Do I Need an NDA for App Development (With Template)?

Let’s be honest from the very beginning. Signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement for app development is one of the controversial issues in the mobile industry: while some say that it’s a must-do, others call it a dangerous and even harmful decision for your future business.

What is an NDA and do you need one? That's what we're about to find out (image by David de la Iglesia)

Today we’re going to share our own thoughts and experience on this matter. First, let’s start with figuring out what an NDA for app development is.

ℹ️ Non-Disclosure Agreement For a Mobile App: FAQ

Before we’ll share with you our NDA template for app development, let’s take a look at the most frequently asked questions and our answers to them.

Question # 1: What is an NDA?

The abbreviation NDA stands for the Non-Disclosure Agreement. Actually, this legal contract can be used in any sphere where the special protection of an intellectual property is needed.

The main purpose of the NDA for app development is to secure your idea, trade secrets and other confidential information that, if revealed to third parties, may lead to business losses.

Question # 2: With whom should I sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement for my mobile app?

The list of potential parties is quite big. In the broad sense, you have to sign the NDA with anyone who may have access to any confidential information regarding your mobile application development.

However, speaking more specifically, you should consider signing this legal contract with the following parties:

• Your own (in-house) team. If you have an in-house team that will be working on your project, they should be among the first to sign the NDA. As a rule of thumb, such an agreement protects not only from leaks outside but also prevents the spread of information among employees that aren’t working on this project.
• Contract developers. This is clear as day that the NDA signing with any external developers is a must-do for you. Pay attention: the non-disclosure of some project information should remain in force even after the product release.
• QA engineers (testers). Since those guys have access to the code and know some technical specifications of your application, it’s better to sign the mobile application development agreement with them as well.
• PO’s, PM’s, Designers and others who work on your product without using the code. Since they may have access to different blueprints, mindmaps, design features and other important data, they should sign an agreement too.

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Question # 3: At what stage should I sign the NDA?

Some people aren’t sure when exactly they should sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement for their mobile app with people who are working on it.

The best moment is when you hire/sign the contract with a new employee.

However, it’s also possible to sign an NDA during the candidate interview stage if you’re going to reveal some confidential project details and want to keep them in secret.

Question # 4: Is there a single template?

Nope, there is no single template of the mobile application development agreement which would be generally recognized.

Usually, mobile app development companies offer their template. If the agency already has testimonials and cares about their reputation, they won’t hide any pitfalls in their template. Yet, you are free to offer your corrections and modification or even your own variant of the agreement.

You can also use the NDA template for app development by the Stormotion team. We’ll leave the link closer to the end of this article so read on!

Question # 5: What are the components of a good NDA?

Since there is no single form of the NDA, you should be careful when signing one. Why? So as not to miss something important!

Look at the table of must-have components below (image by Dmitri Litvinov)

Therefore, here is the table of must-have contents for you: