Are you looking for the ultimate San Francisco app developers? You’re in the right place. App developers in San Francisco create innovative, high-quality mobile apps that showcase your products and services in the best possible way.
This guide will share tips and tricks on finding the most suitable mobile app developers in San Francisco from our curated list.
San Francisco delivers top teams of app developers, innovators, and strategists that focus on native iOS and Android app development. These mobile app development companies utilize agile development to ensure you’re getting optimal ROI and a fantastic quality app at the end of the day.
Developing a mobile app is tough, though, and selecting the correct app developer is key to maximizing your results and ensuring your business grows.
Let’s explore the advantages of working with a top San Francisco app developer and find out who the best players are in the industry.
The app developer market in San Francisco
The San Francisco Bay Area itself is home to a buzzing tech scene and numerous startups, and there’s a high demand for innovative apps, so naturally, it’s full of great app developers too.
There are a number of app development agencies in San Francisco that create Android and iPhone apps for both enterprise and startup businesses and everything in between.
These developers help entrepreneurs strategize, code, and establish their apps across the App Store and Google Play.
In fact, you can find some of the most trusted app development companies in San Francisco, from Airdev to Elinext, Wizeline, and Grio.
San Francisco app developers are entrepreneurs, business strategists, and top product engineers who combine business strategy and automation to build customer and employee experiences that rival the best in the industry.
San Francisco app developer example
Source: Grio
Mobile app development companies in San Francisco have hands-on experience with the latest tech and trends and develop mobile apps for both the App Store and Google Play–most developers cover both platforms, although some may specialize in either iOS or Android apps.
San Francisco app developers are known for delivering cutting-edge digital solutions with high-quality mobile app development. If you’re looking for top mobile app development companies in San Francisco, you won’t be short on choice.
Native mobile app development services for both iOS and Android often include custom UX/UI design and offer award-winning mobile app development that gives your mobile app the best shot at success.
App Development Companies Buyers guide
Download our App Development Companies Buyers guide to get a full list of the best service providers on the market to choose from. You will also learn about types of app developers, different app development platforms, app developer locations, app development costs, how to select the right one for your business, as well as the questions to ask any of those companies you will be evaluating.
Why work with an app developer based in San Francisco?
For many reasons, chiefly among them being the assurance, certainty, and transparency that you get from the app development space in San Francisco, certainly with the best mobile developers.
There’s a particularly strong focus on UX/UI elements from these app developers that facilitate a user’s progress within an app and devise a scalable architecture, as well as provide that all-important post-launch technical support.
Mobile app development companies in San Francisco specialize in developing apps for Android and iOS, as well as web design. These app developers focus on the following areas:
- Cross-platform hybrid apps: They use a codebase that quickly syncs across platforms, ensuring app consistency.
- Cloud development: Custom apps that are fully managed by AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and more.
- UX design: Mobile apps that are crafted to reflect your brand personality with intuitive interfaces.
- Quality assurance: Software optimization that detects bugs, threats, and other technical problems.
- VR and AR apps: They build apps that give your users an interactive, real-world experience with exciting technology.
San Francisco app developer example
Source: Apex Lab
Not to mention that app development companies in the San Francisco Bay Area often provide you with a customized and highly scalable team that focus on end-to-end app development services as needed.
For example, iOS developers are typically seasoned with Objective-C, Swift3, Xcode5, and the iOS 15 and 16 SDKs, while Android apps get built with top tech frameworks, including Flutter, Kotlin, and PhoneGap (now known as Apache Cordova).
These app developers perform cross-platform development by leveraging programming languages, such as Swift, Java, and Ionic, to create mobile apps that operate across all mobile platforms.
San Francisco is at the epicentre of innovation and technology and–despite the often lavish living–houses some of the most desirable tech powerhouses, including Twitter, Uber, Yelp, Zynga, Airtable, and Dropbox, all of which have built iOS and Android mobile apps that have changed the game.
How much does hiring San Francisco app developers cost?
The total pay for an Android mobile app developer in San Francisco is around $123,385 per year. The total pay for an iOS mobile app developer is around $125,338 per year.
App developers in San Francisco make the following per hour based on experience:
- Junior developer – $38-$55 per hour
- Middle developer – $55-$68 per hour
- Senior developer – $65-$89 per hour
The total cost will vary based on the following:
- Developer experience (in years)
- Mobile app features (and the level of complexity)
- Customization
- Size of project
- UI/UX design
The larger the project and the more experience required, the higher the cost, so think carefully about the scope of your mobile app and how many of its features are necessary.
San Francisco salary ranges
Data source: Glassdoor
The average base salary in the US for an iOS developer is $118,465. For Android, it comes in at $109,927.
For iOS, a breakdown per experience averages the following:
- An entry-level junior iOS developer’s salary is around $40,000 per year
- A mid-level iOS developer’s salary is around $114,000 per year
- The most experienced iOS developers earn up to $172,000 per year
For Android, a breakdown per experience averages the following:
- An Android developer with less than two years of experience makes approximately $51,600 per year
- An Android developer with between two and five years of experience makes approximately $73,200 per year
- An Android developer with an experience level between five and ten years makes approximately $96,200 per year
San Francisco app developer example
Source: Blackstone Studio
A large number of people are employed by app development companies in San Francisco, such as designers, coders, and QA testers, so they have access to a professional team to assist you no matter the stage you’re at in your mobile app journey.
There are plenty of freelance mobile app developers in San Francisco that can create a mobile app for you as well. The costs will depend on the experience of the freelancer in addition to any special skills they possess.
iOS developers familiar with Foundation, UIKit, and Cocoa will charge higher prices, and Android developers who can use Ionic, Corona, and Material Foundation will charge higher rates. On average, the more tools they can use, the higher the cost.
Receiving a custom quote from a San Francisco app development company before you set off on your development journey is a wise move. But how do you go about choosing the right one?
How to choose the top San Francisco app developers
To pick the best app developer in San Francisco, you first need to research the mobile app developers available.
From there, you’ll need to set up interviews with them and find out about their skills and knowledge while they learn about your business and app objectives.
During the critical research phase, be sure to consider the following areas as well.
Client references
Ask for references from prior clients and look for app developers who supply customer contact information so you can get feedback.
You’ll be able to find out about the brands they have helped, as well as the challenges they have overcome, the tech they have employed, and how well they have worked with clients in the past.
Client happiness is an easy way to tell if an app developer is worth hiring.
San Francisco app developer example
Source: Infuse
Create a trial contract
With mobile app developers, the only real way to find out if you and a contractor are a good match is to start working together. You can determine the scope of work for the first one to two months in a trial contract and go from there.
Using a trial contract allows you to see if the San Francisco app developer you like is the right one for you in practice. By the end of the trial, you’ll know if you’re satisfied working with them long-term.
Client focus
Mobile app development companies will have more expertise with specific types of customers.
For example, some of them may only work with startups, while others could be more attentive to larger organizations or favour enterprise businesses outright.
It may not be apparent from a San Francisco app developer’s site what types of businesses they normally work with, so it’s essential to ask these questions directly.
Post-launch mobile app support
You should only work with an app developer that can ensure long-term support and maintenance for your mobile app, as launching the app itself is just the beginning.
Ensure your preferred San Francisco app developer will help you after launching the app with bug fixing, app store marketing, and more.
Sector experience
Whether an app developer has worked in the same industry as yours is a vital consideration–this is even more true in highly regulated verticals such as healthcare.
If they’ve worked in your industry before, they’ve probably faced some of the same issues you intend to solve with your app, which speeds up the entire process.
San Francisco app developer example
Source: Appstem
Portfolio
Check the apps that San Francisco app developers have produced for their customers and ask them to show you examples of their best work–ideally, this will be in the same industry you want your chosen app to be in overall.
A portfolio is also a good way of seeing where their area of focus lies, whether that’s using AR in their apps, post-launch app store marketing, or just focusing on creating great user experiences.
Top mobile app development companies in San Francisco
You’ve seen the opportunity and expertise available in San Francisco, and now you may want to hire an app developer for yourself.
Working with a San Francisco app developer will enable your mobile app to reach a more expansive user base with the help of some of the best in the industry.
Other benefits of hiring a San Francisco app developer include the following:
- You’ll be able to promote your brand across almost all devices
- Assurance and transparency that gives your app the best possible chance to succeed
- App developers that make use of the latest technology and trends
- Ongoing maintenance and support
- Rigorous compliance with app development standards and practices
We’ve put together the top app development companies and app developers in San Francisco. We created a list that combines a mixture of budgets, skills, and experience that will suit your mobile app and secure the long-term sustainability of your business.