How to hire React Native developers: 24 buyer questions

What is the short answer for a busy buyer?

Hire against the next piece of work the developer must own. Put that work in the job description and use it to shape the interview. A list of tools gives candidates less direction than a clear account of the app and its problems.

For an existing app, the role might focus on fixing crashes and shipping changes without breaking current users. For a new product, it might include setting up the release process. Make those duties explicit before comparing candidates.

Write a short role scorecard that covers:

• The first deliverable and who will review it.
• The mobile platforms and code the hire will maintain.
• The decisions they can make without approval.
• The shared hours your team needs.
• The person responsible for backend work and design.
• The budget owner and intended start date.

Separate skills the person needs on arrival from skills your team can teach. If nobody else can handle mobile releases, assess that responsibility during the interview. If an experienced colleague will own releases, explain how the new hire will contribute.

Use a paid work sample with a fixed scope. Give each candidate the same starting code and instructions. Ask them to explain their choices, revise part of the solution, and describe what they would test next. Keep the exercise small enough to review together.

For example, ask the candidate to repair a screen that loses the user's input after a failed request. Review whether they preserve the input and give the user a clear next step. Then ask how they would test the fix on a device. This gives the interviewer concrete behavior to discuss.

Tell candidates whether AI tools are allowed. If they are, ask the candidate to explain how they checked the output. Score the result and the reasoning using the same standard for everyone.

If you want to discuss the role with Opus, start with that scorecard. This site is an Opus-owned reference; recommendations are editorial.

Talk to Opus about a role.

What does the data say about cost and hiring time?

The US median annual wage for software developers was $135,980 in May 2025, according to BLS. That is a broad occupation benchmark. It is not a React Native quote or a total employment budget.

Use it as context when reviewing a hiring plan. Ask for a quote tied to the actual role and compare the same cost categories. A salary figure and a monthly service invoice may cover different expenses. Do not calculate savings until you know what each amount includes.

Build the comparison around the period you expect to employ the person. Record recurring charges separately from setup costs. Ask whether equipment, paid leave, or changes in exchange rates affect the invoice. Have the provider show how an early departure would change your total spend.

Keep the cost of hiring a developer separate from the cost of delivering the app. Your project may also need design work and backend changes. Assign those duties before treating a developer's quote as the budget for launch.

SHRM puts median time to fill at roughly a month and a half for executive and nonexecutive roles in 2025. Its measure runs from job requisition to offer acceptance. See SHRM's recruiting benchmark. That benchmark covers hiring beyond mobile engineering.

For your own schedule, track shortlist delivery, offer acceptance, and the first working day separately. Ask about notice periods before committing a new hire to a release date. Leave room for access setup and an initial review of the code.

Name the person who can approve the offer before interviews begin. Reserve time for technical reviews and set a deadline for written feedback. When an interviewer raises a concern, ask what evidence would resolve it. That gives the next conversation a purpose.

A provider's search schedule cannot tell you when your own team will finish its assessment. Put both schedules on the hiring plan and assign an owner to each decision.

How do nearshore hiring models differ?

Choose the model by assigning responsibility for the search, employment, and daily work. Use the table below as a contract checklist. Ask each provider to mark which duties its quote covers.

For a developer joining your internal team, name the engineering manager who will assign work and review it. Budget that manager's time for onboarding. Decide who will answer product questions when the manager is busy.

For a project engagement, define deliverables and the acceptance process. Specify what the team must hand over, including build instructions and access to release accounts. Ask who fixes defects found after acceptance and how that work is priced.

If you already have a finalist, focus the provider discussion on the employment duties you need covered. If you still need candidates, ask how search and technical screening fit into the agreement. Avoid paying for overlapping services without deciding who owns the result.

For Latin American candidates, confirm hours by city. Bogotá is UTC-5 without daylight saving time. Buenos Aires and São Paulo are UTC-3 without seasonal clock changes. See IANA's South America time zone data.

Mexico City is UTC-6 without daylight saving time, while Tijuana follows US seasonal clock changes. See IANA's North America time zone data. Put the agreed shared hours in writing and check them against your US team's calendar.

Ask candidates to confirm the actual meeting schedule. Include any release calls that fall outside normal hours. A location alone does not establish someone's availability, and a promise of overlap needs a start and end time.

Ask how the arrangement ends before signing. Confirm notice terms and code handover. Keep company ownership of repositories and app accounts explicit in the agreement so a change of personnel does not interrupt access.

What should you ask a provider?

Ask for evidence you can use in a hiring decision. A screening label alone does not tell you whether a candidate can maintain your app. Request a sample assessment and find out who reviewed it.

Ask which parts of the assessment were specific to mobile work. Did the candidate work on a device? Did they explain a failed request and discuss release ownership? Have the provider distinguish demonstrated skills from topics covered only in conversation.

For each finalist, request a clear account of their contribution to a shipped product. Have the candidate explain a technical decision and what happened after release. Respect confidentiality; a sanitized walkthrough can still show how someone thinks.

Ask follow-up questions about ownership. Who wrote the code under discussion? Who found the defect? What did the candidate change after receiving feedback? Give them space to describe work done by colleagues so you can assess their own contribution fairly.

Check communication through the tasks the job requires. Request a short update about a blocked release, including what happened and what help is needed. During a code review, ask the candidate to explain a decision to a teammate unfamiliar with that part of the app.

Get a written quote that identifies included costs and possible extras. Ask about equipment, paid leave, and any charges when the engagement ends. Confirm whether currency changes can affect the invoice and how price changes are communicated.

Before signing, resolve these questions:

• Who signs the employment or services agreement with the developer?
• Who owns the code and other work created during the engagement?
• Who approves access to customer data?
• What happens if the hire leaves during a release?
• Who handles performance concerns?
• What does the replacement process require from your team?

For replacement terms, ask about the work between a departure and the next hire's start date. Confirm who keeps the release process running. A replacement search and a handover plan address different needs, so assign an owner to each.

Keep a written record of the answers beside the quote. If a promise affects your budget or launch plan, ask for it in the contract. Share that record with the manager who will work with the hire.

Prepare onboarding while interviews are underway. Choose a small first task and name its reviewer. Make sure the new hire can build the app without needing broad access to live customer data. Explain how to report a blocker and who can approve a release.

Where does Opus fit?

Opus states that it charges one flat monthly rate per hire. That covers the person's pay, local payroll, benefits and labor compliance, plus placement support. There is no separate recruiting fee. The rate depends on role, seniority and location.

Published dollar rate: Not published.

Ask for a written quote for the role you intend to fill. Specify whether you need React web work, React Native mobile work, or both. Include the release duties so candidates are assessed against the same scope.

Opus states that the client chooses the finalist and manages day-to-day work. Plan to keep a technical interviewer and an engineering manager involved. Ask to see the evidence behind each candidate's assessment before making the choice.

Use the interview to resolve concerns specific to your app. If the hire will inherit a difficult release process, describe it. If backend ownership sits with another team, explain that boundary. Give the candidate enough context to ask useful questions about the work.

Opus also states that every placement carries a lifetime replacement guarantee with no cap and no time limit. Request the contract terms and discuss the handover process before relying on a replacement search in your delivery plan.

Keep responsibility for the app clear within your team. Name the person who can approve emergency access and the person who can publish a release. Document the build process so those duties can be covered during leave or a change of staff.

This arrangement is worth discussing if you want the quoted employment support and have a manager ready to direct the hire. Bring the role scorecard, your interview availability, and the intended start date. Ask for a proposal that addresses those requirements.

Talk to Opus about a role.

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