What are the risks of getting my App developed overseas?

admin - July 31, 2019July 29, 2022

Outsourcing app development to foreign countries is more common than ever before. But why? We find that it mostly comes down to price. 

It’s well known that outsourcing development work to other countries is significantly cheaper due to lower hourly rates and the possibility that you would be dealing with a small group of individuals rather than a business.

However, to build an app properly, expect to spend anywhere from $50,000 – $250,000. A successful app build may be drawn out over months in stages of research, scoping, prototyping, designing, front-end development, back-end development and testing.

While it may be appealing to save money on the development, there are many other factors that should be considered before getting your app built overseas. Here, we’re exploring the risks of outsourcing your development overseas.

Limited ability to oversee the development process

When you take development work overseas, you lose the ability to keep track of what is happening on the other side. Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, whether it is used for scoping out a project, doing a project demonstration or doing a final pre-launch QA.

Poor communication due to time zone differences

If you get your app developed overseas, there is a high chance that they will be working in a completely different time zone to you. This can lead to difficulties with response times, which can be particularly pressing during the testing and launch phases of development.

Poor development quality

We have seen some extreme cases in the past when it comes to app development, and it normally goes wrong due to the quality of the work.

Poor development can lead to examples of:

• Platforms being developed in obscure coding languages that are redundant or not best practice
• Code written in nonsensical ways that could have been much more efficient (also known as spaghetti code)
• Fraudulent examples of work (visual mockups being presented as the final product where no code has even been written)
• Contractual liability

By conducting work with a company such as Digital8, you have the safety and peace of mind provided by a legally binding and relevant contract. We have real staff working for a registered business that has completed hundreds of projects in Australia.

If you enter into an agreement with an individual orcompany trading overseas, will you have the protection offered by Australian Consumer Law?

Qualifications of the developers

At Digital8, we hire the very best developers who have real experience in their field of expertise. By having a large team with a range of specialist skills, we are able to match your project up with the best team for the job. 

When engaging overseas contractors, there is no guarantee that they have the skills to meet your requirements and set your platform up for growth and future development.

Growing a long term business relationship

It’s one thing to build an app, it’s another to make it a success. Where possible, it’s a great idea to ensure that your developer has your long-term interests at heart and won’t drop your project when another opportunity becomes available.

It is recommended to find a development team who strives to reach your end goal, with all of the steps completed in between. 

This can include marketing and strategy development to ensure that once the app hits the stores it is put in front of the target audience and becomes a recognisable brand.

We are a full-stack agency

Digital8 is proud to offer industry-leading services for all of your business’s digital needs. From strategy workshops to UX/UI design, development, marketing and post-launch maintenance and support, we have the team to help turn your dream into a functioning reality. 

We have a development team based in our South Brisbane office and are more than happy to chat about your project ideas when you’re ready to get started!