Need Laravel development services for your upcoming software projects?
Being one of the most popular PHP frameworks today. It’s no wonder over 1.6 million websites are using the Laravel framework. Laravel offers a high performing backend that handles heavy traffic with ease. Along with top notch security to keep your end user’s data safe. It even offers multilingual options.
With a library of modules, you can build web applications without coding. Creating software products for your end users using Laravel is a great idea. Companies big and small love building with Laravel due to its functionality and friendliness towards rapid/agile development. Allowing you to push products to market faster.
But if you're looking to hire a Laravel development company. It can prove to be a daunting task. You end up looking at dozens of agencies. Trying to find ones in your budget. Then looking through their website to see if they have the expertise in the type of product you want. It can be an overwhelming process.
Here you’ll find out what the day to day of the Laravel developer you hire will look like. What to look for in an agency and we’ll highlight some to check out.
What is typically included with Laravel development services?
A Laravel developer’s day to day will look similar to any other developers you’ve worked with. They’re either putting out fires or building upon the foundation of the product.
If you already have applications using Laravel. A developer would maintain that product. Debugging, running diagnostics, monitoring traffic, and offering suggestions to the project manager to improve user experience.
If you don’t have any Laravel products. They will work with you to build them out. Depending on your needs, these developers can assist all throughout the development process. From empathizing with end users, creating the databases to pushing prototypes and implementing feedback.
During all of this you should expect documentation from developers.
This documentation will include:
Bugs
UX & UI suggestions
Features added
Traffic anomalies
API relations and integration
And more
These documents will act as quantitative data allowing you to access product health and team effectiveness.
What to look for in a Laravel development agency
Before you sign on with any agency it’s important to know what the different types are and how they can fit your needs.
The right outsourcing format
Regardless of coding expertise, there are 3 types of software development agencies:
Scalable, fully managed - Companies like DevSquad offer everything required to launch and maintain your software products. Including but not limited to: app development, DevOps, UX designers, QA managers, etc. You can work with agencies like them for the long run. If you foresee your company growing and want a consistent partner. They have the manpower to keep you going.
Boutique firm with limited capacity - Boutique agencies are fully managed but not as scalable. They act as a good short to mid term hire. But you may need to move on from them. Which means you need to make sure they have the systems in place to give you the reins to the Laravel product(s).
Staffing agency with no management - Staffing agencies find you the developers to fill your team. However, that's where their assistance ends. You have to handle the DevOps, UX design, QA management. To use their services you have to pay an ongoing fee while using these developers or a one time finders fee.
To decide on the the type of Laravel development agency you want. It’s important to first understand your business needs. For example, does your company have project managers that can keep the project on track and under budget? Do you foresee using these developers just to get the app development off the ground? Can you handle ongoing maintenance and updating?
Asking these questions and more can narrow your search immediately. Contributing to less time looking and more time producing.
Once you choose a type of agency it’s time to go deep into each company to find the best fit.
Technical skills
The agency you choose should of course be up to date with the newest version of Laravel. They should also have knowledge not just of Laravel, but the coding languages that often work in tandem (java, python, Vue.js,). The agency needs to have a deep understanding of the systems that work with Laravel such as OOP and MVC. And how that functionality relates to customer satisfaction.
TestGorilla offers Laravel interview tests that let you access the knowledge of your potential hires.
Niche familiarity
Finding a Laravel development company that has worked on similar products to yours in the past is a great boon. These agencies can help you avoid the mistakes of other companies in your niche and put your application development on the fast track to success.
However if the company hasn’t worked on similar products it shouldn’t be a deal breaker either. Because implementation of ideas from other niches can bring innovation to your product. Allowing it to stand out in the market.
Ideally you want a company that has worked on a variety of projects; including ones similar to yours.
Soft skills
After the hard skills, comes the often overlooked soft skills. A developer may have all the credentials in the world but if they are hard to deal with. Is it really worth it? Having the skills below can improve the odds of the developer being a good fit.
Responsive - You want developers that communicate and hit guidelines. A great way to immediately tell this is on the first interview/meeting. When do they arrive? Early, late? If it's late, how do they explain it?
Problem solving - The developers you hire will be working by themselves for the majority of the project. So solving problems on their own is a must.
Adaptive - You want a developer who keeps up with the latest trends to help your product lead the pack.
Collaborative - While the majority of the time your developers will be on their own. There will eventually be a need for collaboration. Such as during the implementation of new features or product launches. Having a developer that the team finds hard to work with, will bring the whole project down.
13 Laravel development services companies to consider
Ready to get vetting? Check out these developers:
1. DevSquad
DevSquad is product development agency that provides fully managed product teams. They use a dual-track agile process to run discovery and development sprints concurrently so that new features are being validated while already-vetted features are being developed.
Pros
Specializes in Laravel (backend) and Vue.js (frontend).
Offers fully managed product teams.
Product strategy, UX design, DevOps, and QA is all included.
Expertise working with Fortune 500 and founders launching a SaaS business for the first time.
Cons
Doesn’t offer individual Laravel developers for hire.
1. Pixel
Based out of Brisbane, Australia, Pixel is a Laravel developer agency with expertise in the ecommerce and Shopify space. Along with their Laravel development services, they offer a mobile to desktop web design and app migration with zero downtime.
Pros
Proven ecommerce success.
Hassle-free Shopify migration.
15 years of Laravel experience.
Cons
Difficult scheduling around different time zones.
2. Asper Brothers
Living by their “fail fast and cheap'' agile development strategy. Asper Brothers help companies bring Laravel MVP, web apps and mobile products to market. This Polish agency has experience in niches from e-commerce, healthcare, Real estate, video, travel, and more.
Pros
Worked with companies around the globe.
Experience in various niches.
Time and materials contract allows for the dynamic nature of software. development.
Cons
Team of 35; though unclear how many Laravel developers.
3. Creating Digital
Specializing in digital marketing and website care; Creating Digital offers Laravel development services based out of my home state of New Jersey. Serving the Tri-state area since 2009, their 6-step process turns the website from an idea to a converting product.
Pros
Promotes a smooth handoff of Laravel products.
Have worked in a variety of niches.
Capacity to work for any size business.
Cons
Lack of clarity on if they accept jobs outside of tri-state area.
4. Lime Web Development
One of the first few UK based developers. Lime Web Development has deep love and understanding for WordPress, WooCommerce and the Laravel framework. With their Laravel skill set being valuable for all business sizes. As a bonus, if you're in Chorley or the surrounding region, they offer discounted rates for their services.
Pros
24/7 support line.
Offers discount rates for UK companies.
Almost 30 years experience.
Cons
May not be able to scale with your business.
5. B-works
Being nominated in 2020’s Best of Swiss Web for innovation and business means you're a company recognized for its work. With offices in Berlin and Zurich, B-works offers Laravel services from ideation to maintenance. While providing payment plans for any sized business they also offer custom packages.
Pros
Highly accredited.
Full stack developers.
Offers more than just development services.
Cons
20+ team members may not be enough to scale with.
6. Larasoft
Larasoft is a boutique agency out of London. Since 2012 Larasoft has specialized in Laravel web development in tandem with cloud services. You can choose between a self managed project or let Larasoft handle it.
Pros
10+ years experience.
Offer inhouse and outsourcing of Laravel services.
Offer chief technical officer consultations.
Cons
Possibility of long waiting lists.
7. Logicspice
Logicspice is an Indian based Laravel development agency. With 13 years in the space they have grown to offer more than just Laravel services. Now offering software packages such as freelancing website modules and almost any coding language under the sun.
Pros
Offer wide variety of services and products.
Over 1200 applications delivered.
3 offices on 3 continents.
Cons
Case studies don’t show the design thinking process.
8. Appwrk IT Solutions
Appwrk IT Solutions are a Laravel outsourcing specialist with 6 locations based all over the world. Presenting the full suit of Laravel services. From CRM, cloud development and RESTful API. You can have confidence that their developers are experienced.
Pros:
Offers a globe spanning workforce.
Competitive pricing due to outsourcing.
Worked in newer fields such as blockchain.
Cons:
Only supply developers; project management falls to you.
9. Turing
If your just looking to round out your Laravel development team or fill in an open position, check out Turing. Turing allows companies to pick from the top 1% of the 2+ million that have applied to the site. Developer profiles showcase proficiencies, experience, availability and more
Pros:
Highly vetted.
Hire by developer(s), or by AI built team.
One of the pioneers in AI team building.
Cons:
Talent is higher quality, thus more costly.
10. The Software House
The Software House is an interesting beast. Being a boutique agency at heart but with outsourcing capabilities means they have the potential to grow with your business. Working with them gets you a Software House project manager along with other senior level developers and then you can decide how big the team becomes.
Pros
Interesting take on development team makeup.
Project managers AgilePM certified.
Deep knowledge of the fintech and IT industries.
Cons
13 in house Laravel developers.
11. ESparkBiz
ESparkBiz is a software development agency with 50+ inhouse developers and 200+ more pre-vetted waiting in the wings for team growth requirements. They promote >24 hours hiring and a 2 week risk free trial.
Pros
Ability to grow with your business.
Can narrow down to the type of Laravel developer you need.
Have ventured into emerging markets(blockchain).
Cons
Options for service can be overwhelming.
12. Aloa
While not a Laravel Developer per se. If you’re already sick of vetting. Aloa might be for you. Aloa vets hundreds of software developments agencies and matches you up based on your needs. No money down to get a quote.
Pros
You do minimal vetting.
Aloa holds both parties accountable.
Provide project management tools.
Cons
Aloa will get their cut along with the development agency.
Work with the experts in Laravel development
If designing the Laravel application isn’t all your company needs. DevSquad is here to help. DevSquad is a leading product strategy, design and development consultancy. We believe in helping our clients every step of the way to build products that achieve their goals.
Learn more about DevSquad’s fully managed Laravel development services.
