HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

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

No licence applies to app developers. Here is how to own the code and store listings, fix the scope and plan users' data.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an app developer in five steps

  1. Write down users, goals and must-have featuresOne page before you ask for quotes; it is the basis for a fixed price.
  2. Try apps they builtDownload them from the stores and use them on your own phone.
  3. Own the accounts and the codeApp store developer accounts, cloud hosting and the code repository in your business's name.
  4. Plan personal data from the startWhat the app collects, why, where it is stored and what users are told.
  5. Agree support after launchBug fixes, operating system updates and hosting, with a monthly cost.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses app developers or agencies in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required. Live apps, references and the contract are the checks that matter.

Ask for two apps in the stores and a client you can speak to about the build.

Copyright in the app's code and design

Code and screen designs are protected by copyright under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, owned first by the freelance developer or agency. Section 90 makes an assignment to you effective only in writing, signed by them.

Put an assignment of the code, designs and app assets in the contract, and list any third-party libraries with their licences. legislation.gov.uk →

Users' personal data and the ICO fee

Logins, payments and location features collect personal data. Data protection rules require it to be kept secure and users told who you are and how it is used, and most businesses processing it must pay the ICO data protection fee.

Ask the app developer for a data list (what, why, where stored) and a privacy notice before launch. gov.uk →

Contractors and IR35

If the app developer is a contractor working through their own limited company, HMRC's off-payroll rules may apply. The client usually decides employment status, unless it is a small business outside the public sector.

Ask how the developer is engaged and who makes the status decision. gov.uk →

VAT

App development is standard-rated: a registered app developer charges 20% on design, build and maintenance; store fees and hosting are billed to you separately. Registration becomes compulsory once an app developer has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the app developer for the VAT number before the first milestone and for VAT on each milestone invoice as its own figure. gov.uk →

“Which apps have you built that I can download today?”

A good answer: Live apps in the stores, with the app developer's part explained.

“Will the code, app store accounts and hosting be in my name?”

A good answer: Yes. The app developer works through access you grant and can be removed.

“Is this a fixed price for the app developer's scope, and how are changes priced?”

A good answer: A fixed price for the written scope, and a change-request process with prices before work starts.

“Should the app be built for one platform or two, native or cross-platform?”

A good answer: A recommendation with reasons, and its effect on cost and maintenance.

“What personal data will the app collect, and why?”

A good answer: A specific list tied to features, with the minimum needed.

“How will the app be tested before launch, and by the developer or a tester?”

A good answer: Testing on real devices and a beta for your team before release.

“What will app maintenance cost each month?”

A good answer: A figure for fixes, operating system updates and hosting, or an hourly rate.

Getting the quote right

  • The scope: screens and features listed, for which platforms
  • Who actually attends to the build: the app developer you met, an employed team, or subcontracted designers and back-end developers
  • Design, back end and admin panel included or extra
  • Testing and app store submission included
  • Third-party costs: hosting, store fees, paid services
  • Code and assets assigned to you; accounts in your name
  • Payment milestones, maintenance cost
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on each payment milestone and on the maintenance plan

Walk away if

  • Publishes the app under their own store account
  • Keeps the code where you cannot see it
  • A price with no written scope
  • No plan for personal data
  • All payment up front
  • No maintenance plan after launch
LOW
£2,000
TYPICAL
£5,000
HIGH
£50,000

What an app developer costs: £2,000–£50,000 per project

App developers usually quote a fixed price per project from the scope, paid in milestones, with maintenance and hosting as monthly costs. 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. DiscoveryUsers, goals, features and a plan agreed.
  2. DesignWireframes and screens approved.
  3. DevelopmentThe app and any back end built in milestones.
  4. TestingTested on real devices and fixed.
  5. LaunchSubmitted to the app stores under your accounts.

Native app
An app built separately for each phone operating system.
Cross-platform
One code base that runs on more than one phone platform.
Back end
The servers and database behind the app.
Admin panel
A web tool for you to manage users and content.
Change request
A priced change to the agreed scope.
Beta
A test version given to a small group before launch.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the accounts and repositoryStore accounts, hosting and code all in your business's name, with access lists you control.
Use the app as a customer wouldOn different phones, with poor signal, and through sign-up and payment.
Diary updatesNew phone operating systems need app updates; plan them with the developer.
Leave an honest reviewYour review of the app developer can only follow a booking on Locufy. Below four stars, you can send the problem to them first and we follow it up before the review appears.

STEP 1Start with the app developerSay what was agreed, what went wrong and the fix you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats a trader's service as including reasonable care and skill; where the app developer fell short of that, you can ask for the work to be redone free or for money off.
STEP 2Make-it-right on LocufyWhen you rate the app developer under four stars, you decide whether the problem goes to them first. We follow it through, then the review is posted.
STEP 3The consumer helplinesIf the app developer ignores you, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland). Each can pass a complaint to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsUnresolved money disputes with the app developer fit the small claims routes: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an app developer: questions people ask

No. UK law sets no licence, register or qualification for it.

The developer or agency until they assign the copyright to you in a signed document. Make it part of the contract.

If the app collects personal data, you must keep it secure, tell users how it is used, and usually pay the ICO data protection fee.

£2,000–£50,000 per project, typically around £5,000. Features such as logins, payments and chat, two platforms and a back end set the price. The app developer price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above to compare app developers near you.

Whoever holds the developer account controls the listing, updates and reviews. If it is the agency's, moving away is hard.

A simple app takes weeks; a full-featured app on two platforms can take several months.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: iOS DeveloperHow to hire: Android DeveloperHow to hire: Software DeveloperHow to hire: UX / UI DesignerHow to hire: Web DeveloperHow to hire: Game DeveloperHow to hire: Cloud ConsultantHow to hire: Project ManagerAll 701 hiring guides →

App developers near you

App developers in LondonApp developers in ManchesterApp developers in BirminghamApp developers in GlasgowApp developers in BelfastAll app developers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  2. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  3. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  4. gov.uk — understanding off-payroll working (IR35)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register