What should my startup look for in a React Native app agency?

You've got your world-changing idea, but you need help bringing it to life. You're looking for a full stack digital agency that has your best interests at heart, has a proven track record of delivery, and is capable of delivering something that has never been built before. You know your app should be built with React Native - it's an easy way to get running on multiple platforms with less costs. It's also very easy to hop onto Google, and search for React Native agencies - but you're probably thinking: what should I be looking for? How do I qualify an agency for further discussions? How do I make sure they're the right choice for my startup?

At Peslo, we know a lot about working with startups and what's important. With our track record of delivery across a range of React Native projects, we know what you should be looking for when choosing the right React Native agency for your project:

Experience and Expertise

First of all - has the agency you're working with delivered a React Native project before, or do they typically use other technologies? You wouldn't ask a plumber to wire up some new sockets - so why ask a Wordpress agency to build a React Native app?

Look for some good case studies and testimonials that show they're highly experienced, and even better: find those apps on the App Store or Play Store and try them out? How do they feel - does the app feel well built, performant, reliable? What do the reviews say about the app quality? If the app doesn't feel great, then that agency may not be the one to choose.

We're proud of our work with our clients, and we'd be more than happy to take some time to show you our work - feel free to reach out!

We also recommend finding an agency with experience in your specific industry, as they will have come face-to-face with problems that are likely to also impact your project, and they'll be able to resolve them quickly.

Team Composition

Just because an agency says they work with React Native, it doesn't mean they focus on that - perhaps they use a lot of technologies but don't have the depth of knowledge that your project is needing. Equally, it's important that an agency doesn't just have engineers - your project will need UI/UX designers, QA testers, project managers, and operations support to really excel.

We work with our partner agency Elevate Group to deliver our projects - we've worked closely with them on a range of projects, such as building the Clean Me mobile car wash app and our collaboration building the VIKIN festival app platform. We have engineering expertise in house with in-depth experience working with React Native, and a large network of experienced UK-based engineers we work with on a per-project basis when other specialisms are needed.

Communication and Collaboration

You're trusting another company with the future of your startup, so the communication needs to be excellent. When speaking with prospective engineering partners, really dig in to how they work alongside their clients and how often you'd be expecting to hear from them. Regular, honest, and transparent updates are crucial for establishing high levels of trust - and trust allows everyone to do their best work.

When working in certain sectors, like greentech or sustainability, it's also important that the agency you work with understands your mission and shares your values. Take a look at the previous clients of the agencies you've shortlisted: it's a great way to gauge if an agency really cares about their values or if they're willing to accept any work

With our previous experience in the greentech space with clients including ev.energy and Treecard, and our commitment to only working with clients who positively impact our world, Peslo is the ideal full stack agency for a startup that is looking to change the world for the better.

Development Processes

For your project to stay on track, any prospective agencies you're looking to work with need to follow some key processes. We'd recommend you question how they ensure the code they deliver is of high quality - you need to be hearing that they have automated workflows ensuring a consistent coding standard, that they conduct code reviews and use version control systems, and that they have a comprehensive approach to testing and QA. You also want to ensure that the agency you work with is able to provide regular deliverables - which'll allow for iterative development of the product & provide the opportunity for you to give regular feedback.

Even as a small boutique agency, we see our processes as something that sets us apart. We know that your app is critical to your business, so we treat is as such: we run automated systems to ensure the app is delivered to your specifications, we use secure version control systems to keep source code protected, and prioritise testing and QA with a focus on unit testing, automated end-to-end testing, and user acceptance testing

Previous Clients

Recommendations and references make decisions on who to work with even easier: you're more likely to choose a tradesperson who you've received a recommendation from - it's the same with apps too!

We'd recommend asking your network for recommendations for a trusted React Native agency, and for any prospective agencies you find you could ask for references from their previous clients. By getting a reference directly from old clients, you can get a clear & unbiased option on their performance, quality of work, reliability, and accuracy of pricing.

Another key detail to look at is how long an agency works with a client - if they work with clients on a long term basis, that's a great indicator of trust, reliability, and satisfaction. For an agency with lots of short term engagements, we'd recommend digging into those cases further to understand why the projects were short term.

Peslo has worked with a range of clients from pre-revenue to Series D startups, and our average engagement length is 14 months (with a range of 6 months for feature integrations like Tap and Pay for Zilch to 3 years for platform builds like Cherryz).

Quotation Accuracy

We get it - it's very easy to be tempted by low prices & promises of getting your project at rock-bottom prices. However if something seems to good to be true, it often is - those cheap prices you might get from outsourced agencies often have a string of unexpected caveats such as poor quality code, missed functionality, security issues, and inadequate testing. You may also find that a low initial price ends up costing more with hidden costs added on later, or additional development for missed functionality costing more than a trusted agency would have charged.

Our recommendation would be to get a few quotations from recommended app agencies, and assess the value delivered for each instead of simply choosing the lowest cost. If you receive a quote that seems too good to be true, you need to question why it's so cheap, and ensure that any contract you sign protects you from unexpected surprises later down the line.

Our approach to quotations is unique: we work alongside you to complete an investigation phase that allows us to understand your business, uncover risks, resolve uncertainties, and plan a realistic project timeline with an accurate quotation.

Maintenance and Support

You need to work with an agency that doesn't disappear once the app is released: you'll need ongoing support, with an expectation that any issues are resolved within a pre-agreed timeframe depending on their severity. As a startup with evolving priorities and a long roadmap ahead of you, you'll also need to be certain that your development partner will be there to deliver new features, quickly iterate through ideas to help you achieve product market fit, and stamp out any bugs that prevent you from achieving your mission.

As part of our contracts with our clients, we set out a Service Level Agreement to set clear expectations around how we respond to issues of different severities. We also offer Continuous Iteration contracts, providing our clients with the certainty that their app will be kept up to date for new devices, and that time will be available to deliver new features & improvements.

Scalability

Take a moment to think: what does 'scaling your business' look like? Is that having a large user base in the hundreds of thousands of customers, is it achieving certain revenue targets, or is it increasing the scope of functionality?

When you consider scaling your business, you need to consider if your app agency is up to the challenge of scaling your platform too. It's very easy to build quickly without consideration for scaling, only to then have growing pains that then slow your business down - making you lose out on opportunities that you could have otherwise taken. The agency you work with needs to understand how a startup works - they have to understand and respect the balance between prompt delivery, whilst ensuring that growth is achievable without slowing down your business. We'd recommend asking your app agency about their chosen tech stack, as they should be using technologies that easily scale & are widely supported.

Almost all of our projects are with high-growth and high-impact startups, so we've seen first-hand how a scalable app can supercharge a company through funding rounds and create a positive impact in our world. In our investigation phase, we take the time to consider what growth looks like, so we can deliver quickly whilst ensuring that as your startup grows, your app can grow equally as fast.

Intellectual Property and Data Security

You need to think outside of the typical startup ideas of "move fast", "fail quickly", and "just build it" and consider some of the more 'boring' concepts of an engineering project: your company's intellectual property and the data security of your customers.

When choosing an app agency to work with, ask them how they work to protect your customers from security incidents - you need to be hearing that the follow principles of secure coding, that they build infrastructure with security in mind, and that they work with pen-testing companies to actually validate that the systems they deliver are actually secure. For projects with even tighter security requirements such as finance (where PCI compliance might be required) or health (where compliance with HIPAA may be needed), you'll need to ensure the app agency you choose is up to the task of actually complying as the repercussions to your business may be massive from a regulatory and prosecution perspective. It is also important to consider that whilst you may currently be operating in a jurisdiction with lax regulations, if you intend to expand to regions with tighter regulations, it may be easier & better for your customers to comply with the stronger regulation straightaway.

We'd also recommend getting legal advice to confirm that when an app agency delivers your project, that your startup will own the intellectual property rights of the developed application.

Peslo as worked in a range of industries where enhanced regulatory compliance is a must - for example non-compliance with PCI DSS can result in fines for your company, legal action due to negligence, and damage to your company's reputation. We work closely with our clients to understand a project's individual needs, alongside focusing on our core internal security policies to protect our systems.

Beyond Your App

Whilst it's essential to get the best agency for your React Native project, you also need to consider how other parts of your business will also need to grow to accommodate your new app. For example, you can have a world-class app, but without proper customer support & processes, you'll struggle to scale & create a negative impression with your customers. You might have an game-changing idea, but without the right branding and creative direction, you'll lack the cohesive brand touch-points that help you stand out. We work with our partner agency Elevate Group to help your startup really scale.

We also like to think into the far future, as we know that when you've reached a certain scale, you may look at bringing engineering in-house. We've worked with previous clients as they've moved engineering in-house; helping to find & shortlist prospective candidates, build interview processes that respect candidate's time, and structure teams that put your startup in the best place for the future.

In summary, there are a range of points to consider when you choose your React Native app agency for your next big idea, so you can change the world. Take a moment to chat with us, so we can show you how we've delivered world-class software for other startups and how we can do the same for you too. Book a no-obligation call with us here: https://peslostudios.com/contact