A guide to hiring Bubble developers
Bubble is a platform for building web apps in a visual editor. You design pages, store data and set up the logic by clicking and configuring, instead of writing all the code by hand. A Bubble developer is a person who knows the platform well and can turn your plan into a working app. Bubble is made by a separate company, and DigiWorks is not affiliated with it or endorsed by it. This guide explains what Bubble developers do, how the role differs from nearby roles and how to set up the work so your app stays fast and easy to change.
What Bubble developers work on
Most Bubble work falls into a few areas. The database holds your data types, such as users, orders or bookings, and the links between them. Pages and reusable parts make up what people see. Workflows are the steps that run when someone acts, for example when a customer signs up or a manager approves a request. Plugins and the API connector link the app to other services, such as payments and email. Privacy rules decide who can see what. Some developers build new apps; others specialise in cleaning up an app that has grown slow or confusing.
How this role differs from nearby roles
If you need a first version and have not chosen a tool, read about an MVP developer, who can build in Bubble or in code. A web developer writes custom code for websites and web apps, and a full stack developer covers both the screens and the server side. A web designer focuses on the look of a site, and a UI/UX designer plans how an app feels to use. A Bubble developer is the right fit when you have chosen Bubble, or already have an app on it, and want someone who knows the platform in depth.
What Bubble is good for
- Marketplaces and booking tools where users sign in, list things and pay.
- Client portals where each customer sees only their own files and updates.
- Internal tools such as request forms, approval flows and simple dashboards.
- First versions of a product that you want to put in front of users quickly.
Bubble can be a poor fit for apps that need unusual technology or an exact control of the code. A good developer will say so early, which saves you from a rebuild.
What to decide before you hire
- Who the users are and the roles they need, such as customer, staff and admin.
- Whether this is a new build, a fix of an existing app or ongoing work.
- Which outside services the app needs, such as payments, email or maps.
- Who owns the Bubble account, the domain and the plugin subscriptions.
- Who will test the app and how you will gather feedback from users.
Reading a Bubble developer’s portfolio
Ask to see live apps, not only screenshots. Open one and look at how fast pages load and how clear the sign-in is. Ask the developer to explain how the data is organised and what they would change today. A good answer names a real trade-off. Be careful with portfolios that show only the look of an app, because the hard part of Bubble work sits in the data and the workflows that you cannot see from the outside.
Interview questions to try
- Walk us through the data types you set up for an app like ours. Why those?
- How do you make sure one user cannot see another user’s data?
- A page is slow. What do you check first?
- When do you use a plugin, and when do you build the feature yourself?
- Tell us about an app you inherited. What did you fix before adding anything new?
Listen for examples from real projects, with what went wrong and what they changed. Doubt anyone who says Bubble can do everything.
Run a small paid build task
Give each finalist a short brief that matches your app. Good examples are a data plan for your main records with a note on the privacy rules, one working sign-up and booking flow, or a review of a slow page in an app you already have. Pay for the time. Compare how clear the plan is, how well it fits your goal and how the person handles questions about your users.
Match experience to the stage
For a first version, you need a developer who builds quickly and keeps the data simple. For an app with real users, look for someone who cares about privacy rules, speed and tidy workflows. For an app that other people built, look for a developer who is good at reading old work and cleaning it up safely. Job titles differ between companies, so ask what each person built and owned instead of relying on the title.
Give them tools and a rhythm
Invite your developer to your own Bubble account as a team member, and give them access to the project board and any outside services they need, and no more. Keep the account, the domain and the plugin subscriptions in your name. In the first month, talk at least once a week and click through the latest version together. After that, a short note each week and a demo every two weeks will do. Ask for the same simple update each time so it is easy to compare.
Keep the app healthy after launch
An app on a no-code platform still needs care. Ask your developer to name things clearly, remove unused parts and write short notes on how the main workflows run. Test changes in the development version before they go live, and keep a way back if something breaks. Review speed from time to time, because an app that was quick with a little data can slow down as the data grows.
Mistakes to avoid
- Building screens before planning the data.
- Skipping privacy rules because the app is small.
- Letting a contractor own your Bubble account or domain.
- Adding plugins for every small feature without checking if they are kept up to date.
- Making changes directly on the live version without testing first.
Need custom code or a first version in any stack? Read about how to hire a web developer or an MVP developer, and see how hiring works on our pages.