Mobile phones are almost inseparable parts of our life. Therefore having a mobile application of your business is crucial. Users who can easily access your business services through mobile apps, will reflect a positive growth in your profit graph.
However, you should also give a thought to mobile application development cost. Mobile app development can cost you from a few hundred to thousand dollars. The cost will depend on your app’s features and specifications.
So, we have made this article in the form of a complete guide on Mobile app development cost. We will discuss different types of apps, factors that affect the development cost, and much more. So, let’s begin learning more about factors affecting mobile app development cost.
Why Mobile Application development?
Mobile application development consists of the creation of software apps that run on smartphones, tablets, and other wearable devices. These applications are developed in a way that they can run on different platforms like Android, Windows, and iOS Mobile. The development process generally involves designing the UI (user interface), developing the app logic, testing, and final deployment.
Mobile apps are in high demand due to the enhancing use of smartphones across the globe. Applications can be created for a variety of purposes like communication, entertainment, education, productivity and e-commerce.
Businesses invest in mobile app development to increase customer engagement, improve their brand image, and enhance revenue streams.
Additionally, mobile apps provide a more personalised and interactive user experience as compared to conventional desktop applications, which can help to drive user retention and adoption. With the uninterrupted growth in the smartphone industry, mobile application development might remain an essential part of software development services for years in future.
Mobile Application Development Cost- Approximate ideation
The approximate cost of developing any mobile app will depend on multiple factors like the app’s complexity, the technology or platform on which it is built, location of developers team, type of app required, etc.
Basically, simple mobile applications with some primary features can cost you somewhere starting from 5000 dollars. Complex applications with complex features can cost approx 100000 dollars or more.
For example, developing any social networking app or highly-graphical gaming app can easily cost you over 500000 dollars or more. Moreover, the cost can vary depending on the developer’s team, their location, experience, skill set, etc. In India the charges might be less than other countries where labour charges are higher.
Basically, the mobile app development cost will depend on factors like complexity, type of application, and other specifications that we discussed above. However, if you want your business to grow digitally, you have to think of investing resources in mobile app development.
Factors affecting the cost of developing any Mobile application
Let’s learn about certain factors that affects the development cost of mobile apps:
Complexities and features
There are several statistics that can affect the mobile app development cost that includes complexity and features. Here’s the detailed explanation of each in detail:
Complexity: The complexity of a mobile application can have an essential impact on development costs. Complex apps typically have more advanced functionality, require more extensive testing and debugging, and may need more professional backend infrastructure. For instance, a social media application with features such as video calls, chat, and real-time updates will need more time and resources to develop compared to a simple calculator app.
Features: The number and functions or types of features in a mobile app can affect the mobile app development cost. Each feature will need additional coding and testing, which will enhance the development time and cost. It is essential to prioritise the functions that are most important to your users and your business goals. Some primary factors that can add to the development cost include:
- Integration with third-party APIs
- User authentication and security features
- Offline functionality
- In-app purchases and payment processing
- Location-based services
App development cost differs based on the Application category
There are multiple types of applications available in the market. And the cost of developing each application will be different. Hence, here we have created a common list of different types of applications, and approximate cost of developing them. Let’s have a look at the list:
- Database-driven apps: Applications that need a database to store and manage data like scheduling apps, inventory apps, or to-do list apps, can cost between $20,000 – $60,000. These apps need more resources and development time than simple apps.
- Games: Developing gaming applications is one of the most expensive categories. The cost of this development can range from $50,000 to $1 million or even more, based on the game’s graphics, complexity, and features.
- Simple apps: Simple applications like calculator apps, flashlight apps, weather apps, etc. generally have basic functionalities and require less development time. The development cost for a simple application can range from $5,000 – $20,000.
- Social media applications: Social media applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., are nexus and require advanced features such as chat, user authentication, real-time updates, and multimedia integration. The app development cost of a social media app can be from $50,000 to $250,000 or more, based on the app’s complexity and features.
- On-demand apps: On-demand applications like Uber, Postmates, TaskRabbit, etc., require GPS tracking, real-time updates, and other complex algorithms. The app development cost for an on-demand app can be $100,000 to $500,000; it can exceed too depending on the app’s features and complexity.
- E-commerce apps: E-commerce apps such as Amazon, eBay, or Etsy require features such as payment processing, shopping carts, product listings, and user authentication. The development cost for an e-commerce app can range from $30,000 to $150,000 or more.
Mobile app development cost depending on the type of app
There are mainly 4 types of applications- Native, Cross-platform, Hybrid, and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Let’s learn more about each of them.
Native Apps
Native mobile apps are developed for a required platform or operating system like iOS or Android, by using the programming languages and tools required by the platform. These applications are made to acquire advantage of the distinguished features of the platform like the camera, push notifications, and GPS.
Native apps are typically faster and more responsive than other types of apps and can provide a better user experience. However, developing native apps can be more time-consuming and costly as separate codebases need to be maintained for each platform.
Average cost can be somewhere between $40,000 – $100,000 +
Hybrid Apps
Hybrid apps are mobile applications that are developed using a combination of web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and then wrapped in a native application wrapper. This allows the app to run on multiple platforms without requiring separate codebases for each platform.
These apps can access the device’s native functionality through plugins, which provide access to features such as the GPS, camera, & push notifications. While hybrid apps can be faster and more cost-effective to develop compared to native apps, they may not provide the same level of performance or user experience.
Average cost can be somewhere between $10,000 – $140,000 +
Cross-platform apps
Cross-platform apps are mobile applications that are developed using frameworks that allow developers to write code once and then deploy it across multiple platforms, such as iOS and Android.
These frameworks, such as React Native or Xamarin, allow developers to build native-like apps using a single codebase, which can significantly reduce development time and cost.
Average cost can be somewhere between $25,000 to $60,000 +
Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are web apps, developed and designed to offer a similar experience to native mobile applications. PWAs are built using technologies such as CSS, HTML, and JS and can be accessed through a web browser on a mobile device.
PWAs can provide features such as push notifications, offline functionality, and the ability to add the app to the user’s home screen. They are fast and cost-effective to develop compared to native or cross-platform apps.
Average cost will depend on developers and their experience and skills.
Concluding Words
In conclusion, the cost of developing a mobile application can vary widely depending on the type of applications, its features, and the development platform. While simple apps can be developed for as little as $5,000, more complex apps such as social media or e-commerce apps can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop. Hence, choose your app features and type wisely, and rule amongst the competitors in no time.
