HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire an app developer in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

An app developer in Ireland costs €5,000–€80,000 per project, typically around €20,000. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.

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  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an app developer in five steps

  1. Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers app developer work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — ongoing Support and Maintenance — post-launch support is crucial for fixing bugs and updating features.
  2. How does developer's experience change the price?A provider who guarantees the work prices that guarantee in. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  3. How does complexity of the app change the price?Complicated work carries more risk of having to redo a part. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  4. How does features required change the price?It decides whether the work can be done in one go. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  5. What is not included?UI/UX Designer — concentrates on the user interface and user experience aspects of app design, enhancing usability and aesthetic appeal — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a app developer job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

NO REGISTER APPLIES. Anyone may trade as a designer, developer or marketer, and no qualification is required. Everything that protects you is in the contract, and the clause people forget is OWNERSHIP: without an assignment in writing the creator is the first owner of copyright in what they make, so you may be paying for a licence to use your own logo or website rather than for the thing itself.

Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.

What to check instead

Who owns the work on delivery, in writing — assignment, not just 'full rights'; What happens to the source files, the domain and the hosting account, named; The deliverables listed with a number — how many concepts, how many revisions; The milestones and what each payment is for; For ads, whether the spend is separate from the fee, and who holds the ad account; Two references from clients whose work you can actually see.

Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.

Insurance

Expect professional indemnity — for tech work, ask specifically about cyber cover. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.

Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.

Trader or private seller

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.

VAT

VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.

Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →

“Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?”

A good answer: No register covers app developer work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — ongoing Support and Maintenance — post-launch support is crucial for fixing bugs and updating features.

“How does developer's experience change the price?”

A good answer: A provider who guarantees the work prices that guarantee in. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does complexity of the app change the price?”

A good answer: Complicated work carries more risk of having to redo a part. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does features required change the price?”

A good answer: It decides whether the work can be done in one go. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“What is not included?”

A good answer: UI/UX Designer — concentrates on the user interface and user experience aspects of app design, enhancing usability and aesthetic appeal — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a app developer job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

“Who insures you, and what is the policy number?”

A good answer: Expect professional indemnity — for tech work, ask specifically about cyber cover — web App Developer — specialises in creating applications that run on web browsers, integrating with online services and databases.

“What do I get in writing, and when?”

A good answer: A written scope and a price before the app developer starts, and an itemised invoice after — feedback on prototypes during the development process to guide adjustments.

Getting the quote right

  • Developer's experience — a provider who guarantees the work prices that guarantee in.
  • Complexity of the app — complicated work carries more risk of having to redo a part.
  • Features required — it decides whether the work can be done in one go.
  • Platforms targeted — two jobs that look alike can differ here by hours.
  • In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
  • What is NOT included, named
  • Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register

Walk away if

  • They will not talk about it: developer's experience — a provider who guarantees the work prices that guarantee in
  • They will not talk about it: complexity of the app — complicated work carries more risk of having to redo a part
  • They will not talk about it: features required — it decides whether the work can be done in one go
  • A price for the app developer before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
  • Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
  • No written quote, or one that moves once the app developer has begun
LOW
€5,000
TYPICAL
€20,000
HIGH
€80,000

What an app developer costs: €5,000–€80,000 per project

The figures are for the job, per project, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Mobile app developer and Web app developer each carry their own band. App Developer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

App developers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Look firstDeveloper's experience — a provider who guarantees the work prices that guarantee in — that is what the app developer is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
  2. Agree what is being doneComplexity of the app — complicated work carries more risk of having to redo a part — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
  3. The work itselfFeatures required — it decides whether the work can be done in one go — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
  4. Check it togetherPlatforms targeted — two jobs that look alike can differ here by hours — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the app developer is still there.
  5. What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, estimated timeline for completion — a quick job still has a minimum charge attached.

Ongoing Support and Maintenance
Post-launch support is crucial for fixing bugs and updating features.
Web App Developer
Specialises in creating applications that run on web browsers, integrating with online services and databases.
UI/UX Designer
Concentrates on the user interface and user experience aspects of app design, enhancing usability and aesthetic appeal.
Call-out
A fixed charge for turning up, separate from the work itself. On a short app developer job it is often most of the bill, so ask whether the first hour is inside it.
Scope
Exactly what is and is not being done, written down before anyone starts. Two quotes for a app developer are only comparable when they are quoting the same scope.
Making good
Putting back what the work disturbed — plaster, paint, flooring. It is quoted separately far more often than people expect, so ask whose job it is.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the invoice and the paperworkAn itemised invoice with the trader's name, the work and the total — ongoing Support and Maintenance — post-launch support is crucial for fixing bugs and updating features, because it is what a buyer's solicitor, an insurer or a lender asks for long after the app developer has gone.
Test what was doneUI/UX Designer — concentrates on the user interface and user experience aspects of app design, enhancing usability and aesthetic appeal — and something that does not work on the day is theirs to put right there and then.
Ask what the guarantee isOn the workmanship and on the parts, and for how long each one runs — they are usually different. web App Developer — specialises in creating applications that run on web browsers, integrating with online services and databases — under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 what was agreed is what can be relied on.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked job can be reviewed on Locufy, which is why the score on a app developer's card means something — feedback on prototypes during the development process to guide adjustments.

STEP 1Say it in writing, firstSay what is wrong and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and defective work put right.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyUnder four stars you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Escalate to the body that regulates itThere is no register, so the route is the consumer body and, if needed, the courts.
STEP 4Small claimsSmall claims covers €2,000, once you have asked in writing and given them a chance to put it right.

Hiring an app developer: questions people ask

The cost of app development can vary based on complexity, features, and the developer's experience. Custom integrations and advanced functionalities typically drive up costs.

While general app developers can handle most projects, specialised skills may be required for complex apps, such as those needing advanced security features or integration with existing systems. Understand the development timeline and potential delays based on complexity.

Yes, many app developers offer packages that include design, development, and ongoing support, which can often be more cost-effective than booking services separately. This service typically involves several stages, from initial concept and design to coding, testing, and deployment.

Out of scope items may include hardware development, extensive backend server management, or marketing services unless specified in the project agreement. Development phase where coding is executed based on the agreed specifications.

NO REGISTER APPLIES. Anyone may trade as a designer, developer or marketer, and no qualification is required. Everything that protects you is in the contract, and the clause people forget is OWNERSHIP: without an assignment in writing the creator is the first owner of copyright in what they make, so you may be paying for a licence to use your own logo or website rather than for the thing itself.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Web DesignerHow to hire: Web DeveloperHow to hire: WordPress DeveloperHow to hire: E-commerce DeveloperHow to hire: Shopify ExpertHow to hire: iOS DeveloperHow to hire: Android DeveloperHow to hire: Software DeveloperAll 701 hiring guides →

App developers near you

App developers in DublinApp developers in CorkApp developers in GalwayApp developers in LimerickAll app developers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000
  2. CCPC — your rights when you buy a service
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2022
  4. Courts Service — small claims
  5. Revenue — COMPUTER PROGRAMMER — Standard rate
  6. Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
  7. Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only