The cost to outsource app development in the UK varies greatly, depending on app complexity, a developer’s hourly rate, engineering seniority, app complexity, or the integrated technologies used.
Statista shows that the outsourcing industry’s revenue sits at £31 billion in 2024. Understanding the cost of outsourcing app development could help you make sense of that margin.
Let’s show you which factors influence outsourcing application development costs the most in the UK before sharing simple tips to help you make cost-effective decisions.
How Much Does it Cost to Outsource App Development?
Here’s a quick list of app examples and instances that would have an average price range:
- Instance 1 – An e-commerce app with a catalog, secure payment gateways, a cart, checkout pages, and login data security. Let’s say the app takes 1,200 hours to develop at the low £31,94 hourly rate in the UK. You would pay £38,328 to develop the mobile app.
- Instance 2 – An e-hailing app with GPS location, a client database, flexible ride options, secure payment gateways, and payment information data security. The app takes about 2,100 hours to develop and you’d pay £78,876 for a mid-UK rate of £37.56 per hour.
- Instance 3 – A streaming services app with algorithms, a home page designed specifically for different countries, secure payment gateways, and optimal UI/UX designs for cross-platforms. It takes roughly 3,000 hours to develop and costs £131,730 at a higher UK rate of £43,91 per hour.
Outsourcing App Development Cost Factors
Numerous factors influence the cost of outsourcing app development in the UK. Let’s focus on the main factors that influence your app development cost before you outsource app development.
Mobile App Development Features and Complexity
The features and complexity of your intended mobile applications will determine the price of your iOS app development, Android app development, or hybrid app development. The development process becomes longer when you add more features or choose custom mobile app development.
Developers charge for their time, so you’ll paying more for added features makes sense because it takes developers longer to design a long list of tools, features, functions, and a page for unregistered users. Consider app development outsourcing for cross-platform development based on a native framework.
You may want the best user experience (UX) and integration for mobile apps, choosing to create native apps for Android devices and iOS devices separately. Native app designing requires engineers to write code in platform-specific languages. The longer development time costs more with native apps.
Mobile App Development Team
The mobile app development team also influences your outsourcing app development cost. App development companies typically give you a project manager, business analyst, UI/UX designer, and QA engineer. Meanwhile, you may need a dedicated Android developer or an iOS developer for native apps.
Outsourcing software development to a software development company in the UK will see you spend average costs for each team member’s development expertise. In most cases, a software development team charges an hourly rate for each expert, which depends on seniority in their field of expertise.
- Business analysts (hourly rate -= £17.95 to £32.31 per hour)
Business analysts are the first responders when you contact us for outsourcing application development. We use expert business analysts to analyze and plan your project as a mobile app development company that only wants the best for your mobile products.
- Project managers (hourly rate = £19.17 to £33.35)
You’ll also have a project manager overseeing your development process to consider for the outsource app development cost. You shouldn’t outsource mobile app development without project managers on board the team. Project management bridges the collaboration gap between programmers and clients.
- UI/UX designers (rate = £19.23 to £35.90)
App development outsourcing will also include user interface and user experience designers. Both iOS and Android users want the best experience possible. The developers’ rates are worth every penny spent on this integral part of your outsourcing team. Hire mobile app developers focus on UI and UX.
- Android app developers (rate = £20.51 to £38.46)
You’ll hire Android app developers for native app development on Android phones. Android developers are responsible for Android app development code. The app developer understands Java, JavaScript, and Kotlin to ensure Android applications perform perfectly on the relevant mobile devices.
- iOS app developers (rate = £20.51 to £37.18)
The iOS developers’ rates also relate to their expertise in specific project requirements related to iOS devices. Hire dedicated developers for customising iPhone, iPad, and iOS app development. Our iOS professional developers offer businesses app solutions with Objective C, HTML5, and C## languages.
- Hybrid software engineers (rate = £20.51 to £35.90)
Our in-house development team as a leading outsourcing company also provides hybrid apps. Our software engineers supply hybrid app development services and even minimum viable product (MVP) development for anyone seeking iterative mobile or web app or development to cut costs.
- QA engineers (rate = £19.23 to £32.05)
Your outsourcing provider must include a quality assurance engineer for QA testing. The QA engineer will ensure quality in your mobile applications and reduce risks and data leaks by identifying vulnerabilities. Quality assurance software testing sets your project and resources up for success.
Value By Regions
The UK offers one of the most affordable prices when it comes to location-based outsourcing costs for both iOS and Android app development. The following information shows the average outsourcing agencies’ costs in different time zones or regions for a complex project like a streaming service:
- The US – An outsourcing agency in the US charges on average £79.84 to £119.76 per hour. An instance of developing streaming services on an operating system would take around 3,000 hours, making the total development cost £239,520 to £359,280.
- Eastern Europe – Meanwhile, outsourcing engineers in Western Europe charge on average £39.92 to £119.76 per hour. An instant of developing streaming services with over 3,000 hours of work will cost £119,760 to £359,280 for the entire team and development process.
- Western Europe – Finally, outsourced developers in the UK charge an average of £31.94 to £43.91 per hour. The same streaming service working process of 3,000 hours will cost £95,820 to £131,730. Also, you’ll have developers in the same time zone who culturally fit your needs.
Types of Outsourcing Cooperation Modules
Outsourcing app development cooperation models also influences the price when you hire developers from a global talent pool. Creating access to your team in different ways provides an example of what you’ll pay based on access. Two types exist: region-based and relationship-based.
Location-Based Model
Choosing the right outsourcing partner helps to break a language barrier or cultural difference with a developer. Communication gaps deplete quality, and project goals are better understood by locals. However, each region-based model will change the cost of outsourcing mobile development.
- Nearshore Outsourcing – You outsource app development to neighbouring countries
- Offshore Outsourcing – You hire a remote team working from all countries around the world
- Onshore Outsourcing – You hire local developers in your country
The region-based model you choose will determine the price range, depending on which country you outsource app development. Please remember to consider language differences.
Relationship-Based Model
Meanwhile, outsourcing companies will offer different types of relationship-based modules if choosing onshore outsourcing or nearshore outsourcing for improved quality and to overcome language barriers. These relationship-based models influence our final price when you outsource mobile app development.
- Dedicated Team – The dedicated model is more permanent to support an in-house team
- Project-Based Model – This model designates an entire project to outsourced developers
- Staff Augmentation – The staff augmentation model is used to outsource temporary developers
- Time and Material – This model works similar to the project-based model with per-hour rates
A project-based model’s price will depend on the entire plan, whereas per-hour rates or a monthly salary will affect dedicated fees for startups and large businesses.
Dedicated Development Team Engagement Models
A dedicated team cost could work on a fixed price for monthly hours or a per-hour basis. Hiring from us offers full-time or part-time engagement models for our dedicated developer teams.
The Technology Stack (Software Costs)
The software cost to outsource app development relies heavily on the technologies used to code your applications for multiple platforms to ensure software performance. A mobile app development project costs more when adding more software tools and you may also be hiring more experts.
For example, a mobile app with IDEs, design tools, database management, version control, automated testing, debugging tools, CI/CD, emulators, text editors, project management software, and security tools can cost hundreds to thousands of pounds. Each technology added costs roughly £399 to £1,596.
Meanwhile, testing technologies can cost £1,596 to £3,992 each. Testing technologies ensure your cloud-based or physical infrastructure remains secure. You’ll also need to invest in low-end and high-end product security for iOS devices and Android devices separately. Here are some of our tech stacks and service offerings:
- React Native App Development
- Cloud Migration Services
- Custom Software Development
- Custom Website Design
Hardware in App Development Costs
Hardware costs can vary in mobile apps and influence the outsource app development cost. An app developer working in-house needs a laptop, which could cost £798 to £2,395. Also, they need a workstation, which costs around £1,500. In-house development teams add to the cost of development.
Outsourcing App Pricing Modules
Another factor in the price of your outsourcing project depends on the pricing module of an outsourcing company. The fixed-price model is popular among outsourcing providers. However, the per-hour rate works better for our engagement models to track and budget the resources spent on development.
Cost Reduction Tips for Outsourcing Mobile Development
Choosing the best outsourcing partner is a complex process. Use our tips to evaluate and reduce the application development outsourcing costs as the project’s progress moves toward the target audience without sacrificing quality or succumbing to possible risks and time-consuming results.
- Maintain App Quality
Your app’s quality assurance means everything. Manage the software development team while they gather project requirements. Communicate clearly as the product owner and remove any cultural differences by using local companies to create your app. Also, address any arguable topic right away.
- Carefully Choose the Best Outsourcing Partner
Working with trusted outsourcing companies with a vast portfolio reduces possible risks, protects sensitive information, guarantees maintenance, improves functionality on any application platform or device, and benefits your project’s scope and progress.
- Upgrade Your Ideas of Development
The logistics, concept, and possibilities of developing a website, mobile app, or hybrid solution arise when you scratch concerns by adding to your knowledge. Clarify concepts with developers coding your products, and ask questions about the application, tasks, contract, and programming.
Consider this tip your research inspiration. Calculate your needs, discover the web or mobile app you want, conduct personal interviews, interview freelancers about challenges, and become aware of talent in your region. No doubt, the best outsourcing specialists deliver nothing but the best skills and ideas.
How to Choose Your Outsourcing Mobile App Development Partner
Let us be your top talents and outsourcing company in the UK for more successful apps in the long run. Learn more about us to see how we can benefit your websites, apps, and projects.
Our past clients and current team of employees will save you money and time while meeting your expectations to solve a mobile market gap when you discuss your needs and details with us.
Let’s define your interest by turning it into the top market app in a faster time than most. Communication is a top priority in our agency, and we aren’t limited to specific development frameworks. Our customers and the companies we work with get to launch and scale any product.
You could also discuss minimum viable product MVP development if your budget is tight. We value our customers’ ideas, which are essential to task and detail a solution crucial to the industry. We welcome entrepreneurs and expect you to lead our projects while offering maintenance and ongoing support.
Let us implement the solution of your smartphones’ dreams in any niche or from any idea. We can work with a startup or massive businesses. We will even create wireframes showing the software development design before deployment when using us for your development outsourcing.
Our in-house app development teams await your projects. Contact us today to talk about your mobile app development outsourcing needs, budget, and projects idea deployment, whether you’re local or in India, Australia, or anywhere in the world. Let’s help you increase sales with your apps fast.
Summing Up Development Costs for Apps
The total cost of outsourcing mobile app development depends not on one factor but on many. Choose an agency that prioritises communication to stay updated about fees, which enables the implementation of control in developed projects from your side.
Consider the life cycle, test frameworks, software challenges, and workflow among developers before implementing an outsourcing project. Describe your needs to our digital strategy consultants today, or contact us to ask about the advantages we can offer you.
Outsourcing Mobile Development Costs FAQs
Who Owns the Intellectual Property Rights to My Software?
We sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to ensure you have a contract to protect your intellectual property rights related to a browser, app article, vendor small business, functionality, Google-based server, resources, market data, or new ideas. Many entrepreneurs and companies want an NDA.
What Influences the Cost of Outsourcing Mobile Development the Most?
The whole team heavily influences the overall cost. Small businesses should talk to providers about development team costs and modules before hiring anyone. You don’t want to pay for building apps for one platform that doesn’t even hit your business goals because the in-house team was random.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Bespoke Mobile App in the UK?
Application creation in the UK ranges from £31.94 to £43.91 per hour or £95,820 to £131,730 for a 3,000-hour project. Fortunately, we have one of the biggest tech hubs at one of the lowest prices to help you reach more users and meet your business needs, according to the internet.
