What are the best app development companies? Why?

Number of smartphone users worldwide is expected to surpass 7.5 billion in 2027, according to Statista and mobile app usage has become an inevitable part of everyday life. Smartphone users spend 90% of mobile time on apps. Google says 1.4 trillion minutes spent playing mobile games each month on Google Play. There is plenty of data like these proving that the mobile app ecosystem is worth investing in for the forthcoming years.  

If you are one of those who wants to reach out to potential customers on mobile, the first thing after finalizing your app idea is finding a mobile app development company if you don’t have an in-house app developer team. Along with the increased demand for mobile app development, the number of app development companies has increased and it has become harder and harder to find the best app development company for making your app idea live. 

Before diving into the region-based best app development companies, let’s discover how to choose a mobile app development company tailored to your needs. 

How to choose a mobile app development company

There are a couple of factors that can help you to identify if a mobile app development company is uniquely suited to your needs. Please note that before starting to search for a mobile app development company, you need to do your homework to elaborate:

  • Your goals driving you to have a mobile app
  • Competitors if there is any, that you take as an example in terms of app design, content, and user experience
  • Bad examples that you want to avoid if there is any
  • Your expectations from the company

After making sure that you have collected everything you need, the next step is to do your research for alternative mobile app development companies to evaluate. Here are the 5 factors you should take into consideration to find the best company for you.

 

Your Budget, Timeline, and Choice of the Platform

Average cost of a mobile app and average time to develop an app depend on the complexity of the mobile app. According to the statistics, mobile app development costs range from $5000 to $500,000. More complex features and design means more cost. It also takes from 3 months to 1 year to develop an app based on its complexity. According to the Outsystems Survey, 2018-2019, over 80% of mobile apps take 3+ months to develop; 40% of apps are built in 6+ months. 

This is why you need to have an idea about your budget and timeline before getting quotes from app development companies. 

You should also determine which app store(s) you’ll submit your app. Designing an app according to iOS or Android devices has significant differences so if you are planning to have an Android or an iOS app or both, you need to specify this in your meetings. 

Company Expertise & Portfolio on Your Desired App’s Category

Having an experience with mobile app development doesn’t mean that it is enough for your needs. While some companies have an expertise on game development, another one might have a portfolio of e-commerce apps mostly. You need to be careful about the company expertise and portfolio if they have experience in your desired app’s category. 

If the company shares their portfolio with you, download some of the apps from your app category to understand their user experience. You can also read reviews of those apps in the app store pages to see if there are a lot of bad reviews about the app itself. 

Another thing you can do to make sure that the mobile app development company is tailored to your app category is reaching out to app owners from your app category to listen to their experiences and to ask your category specific questions. 

 

Company Experience in Different App Design Trends

App design trends are important to follow for a good user experience and conversion rate optimization. The term “app design” doesn’t only include the visual elements, it contains everything an app user interacts with. If they are suitable for your app category, you can consider including the following features to your app as part of user experience:

  • Voice interaction: Having voice-controlled personal assistance of Apple, Google, Amazon (Alexa), or Samsung (Bixby)
  • Login Preferences: Providing social login, facial recognition, fingerprint recognition (biometric authentication), one-time temporary passwords, or sign-in links.
  • Buttonless design that avoid physical buttons to provide more space
  • Chatbots with clean designs and interactive content 
  • Designs for disabled people
  • Illustrations, 3D elements, and gradients 

If you consider having some of those within your app, you need to make sure that the mobile app development company you’ll choose should have experience on those features. 

 

Ratings & Reviews

Today it’s very easy to find comments about anything that can be found on the web. Before arranging a meeting with a mobile app development company, don’t forget to search platforms like Clutch.co and g2.com. You’ll find ratings and reviews from current or old customers of a specific company. 

Another way to collect feedback about a mobile app development company is using social media platforms including Quora, Facebook pages of the company, and Reddit. People are willing to leave a review especially if they have a bad experience with a company so being open minded and making a targeted google search can give you a detailed idea about the service quality of a mobile app development company. 

Getting reference from your own network is another powerful method to collect feedback. If you have a network of app developers or app-based companies, don’t hesitate to ask their opinion and make an introduction for you. 

Customer Support 

Providing an experienced customer success team is important for you to get support  during and after the project. You can ask for a dedicated account manager to get in touch when you have a question, request, or a feedback.

Choosing the right App Store(s) to submit your mobile app

According to Statista, number of apps available in leading app stores is as follows:

  • Google Play: 3,298,329
  • Apple App Store: 2,110,063
  • Windows Store: 800,000
  • Amazon Appstore: 475,904

Despite the dominance of Google Play and Apple App Store, there are other alternative app stores that you can prefer to submit your app that will also allow you to avoid huge competition. 

 

Google Play Store

Google Play Store, launched in 2008, is the biggest app store with the highest number of apps as of 2022. 

Service Fee: For apps and in-app products offered through Google Play, the service fee is equivalent to 30% of the price. 

Google Play Store App Upload Directions Link

Apple App Store

App Store, launched in 2008, is Apple’s service and app distribution platform across iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and iPad. According to data provided by Apple, to date, app developers have earned more than $120 billion worldwide from in-app purchases and services in apps distributed by App Store. 

Service Fee: Developers earn 70% of sales from in-app purchases and Apple collects a 30% commission.

Apple App Store App Upload Directions Link

Microsoft App Store

Microsoft Store is the third biggest app store with 800.000 apps as of 2022. The platform allows app developers to upload apps for PC, tablets, Xbox, mobile devices. 

Service Fee: Microsoft Store delivers to developers 95% of the revenue earned from the purchase of your application or any in-app products in your application, when a customer uses a deep link to get to and purchase your application. For games, the commission is 30%. 

Microsoft App Store App Upload Directions Link

Amazon Appstore

Being the fourth biggest app store in the world (except China), Amazon Appstore was launched in 2011. According to Amazon data, the majority of developers (65%) saw similar or better revenue than Amazon Appstore’s competitors and 67% said that publishing on Amazon Appstore platform provided access to new audiences.

Over 75% of mobile and tablet Android apps already work on the Amazon Appstore, with no additional development work needed. Developers can get their app on Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets. 

Service Fee: Developers are paid 70% of the list price of the app or in-app purchase.

Amazon Appstore App Upload Directions Link

Galaxy Store

Galaxy Store is a digital distribution platform by Samsung that has a 400M+ global MAU, 5B global app downloads, and global user base in 188 countries.  

Galaxy Store App Upload Directions Links

Huawei AppGallery

Huawei AppGallery is HUAWEI’s app distribution platform that has a four-layer detection system to ensure app security, and leverages proprietary algorithms to enable useful content recommendations. Huawei helps app developers to distribute their apps to over 100 million Huawei users worldwide. 

Huawei AppGallery App Upload Directions Link 

Aptoide

Aptoide is a quite popular alternative marketplace for Android apps that allows app developers to create and manage their own Android store. Aptoide helps app developers to reach over 300 million users with the same APK through multiple app stores, using one unique billing system.

Service Fee: A minimum of 75% payout rate on in-app purchases in comparison to 70% or even 50% you get with other app distributors

Aptoide App Upload Directions Link

Chinese Mobile App Stores 

Because of China’s technological advancement and the ban on Google in the country, android market is flooded with several smartphone manufacturers each with its own app store including Huawei, Oppo, and more. 

Because Android is the dominating mobile operating system in China, as of today, there are 29 major Android app stores in the country of 800 million smartphone users. 

Tencent Appstore

According to Statista, Tencent Appstore is the biggest Android app store in China with a 25.99% market share, 200 million monthly active users, and 30K+ games. 

97.4% of apps on the Tencent Appstore is free and there were 103.000 mobile apps available to install as of July 19, 2020. 

Tencent Appstore App Upload Directions Link

Other Popular App Stores for the Chinese Market:

  • Huawei AppGallery
  • Oppo
  • 360 App Store
  • VIVO App Store
  • MIUI App Store
  • Baidu App Store
  • AppChina
  • Anzhi Market
  • MaoPao2

Mobile app development glossary for starters

As a future app owner, you need to know some important mobile app development and mobile marketing terms in order to successfully publish your app (app store optimization, keyword stuffing, app creatives, etc.) acquire users for your app (CPI, K-Factor, in-app purchase, etc), and monetize your app (eCPM, real-time bidding, view-through attribution, etc). 

As Mobile Marketing Reads, we have collected more than 95 important terms you need to know as an app owner in a comprehensive glossary.

Mobile app building platforms to create your own app

Instead of working with a mobile app development company, you can consider creating your own app with mobile app building platforms that supports drag and drop app building without any code skills required. Below you can find the top mobile app building platforms that you can prefer for starting to build your own app today. 

Buildfire

Founded in 2014 by Ian Blair and Nathan Keating, Buildfire is an ultimate app building platform for Google Play and App Store. 

Builder.ai

Founded in 2012 by Sachin Dev Duggal and Saurabh Dhoot in San Francisco, Builder is an online software…

Mobile app development companies in USA

ChopDawg.com

ChopDawg is a mobile app development company developing iOS, Android, and web apps for startups, growing companies, Fortune 500’s, and non-profits around the world. Since its foundation in 2019 the company has been recognized as one of the top mobile app development companies by platforms like Clutch (Top B2B Companies Global 2019), The Manifest (Top App Developers 2019), and GoodFirms (Top Mobile App Development Company). 

Chop Dawg has a portfolio of 300+ customers from different app categories including social networking, health & fitness, entertainment, ecommerce, betting and A/R. 

Minimum Project Size: $50.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Customer Support: Weekly / Bi-Weekly Meetings

Maintenance: Dring QA Testing, Free of Charge

ChopDawg Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Hedgehog lab

Founded 2007, hedgehog lab is a global mobile app development company working with brands and enterprises for iOS, Android, web, immersive, and voice application development. Some of the mobile apps developed by the company have been featured by Apple. Hedgehog lab has offices in London, Boston, Newcastle Upon Tyne, and India.

Hedgehog lab has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including finance, health & fitness, utilities, travel, and ecommerce. 

Minimum Project Size: $100.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Customer Support: The company helps customers with everything from launch to upkeep, assisting in app store optimization, hosting, maintenance and more, making launch a stress-free experience.

Customer Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

ArcTouch

Founded in 2009, ArcTouch is a mobile app development company designing and developing iOS and Android apps for startups, Fortune 500s, and brands from around the world. 

ArcTouch has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including ecommerce, health & fitness, business, travel, and social networking. The company has partnered with several well known companies including Audi, Guess, Yahoo, Honeywell, Hawaiian Airlines, and more so far. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: San Francisco, New York, and Florianopolis

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Fueled

Founded in 2007, Fueled is an award winning mobile app development company designing and developing both iOS and Android apps. The company also provides ASO (App Store Optimization) services, A/B testing, and attribution tracking for its customers. The Fueled team has an expertise on AR/VR, Blockchain/dApps, chatbots, Alexa/Google Home, and connected hardware.   

Fueled has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including entertainment, shopping, finance, business, photography, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $75.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: NYC, London, Los Angeles, Chicago

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

iTechArt Group

Founded in 2002, iTechArt Group is a mobile app development company specialized in iOS, Android, and cross-platform apps. The company serves both VC-backed startups and mid-sized and large enterprises to design and build mobile apps with their 1700+ development team. 

iTechArt Group has a portfolio of 200+ customers from different app categories including food & delivery, finance, real estate, AR/VR, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 1000+

Offices: New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, London, Minsk

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Dedicated Developers

Founded in 2007, Dedicated Developers is a mobile application development company that designs and develops iOS, Android, hybrid, and wearable mobile apps for startups, top brands, and small to medium sized-enterprises from 15+ countries. 

Dedicated Developers has a portfolio of 300+ customers from different app categories including casino, health & fitness, dating, business, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Reinvently

Founded in 2010, Reinvently is a mobile application development company designing and developing both Android and iOS applications for startups and enterprises. 

Reinvently has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including health & fitness, finance, music, messaging and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Palo Alto, Dallas

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

Mobile app development companies in Europe

itCraft

Founded in 2010, itCraft is a mobile application development company designing and developing both Android and iOS applications. 

itCraft has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including health & fitness, shopping, business, social networking, map, and travel. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: London, New York, Bydgoszcz, Stockholm, Gdansk, Warsaw

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Master of Code Global

Founded in 2004, Master of Code Global is a mobile application development company specialized in designing and developing iOS and Android apps, chat, and AI applications for the web. 

Master of Code Global has a portfolio of customers from app categories including books & reference, shopping, entertainment, education, travel, and finance.  

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Seattle, Redwood City, Englewood, Winnipeg

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

The Distance App Developers

Founded in 2009, The Distance App Developers is a London-based mobile application development company specialized in designing and developing iOS and Android tablet and mobile apps for startups and enterprises.

The Distance App Developers has a portfolio of 100+ customers from app categories including health & fitness, travel, finance, education, and business.  

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: London, New York

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Tapptitude

Founded in 2013,Tapptitude mobile application development company design, develop, launch, and maintain iOS and Android apps for VC-backed startups and enterprises. 

Tapptitude has a portfolio of 100+ customers from app categories including shopping, productivity, real estate, finance, business, automotive, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: London, Cluj-Napoca

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Halcyon Mobile

Founded in 2005,Halcyon Mobile is a mobile app design and development company working with startups and enterprises. The apps made by the company were featured in TechCrunch, TheNextWeb, Mashable, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Independent and highlighted by Apple and Google in the app stores.

Halcyon Mobile has a portfolio of customers from app categories including health & fitness, finance, shopping, dating, event, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: New York, Cluj-Napoca

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Chili Labs

Founded in 2015,Chili Labs is an Android and iOS mobile app development company building and launching bug-free native apps from end to end. 

Chili Labs has a portfolio of customers from app categories including finance, travel, messaging, photography, charity, video interview, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Latvia

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Indiespring

Founded in 2011, Indiespring is a mobile app development company based in Manchester working with inhouse development teams to assist and augment their experience with a mobile application. 

Indiespring has a portfolio of customers from app categories including business, charity, and finance.

Minimum Project Size: $50.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Manchester

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

N7 Mobile

Founded in 2011, N7 Mobile is a mobile app development company designing and developing Android, iOS, Windows 10, iOT Software apps. 

N7 Mobile has a portfolio of customers from app categories including health & fitness, finance, music, radio, shopping, video streaming, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Warsaw

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Merixstudio

Founded in 1999, Merixstudio is a mobile app design and development studio for cross platform and native apps. 

Merixstudio has a portfolio of 250+ customers from app categories including education, finance, travel, entertainment, shopping, real estate, social networking, and business. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Poznan, London, New York

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

Mobile app development companies in India

Hyperlink InfoSystem

Founded in 2011, Hyperlink InfoSystem is a software development company providing end to end mobile app development services for Android, iOS, Windows, Wearable, AR & VR, and game applications. 

Hyperlink InfoSystem has a portfolio of customers from app categories including food & delivery, finance, health & fitness, social networking, business, shopping, entertainment, event, dating, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 250-999

Offices: Ahmedabad, Sunnyvale 

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Hidden Brains

Founded in 2003, Hidden Brains is a mobile and web application development company designing and developing iOS, Android, and Windows apps. 

Hidden Brains has a portfolio of 1000+ customers from 107 countries from app categories including food & delivery, productivity, business, and travel. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 250-999

Offices: Schaumburg, Stavanger, Ahmedabad

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Algoworks

Founded in 2006, Algoworks designs and develops more apps for Android and iOS for startups and enterprises like Fortune 500 companies. 

Algoworks has a portfolio of 550+ customers from app categories including food & delivery, real estate, shopping, entertainment, health & fitness, utilities, communication, social networking, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $5.000+

Team Size: 250-999

Offices: Sunnyvale, Toronto, Uttar Pradesh

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Konstant Infosolutions

Founded in 2003, Konstant Infosolutions is a mobile app development company developing iOS and Android applications for startups and large enterprises.

Konstant Infosolutions has a portfolio of 3500+ customers from app categories including food & delivery, shopping, education, business, social networking, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $5.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Palo Alto, New York, North Palm Beach, Jaipur

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Appintentiv

Founded in 2014, Appintentiv is a mobile app design and development company developing successful Android and iOS apps. The company also provides launching and growth hacking solutions for the customers to help them acquire their very first customers.  

Appintentiv has a portfolio of 300+ customers from app categories including health & fitness, social networking, entertainment, real estate, restaurant, event, food & delivery, business, travel, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 250-999

Offices: Delhi, Manhattan, Sydney, Dubai

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

IndiaNIC

Founded in 1998, IndiaNIC designs and develops B2B, B2C, and B2E mobile apps for enterprises, and startups. They have experience in creating native, cross-platform, and hybrid apps for iOS and Google Play.

IndiaNIC has a portfolio of customers from app categories including social networking, dating, finance, business, shopping, food & delivery. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 250-999

Offices: Ahmedabad, Los Angeles, Melbourne

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

Mobile app development companies in the United Arab Emirates

DeviceBee Technologies

Founded in 2011, DeviceBee Technologies is a mobile application development company for Android and iOS.

DeviceBee Technologies has a portfolio of customers from app categories including shopping, transportation, business, food & delivery, finance, real estate, travel, grocery, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Dubai, Kuwait, Cupertino

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Emirates Graphic

Founded in 2012, Emirates Graphic is a Dubai-based award winning mobile app design and development agency creating native applications for Google Play and Apple App Store.

Emirates Graphic has a portfolio of customers from app categories including health & fitness, travel, shopping, and more.  

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Dubai

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Affle Enterprise

Founded in 2005, Affle Enterprise is an award winning mobile app development company helping startups and enterprises have mobile apps for Android and iOS with Affle’s 15+ reusable components including chatbot, push recommendations, loyalty engine, heat maps, and API management. 

Affle Enterprise has a portfolio of customers from app categories including health & fitness, food & delivery, finance, business, travel, education, real estate, and more.   

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Singapore, Dubai, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jakarta, Madrid

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

3Brain Technologies

3Brain Technologies is an Android and iOS mobile app development company for startups to large enterprises.

3Brain Technologies has a portfolio of 65 customers from 12 countries from app categories including shopping, event, dating, and food delivery.   

Minimum Project Size: $1.000+

Team Size: 2-9

Offices: Ahmedabad, Dubai

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

AppInnovative

Founded in 2017, AppInnovative is a Dubai based company designing and developing native and hybrid apps for Google Play and Apple App Store. The company works with startups, SMEs, and big enterprises. 

AppInnovative has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including finance, lifestyle, productivity, travel, and more.  

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Dubai, Karachi, San Francisco, Mississauga

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Benamix

Founded in 2011, Benamix is a mobile app development company for individuals, startups, and enterprises.

Benamix has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including finance, real estate, business, health & fitness, shopping, entertainment and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Dubai, Lviv

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

Mobile app development companies in Latin America

December Labs

Founded in 2014, December Labs has partnered with large Enterprise companies, such as Google, Accenture, Zurich, Santander and Nest as well as Silicon Valley’s top funded startups and growth-stage companies.

December Labs has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including finance, shopping, health & fitness, and more.  

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Montevideo, Houston, San Francisco

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

CodigoDelSur

Founded in 2007, CodigoDelSur is an award winning mobile app design and development studio developing cutting edge iOS and Android apps. The studio also provides solutions for growth hacking, in-app engagement, app monetization, and user acquisition.  

CodigoDelSur has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including food delivery, social networking, business, health & fitness, and education. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Montevideo

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Bixlabs

Founded in 2014, Bixlabs creates successful digital products for iOS, Android, and web. Remax, Date my friend, MenuD are among the key clients of the company. 

Bixlabs has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including dating, productivity, health & fitness, food delivery, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $10.000+

Team Size: 10-49

Offices: Montevideo, Houston

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

10Pearls

Founded in 2004, 10Pearls is a mobile app development company delivering award winning B2C, B2B, and B2E apps. 

10Pearls has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including health & fitness, education, finance, real estate, shopping, transportation, business, communication, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $50.000+

Team Size: 250-999

Offices: Washington DC, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Dubai, Karachi, Medellin, London

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

 

Cheesecake Labs

Founded in 2013, Cheesecake Labs is a web and mobile app design and development company. The company launched an App Development Cost Estimator calculating an estimated price for your app idea. Here you can reach out to the Calculator. 

Cheesecake Labs has a portfolio of customers from different app categories including home, community, shopping, education, and more. 

Minimum Project Size: $25.000+

Team Size: 50-249

Offices: Florianopolis, San Francisco

Portfolio

Clutch Reviews

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