API, a database, authentication and an admin panel. Clarify early whether your mobile developer will build these or whether you need a separate back-end developer. Many mobile projects slip because nobody owned the API.

Red flags

• No apps live in the stores, or only apps built by a large team they cannot describe clearly
• No experience with release builds and store submission
• Promises to deliver a complex app in a few weeks without asking detailed questions
• No plan for crash reporting or analytics

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to build a mobile app?

A focused business app with a handful of core flows often takes two to three months from discovery to launch. Apps with complex back ends, payments, real-time features or many integrations take longer. A good developer will give you a range after a short discovery phase, not a number on the first call.

Should I build iOS or Android first?

Look at your users. If your customers mostly use one platform, start there. If you do not know, or you need both quickly, a cross-platform framework lets you launch on both at once with one codebase.

What does an app cost to maintain?

Plan for ongoing work every year: operating system updates, library upgrades, bug fixes and small improvements. Many companies keep their developer on a small monthly retainer after launch.

Find a vetted mobile developer

HireCurated vets iOS, Android and React Native developers on real shipped work. Request a shortlist and tell us about your app.