Your Guide to Sourcing Flutter Developers

Flutter has risen to fame as an all-encompassing technology that converges Android, iOS, web, and desktop development in a single cross-platform application. Despite React Native putting up serious competition when it comes to cross-platform development, still, many tech leaders err on the side of Flutter development: In 2022, Flutter ranked 6th among most used frameworks, outpacing React Native. In this post, we will review Flutter technology, the skills Flutter developers should have, and how to add them to your team.

What is Flutter development?

Flutter is based on Dart, a programming language developed by Google. In its early days, Flutter was used solely for mobile development, but later on, Dart developers added the capabilities of desktop development, making it a true cross-platform technology. The library, Foundation, written in Dart gives Flutter developers access to basic classes and functions to create robust applications. Also, Flutter is compatible with Android and iOS SDK.

What are the benefits of Flutter programming?

A rapid development cycle. Flutter programming is a way to trim your time-to-market timing, as it lets Flutter developers write universal code and use sets of reusable widgets and tools for fast MVP creation, instant rendering, eliminating bugs, and deployment. That way, Flutter development lets companies release fully-fledged applications without any quality tradeoffs.

Thanks to the merits of Flutter coding, you don't have to implement external libraries or waste time on user interface elements – the framework has it all covered. Flutter developers can also easily apply edits at any moment without having to rewrite the code from scratch.

Also, Flutter development streamlines the process of software testing. Given that a single code base is used for iOS, Android, web, and desktop development, quality assurance can be executed within one round of automated testing. As such, products stand a chance to reach the market faster. Thus, a team of Flutter developers can ensure you can outpace your competition.

Cost savings. Flutter development can be a good way to optimize your software development budget. Thanks to the fact that this technology covers multiple platforms with a single code base, Flutter developers are a great investment: Your organization can release a versatile product using a single team. Combined with a faster development cycle and fewer resources required for quality assurance, Flutter programming is a lucrative solution for startups and companies with limited budgets.

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Progressive web applications. Since its launch, Flutter development was about creating unified experiences for iOS and Android, but now Flutter developers have the opportunity to integrate cross-platform applications into a landscape of products. Now, this technology lets companies build PWAs with engaging interfaces and dynamic content thanks to Flutter design tools that act like native apps.

Flutter app developers: Profile

First of all, Flutter developers should be well-versed in developing applications for multiple platforms. Sometimes that leads to blurring the responsibilities of someone occupying this position. As such, companies need to outline the area of responsibilities of Flutter app developers to hire the right person for this role.

Mobile and web development skills. Flutter app developers should have expertise in building hybrid applications on various levels of difficulty. Their area of responsibility assumes meeting the design requirements, creating clear, understandable, and maintainable code, predicting potential risks, fixing bugs, and more.

Code improvement. Flutter developers should also handle the code improvement process aimed at improving the performance of applications and customer experience within a wide array of devices.

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Bug fixing. Solid Flutter developers should see potential errors in advance during the development cycle so it's easier for them to fix any mishaps. These professionals also participate in the application testing process at all stages of the development cycle.

Skill improvement. Remaining up to date with the terminology, concepts, and best practices for coding mobile apps is a must-have for Flutter developers. They should keep their hand on the pulse when it comes to recent Flutter versions, tools as well as general mobile development trends.

Proactiveness. Flutter app developers should be a part of the entire mobile app development cycle. They need to be involved in teamwork at all stages and ensure a seamless transition from one step to the next one.

As Flutter development requires such roles as designers, business analysts, software architects, and quality assurance experts, it's best to hire proactive team players. Also, your hires need to be adept at problem-solving for cases when project requirements change or unforeseen circumstances appear. For the team to achieve its goal, it's essential to be able to adapt to any kind of scenario. Plus, the ability to think out of the box with a can-do attitude will let Flutter developers get things done efficiently.

Flutter engineers: Essentials skills

As we mentioned above, the skillset of Flutter engineers should consist of both tech competencies and soft skills. It's important to have a solid knowledge of Flutter development and be an excellent team player in equal parts. With that in mind, here are the key skills to look for in Flutter developers in more detail.

Tech competencies:

Apart from Strong computer science fundamentals of engineering and principles of OOP, Flutter engineers need to have a working knowledge of:

In-depth Flutter framework, including its most recent versions
Dart programming language
Flutter design tools;
iOS and Android mobile architecture;
Git;
Databases (SQL, SQLite);
Scrum, Kanban, as well as other software development models.

Soft skills:

Flutter developers are indispensable cogs in mobile development and should help all team members achieve a common goal. In this regard, an ideal candidate for this role should possess:

Problem-solving: Flutter developers can come across a lot of bottlenecks that may put a damper on the mobile development process. So, they must be efficient in finding elegant solutions to any problem.
Team collaboration: Flutter development involves multiple people. So, a Flutter developer should efficiently communicate with and collaborate with other team members.
Communication: This skill is a central one behind Flutter programming: Developers need to get their ideas across well, address all challenges and bottlenecks in due time, and facilitate effective communication processes.

Ways to source Flutter developers

When it comes to sourcing Flutter developers for your team, you should take into account their location, rates, and a pool of available candidates. Basically, you can add Flutter developers using the following approaches:

In-house Flutter development;
Freelancers;
Outsourced Flutter developers.

Each approach has its benefits and downsides, which we will go over below.

Outsourced Flutter developers. Many companies choose to access developers in more affordable locations as compared to their location. We at Hiretop help companies from Europe and North America source Flutter developers based in Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltics, etc), which allows for the benefit of working with skilled developers at lower rates. Providers like us ensure a quick team launch and unimpeded communication in a distributed development environment.

Here are Flutter development hourly rates in different locations for you to compare:

The USA: $75-$200 per hour
The UK: $60-$150 per hour
India: $25-$60 per hour
Ukraine: $30-$70 per hour

Freelancers. When you hire Flutter developers on a freelance basis, you can pay them a fee based on completed tasks. This ensures cost reduction, but it can present challenges regarding integrating developers into your operations. Freelancers usually work without supervision, so it can be hard to orchestrate the development process when it includes autonomous team members.

In-house staff. As opposed to freelance and outsourced Flutter developers, this approach is the most expensive. In-house staff is high-maintenance when it comes to salary requirements and employee bonuses. Additionally, in-house staff is always associated with overhead and an addition of supporting teams (HR, finance, legal, etc).

Looking at these options, we can say that outsourced Flutter developers can be a great way to reduce costs and access the best talent – if you partner with a reliable provider like Hiretop. Let's get in touch!