How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Mobile App?
We are in an age where there are apps for literally everything. From the app that keeps us updated about our health to food delivery, you search for it, and you will find thousands of apps offering the same service. According to the BusinessofApps report, over 3.3 million Android apps and around 2 million iOS apps exist. Similarly, the report by Grand View Research reveals that by 2030, the overall revenue of mobile apps will reach $567.19 billion. But the question here is, what is the mobile app development cost?
Image Source- Mobisoft
Mobile App Development Cost – Get the Facts Right
Developing an app isn’t a cakewalk. There is planning, cost consideration, tool usage, and testing—all these demand charges. However, on average, mobile app development costs can be around $40,000- $60,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the app. No fixed formula determines the exact cost.
Let’s say X wants to create a gaming app for the younger generation. He might wonder if it would cost only dollars, including the marketing process. But when he gets to the ground, he gets the accurate picture. From hiring the app development company to designing the UI/UX, testing, and marketing, it will demand him to fetch more than $1,00,000. Surprising, isn’t it?
It is essential to have insight into the cost of mobile app development. This article gives you insight into the total cost and what factors can affect it.
Here is the Breakdown of Mobile App Development Costs
Clients typically seek advice from mobile app development services regarding their app ideas and costs since they are clueless about the procedure and associated costs.
Indeed, there is more to it than the first price the agency quotes. The secret to figuring out how much app development costs is to conduct thorough research and understand app dynamics. Let us check the breakdown of app development costs-
- Basic apps, such as social media, timers, and simple games, which have basic features and necessities, can cost from $20,000 to $60,000.
- Mid-level apps, such as chat, eCommerce, or food delivery apps, can cost between $50,000 and $200,000.
- The cost of complex Apps, such as telemedicine, enterprise, gaming, and logistics apps, is between $80,000 and $350,000.
To further break down the cost, we have created deeper aspects:
Strategy or Planning Cost
Pre-research, planning, strategy, or discovery all fall under one roof. Any good app development company at this stage will require details from the business about the application and goals. This step costs about 10% of the entire cost of developing a mobile app, and it takes 20–200 hours to finish.
Designing Stage Cost
The second stage covers user experience design, visual (UI) design, software prototype, and wireframing. You must create an exquisitely designed app that captures the hearts of your consumers since, as we all know, first impressions are crucial.
For this reason, you should not skimp on your design budget because it has the power to make or break your project. It will cost between 10% and 15% of the total cost of developing an app, and the labor hours may increase because of sophisticated screens, unique elements, visually demanding content, and other factors. The average cost of designing an app would be around $3000- $7000 or more in 3-4 weeks.
Development Stage
This is the next critical stage of considering cost. The complexity of the features will determine how long it takes to build, which will raise the price. This stage necessitates concentrating on the program architecture, user base, third-party integration, storage, and features.
Since coding and programming at this stage are far more expensive, your developers must work closely together and pay attention to detail. It will also save you a ton of money when building your app using cross-platform mobile app development frameworks rather than developing separate apps for different platforms. The timeline and cost would be around 4-6 months and $3,000-$5,000.
Testing and Deployment Stage
Every app undergoes a testing process to ensure it is bug-free. This stage is crucial for app cost estimation since it eliminates the need to spend money on post-launch bug fixes. Thorough testing will help your consumers enjoy your app with fewer lags and crashes.
Furthermore, the cost of testing and deployment is contingent upon the complexity and feature-richness of your application. The overall cost and timeline are $5000 and 3-4 weeks.
Factors that Affect Mobile App Development Cost
Image Source: DTechies
When looking for mobile app development services, you consider multiple factors, including cost, experience, tools used, and others. Similarly, considering the price of mobile app development is vital for the development process. However, there are multiple factors affecting the cost of mobile app development. Some of these are-
Type of Application
A business can consider developing different types of mobile applications as per the requirement. For instance, Mr X wants to build an Android app for his healthcare business. He will look for the Android mobile app development cost and hire a specific team. Similarly, he may consider a native app or cross-platform app. Let’s get into the details of the types of application development:
Native App
Native app development entails creating apps exclusively for a single platform, such as iOS or Android, using platform-specific programming languages such as Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. Based on the features, complexity, and developer rates, the price of developing native software might range from $10,000 to $250,000.
Cross-Platform App
Cross-platform app development involves frameworks like Flutter or React Native. It helps create apps that work flawlessly on multiple platforms or devices with a single codebase. As a result, cross-platform software development can cost anywhere between $20,000 and $150,000.
Web App
Web app development involves developing apps for web browsers on different platforms. As a result, the price to create a web application might vary from $10,000 to $100,000, not including continuous hosting and maintenance costs.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
PWAs, which provide a native-like experience, combine the functionality of mobile apps and online pages. Depending on whether offline capability and app-like features are needed, creating a progressive web app (PWA) might cost anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000.
Operating System
The following important factor is the operating system, which may depend on the app’s complexity. Here is the cost estimate as per the app operating system:
iOS App Development
Developing applications for the iOS operating system on Apple devices involves using Swift or Objective-C programming languages. The price for designing an iOS app can range from $25,000 to $250,000, based on features, developer rates, and complexity.
Android App Development
Android app development involves creating programs for Android OS devices in different programming languages, such as Java or Kotlin. The price range for developing an Android app is $20,000 to $250,000, or more, for more complex apps.
App Category
The cost of mobile app development also depends on the category of app developed. For instance, if you create an e-commerce app like Amazon, you must load it with multiple features, use high-end UI/UX design, and use top technology like React Native or Flutter. Similarly, the app needs to have good security features.
Some social media apps are created using third-party integrations and come with scalable features. An e-commerce app may cost around $50,000 to $1,00,000, and a social media app would cost around $50,000 to $1,50,000. Mobile app development services offer ideas that allow businesses to customize their app goals and create unique products.
Most Popular Global Apps and Their Development Cost
Let us now check some of the top global apps run by brands and their development cost. The description will allow you to understand the mobile app development cost and what makes them the best.
Snapchat
Snapchat, an image and video messaging app, was founded in 2011 by Stanford University students Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. By the end of 2023, there were around 397 million users, and the number was growing rapidly. With its interactive lenses and filters, this well-known messaging software has led the way in introducing augmented reality to its users. Python, JavaScript, Cocoa, and Perl are the programming languages used in Snapchat development.
The average cost to build a Snapchat-like app is around $45,000 to $100,000 for one platform, and up to $200,000 for both can be spent on developing an app that resembles Snapchat.
One of the leading messaging apps, WhatsApp, now run by Meta, has around 2.78 billion active users. It is one of the revolutionizing apps built with end-to-end encryption messaging features. Three of the most popular programming languages, Erlang, C++, and Java, are used for development purposes. The average cost to build an app like WhatsApp is around $30,000-$70,000 or more.
TikTok
TikTok is an engaging video-sharing app with over 1 billion monthly active users. It allows users to lip-sync dialogue and re-enact movie scenes and music videos. Programming languages like Angular, Java, Swift, Objective-C, and some others are used for the development of TikTok. Building an app like TikTok would cost around $60,000 to $150,000.
Netflix
Netflix and chill is a familiar tagline used by people who watch their favorite series or movies on Netflix. It is one of the leading media streaming platforms built with programming languages like Python, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, and Node.js. Creating an app like Netflix costs around $25,000- $1,00,000.
Uber
Uber is a well-known ride-sharing application that connects drivers and passengers worldwide. Customers can use the app to order a car instantly or on a scheduled basis. The app is designed to be user-friendly and uses programming languages such as Python, Java, Swift, and others. Creating an app similar to Uber can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000.
Conclusion
I hope you get an overview of mobile app development costs. However, there is no precise prediction that would state the total cost of building an app. Considering different factors influencing the development process will help businesses invest in it. It is best to hire mobile app developers who have complete insight into the cost and other aspects of developing unique and customized apps.
Lucenta Solutions is one of the leading mobile app development services. Backed by expert app developers, the company has worked on designing and developing unique apps for some of the top brands using modern tools. Handing the job over to professionals will help you get the best user-friendly app that will bring in good revenue.
