I chatted with several of my acquaintances who have developed apps and many of them went the route of finding an app developer overseas. The typical pricing for overseas is $5-12k, but the biggest complaint was the language barrier making the functionality and designs hard to communicate.
I was strongly encouraged to pick an app developer locally who was experienced and the extra costs would be worth it in the long run. Just for frame of reference. Most apps made here in the US are $15-50k some even up to $100k depending on how complex they are. That’s a BIGGGGG range, I know. This is also why it’s important to spend your dollars on the core functionality of the app and launch it before adding it all the extra bonus features once your app has proven to make a return.
A few other things to consider:
1. Check and see how they construct the app. Many times the way it is coded there aren’t ways to upgrade or make modifications without starting all over.
2. Start with design before development (I’ll explain this more later). Skipping this stage can lead to huge problems.
3. Have a style guide prepared. This is a PDF of your colors, fonts, and overall style you are looking for in the app. This helps guide the design and wireframes.
3. Have everything in a contract. Stages in which you’ll give payments based on work completed, as well as warranty for when the app launches, and tech support. Does your app include a backend admin website that will be used to input data that goes into the app? Be sure everything is listed on that contract.