Risk of hiring foreign app builders (outsourcing)

It sounds attractive: having an app built by foreign app builders. Developers in countries such as India, Belarus or China often charge lower hourly rates for building an app than app developers in the Netherlands. An app development project abroad can suddenly turn out to be thousands of euros cheaper, which of course sounds advantageous. Unfortunately, there are some risks associated with this. At Coffee IT we regularly come into contact with customers who have had an app made abroad and regret it like hair on their head. Sometimes we even have to start all over again with an app development project if it turns out that we can't further development on the current app. What is the risk of hiring foreign app builders for your app concept?

It often happens that an app is built abroad via outsourcing. App outsourcing is having apps developed by others abroad. We are not talking about app development in Germany, Belgium or other Western countries, but far abroad such as India. It greatest risk an app that outsourcing built abroad is the assurance of quality.

Note: in not all cases a foreign app is of mediocre quality. Especially for less complex applications, foreign software developers can be suitable for developing an app. The most important thing is that you make clear agreements and everyone knows what to expect. That is why we discuss the risks of foreign app builders so that you can make a sound decision later and weigh the pros and cons.

The problems of having an app outsourced to India, for example, often start with the language barrier or cultural differences. These are easy to solve by calling in a Dutch or English intermediary. Why does an app developed abroad sometimes end up causing problems?

Often this is due to the quality of the code of the app. We are regularly approached by app owners asking whether we can 'dot the i' for an app that has been developed abroad. These 'dotting the i' can be minor changes or updates. But when our developers look at the code, it quickly becomes clear that the foundation of the app is built like an unstable house of cards with no instructions or clear hierarchy. This means that the smallest change or app update suddenly costs a lot of effort. We classify these costs under the 'management' of the app. The costs of managing normal apps are often between 60% and 70% of the total sum. The cost of managing apps developed in India is easily five times higher. This makes further development or fine-tuning of such an app extremely expensive.

One of the most important aspects of a mobile app: testing an app. Why is testing an app so important? By testing apps you ensure that app users get the best app experience without friction. But more importantly, testing an app ensures that data or financial resources are secured.

Recently it is Coffee IT attended a Data & Cloud Expo in the Jaarbeurs. Protecting (privacy-sensitive) data has never been more important or more complicated. A specialized and certified app developer is responsible for frequent testing of the app in the context of security and user-friendliness. Suppose you want a login field, a password field and a button that redirects a user to the rest of an application with the right combination of entered data. Then it is essential to test whether the connection that is made is private and whether the password check can be easily circumvented. It is your duty as an app owner to protect users. We attach much stronger security requirements to an app than some foreign app developers.

The biggest cost of app development is development costs. Did you have an app built abroad? Then you mainly pay for developing the app, so writing the code. Testing the app front end, user testing, a user flow through UI & UX design or security standards and standards of the app are not included. The initial development of the app can therefore be beneficial, but creating a professional app that does exactly what you want (and still works after operating system updates) can suddenly become expensive with a foreign app. In some cases, we even had to start developing an app from scratch. Then your app project has suddenly become a lot more expensive instead of cheaper.

For some exploration projects, an app built abroad can be a great option. You need little investment for a small result. You may first want to test whether your app idea is successful, for example. Do you want to have an app made by foreign app builders? In any case, make the following arrangements:

• Make sure you have a contact person during the development process.
• Make sure that there is sufficient experience and specialisms in the development language you want to use for the app.
• Make sure the used development technique is appropriate for the app purpose and the users, also consider the mobile platforms that must be supported.
• Make sure that the intellectual property is fully transferred when the app development is completed.
• Make sure it is clear what the consequences are if the project runs out and what support you can receive afterwards.

Do you want the best result for your app users? If you want to achieve satisfied users, it is advisable to engage a professional party to build the app. If you are looking for support from an independent app agency that draws up or checks an extensive technical document together with you, we would like to get in touch. As a renowned app developer, we look at a cost-efficient solution with you without obligation and we give honest and open advice. We can also provide existing apps further development or optimize it, provided the app is written in with reasonable code.

As a full-service app developer, we act as a technical partner, from concept phase to app release to app marketing. Because we have app developers in-house from all specialties, you can be sure that you have a specialist working on the app in collaboration with a team of designers, interaction designers, testers and experienced programmers or app marketers. Request one without obligation quote or contact us.