Nowadays mobile apps are for everything. With the advent of the digital era, mobile apps can help businesses to reach out to more audiences and increase their revenue. That’s where an important question’ What is the development cost of a mobile app” comes into mind. The app development cost depends on many factors such as development platform, and development team locations. Understanding the important factors that determine the app development cost can be really beneficial for taking effective measures for minimizing the cost of app development. Each app development process involves several factors that collectively affect the final cost figure of the app. This article will be a great resource for getting insights into managing mobile app development costs and creating high-quality mobile apps.
Here are Important Factors that Can Affect the Cost of the App Development
1. Mobile App Complexity –The cost of the mobile app also depends on the complexity of the mobile app. The more complex the mobile app the more costly it will be. Developing a simple app only requires simple design and essential features, so these apps can cost between $5000 -$50,000. The moderate app requires more features and functionalities along with basic features as these apps also require a payment gateway and audio/video streaming. These apps can cost around $50,000 to $120,000.
Complex apps require integration with the latest technology and advanced features and functionalities. For example, an app like gaming and custom e-commerce apps requires multi –third-party integration. These apps can cost around $100,000 to $300,000.
2. Design and Functionality – Design and functionality are also important factors that affect the cost of an app. The design of the app will decide how much time the user will invest in your app. A customized sleek and intuitive design will increase the cost of developing a mobile app.
On the other hand, an app with complex functionalities such as integrating location-based services, and real-time data processing requires additional development efforts and testing that increases the development cost. Hardware integration for a mobile app also requires additional development effort that increases the cost of developing an app.
3. Development Team Location – The development cost of a mobile app also depends on the location of the development team. The hourly rate of the developers is more in high-income countries like the United States and Australia and on the other hand low in countries like India and the Philippines. Infrastructure costs such as office space, electricity and internet cost are high in developed countries and comparatively low in developing and underdeveloped countries. These factors also affect the cost of developing a mobile application.
4. Business Model – The business model of the app also affects the mobile app development cost. Every business model has their functionality requirement and complexity that can affect the development cost of the app. For example, apps with a subscription-based model require payment processing integration and account management features that can increase the cost of the app. Features of the e-commerce apps such as shopping cart and payment processing features which can be complex to implement can increase the cost of developing an app.
The Cost of Development Based on the Type of the App
The Type of the app also impacts the cost of the app. Here is the type of categories and their development cost.
1. iOS Apps – iOS apps work on the iPhone operating system and interact with the device’s core competency natively. An iOS app can cost between $75000 to $500,000 based on the features and complexity of the app.
2. Android Apps – Android Apps work on Google’s Android Operating System. These apps are created with Kotlin and Java and interact with the OS components. An Android app can cost $20,000 to $500,000 depending on the app’s complexity and requirement
3. Hybrid Apps – Hybrid Apps are made to work on both Android and iOS platforms with a single codebase. These apps are developed with React Native, Flutter etc. A low-complexity hybrid app can cost $15000 to $50,000 and basic complexity hybrid app can cost $ 50,000 to $150,000. A high-complexity hybrid app can cost $150,000 to $500,000
Hidden Factors that Affect the App Development Cost
1. Mobile App Integration – Mobile apps require third-party integrations for adding features and user interface to the mobile app. First of all default integrations that come with the O.S. platforms such as GPS and map services, calendars etc. are integrated. Mobile apps also require third-party services like mobile payment, booking services, ordering and third-party project management. These integrations can increase the cost of the mobile app.
2. Paid Development Tools – Many paid development tools are also required by mobile apps. Some of these tools are free, some other unique tools require payment for access. These tools can increase the cost of the mobile app.
3. Infrastructure and IT cost – Costs such as data storage, data delivery and app hosting are infrastructure costs that can increase the cost of the mobile app. IT support services and technical support can increase the cost of the app. These support services include bug fixing and API maintenance. These tools are services are essential for app maintenance and fighting constant issues, it increases the overall project development cost.
4. App Publishing Cost – App publishing cost also increases the cost of an app. There is a one-time fee of 25$ for publishing your app on the Google Play store and a $99 per year subscription fee for Apple.
Tips for Reducing Mobile App Development Cost
Here are some of the steps companies can take to reduce the app development cost
1. Cross-Platform App Development – Developing native apps for both Android and iOS platforms can increase cost the of the app. You will lose a large audience if you make an app just for one platform. That’s where a cross-app development platform is one of the best platforms for developing applications for Android and iOS with a single codebase that can be cost-effective.
2. Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – MVP is a scale-down product of your desired app with all the important features and functionalities. It can help test your app with real users and get user feedback and improve your final product. MVP helps you save development costs and safeguard the app from potential glitches.
3. Pre-Build Features – Pre-build features can also be useful for reducing app development costs. Pre-build features can be modified according to the requirements and it can be cost-effective. Third-party plugins can be available at a nominal price but these should be used carefully after proper research.
4. Choose Standard Interface and Animations – Custom user interface and animations can increase the cost of your mobile app. You can use standard user interfaces and animations rather than developing custom features for saving the cost of app development. These standard features must comply with the UI/UX guidelines made by the App Store and Google Play Store.
Conclusion – Developing a mobile app requires considering many factors that can affect the cost of the app. All the factors that affect the cost of the app should be considered properly for optimizing the app development process and reducing the app development cost. First of all, you should determine what features you want to add to your app and the purpose the app will serve. After knowing about the purpose you should hire an experienced mobile app development company that can help you develop a cost-effective and feature-rich mobile app.