Hire iOS Developers

The demand to hire iPhone app developers is high worldwide, meaning the hiring cost is typically in the 'middle-class' bracket or higher. Hourly rates vary based on the developer's seniority and country of origin. In the USA and Western Europe, rates may range from $100-200 per hour, while in India, Nepal, and Pakistan, rates can be $20-30 per hour. Ukrainian developers offer a good balance, with hourly rates ranging from $50-90 and a high level of expertise.

Relevant has a proven track record of providing successful iOS developer hiring solutions for various industries. For instance, Relevant provided a team of IOS developers for hire to develop a healthcare application, delivering a secure and user-friendly app with robust features such as HIPAA compliance, EHR integration, and telemedicine functionality. 

Additionally, Relevant provided iOS programmers for a client in the EdTech industry to develop an innovative e-learning platform and for a real estate client to develop a property management app with features such as online rental payments, lease renewals, and tenant communication. These successful outcomes demonstrate Relevant's ability to deliver quality work and achieve success for their clients across different industries.

When searching for an iOS developer, it's important to note that Apple values uniformity in iOS development, which is why the entire paradigm is based around Swift, a proprietary programming language developed by Apple. As such, a good iOS developer should have:

• Proficiency in Swift and Objective-C (for supporting older software)
• Knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and SOLID principles
• Experience with iOS SDK, UIKit, CoreData, APNS, Apple Purchasing, Geolocation Service, Networking, and Multithreading
• Familiarity with the GIT version control system

Fortunately, the Swift ecosystem already covers everything else, including testing tools for iPad and macOS. Proficiency in these areas can help ensure a successful iOS app development project.

If you want to find and hire the best app developers for your project, you should follow these steps:

• Begin by defining your project needs, including technology, experience, and skills required.
• Look for developers with relevant experience in your industry, technology, and project type.
• Review the developer's portfolio to assess the quality of their work, creativity, and ability to deliver on time.
• Check references from the developer's past clients or employers and follow up to learn about their experiences working with the developer.
• Conduct interviews with the developers to assess their communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.
• Evaluate their coding skills through coding challenges or tests.
• Consider their soft skills, including teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving abilities.
• Check that the developers are available to work on your project and that they can meet your deadlines.
• Evaluate the developer's cost and compare it with others in the market to ensure it is reasonable.

Following these steps increases the likelihood of finding and hiring the best app developers for your project.

If you want to push your development into another part of the world, there are three practical ways to do so:

• Hiring freelancers;
• Opening your own office in Ukraine;
• Contracting an IT staff augmentation company.

All three ways to hire iOS developers in Ukraine are equally legit. However, each one comes with its unique specifics.

Hire Freelance iOS Developers in Ukraine

Freelancers are often experienced, motivated, independent, and used to learning new projects. They are great for small-scale apps. However, attempting to coordinate multiple freelancers and ensure that they collaborate productively is a nightmare:

• Freelancers keep their hours. Some people prefer to work nights, while others may have your regular meetings interfere with their own plans. Freelancers’ schedules are always fluid and having a proper meeting often becomes an exercise in frustration;
• Freelancers aren’t used to constant collaboration. There is a reason why managing programmer teams is often compared to herding cats. Most iOS developers in the freelance scene are used to working solo and it might create personal conflicts inside the team.
• Freelancers have no team spirit. Since they are constantly switching projects, freelancers rarely create any bonds besides professional ones. And while it may seem an advantage at first, the lack of social interaction severely decreases creativity and productivity at the workplace.

Open Your Own Office in Ukraine

If you are serious about hiring iOS developers, you may wish to create your own development studio in Ukraine. From the first look, it provides only benefits in comparison to the freelancer route:

• In-house developers are under your complete control. You decide on their schedule, which makes meetings much easier to organize and hold.
• In-house developers meet face-to-face. Video calls are great, but they often feel impersonal and create an atmosphere of alienation. However, if the development team works under the same roof, they will get to know each other faster and become more productive in the process.
• In-house developers are cheaper to motivate. The only way to motivate a freelancer is with money. However, for your proper employees, you can give away merch, provide additional leave or simply purchase better office equipment to give them an incentive to work harder.

However, not everything is fine and dandy. There is one massive drawback that might outweigh all the benefits:

• In-house developers are expensive. On top of the salaries, you need to pay for the office, the furniture, the PCs, the software licenses, the microwaves, the coffee makers and everything else. And while Ukraine is generally cheaper than the US or Western Europe, it’s not that cheap.

Partner With Ukrainian IT Staff Augmentation Companies

If you have never heard about staff augmentation — don’t worry, it’s a relatively new practice. Basically, instead of opening your own office and building your own development team, you partner with a company that will do it for you. Unlike outsourcing, you will retain complete control over the staff.

There are two major benefits to staff augmentation in addition to the ones listed in the previous point:

• Staff augmentation is cheaper. Each SA company has more than one partner, which allows lowering the operating costs for the office. Moreover, since the job is always available, the company can sign long-term contracts with the developers which is cheaper in the long run.
• Staff augmentation is reliable. If one of your developers is going on a vacation or admits themselves into a hospital, the SA company will provide a replacement and make sure that the team hits the deadline anyway.

On the downside, the success of your project completely depends on the company you are signing with and the staff they provide. So make sure that the onboarding process in the company is involved and the team is customized for your project’s needs.

Keep in mind that they will be working alongside other team members and should be compatible with them. Here are some questions to assess iPhone app developers soft skills:

• If you were given a task with an impossible deadline, what would be your approach to handling it?
• How would you handle a situation where a colleague writes correct but poorly documented code, and the manager does not notice or ignore it?
• Can you describe the worst manager you've ever had? What made them the worst?
• What is your approach to handling ethical dilemmas at work, and how have you handled such situations in the past? How would you approach them now?

At Relevant, we use Objective-C and Swift for native iOS app development. Our preferred language is Swift due to its high development quality. Additionally, we also utilize React Native for the cross-platform development of iOS apps.

The development time and cost of an iOS app can vary based on multiple factors, such as the app's complexity, required features and functionality, level of developer expertise, and testing needs. To get a better idea of the estimated time and cost for your specific project, you can consult with our team of skilled iOS developers who have vast experience in developing custom iOS apps.