Best Mobile App Development Companies in Eastern Europe

By 2027, the total revenue of the mobile app development market in Eastern Europe is anticipated to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.46%, translating into a predicted market volume of US$3,617.00 million. Eastern Europe has emerged as a leading region for mobile app development outsourcing, attracting IT entrepreneurs from the US and Western Europe. The latter can work with the best mobile developers in Eastern Europe who charge moderate prices and deliver high-quality services. For example, the average salary of a senior iOS developer in the area is $51,000 a year.

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In this article, we’ll delve into the pros and cons of app development in this vibrant region, the aspects of choosing the best outsourcing vendor, and consider the top 5 app dev companies. You’ll also discover a more reliable option for cooperating with developers in Eastern Europe.

Mobile Application Development: Industry Overview and Insights

The two dominant operating systems in the mobile application market are Android and iOS, which together account for the vast majority of global usage. According to the latest statistics, Android holds a 70.69% market share worldwide, while iOS follows with 28.58%. For businesses and developers, this distribution highlights the importance of creating applications that perform seamlessly across both platforms to maximize reach and user engagement.

When it comes to types of mobile apps, there are:

Native apps that are developed for a specific operating system.
Hybrid apps that can run on multiple platforms.
Web applications that run in the browser of a mobile device.
Mobile games are among the most popular applications.

The high demand for mobile applications drives their market growth. In 2023, the global mobile application market size was valued at $228.98 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.3% between 2024 and 2030. Meanwhile, the number of smartphone users is expected to increase to almost 4.9 billion by the end of 2024, with a 2.2% annual increase. The key drivers of such an upward trend are the increase in Internet usage, as well as the proliferation of popular technologies like AI & ML, AR & VR, cloud computing, and IoT, etc.

3 Pros of Mobile App Development in Eastern Europe

1. Large Talent Pool

Eastern Europe boasts a vast talent pool of around 1.5 million software developers, with strong concentrations in Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. Each year, nearly 80,000 STEM graduates from regional universities join the workforce, fueling innovation and technical growth. This steady influx of skilled professionals makes the region a highly attractive destination for mobile app development outsourcing, with many established mobile app agencies offering world-class services at competitive rates.

2. Strong Tech Expertise

Software developers from Eastern Europe are widely recognized for their exceptional technical expertise and problem-solving skills. They excel in a broad range of programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, C++, and many more, which makes them highly adaptable to diverse project needs. This strong technical foundation, combined with their ability to deliver innovative solutions, positions them as reliable and valuable partners for global outsourcing initiatives.

3. Moderate Developer Rates

Getting the services of mobile developers in Eastern Europe is a viable choice. It offers significant cost savings compared to regions such as the US, where annual programmer salaries are typically 2-3 times lower. The average annual salary of iOS developers (Swift and Objective-C) in Eastern Europe ranges between $40,000 and $50,000. The React Native expert will cost your company almost the same: $42,000-$60,000 yearly. This makes Eastern Europe attractive for businesses looking to optimize costs without compromising quality.

4 Cons of Mobile App Development in Eastern Europe

1. Cloudy pricing

Outsourcing providers in Eastern Europe sometimes add unexpected costs to invoices, making budgeting difficult. These extra charges may arise from substituting one developer with another, expanding the team, conducting additional training, or purchasing new hardware and equipment. Such hidden expenses can accumulate over time, leaving businesses with higher bills than initially anticipated. Consequently, predicting the final project cost becomes a complex and often frustrating challenge.

2. Questionable quality

Uncertainty about the quality of the final product is a significant challenge when outsourcing app development in Eastern Europe. Differences in cultural and business traditions, communication barriers, and varying work ethics can sometimes hinder collaboration. In addition, lack of motivation or team indifference may negatively impact project outcomes, resulting in applications that fall short of expectations, miss deadlines, or fail to meet agreed-upon quality standards.

3. IP rights breaching

Outsourcing software development in Eastern Europe can pose risks to your intellectual property (IP) rights. Since this cooperation requires sharing sensitive data with third parties, there’s a chance your information could be reused for other projects. Developers often juggle multiple assignments at once, which increases the likelihood of your proprietary data being unintentionally or deliberately applied elsewhere without your knowledge or explicit consent, creating significant security concerns.

4. Loss of development control

Assigning your project to an external development team in Eastern Europe can sometimes lead to reduced oversight and limited control over the process. Challenges such as communication gaps, cultural differences, and time zone misalignment may hinder smooth collaboration. As a result, projects risk drifting away from the original vision, causing delays, missed deadlines, or compromised quality standards that fall short of expectations.

What to Consider When Choosing a Mobile Development Company

Choosing the right service provider for mobile development services is a critical point that determines the success of your project. Considering the aspects below to find the right partner to realize your idea:

Niche Experience. Opt for a company dedicated to a particular type of software development, namely, specializes in mobile development services, rather than one with a broad array of services. This increases the likelihood of receiving high-quality services.
Track Record. Solid proof of your vendor’s experience is the availability of relevant case studies. These showcase the products they have previously developed and the problems they solved, and demonstrate their trustworthiness.
Testimonials. Familiarize yourself with the client reviews and testimonials. Most platforms, like Clutch and GoodFirms, have a review section highlighting the highest-rated vendors in the selected country and industry.
Guarantees. Pay attention to the guarantees and terms of cooperation provided by the vendor. If a vendor can vouch for its mobile development services, it validates its reliability.
Recommendations. Networks have always been a proven source of finding suitable vendors. Recommendations from your colleagues and business partners increase your chances of finding a decent app developer.

5 Best App Development Companies in Eastern Europe

Let’s take a look at the top mobile developers in Eastern Europe, according to Clutch:

Dashbouquet Development: With offices in Estonia and Poland, it has been on the market since 2014. According to GoodFirms, its team is a Clutch Champion for 2023 and the Best Company to Work With.
SolveIt: Has 50+ in-house specialists in the United States, Sweden, and Poland. They are experts in healthcare, logistics, media, travel, e-commerce, and more.
Droids On Roids: A Poland-based company specializing in Android and iOS native app development and Flutter multi-platform app development. Their team is ranked #22 in the Top 1000 Global Service Providers and #1 in Top Flutter Developers by Clutch.
OTAKOYI: Founded in Lviv, Ukraine, with offices in the USA, Sweden, Poland, and the UAE. Their stack includes Flutter, Swift, React Native, and Kotlin. They are listed in Top Netlify Development 2024 on Clutch.
FIFTH: A dynamic software development and design studio headquartered in Armenia. Its global clientele spans Silicon Valley, Europe, and Hong Kong. FIFTH specializes in custom web and mobile application development and Web3 application development.

Your Team of Mobile App Developers in Eastern Europe with Alcor

If you opt for a more reliable business model, you can reap the benefits of app development in Eastern Europe. The R&D center perfectly combines IT recruitment, Employer of Record services, and full operational support. This solution allows tech companies like yours to maintain all the decision-making, cut expenses, enjoy team loyalty, and protect sensitive data.

Alcor is a full-cycle service provider in Eastern Europe and Latin America that can build you an R&D office in 2 months with 10 app developers on board. The company covers tech recruitment, HR payroll, legal compliance, office lease, WFH, and hardware procurement — everything you need to have peace of mind when entering a new market.

With Alcor, you’ll enjoy:

100% Transparency: no rate cards, only direct salaries, and a pay-as-you-go approach.
High-Quality Developers: It takes them 2-6 weeks to close one position, while the average tenure of their hires is 2.5 years.
Absence of Buy-Out Fees: The software development team has been yours from day one.
No Legal Entity: hire top mobile app developers in Eastern Europe legally and compliantly.
Dedicated Account Manager: individual support and business navigation during the expansion journey.
Huge Team: 40 internal headhunters, managing IT recruitment across eight LATAM and Eastern Europe locations.

Final Thoughts

If you want to build a high-quality mobile application at a lower cost, working with mobile app developers from Eastern Europe is a smart choice. The region offers skilled professionals at competitive rates, making it attractive for businesses worldwide. You can outsource to one of the many established app development companies or collaborate with a reliable R&D center provider to minimize outsourcing risks.