While it's true that quality often has a premium attached, this isn't always the case when hiring Flutter developers. Budget-friendly destinations (read: Southern and Southeast Asian markets, Eastern Europe, and South America) offer Flutter app development at extremely reasonable rates, and no, it doesn't come at the cost of work ethics, creativity, or innovation. Contrarily, the kind of apps that come out of these places can give developers of Western nations a run for their money.
I know what you are thinking. Why are mobile apps developed in these destinations so cheap yet high-quality?
Well, the living conditions and lifestyle, among many other things, of the people out here have kept the development cost preternaturally low. This means you can hire top-quality flutter developers at a fraction of the price. Plus, the market conditions favor Flutter developers like never before. For starters, half of the development community, i.e., 46% of the developers globally, use Flutter for app development, which comes to almost 5+ million of them( React Native is used by 29% of developers). Every second developer you meet or greet could likely be a Flutter developer, which automatically translates into competitive pricing and a wide range of expertise.
This blog has attempted to narrow down budget-friendly destinations and online platforms where you can hire Flutter developers for wallet-friendly prices. Plus, you can check out our exhaustive checklist comprising 25 technical questions to help you gauge developers' technical prowess and more.
If that's not enough, we have attempted to answer the most often queried questions, followed by the latest updates in Flutter. Read on.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the hiring process right away. Here, I walk you through 4 steps to help you hire high-performing Flutter developers.
Four Steps to Help You Hire High-Performing, Budget-Friendly Flutter Developers Globally
Here, I walk you through 4 steps to help you hire high-performing Flutter developers from anywhere around the world, especially from cost-effective destinations.
Step #1: Reach Out to Affordable Destinations, Online Platforms, and Third-Party Reviews Sites to Hire Flutter Developers
a. Outsource Your Project to Affordable Destinations
App Development projects cost a bomb these days. So, it’s a good business decision if you plan to outsource your app project, as it will take out the heavy lifting and hassle that are typically associated with app development projects.
This is where Flutter developers from India could be a great choice, as they are known to develop apps at a fraction of the cost. Yes, hire Flutter developers in India for as low as $10 per hour. However, the experienced ones may charge a bit more, but it would be worth your investment. In addition, you can check out other Eastern European and Asian countries where Flutter development is done at a comparatively cheaper rate.
Here is the list of 5 budget-friendly destinations for Flutter development, ranked based on their hourly rates:
| Budget-friendly countries | Junior-level Flutter developers | Mid-level Flutter developers | Senior Flutter developers |
| Bangladesh | $20 - $25 | $30 - $35 | $40 - $45 |
| Vietnam | $25 - $30 | $35 - $40 | $45 - $50 |
| India | $10- $20 | $20- $40 | $40 - $80 |
| Pakistan | $5 - $10 | $10 - $18 | $18- $30 |
| Srilanka | $8-$15 | $15-$25 | $25-$40 |
If high-quality and low cost are on your radar, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Argentina, and Brazil are ideal destinations.
| High-quality, low-cost countries | Junior developers | Middle-level developers | Senior Developers |
| Poland | $15 - $25 | $25 - $40 | $40 - $60 |
| Romania | $12 - $20 | $20 - $35 | $35 - $55 |
| Ukraine | $10 - $20 | $20 - $35 | $35 - $50 |
| Argentina | $10 - $15 | $15 - $25 | $25 - $40 |
| Brazil | $8 - $15 | $15 - $25 | $25 - $40 |
Here is a rough cost breakdown for developing medium-complexity apps in different countries.
Bangladesh | $25,000-$37,500 |
Pakistan | $37,500-$50,000 |
India | $50,000-$62,500 |
Ukraine | $62,500-$75,000 |
Russia | $75,000-$87,500 |
Poland | $87,500-$100,000 |
Romania | $100,000-$112,500 |
Brazil | $112,500-$125,000 |
Argentina | $125,000-$137,500 |
United States | $137,500-$150,000 |
United Kingdom | $150,000-$162,500 |
Australia | $162,500-$175,000 |
b. Leverage Online Listing Platforms to Find Quality Flutter Developers
Many online review and ratings platforms have been launched in recent years that list tens of thousands of tech companies globally. The benefit of such platforms is that top Flutter companies are ranked and listed under one roof based on client reviews, overall ratings, and portfolios, among many other things, which helps you track down and trace the Flutter development company of your choice without much ado.
c. Hire Flutter Developers on GoodFirms
GoodFirms is your one-stop shop to hire the right Flutter developers. The platform has thoroughly vetted and listed top Flutter development companies based on their portfolio, client reviews, and market presence. Here, you can choose different hiring options: Onshore, Nearshore, or Outsource, as companies worldwide are listed under one roof.
Here’s a step-by-step method to help you hire Flutter developers on GoodFirms.
Just type “Flutter” in the search bar, and you will be directed to the top Flutter developers page, where top Flutter development companies from across the globe are listed.
Next, you can tab the Filter option in the top right-hand corner to help you hire Flutter developers based on their locations, services, hourly rate, employee strength, reviews, and industries.
As mentioned, choosing affordable locations will give you a sweet balance between cost and quality. That being said, hiring US Flutter development companies has its pluses, as quality reigns supreme there.
Okay! If you go by the location filter, you will find a list of top Flutter developers and client reviews for that particular location. Consider the client reviews given for every company seriously, as it will provide you with a firsthand account of client performance, which will help you further narrow down the companies you want to work with.
Once you have done this basic groundwork, request quotes from multiple companies. Cast a wider net and see what they bring to the table. No matter what, hire Flutter developers with good market reputations, especially those who stick to deadlines. When you hire reputed Flutter developers, project success is guaranteed.
Step #2: Ask General Interview Questions with a Technical Focus
Once you narrowed down multiple Flutter developers or Flutter development companies, the next crucial thing is to check whether they are up to speed with the latest advancements in the Flutter framework. If yes, they could breeze through “what’s new in Flutter” questions without much trouble and should be able to talk about their roles and responsibilities at length.
What’s New in Flutter Development
Flutter 3.16, the latest version of Flutter, is here. The 3.16 version is packed with Material 3 by default, Impeller Preview for Android, DevTools Extension, and more.
What’s the Role of a Flutter Developer?
Again, this question should be a piece of cake for the right candidate.
In fact, the candidate should be answering this question in-depth as they would be entirely responsible for defining, designing, developing, and deploying the app, including maintenance and scalability.
A top Flutter developer should possess and perform some major roles and responsibilities, such as
- Engaging with clients to better understand their needs and requirements.
- Using Flutter Framework alongside Dart Programming Language to develop and deploy apps.
- Writing clean codes
- Coordinating with cross-functional teams such as project managers, designers, DevOps, and QAs to design and execute new features.
- Figuring out and fixing bugs and other bottlenecks
- Offering technical guidance to team members
- Engaging in code reviews to make sure that coding standards are met and best practices followed
- Creating and maintaining application documentation
Additional responsibilities include:
Apart from technical responsibilities, if you are an in-house developer, you will also be responsible for training the in-house team, contributing to open-source platforms, and writing technical blogs.
Step #3: Design a Technical Proficiency Checklist with No Fewer than 25 Interview Questions
Once you are sure the candidate knows about the role he’s applying for, drill them down further, specifically on the technical part, as they cannot hoodwink you in this regard.
Generally, there are just two technologies that developers have to have a thorough hold on - Dart and Flutter Framework - to get hired immediately.
Interview Questions to Evaluate Developers’ Proficiency in Flutter Framework
Here’s a list of top interview questions to evaluate developers’ proficiency in the Flutter framework.
1. What is Flutter, and Why is this Framework the Most Sought-After Among Mobile App Developers?
Flutter is an open-source framework developed by Google. Developers use this framework to develop and deploy natively compiled applications for multiple platforms (Android & iOS) and devices, such as mobile, web, desktop, and embedded devices, that too, with a single codebase.
The key differentiating factor that makes Flutter the most popular among other cross-platform frameworks (React Native, Xamarin, and Ionic) is that it’s a complete SDK for developing the front and backend of the applications using an array of programming languages such as Java, Dart, C/C++, and more. Flutter also has a UI library full of custom widgets besides reusable UI elements such as buttons, sliders, and more.
2. Brief us on Flutter v/s React Native, Xamarin, and Ionic.
A straightforward answer would be: Faster development, high customization, and excellent performance are the three top features that make Flutter the most likable technology among app development companies, giving other cross-platform technologies (React Native, Xamarin, and Ionic) a run for their money.
There is no doubt that React Native, Xamarin, and Ionic are established frameworks with large communities. Still, they fail to match Flutter, a relatively new framework, in terms of development, performance, and customization.
To elaborate on Flutter's features further, faster app development USP can be directly attributed to its single code base feature, which helps developers create apps for both iOS and Android simultaneously. Plus, the framework boasts a hot reloading quality, which simply means developers can see the effect of code changes immediately and not eventually; that is when the development process is over. The high-performance feature is because of 1) the Skia graphics engine and 2) Flutter's hand-in-glove compatibility with Dart language, which allows direct communication with the native platforms, unlike in React Native, which depends on JavaScript bridge.
3. How do you Manage State management in Flutter? Explain Different Approaches.
State Management is crucial in the Flutter application development lifecycle as data management and upgradation depend entirely on it. A Flutter state will provide the required data whenever you plan to rebuild your app UI. Different state management approaches include set state, Provider, Riverpod, BLoc, GetX, and GetIt.
4. List Some Best Practices for Creating Efficient and Maintainable Flutter Code
Some of the best practices for writing efficient and maintainable Flutter code include using Flutter Naming conventions or Dart Naming Conventions, which help developers understand the code easily. Plus, you must take advantage of proper indentation and formatting, comments explaining the code, and Flutter architecture.
5. How do you Manage Errors in Flutter?
The try-catch block is used for managing errors, not just for Flutter apps but for all types of programming languages. Besides the try-catch block, Flutter developers can use two more error handlers - “OnError” and “CatchError.” All these error handlers are good at intercepting errors as and when they occur in the app.
6. What’s the Difference Between a Stateless Widget and a Stateful Widget? When to Use What?
Stateless widgets are static widgets; in other words, they don’t change when the user interacts with them. Its appearance and properties remain the same during the entire lifecycle of the widget, irrespective of user change or data change. On the other hand, stateful widgets are dynamic; in other words, they change appearance and properties during runtime depending on user action or data change.
Ideally, one should use more stateless than stateful widgets when writing widgets. For instance, if you plan to keep the text on the screen intact and only change the button in the future, you can only control the button in a stateful state, while the text can be in a stateless state. Using stateless widgets makes it easier to maintain codes and debug them.
7. Share a Few Tips to Optimize the Performance of a Flutter App
Flutter development companies should leverage stateless widgets to build your app, as too many stateful widgets increase your app's build time. Use constant keywords in your code to optimize memory usage and improve run time and app performance. Opacity Widget should be avoided at all costs as it might affect your app performance. Also, be smart about using Async and Sync codes. Async codes are not easy to debug, increasing the testing time, but at the same time, it improves the app's readability and execution time. Avoid using Build () and, more importantly, keep the app size in check, as it will slow down the app.
8. What’s ‘Hot Reload’ in Flutter?
The Hot Reload feature aids developers in immediately witnessing the effect of code changes without refreshing the app, thus significantly cutting down the development and testing time of new features. This feature comes in extremely handy when developers are working under strict schedules.
9. How would you Handle Platform-specific Code in a Flutter App?
Flutter app comes with builtin platform-specific API support that makes communication between the Flutter code base and native codes (Kotlin or Java on Android/ Swift or Objective-C on iOS) easy, allowing you to use the features and capabilities that are specific to each device (Android or iOS). This Flutter app feature helps developers breathe easily as they don’t have to create platform-specific code for different devices.
10. Explain the Concept of a "Widget Tree" in Flutter
The Flutter app User Interface is flooded with widgets that appear as a tree and are referred to as a Widget Tree. In fact, everything occurring on the Flutter screen is a widget, be it buttons, images, layouts, or a single line of text, and all are arranged hierarchically - imagine parent widgets connected to child widgets that show the relationship between them. Additionally, Widgets are combined and nested to create more complex UIs.
11. What is the Purpose of the BuildContext in Flutter?
A BuildContext refers to the location of a Widget within the widget tree. In other words, it gives contextual information about where the widget is positioned on the app screen. It’s essential for performing tasks like navigation dialog display, among others. For performing screen navigation, the user needs BuildContext for the exact screen display; for displaying a dialog box again, you’ll need BuildContext to get the correct context of the dialog box.
Also, a BuildContext only belongs to one widget. If a widget ‘XYZ’ has children widgets, then the BuildContext of widget ‘XYZ’ will also be the parent BuildContext of children.
Moving on to Dart now…
Here are 7 Interview Questions to Evaluate Candidates’ Prowess in Dart:
Interview Questions to Evaluate Developers’ Proficiency in Dart
12. What makes Dart the Go-to Programming Language in Flutter Mobile App Development?
Well, Dart is the primary language for writing Flutter applications. Flutter’s USP of faster development and a single codebase for iOS and Android can be attributed to Dart magic - that’s Ahead-of-time and Just-in-time compilation features. AOT helps generate quick, predictable, native codes for all platforms. And given that the entire Flutter application can be written in Dart, it speeds up the coding process, and widgets can be customized simultaneously.
JIT ensures a faster development cycle and efficient workflow.
And, as it turns out, Dart is not exclusively used for developing mobile apps. As an open-source, general-purpose programming language, the Flutter framework is used to create web, server, and desktop applications.
13. What’s the Difference Between Just-in-Time(JIT) and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) Compilation in Dart?
JIT analyzes and complies with the code in runtime, so it’s slow at startup but guarantees peak performance in the longer run and when runtime optimizations are applied. On the other hand, AOT comes with pre-compiled code and consequently offers faster startup times and excellent runtime performance with no latency noted in initial runs.
14. How does Dart manage Asynchronous Programming, and what are Futures in Dart?
Dart supports asynchronous programming. Asynchronous programming is a style of writing code that allows parallel performance of multiple tasks without blocking each other. Dart achieves this by leveraging Futures and Streams.
Future in Dart represents results not available in the present but sometime soon. A Future could stand for an asynchronous operation being performed; for instance, it could be fetching data from a Web API or performing a computation, the results of which are available in the future. Future in Flutter uses keywords such as “async” and “await” to carry out asynchronous operations in a non-blocking manner.
15. What are Streams in Dart, and How is it Used in Asynchronous Programming?
In Dart, streams manage continuous data flow that happens asynchronously, in other words, in unpredictable intervals. The data is processed over some time rather than at once.
16. What is the Role of ‘Async’ and ‘Await’ in Dart?
Flutter uses keywords such as “async” and “await” to carry out asynchronous operations in a non-blocking manner.
17. What’s the Difference Between Dart and JavaScript?
Dart is a statically typed language, while JavaScript is a dynamically typed language. Allow me to explain! In Dart, the variable types are known at compile time, and errors can be caught early on, that is, during the development time, while in JavaScript, varying types are decided during the run-time, but mistakes are found only during execution.
Dart mainly focuses on enhancing web application performance, whereas Javascript focuses on web development.
While JavaScript has a vast ecosystem, Dart’s ecosystem is not noteworthy. Both Dart and JavaScript are good in their ways. Dart is often paired with the Flutter framework for mobile app development, while JavaScript is the cornerstone for web development; however, its usage is not limited to it. Different folks require different strokes. So, understand your project requirements and opt for the one (Flutter or React Native) that aligns with them.
18. Describe the Packages in Dart and How you Plan to Manage the Dependencies in a Flutter Project.
A Dart package has ready-made code snippets that could be added to your Flutter app to add new features and functionalities. In fact, these code snippets come in the form of Dart Libraries, apps, resources, images, fonts, and examples designed to extend Dart capabilities.
You can add more features and functionalities to your Flutter app through package dependency. The first step to add a package dependency in your app is to identify your desired package from the pub.dev website - a repository of Dart packages. The next step is to add the package to pubspec.yaml file of your app where all the dependencies get listed. Once the package is added to the pubspec file, install the package. Once the package has been installed, import it to your app, and after that, you can start using it. Implementing these steps will help you add more features and functionalities to your app.
Interview Questions to Evaluate Developers’ Proficiency in UX/UI Design and Development
Flutter boasts many Widgets (including animation widgets) that make complex UI creation a cinch. These widgets are reusable, can be tailored per your needs, and are arranged hierarchically, speeding up the development process.
19. Share a Few Techniques for Managing Animations in Flutter to Create Visually Appealing Transitions
Here are a few techniques to handle animations in Flutter: Implicit Animations, Explicit Animations with Animation Controller, Staggered Animations, Hero Animations, Physics-based animations, Flare Animations, Animated Switcher, and so on.
20. How do you Implement a Custom Theme in Flutter?
Implementing a custom theme in Flutter involves identifying a few sets of styles, fonts, colors, and other visual elements that could be applied all across the app.
21. How do you Optimize Images and Assets for Flutter apps to Ensure Better Performance and Appeal?
Image and asset optimization in Flutter apps are crucial as they accelerate the app loading time, reduce the app size, and offer a fantastic user experience. A few best practices for optimizing images and assets in Flutter include choosing the right image format. For example, if the photograph or image has a gradient, then JPEG is appropriate. For images that are transparent and have sharp edges, try PNG. Additionally, compress the images, use AssestImage, use images with different resolutions for different screen densities, avoid larger images, and, more importantly, remove unused assets, among other best practices.
22. How to Create a Responsive UI in Flutter
Creating a responsive UI in Flutter means designing your app user interface to match different screen sizes and orientations. A few of the best techniques to create a responsive UI in Flutter include using LayoutBuilder, MediaQuery, Responsive GridView, Flex and Expanded Widgets, Text Scaling, designing custom widgets, and so much more.
Interview Questions to Evaluate Developers’ Proficiency in Testing and Debugging
Flutter boasts many Widgets (including animation widgets) that make complex UI creation a cinch. These reusable widgets can be tailored to your needs and are arranged hierarchically, speeding up the development process.
23. What are the Different Testing Methods for Flutter apps?
Different testing methods include Unit testing, Widget testing, End-to-end testing, Integration testing, Widget testing, and so on.
Each type of testing has a unique purpose and helps improve the functionality and performance of your application.
24. What’s the Purpose of Unit Testing, Widget Testing, and Integration Testing in Flutter
Unit testing: It comprises small, targeted tests that help catch bugs early on in the development process.
Integration testing: It verifies whether different parts of the app work together sans any friction. The different parts of the app could be widgets, plugins, services, etc.
Widget testing: It comprises testing the app’s UI components and whether the widgets are responding as expected.
User testing: User tests imitate real user interactions with the app appearing in the form of a user interaction workflow.
25. What’s the ‘Test’ Package in Flutter
The test package in Flutter is a framework that offers tools and utilities for writing and running tests. The package helps developers automate the Flutter app testing process.
Now that you have a set of core technical questions handy for evaluating developers' skill sets and an overview of countries and online places to hire quality Flutter developers let's dive into the hiring process on GoodFirms.
Step #4: Consider Soft Skills and Cultural Fit
Hard skills apart, even soft skills are assets for Flutter developers as they help them collaborate smoothly with clients and team members. Flutter developers should possess some critical soft skills to excel at their work.
Communication Skills: Flutter developers should be able to communicate well to bounce off ideas, POVs, and solutions without significant hassles. A developer with good communication skills can run effective, inclusive meetings and brainstorming sessions.
Problem-solving Skills: Problem-solving is as complex as it sounds. Flutter engineers are supposed to be on their toes, conjuring creative solutions on an ongoing basis as iterations, bug fixing, and finding resources to address issues is a common practice in development labs.
Team-player Attitude: Developers have to work in teams. They have to be there for meetings, brainstorming sessions, and even part of cross-functional projects. They must work harmoniously and respectfully with others, be open to ideas, and keep criticism in check.
Additionally, consider the developer’s work ethic and values and whether they align with your business culture. And what about their work hours and language compatibility?
Hiring the Right Flutter Developers is Easy with a Well-Structured Process
If you think more is better in the case of Flutter developers, as it could make the hiring process easier, you are wrong. The more options you are presented with, the more confusion. Barry Schwartz aptly highlights the issue in his book The Paradox of Choice, where he states that choice overload overwhelms and is a pain point for businesses as it complicates their decision-making process.
This blog finds a way out for business by clearly laying out a roadmap that could make hiring Flutter developers much more accessible.
1] We have curated a list of affordable destinations and online platforms that help you hire Flutter developers at the most competitive rates
2] A brief on the latest updates on Flutter, along with their roles and responsibilities, will ensure your candidate fits the bill on all levels.
3] The technical proficiency checklist provided will help you evaluate the candidate on all levels - Dart, UX, UI, testing, and Flutter framework.
4] Finally, how GoodFirms is emerging as a one-stop-shop for hiring Flutter developers globally based on their location, hourly rates, team strength, and more.
Hope all these insights will give you the perfect head start in hiring Flutter developers that are right for your business, ensuring success for your app development projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Flutter Developer in 2024
To hire a Flutter developer on GoodFirms, you will be expected to pay anywhere between $25 to $250 per hour; however, this is just a guesstimate as the cost of hiring depends on many factors such as project complexity, tech stack, location, expertise, experience, developer reputation, the urgency of the project, and so on.
Here’s a detailed cost breakdown based on experience and location.
| Experience level | Hourly Rate |
| Junior Flutter Developer | $15-$50 |
| Mid-level Flutter Developer | $50-$150 |
| Senior Flutter Developer | $150 - $250 |
| Location | Hourly Rate |
| North America | $150 - $250 |
| Western Europe | $100 to $200 |
| Eastern Europe | $50 to $100 |
| Asia | $20 to $80 |
2. Where Do I Find Quality Flutter Developers
You can start by checking online third-party review platforms such as Clutch and GoodFirms, where top-notch Flutter development companies are listed from all across the globe; in addition, you can Google top Flutter developers to find multiple leading Flutter development companies. You can ask for their quotes and check their portfolio, hourly rates, location, and more to find the one that fits your bill.
3. Are Flutter Developers in Demand?
Flutter’s features, such as cross-platform compatibility, single codebase, hot loading, rich widgets, open source nature, and rapid app development, among many others, are contributing to its meteoric rise. Consequently, the demand for Flutter developers is accelerating.
