Who owns the code when you hire an app developer?
Unless your contract says otherwise, the developer who writes the code owns it, and you have a license to use it. That is the default under US copyright law for contractors. A good agreement assigns the code, the designs, the store accounts and the data to you on payment. Keepport creates the repository and both store accounts in your name from day one, so there is nothing to transfer later.
The four things you need to own
- The source code and the repository it lives in.
- The Apple and Google developer accounts the app is published under. If they are in the developer's name, the app can disappear with the developer.
- The design files and brand assets.
- The customer data and the backend it lives in, including the domain and the hosting account.
Why the store accounts matter most
Code can be re-created. A published app with 3,000 reviews cannot. Apple and Google both allow app transfers, but only the account holder can start one. If your developer stops answering, an app under their account is stranded, and the only way back is a new listing with zero reviews. Insist that both accounts are opened in your business's name, with your billing details, before the first build is uploaded.
Six clauses to look for
- Assignment of all intellectual property to you on payment of each milestone, not only the final one.
- Store accounts and hosting in your name, with the developer as a team member, not the owner.
- A list of third-party and open-source components, so you know what you do not own.
- Source code delivered with each milestone, not held until the end.
- A handover clause: on termination, credentials and documentation are delivered within a set number of days.
- No non-compete that stops you hiring another developer to maintain the app.
What Keepport does
Every Keepport project starts with the repository and both store accounts created in your name. Design files live in a workspace you own. Each milestone assigns its work to you when it is paid. If you ever leave, you take everything and we help the next team onboard. This is written into every scope, not negotiated.