By: Alex Volski

First of all, let me get this out of the way. When I say “make an app by yourself” I mean to hire a developer or a team that will do that in-house. Now, let’s find out what is better, to make an app by yourself or to outsource the development process? Honestly, there is no clear answer that will apply to all situations. Like almost every question in business and real life, the answer depends on many different factors and your own personal situation. Thus, all that I will do is present you will all pros and cons of each approach. So you can make an informed decision.

Outsourcing

Pros

Cost. The general opinion is that outsourcing app development is cheaper compared to hiring a local developer. It makes sense, why should you waste a significant amount of cash, when you are able to get the same work done for a half of the cost or less? That’s the reason why almost all of the factories are in Asia. However, it is not that simple. A recent study showed that more than 60% of projects that were assigned to an offshore company cost more than expected.

No strings. There is one of the benefits, that often go under the radar. The fact that the expert is hired only for a short period of time. After his work is done you have no associated costs, no salary to pay, nothing. Most often than not, you need experts only for a short period of time.

There is no need to change your office. Chances are that you know someone who is a software developer or some other kind of IT specialist. You have to admit, they have some quirks. That’s why developers need special kind of environment in order to perform well. If programmers are constantly distracted, or face some inconveniences they will need more hours to finish the task. Outsource software development companies already solved this problem, so you don’t need to change things in your office.

Cons

A question of quality. That is a huge issue with outsourcing software developers. You are supposed to choose a developer based only on their portfolio of previous works. But how can you judge all of that? If you are not an experienced developer yourself & you don’t know how to make an app step by step, there is no way of differentiating good software from bad based on the screenshots. Sure, you can trust someone’s recommendations. However, there are no guarantees that you will get a software product that will satisfy all of your needs, every time it’s a little bit of gamble.

Cultural preferences. You can’t underestimate how different can people across the globe be. That’s why there are a ton of articles advising you to write your tasks, job requirements, everything as specific as it can be. Also, it depends on what the origin country of your outsourced partners.

Time zones and other logistical challenges. Many don’t consider this challenge at all. Believing that if they have hired an outsourced development team, they will adjust to his need & preferences because he’s the boss. Well, part of this is true, developers will try their best to adjust, however they may not be 100% productive on meetings & conferences. Because, usually, they happen in the middle of the night, in their time zone. So, keep this in mind, that when a developer yawns during a Skype call, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he is bored.

Do it yourself

Pros

Loyalty. If a developer agrees to work with you then he is invested in your company. He accepts your idea & will work on it. Trust me, if a skilled & experienced software engineer is taking his time & energy to work on your project, that is not the same as an outsourced developer. doing just what you told him to do. First one will pitch in ideas & correct you when it is needed, second will only follow your orders & do as much as you ask, nothing more.

Quick reaction. If a developer is sitting somewhere near & takes part in the life of a company then he is able to change direction quite easily. The course of development can change over a coffee break, no need to schedule a meeting. Also, similar to my previous point, if a developer knows how your business works he can propose some new useful features of your future app.

Aligned Interests.  Any outsourced development company wants to do one thing, make money. It will sign a contract with you, do the job, & sign a new contract with another company. It really does not care if you succeed in your business. On the other hand, an in-house developer is financially interested in the success of your company.

Cons

Higher cost. Yeah, I know, at the start of this article I said that the salaries are not that much different. But there is more to that. Health insurance, that is ridiculously expensive now, taxes, office expenses, & other subtle expenses that really makes a difference when you take your time & calculate all of this.

You risk being late. Seriously, don’t underestimate how much time will it take to do the research & find the right developer for your needs. And if you need a team of developers it will take a lot more hours. So, if your business is innovative & you know that the competitors are behind you, then you don’t want to waste any time. You want to be the first to introduce new features or ideas to the market.

Conclusion

Well, this is it. Now you can assign weight or significance to this factors according to your situation & make an informed decision using a method called decision matrix. If you want my advice, then personally I lean towards the outsource method. I believe that there is a way to turn every negative aspect of it to a positive one. After all, there is a history of very successful apps that were outsourced.

About The Author

Alex is a Content writer & a business analyst at Thinkmobiles. He is currently working on a number of projects that include AR & MR technologies.

All information/views/opinions expressed in this article are that of the author. This Website may or may not agree with the same.

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