Are you looking to hire blockchain developers or a blockchain development team to build and scale your latest innovative decentralized application?
If yes, read on as I’m about to cover a wealth of valuable information on how to hire blockchain developers in 2024, including associated costs, the top 5 companies where to hire blockchain application developers, project examples, and much more.
Blockchain technology is transforming industries worldwide, creating new opportunities for applications in finance, supply chain, healthcare, and beyond. “The global blockchain technology market size is calculated at USD 26.91 billion in 2024 and is expected to achieve around USD 1,879.30 billion by 2034, representing a healthy CAGR of 52.9% between 2024 and 2034.” – Globe News Wire
However, only the best projects succeed, and only if you secure the best blockchain developers can yours be one of them. Read on as I will show you how to do it.
In this article:
Latest Blockchain Development Trends
Statista recently reported that “Blockchain technology is forecast to increase to nearly 1,000 trillion U.S. dollars by 2032”
Blockchain Technology Market Size to Achieve USD 1,879.30 Billion by 2034
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Blockchain Developer?
Let’s start by covering the basics, i.e. the associated rates of hiring blockchain developers from different regions around the world. By doing this, I will be able to show you which ones will fit your budget. After I have done this, I will then show the cost of hiring blockchain developers in the United States by state.
Here are the costs associated with hiring blockchain developers in four geographical regions: the United States, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and India. All prices are in USD.
Note: If you live in the United States, make sure you hire from a US-based company. The reason for this is simple. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult for you to ensure you can exercise your legal rights as per your contract should anything go wrong. Trying to sue a developer in India over a copyright breach is a nightmare.
Additionally, working with people from the same culture goes a long way when you work on innovative, complex blockchain applications.
United States Mid-level and Senior Blockchain Developers: $60 – $350 per hour, or $11,000 to $50,000 per month full-time, depending on whether you hire expert developers from a blockchain development platform, in-house employees, freelance developers, or a high-end agency in Silicon Valley (yep, you can expect to pay $350/h or $50K/mo per one blockchain developer on a full-time basis).
Western Europe Mid-level and Senior Blockchain Developer: $50 – $220 per hour, or from $9,000 to $34,000 per month full-time, depending, again, on your hiring source.
Eastern Europe Mid-level and Senior Blockchain Developer: $40 – $160 per hour, or from $6,400 to $25,600 per month full-time.
India Mid-level and Senior Blockchain Developer: $15 – $70 per hour, or from $2,400 to $11,200 per month full-time.
Cost of United States’ Mobile App Developers by States:
Blockchain developers for hire in California (San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco): $124,800 to $284,000 per year
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Blockchain developers for hire in Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Greenwood Village): $111,000 – $124,000 per year
Blockchain developer for hire in Illinois (Chicago, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield): $106,228 – $123,440 per year
Developer for hire in Maryland (Fort Washington, Baltimore, Annapolis): $90,001 – $115,000 per year
Hire Blockchain developer in Massachusetts (Boston, Worcester, Springfield): $112,500 – $113,875 per year
Hire Blockchain developers in New York (Albany, New York, Brooklyn): $112,500 – $166,400 per year
Hire developers in Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas): $93,917 – $121,811 per year
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I will repeat the advice I gave above just above, simply to highlight its importance. You should hire blockchain developers from a software development platform based in your home country, wherever possible. It will save you lots of headaches should you end up with substandard blockchain freelancers.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Blockchain Application in 2024?
The cost of your blockchain application and the number of developers you need will be determined by the complexity of your project. To start with, is yours a simple blockchain project that only involves a few simple smart contracts, etc? Or, is yours an enterprise-grade blockchain solution, such as a complex supply chain system that requires complex smart contracts that allow for real-time tracking?
To help you get a clearer picture of what I am talking about, I will detail 3 examples of blockchain projects, increasing in complexity each time. I will include the number of blockchain developers required, as well as general costs and timelines, to help you better understand where your project may fit.
A Simple Blockchain Like a Cryptocurrency Wallet
A cryptocurrency wallet allows users to store, send, and receive cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. It is a good example of a simple blockchain project.
A simple cryptocurrency wallet blockchain application can cost anywhere from $10K to $75K, depending on the app’s features and the technological complexity. It can take 1 to 3 blockchain developers between 2 to 6 weeks to build it.
The key features that your blockchain developers would need to build include:
- Function to send/receive digital currencies via blockchain.
- Feature to view transaction history.
- Integration of security measures like private key encryption.
A Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Platform (Intermediate)
A DeFi lending and borrowing platform like Aave or Compound allows users to access or lend out assets without intermediaries.
This intermediate-level blockchain application can cost anywhere from $50K to $300K and take between 2 to 6 months to complete, depending on features. The development team required will likely consist of 3 or more blockchain developers, as well as other engineers such as backend developers.
Don’t forget you will need highly competent QA engineers who can make sure that all your code is bug-free. This is vital for any code being used to add data to the blockchain, as the blockchain is immutable, so once data is recorded there, it becomes very hard to change.
Typical features that your blockchain team will need to build include:
- A Peer-to-peer lending and borrowing function that utilizes smart contracts.
- The implementation of smart contracts that handle transactions and interest calculations.
- The creation of tokens that can be used by your application for various payment transactions.
- Use of blockchain oracles to fetch real-time asset prices.
A Complex Enterprise-Grade Blockchain Application
A blockchain-based supply chain management platform like IBM’s Food Trust allows companies to track the journey of products through the supply chain, from production to point of sale.
This type of blockchain enterprise-grade solution that includes mobile apps will cost anywhere from $300K and up. It will take 6 months or more to launch. The expected design and development team will likely consist of 6 blockchain engineers, backend developers, etc.
Examples of the key features that will need to be developed include:
- Real-time tracking of goods and assets across multiple parties.
- Immutable ledger ensuring traceability of each product from origin to delivery.
- Integration with IoT devices for automated data collection.
- Smart contracts for automating quality checks, payments, and compliance.
- Permissioned blockchain to ensure only authorized parties access specific data.
What Kind of Blockchain Developers Do You Need?
There are 3 main types of blockchain developers: Core Blockchain Developers, Smart Contract Developers, and Blockchain dApp Developers.
Let’s start with Core Blockchain Developers.
Core Blockchain Developers
Core blockchain developers are responsible for developing and maintaining the underlying technology and architecture of the blockchain. They use programming languages like C++, Go, and Rust to build and maintain blockchain solutions. These developers are primarily tasked with implementing the protocol, consensus algorithms, and data structures that power the blockchain.
Finding and hiring skilled core developers can be very challenging due to the specialized knowledge required in cryptography and distributed systems. While blockchain is now becoming something of a mature technology, the best core blockchain developers are still in high demand. Be sure to take the time to find the best ones, as their expertise is crucial for ensuring the reliability and security of your blockchain application.
Key Responsibilities:
- To design and implement blockchain protocols and consensus mechanisms (e.g., Proof of Work, Proof of Stake).
- Build and optimize your blockchain architecture. This includes nodes and network security.
- Implement cryptographic methods to secure data on the blockchain.
- Develop upgrades and improvements for the blockchain’s performance, scalability, and efficiency (This is very important if you want your blockchain app to stay relevant).
Vital Blockchain Developer Skills:
- A high-level understanding of low-level programming languages like C++, Go, or Rust.
- Extensive experience using distributed systems, consensus algorithms, and cryptography.
- Experience with blockchain platforms like Ethereum, Bitcoin, or Hyperledger.
Smart Contract Developers
Smart contracts are self-executing contracts that use a set of protocols and conditions to automatically execute contracts. Smart contract developers are experts in creating smart contracts using programming languages like Solidity and Vyper.
Note: Since these contacts are, in most cases, fully automated and work with immutable data via a blockchain, they MUST be written to the highest standards. Poorly written contracts have already caused a good number of headlines (just ask your search engine) by allowing security breaches that have cost millions of dollars. Never release your blockchain solution without getting it fully tested by a professional quality assurance engineer.
Key Responsibilities of a Smart Contract Developer:
- Write, test, and deploy smart contracts using languages like Solidity (for Ethereum), Rust (for Solana), Vyper, etc.
- Design the architecture of smart contracts and ensure they meet your project specification goals.
- Implement best practices in security as well as smart contract auditing.
- Integrate smart contracts with blockchain platforms like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana, etc.
- Work with tools such as Web3.js, Ethers.js, or similar to connect contracts to front-end interfaces or other blockchain services.
- 6. Write and execute unit tests to ensure the accuracy and reliability of smart contracts.
- Ensure smooth migration of smart contracts during protocol upgrades or version changes (only if you choose to keep your developer on post-launch.
Key Skills:
- Highly skilled in programming languages such as Solidity, Vyper (for Ethereum), and Rust (for Solana).
- Understanding of general-purpose programming languages like Python, JavaScript, or Go for when your developer must create off-chain components.
- Extensive understanding of blockchain technologies, consensus mechanisms, and decentralized networks.
- Knowledge of various blockchain platforms such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Solana is a must.
- A good understanding and grasp of cryptographic concepts like hashing, encryption, and digital signatures.
- Expertise in identifying and mitigating smart contract vulnerabilities (e.g., reentrancy, gas limit issues, integer overflows).
- A good background using development frameworks like Truffle, Hardhat, or Brownie for testing, compiling, and deploying smart contracts.
- Expert debugging skills allow the developer to identify and resolve issues in both local and live blockchain environments.
Blockchain Application Developers (dApp Developers)
Your blockchain application will also require a specific backend and server infrastructure. Since this backend must interact with the blockchain, it requires a set of specific skills and understandings. Blockchain application developers focus on building applications that interact with the blockchain, often known as decentralized applications (dApps).
Key Responsibilities of a Blockchain Application Developer :
- To develop smart contracts using platforms like Ethereum (Solidity) or Hyperledger (Chaincode).
- To Build front-end and back-end solutions for decentralized applications.
- Blockchain developers must Integrate applications with blockchain networks via APIs and SDKs.
- To thoroughly test and deploy smart contracts on testnets and mainnets.
- Blockchain application developers need to ensure secure, efficient, and user-friendly interfaces for interacting with blockchain data.
Blockchain Application Developers Skills:
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- Expertise in smart contract languages like Solidity, Vyper (for Ethereum), or Chaincode (for Hyperledger).
- Knowledge of front-end and back-end development, including JavaScript frameworks like React or Angular.
- Understanding of blockchain APIs, cryptographic protocols, and wallet integration.
- Familiarity with Web3, Metamask, Truffle, or Hardhat frameworks.
This leads me to backend server providers.
Top Backend Server Providers
While DApps interact with blockchain networks like Ethereum, Solana via smart contracts, they still need backend services to allow for specific functionalities. Depending on the type of blockchain product that you are creating, it is highly likely that you will need some form of managed infrastructure service or backend server provider.
The top backend server providers are:
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has a whole range of powerful tools that developers can use for blockchain application development. Examples include blockchain services like its Blockchain Node Engine. Other examples include Google Kubernetes Engine, which allows developers to run and test their blockchain nodes in a test environment. BigQuery is another useful tool that helps undertake analytics on blockchain data.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading backend service provider that requires no introduction. It has powerful tools that can be used by blockchain developers to deploy and manage blockchain networks. This can be done through Amazon Managed Blockchain.
- Microsoft Azure provides excellent backend services for blockchain developers. Its Azure Blockchain Service supports all the major programming languages and frameworks, making it an excellent choice when it comes to building and deploying blockchain applications.
Provided that you ensure that you have the right team and infrastructure in place, you will be able to build and launch a feature-rich blockchain app that will be highly successful.
Additional Skills for Blockchain Developers
I have now listed the main skills that your blockchain developer will need, depending on the type of blockchain app that they are required to build. However, they will also need other critical skills:
- Excellent problem-solving abilities. Blockchain development involves the use of many technologies that require top-rate problem-solving abilities. I.e., cryptography, etc.
- Familiarity with Agile development practices or the software development methodology of your choosing. Agile is best as it enhances collaboration and improves the reliability of the finished project.
- Clear communication is vital for collaborating with team members and stakeholders. It is only with good communication that you can hope for your developer to ensure that your project meets its goals.
- The blockchain landscape is still evolving. This means that it is essential that your blockchain developer has a real passion for their job. This passion will ensure that they stay up to date with the latest innovations in the blockchain world.
5 Steps to Hiring Blockchain Developers
You will obviously want to ensure that you find the best blockchain developers for your project. To do this, you should follow these 5 steps:
Step 1: Define Your Project Requirements
All projects start with an idea. This idea must be developed and turned into a detailed project requirements document that outlines your blockchain application’s goals, features, functionalities, and user roles.
This document is vital as it serves as the foundation for your development project. You should spend a good amount of time ensuring that your project requirements document is as accurate and as detailed as possible. You can also use information from this document to define which blockchain developers you will need and also use this information when hiring them.
Step 2: Choose Your Hiring Platform
Unless you are hiring in-house, you have two main options for hiring blockchain developers:
1. A Software Development Company. Hiring or outsourcing developers from a reputable software development company is the top choice for most companies. This is because this approach typically offers more security, as reputable firms have vetted developers and established processes. Other examples of the advantages include access to cohesive teams who have worked for the platform for years, complimentary quality assurance (with some of the better software development companies), and structured contracts that include water-tight NDAs.
2. Freelance Platforms are the other option. While these platforms offer a broad range of developers, who are often willing to work for cheaper rates, they come with risks such as variable work quality and what I call the ‘wild-west’ problems, such as working on multiple projects at once, the chance that they might steal your idea, etc. Be cautious when hiring freelancers, as you will need to manage the entire recruitment process yourself. This includes vetting them to make sure they are who and what they claim to be.
Step 3: Review, Shortlist, and Interview Candidates
Next, you will need to develop a clear job description, post an ad, or contact software development companies before shortlisting the suitable candidates based on their experience and skills.
Once you have done this, you will be able to start your interviews. You can follow a 3 interview process as I outline below.
1. Initial Screening
Use your initial screening to go over candidates’ backgrounds, work attitudes, and qualifications. Discuss their experience with relevant technologies. This will also be a good opportunity to assess their communication skills.
Don’t forget to cover the pay rate and work expectations, including time-zone differences and work hours, etc.
2. Technical Assessment
The technical interview is where you get the chance to deeply evaluate their programming skills and problem-solving abilities with relevant tasks or coding challenges.
If you are not a blockchain developer, then I strongly recommend that you find, even hire, an expert blockchain developer to help you with this interview. They will be able to quickly identify the best blockchain developers and really test their abilities by asking in-depth follow-up questions.
3. Final Interview
You should now have reduced your list to just a few remaining candidate blockchain developers. The final interview is where you get to dive even deeper into candidates’ technical skills and assess their fit within your team. At this stage, you will be able to ask questions relating to your specific project needs to see what solutions they come up with.
I recommend recording these meetings so that you can rewatch them when you sit down to make your choice about which one you will choose.
Step 4: Thoroughly Check References
Conduct comprehensive reference checks to verify candidates’ past work and experiences. This will help ensure that you’re making a sound hiring decision. You won’t believe how many companies rush or even skip this bit. Please don’t make that mistake.
Step 5: Onboard Your Blockchain Developer
Once you’ve hired the right developer, ensure a smooth onboarding process. Discuss your project management tools, expected work practices, and communication methods. Establish clear guidelines for collaboration and integration into your existing workflow.
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Now that you know the process, I will now cover the best companies to hire blockchain developers from.
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Top 5 Companies to Hire Blockchain Developers From in 2024
Now that you have an understanding of blockchain development, here are the top companies where you can hire blockchain developers in 2024:
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1. DevTeam.Space
Innovative American software development firm DevTeam.Space has a 99% project success record. In addition to building dependable and scalable custom software applications, mobile apps, websites, live-streaming software applications, speech recognition systems, ChatGPT and AI-powered solutions, and Internet of Things solutions, DevTeam.Space also manages complex software integrations for a range of industries, including banking, construction, gaming, finance, hospitality, healthcare, music, entertainment, and gaming. All of these software integrations are completed on schedule and within budget.
DevTeam.Space boasts 1200 engineers and more than 60 professional software development teams that are supported by the company’s own AI-powered Agile approach and receive ongoing, up-to-date training. They provide both full-time and part-time hiring alternatives for software development outsourcing and outstaffing, and they have worked with well-known companies like Disney, Samsung, NEC, and Airbus.
This well-known software development company uses an AI-powered agile methodology to support an exclusive community of seasoned software development teams.
With the help of DevTeam, startups and established businesses can outsource the full project development process should they wish. Alternatively, businesses can quickly and easily hire complete development teams or individual software engineers as and when required.
More than 35% of DevTeam.Space’s clients have decided to continue with them for many years beyond the completion of their initial development in order to support and maintain their software apps.
2. Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com is an Australian platform that connects clients to a global pool of freelance blockchain developers. The platform is a general skills freelancer platform, so it has freelancers covering just about every industry vertical. This includes freelance software developers.
The platform claims that it connects “75,000,000 employers and freelancers from 247 countries”. This means a global reach, so it is likely that no matter what region you are based in, they will have freelancer blockchain developers to help you with your project.
3. Toptal
Toptal is a software development-focused freelancer platform. It claims to hire only the top 3% of developers and specialists. This means that you are more likely to get good blockchain developers if you hire them.
Toptal offers freelance software developers, designers, and managers. You will need to hire the project managers separately if you need them for your project. You will be able to use any type of blockchain developer on its platform.
4. Fiverr
Fiveer is an online marketplace for general skill freelance services, Fiverr offers blockchain development services as part of this.
Based in Israel, it allows companies to post jobs on its job board, which can then be applied for by freelancers. The client company must undertake the complete hiring and management process in-house.
5. UpWork
UpWork is the world’s largest general freelance platform. You can literally find a freelancer for any kind of role on its site. UpWork will allow you to hire blockchain developers with various levels of expertise and at various rates.
The process is the same as with Fiverr above. You will need to post a job description advert. After that, freelancers will apply to the position and you must then begin the interview and vetting process. You are also fully responsible for managing the freelancers on your own.
Conclusion
With your newfound knowledge of how to locate the best blockchain developer for your project, you can proceed with the recruiting process with assurance.
DevTeam.Space ought to be your first option if you’re looking to employ the top blockchain developers or development team from a trustworthy partner.
Within 72 hours of your request, they can offer you the services of a single, highly skilled blockchain developer or a whole development team consisting of up to 24 blockchain developers. Thanks to this flexibility, you can scale your development staff up or down based on your needs. This enables you to guarantee that your project always stays on schedule, within budget, and on track.
DevTeam.Space places a high value on reasonable and open pricing. Moreover, they provide a risk-free trial.
When hiring blockchain consultants, blockchain developers, or an entire blockchain development team, they also provide a risk-free trial. They will reassign a new developer at no additional cost if you’re not entirely happy with your employment. However, this rarely occurs. Their reputation is self-evident, as seen by their 300+ successful projects and 99% project completion rate.
Regardless of whether you choose a full-stack or lone blockchain coder, they will provide you with a free account manager. Their account managers possess vast expertise in managing projects comparable to yours and have industry-specific knowledge that makes all the difference when it comes to project success.
Their ability to offer free quality assurance (QA) engineers to all of their clients is one of their greatest assets.
One of their biggest advantages is that they provide a free quality assurance (QA) engineer to every client. Before any new release, DevTeam.Space’s QA team evaluates your blockchain application to find any flaws or issues and ensure that your project is up to par. This way, you can be confident that your blockchain application will be everything you had imagined.
Simply complete the DevTeam.Space blockchain recruiting form to find out more about the community of knowledgeable blockchain engineers and teams. After that, a committed account manager will set up a free discovery call to answer any queries you might have.