Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between mobile applications developers and contract developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a mobile applications developer and a contract developer. Additionally, a mobile applications developer has an average salary of $99,257, which is higher than the $91,433 average annual salary of a contract developer.
The top three skills for a mobile applications developer include java, C++ and mobile development. The most important skills for a contract developer are C++, javascript, and java.
| Mobile Applications Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,257 | $91,433 |
| Hourly rate | $47.72 | $43.96 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 252,254 | 249,808 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A mobile application developer is responsible for designing programming applications for mobile devices according to clients' specifications and business demands. Mobile application developers must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as computer system commands to develop efficient scripts and smooth navigation of operating systems. They analyze the clients' needs and recommend application solutions within their budget limitations and timeframe. A mobile application developer identifies inconsistencies and glitches with the output before submission to ensure its stability and optimal performance.
Contract Developers develop secure web applications for data collections, quality measurement efforts, and reporting purposes for large-scale performance, wireframes and UI specifications for interactive and static reporting and analysis features, and developing UI to interact with reporting engines. They are involved with system design and technical documentation and responsible for dot net development. In this position, contract developers must excellent in problem-solving, analytical skills and attention to detail, display and manipulate performance metrics, and highly confident dealing with internal and external clients.
Mobile applications developers and contract developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mobile Applications Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average salary | $99,257 | $91,433 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $130,000 | Between $67,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Avanade | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a mobile applications developer and a contract developer in terms of educational background:
| Mobile Applications Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between mobile applications developers' and contract developers' demographics:
| Mobile Applications Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.5% Female, 17.5% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 27.8% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |