What is the salary of an app developer in India?

What is the salary of an app developer in India?

Introduction

Looking to add a talented app developer to your team? That’s a great idea because talented developers are always in great demand.  There are a few things to consider before you go ahead with the addition. You can choose to go for the freelance developer hire option or hire a permanent app developer if you have consistent app development projects. In that case, you can retain them on a monthly salary basis, with all the perks and benefits. The best option most of the time would be to hire mobile app developers on a contractual basis because then you can dissolve the team once the project is over. That would be a huge time and money-saver plan because you don’t have to hire the developer team. When you partner with a software development company, the developer team would be provided to you. 

 If you are planning to hire a mobile app developer you need to consider a few things before the actual process. That would directly affect the salary you are going to pay your developer team.  

Factors that determine the salary of the developer

In this article, we would be dealing with the aspects that can affect the salary of the developer, making it easy for you to decide how much you need to pay your team:

1. The experience of the developer

Obviously, as the developer gains experience, their salary would also go higher. If you are looking for a basic app development project, you can hire a fresher just out of college. Maybe an electronics and communications graduate with a basic knowledge of C, C++, and Java would be sufficient for a basic project. You can hire the developer team of freshers on an hourly basis or a monthly basis depending on the magnitude of the project. The annual salary ranges from 2.5 lakhs ($3050) to 30 lakhs ($36,600) depending on the developer’s knowledge and the complexity of the project. The salary of the developer can go up to 9 lakhs ($10,980) per annum for a mid-level application software developer, and 12 lakhs ($14,640) or more for experienced developers. This means if you are looking for a really experienced developer, you should be willing to shell out at least one lakh ($1220) per developer per month. The period of hire, of course, depends on the complexity of the project. Most complex apps take up to one year for building and development. 

2. The type of company that hires the developers

Software developer companies send teams of developers to companies that require mobile applications. The companies pay differently, and if it is a really big one like Microsoft, IBM, or Amazon, you can expect them to pay well. Even freshers would be paid well. Working in a big company is often the dream of every software developer because they can earn well. However, if the developer joins as a fresher in a startup and grows from there, they will be able to learn a lot of things and grow in their career. Big MNC companies often absorb the cream of the lot, and pay them well; on average nine million INR ($1,09,802), for a mid-level developer. 

3. The skillset of the developer

The salary would also depend on the skillset of the developer. Most of the product-based companies look for strong technical skills and knowledge of high-end programming languages like Java, Ruby, Python, PHP, Laravel, PHP, Node.js, Javascript, rather than just basic C, C++, the demand for developers who know these languages is higher. A good developer with the required skill set and 2-3 years of experience can earn around 30 lakhs INR (($36,600)) per annum. Based on this you can decide the experience and skill set of the developer that you need. If you have the budget, you can hire developers that have graduated from premier institutes because then you will get the cream of developers.

4. Hiring location

The salary of the developers differs from the location you are hiring. If you are hiring tier 1 cities like Gurgaon, Bengalurru, Ahmedabad,  Kolkatta, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, the salary of the developers are far higher. The mid-level developer can earn around 30 lakhs INR per annum ($36,600). 

Developers are paid the highest in Gurgaon, it is said that the salary is 24% higher in the city than in any other city in Tier 1. 

 If you are hiring from Tier 2 cities like Kochi, Kozhikode, Vellore, Kanpur, Agra, Amritsar then the rates are comparatively lower. You can easily hire a mid-level software developer for about 13 lakhs per annum ($15,860)when you hire from Tier 2 cities.

The experience level of the app developer

Here is a clearer view of the developer experience levels, so you can easily distinguish who are entry-level developers, and who are senior developers:

The entry-level developer – Developers with 1-3 years are tagged as entry-level developers. Before hiring the entry-level developer, you need to know whether they can develop apps according to various programming languages. The rate can be 5-7 lakhs per annum ($6100-8540)on an average, because as we mentioned earlier, the rate can vary according to location too. 

The mid-level developer – Developers with 4-7 years of experience are mid-level developers. They have sufficient experience in the field, will have basic knowledge of most programming languages, have developed their creativity and design, and can earn around 10-12 lakhs per annum ($6100-8500) on average. 

The senior developer – Developers with more than 8 years of experience are seniors, and their charges will vary greatly, starting from around 15 lakhs per annum ($18,300) to around 30 lakhs per annum ($36,600). The better the experience, the higher the pay.

Skills you should look for in developers 

Check out these skills when you are hiring developers:

Programming skills

This is an obvious skill, of course. But the better the knowledge of the developers, the better it would be. They must be knowledgeable in computer languages, integrating and building over existing code, browser testing, basic knowledge of operating systems, debugging, and unit testing.

Soft skills 

Apart from programming skills, the developers should have soft skills like interpersonal skills, patience, motivation, patience, keenness to learn, readiness to embrace new skills and technology, be a team leader, etc. 

Analytic and problem-solving skills 

The software developer must be able to give up old and traditional ways of building an app, and embrace new skills if needed, so they can try new ways to make the project special. 

Conclusion

Being a software developer is a high paying job, so if you are looking for developers, make sure to hire developers according to the project you have in mind. With the right skills and knowledge, the perfect developer would be a rockstar addition to your team but remember they have to be paid well, or else, they can be easily plucked by rival companies. 

Developers who keep themselves updated on the latest industry trends will always be an asset when you are developing e-commerce apps, complex apps etc. They will have the right skills, will be flexible, and come up with a great application that will hit the market right away. 

Interesting Links:

A step-by-step guide to becoming a Mobile App Developer?

How much does it cost to make an App?

Pictures: Canva

The author: Sascha Thattil works at Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT deparments.