Find a good app developer by: (1) reviewing 3+ live apps they've shipped (not just designs), (2) checking App Store / Play Store reviews of their builds, (3) confirming you'll own all source code and signing keys, (4) verifying technical stack matches your needs (Flutter / Native / React Native), (5) asking who specifically writes the code (senior vs offshore juniors), (6) requiring fixed-price scope with documented change-orders, (7) walking away from any developer who can't ship a TestFlight build by week 4.
1. Show me 3 apps you shipped in the last 12 months. — live in App Store, not just Figma mockups.
2. Read me your last 10 App Store / Play Store reviews. — tells you about post-launch quality.
3. Who writes the code? — senior or junior, in-house or offshore.
4. What's your reference architecture? — should be specific (Flutter + Riverpod + Supabase, or Native + Swift + UIKit).
5. When does the first TestFlight / Play Console build land? — should be week 4–6 max.
6. Who owns code, signing keys, App Store account? — you should own everything.
7. What's your post-launch support? — clear 30-day fix window then retainer or one-off.
"Developers who can't show 3 live App Store apps in 12 months are not shipping. They're either pre-pre-revenue, pivoting, or padding their portfolio with non-existent work."
Cross-platform (Flutter or React Native): right for 95% of consumer apps. Single codebase, near-native performance, mature ecosystem, half the cost.
Native (Swift iOS + Kotlin Android): right when AR, complex camera, biometric auth, watchOS / wearables, or platform-specific UX absolutely requires it. Cost ~2x cross-platform.
Don't get talked into native by developers who only know native. Match technology to actual product requirements.
UK senior freelancer (£500–£1,200/day): works for single-discipline projects under £30k. You manage PM, design integration, QA.
London agency (£800–£2,000/day equivalent): bundled team (PM + design + dev + QA), faster cycle, higher coordination cost.
Offshore (£200–£600/day): works for execution-heavy projects with crystal-clear specs. Time-zone overhead, communication friction, quality binary.
UK MVP cost: £11,999–£30,000 for single-platform with our floor. £30,000–£100,000 for cross-platform consumer with full backend. £100,000–£200,000 for complex native. £150,000–£350,000 for regulated (fintech, healthcare).
Below £10,000 is offshore or template territory. Below £5,000 is template-only or no-code. We'd recommend Bubble or Glide before paying £5,000 for a 'cheap' bespoke build.
Asset ownership: you own all source code, designs, signing keys, App Store / Play Store accounts. Push for transfer at delivery.
IP: clear assignment of intellectual property. Templates / libraries used should be open-source or licenced for your use.
Change-order process: written, separately priced, agreed in advance. No 'just one more thing' verbal agreements.
Cure period: if developer misses milestone, you get 14–30 days for them to remediate before kill-fee triggers.