Why Outsource European Developers Instead of Indians?

On the other hand, Europe is perceived as one of the leading regions in the IT industry but is not often a first choice for someone who is considering outsourcing (offshoring) the development of projects.

Choosing a partner to develop your project is a strategic decision, and a poor choice can lead to significant long-term issues.

That's the reason why we decided to focus more on this topic.

In this next text, you will learn more about why hiring Indian developers is so popular, what disadvantages people don't consider, and why the alternative, hiring developers from Europe, can be better.

Why Do Companies Hire Developers from India?

Companies hire Indian developers mainly because of the low labor cost and the common knowledge of English.

As everyone already knows, India is one of the most populated and developing countries where people are highly interested in technology.

As a result, India can offer a large talent pool of cheap, decent software engineers.

In a competitive economy, where every dollar needs to be spent efficiently and budgets are tight, hiring developers from India seems like a logical solution.

How much does it cost to hire an Indian developer?

Several factors influence the hiring price of outsourcing developers from India.

The first one that affects a developer's rate is their expertise and the technology they use.

For example, if your company wants to develop a mobile app and outsource a developer team from India, hiring a Kotlin developer would cost your company around ₹1,200,000 per year (or $13,748), which is almost ten times less than hiring a developer from the US (source).

But to hire an iOS developer will cost you around ₹ 2.860.000 or $ 32.767 (source)

Also, the developer's experience has an impact.

Average junior Android programmers from India earn about ₹ 420.000 (source) or $4.808 annually.

Hiring a senior Android programmer will cost you more than ₹ 1,480,000 or $16.943 annually (source).

Read more: App Development Cost: How much does it cost to build an app?

Disadvantages of hiring developers from India

Even though the price is very important, and a lower labor cost means more profits, in practice, the thing is slightly different.

The price is only one of the puzzles that create success for the app.

Speed, performance, scalability, and a seamless user experience are key to an app's market success, especially for larger projects.

For long-term success, companies need a partner who uses the latest technology, builds high-performing and scalable apps, and gives honest advice about the next steps, even when it’s not in their own interest.

If you still plan to hire a developer in India, be prepared for the following:

Spaghetti code

When working with a smaller budget, the only way to increase earnings is by taking on as many projects as possible.

Lack of time is why low-cost Indian developers often deliver messy and poorly optimized code.

In the MVP version of the app, this won’t be noticeable.

But later, when the project grows and becomes more complex, performance will suffer.

Also, the messy code makes the project less scalable and harder to debag, which can extend the development time and increase the cost of development.

Different time zone

Communication with a partner from India can be more challenging due to the different time zones. For a well-organized team, this won't be a barrier to effective cooperation, but sometimes, problems can be difficult to solve.

Cultural differences

India has a rich culture, but it is very different from one in the Western world.

Based on Harvard research, strong cultural differences can reduce cohesion and increase conflicts and misunderstandings in global teams.

This will undoubtedly have a negative effect on the project.

For this reason, consider hiring a development team from regions with a cultural background similar to yours.

Intellectual property concerns.

Indian law system, like those in other developing countries, doesn’t always prioritize intellectual property protection. This puts your unique app ideas, code, and innovations at risk.

When working with a company from India, it's important to have proper agreements and security measures to protect your intellectual property.

Task-oriented cooperations

If your company is looking for long-term partnerships with someone who understands your needs and has experts on the outsourced development team who can advise you on what’s best for your business, then India might not be the right market for you.

Affordable developers from India are focused only on providing tasks that you require from them and moving to the next one.  

Why outsourcing European developers is a good idea?

Europe is one of  the few innovation centers in the world with a wide IT community. Almost 10 million persons worked as ICT specialists across Europe based on data from 2023.

It is also a region with many prestigious universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, where future IT Engineers can acquire knowledge about the best high-end technology and the best practices for writing clean, scalable code.

Advantages of hiring developers from Europe

Some of the advantages of outsourcing development to Europe are:

Partners with an ownership-oriented philosophy

Outsourcing a project to European companies is more partnership-oriented. Europe has a long business tradition and people there value the long-term partnerships. You can always expect a piece of honest advice and their experts' opinions about the project, which can be valuable for your project's success.

Similar culture and mentality

North America and Europe have very similar business cultures about relationships with clients and what to expect.

Also, Europeans are known for their flexibility in business relationships, which made them great colleagues and business partners.

This is very important for both,  long-term and short-term projects.

In the short term, when deadlines are tight, you can almost always rely on partners' expertise without spending time on a long meeting explaining what are your needs.

In the long run projects, there certainly will be some obstacles and misunderstandings, but with a flexible mindset, that won't be such a problem and every obstacle will be overcome.

The pool of high-quality software engineers

Good education, innovation culture, working ethics, and responsibility are factors that create numerous high-quality IT experts in this region.

High data security measures and the protection of intellectual property rights

One big benefit of outsourcing development to Europe is the strong legal system that protects user data privacy and intellectual property. Clear laws and enforcement ensure your project stays secure and that you can take action if your rights are violated. This gives a safe environment to grow your business.

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Now, after you learn more about the advantages of outsourcing a development team in Europe, let's talk more about which part of this continent is best for outsourcing projects.

The best countries for outsourcing a development team

If you divide Europe based on geographical location, you will notice that some regions are better suited for outsourcing than others.

Many major companies have headquarters or offices in Western Europe. Ireland, in particular, is home to companies like Facebook (Meta), Udemy, LinkedIn, Apple, and PayPal. Finding skilled software engineers there is not a challenge. However, be prepared to pay for their expertise.

But if you are looking for a combination of high-quality software engineering for a decent cost of development hours, countries in Eastern Europe are likely to be your ideal choice.

Outsource development team in Eastern Europe

If you have already decided that the best option for offshoring your development team is in Eastern Europe, these three countries you should consider seriously:

Poland

With more than 400.000 IT experts, Poland is the largest IT Expert poll in Eastern Europe. Due to its connection with EU countries and lower working hours than the average EU price, Poland is a very popular destination for opening an office.

Serbia

If your team wants to hire a development team or a skilled expert for a competitive price, Serbia is the place where you need to look.

The high quality of education, high rate of fluency in English, and skilled experts are key reasons why companies like IBM and Microsoft have established development centers in Serbia.

Hiring a senior mobile app developer there will cost you between $35-$50 per hour.

Also, due to Serbia's geographic location and cultural factors, Serbian developers have a strong understanding of Western business culture.

This makes them a great fit for teams that need smooth communication and collaboration without the need for cultural onboarding.

If you are interested in hiring a developer from Serbia, you can read more about it here.

Ukraine

Ukraine has been a top choice for offshore development, but due to the current instability, many companies are looking for other options.

Still, Ukraine has many skilled developers ready to help with your project. With over 4,000 tech companies and 200,000 IT experts, it remains a strong player in the tech field.

The most popular programming languages in Ukraine are JavaScript, C#, Java, and PHP.

Big companies like Samsung, Siemens, Wargaming, and Huawei continue to hire developers from Ukraine, setting up remote teams to address the talent shortage.

Conclusion

While Indian developers can deliver a decent app at a lower cost, outsourcing your development team from Europe offers significant advantages.

In Europe, you can easily find a reliable partner who can offer higher-quality technology solutions while maintaining good communication during the project.

This is why Europe, especially Eastern Europe, is an excellent choice to outsource the development of your app, particularly if you prioritize quality over cost savings.

If you're looking for a company with a development team ready to build your app from scratch or need an expert to strengthen your team, feel free to reach out.