There are more than 5 million apps present in the App store and Google store combined. People are preferring mobile apps now for everything. Building an app is a difficult task and estimating its cost of it is challenging. The cost of mobile apps depends on some factors and features.
If you want to know about the cost of the mobile app, you need to analyze your business requirements, choosen app developers, and project budget. Let us see the factors that affect the cost of mobile app development.
What is the cost of Mobile App development?
Factors on which the cost of mobile app development depends:
For startups, the cost of mobile app development can sometimes be an obstacle. Before starting to estimate the cost, you must look at your requirements.
Complexity:
As per your requirements, the complexity of mobile apps varies. The high-end apps have more functionalities and features. So, they take more time and need expertise. As a result, it increases the cost. Let us start with the complexity of the three types of mobile apps.
- Simple app development cost: These are one-page apps with basic functions and need less technical expertise and time to make. It costs low. The cost of simple app development ranges from $10,000 to $60,000 and takes 2-3 months. Their basic features are login, profiles, dashboard, and some admin rights.
- Medium app development cost: It has some fascinating features. They can vary from privacy controls to social media, audio/video streaming, and payment gateway integrations. The cost of this medium app development is $60,000 to $1,50,000. These apps are developed using modern features, and custom UI in 3 to 9 months. And it helps both small and enterprise-level companies.
- Complex app development cost: The cost of the complex app is up to $3,00,000. These apps are using the best technologies and support the integration of the latest technologies like AI, AR, and VR. These support functionalities like data logic, multi-language support, and more. They offer tangled features and user interfaces. The development of this app takes a long time, more than ten months.
Related: Mobile app development cost in 2023 A complete guide
Location:
The cost of the mobile app development is estimated by region. The location plays an important role in the investment of mobile app development. The per-hour rates and salary are more in European countries and less in Asian countries. If you are hiring an offshore team, their location will affect the development rates.
- Mobile app development cost in the USA:
The US market is the hub of software development and it has the headquarters of tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft. This has increased the accelerated development cost and the demand for qualified professionals. The cost of app development in the USA is $12,500 to $15,000.
- Mobile app development cost in the UK:
There is an in-demand skill of software development in the UK. The cost of app development is between 20,000 pounds and 50,000 pounds.
- Mobile app development cost in Australia:
In the Asia Pacific region, Australia is a growing technology hub. The cost of app development is calculated between $90 to tp $125.
- Mobile app development cost in UAE and India:
For outsourcing work, UAE and India have become the first choice of European countries. As these countries have skilled professionals, so it leads to tough competition in the market. The development cost is $60 to $80.
Design:
Design is the key element in product development. It is the central element of the development process. However, you can go for animation or choose to use high-quality graphics. But it will affect the development cost. There are 2 types of design UX-custom and standards. If you choose a custom UI, then it is costlier but provides better results. It costs $100 to $20,000 depending on the complexity level.
Features and functionalities:
Another factor that affects the app development cost is the features and functionalities you want to achieve, so understanding the target audience is crucial. It may be very confusing to add more features. so that in the initial stage, add the basic and core functionalities and let us see how the added features affect the cost of development.
- The cost of adding a basic payment system integration is around $2,500 to $3,000.
- If you add features like a map to detect user location, then it takes more time and costs around $3,000 to $4,000.
- The advanced calling features like audio calls, contacts, and video calls cost $14,000 to $15,000 and takes up to 400 hours to development.
App types
The cost of mobile app development is affected by the platform on which you release the app. Choosing the correct platform is an important factor for a successful web app. There are three types of app platforms available.
- Native apps: These apps are the conventional apps that work both on iOS and web platforms. Progressive web apps which are simple, accessible via a browser, and cost-effective solutions. It costs around $15,000 to $50,000.
- Cross-platform apps: They work on iOS and Android equally. It costs around $25,000 to $60,000. The single code use is another advantage.
- Hybrid apps: These apps are at the higher end, offer benefits of both, and cost $25,000 to $60,000.
The hidden cost of the app development:
Every entrepreneur thinks of saving costs and obtaining the best results. Selecting the correct platform, complexity level, and app type is a good decision. The hidden factors are:
- Quality: every entrepreneur wants to provide the best result to the user. But sometimes it exceeds your budget if you try to achieve the best quality.
- IT & infrastructure: Considering only the hiring and purchase cost is a common mistake. For better results and data security, you also need to invest in servers, equipment, and infrastructure.
- Publishing: Publishing charge is another important cost to consider. App store and Google play store charge to publish your apps on their platforms.
- Maintenance: Maintenance is a permanent cost. You will have to pay for better feature integrations, future upgrades, and more.
Security: You will have to purchase more and the best securities for your apps.
How to save costs in mobile app development?
The common aim of all entrepreneurs is cost saving. Some ways to save costs are,
Developing custom solutions takes more time and increases the cost. Alternatively, the off-the-shelf is simple, save development cost, and take less time.
As there is no use to develop the same element from scratch. Reusing the code is the alternative way of saving costs and time.
Focus only on the core and main functionalities. Adding more features costs more and also confuses the user.
Conclusion:
Hope it is very useful for all entrepreneurs to know about the cost of app development. It helps you to plan and develop an app within budget. If you are looking for developing an app, looking at the factors like design, complexity, and location.
As per statistics, the annual app download amount is increasing per year, and it will be increasing in the upcoming year. Smarther one of the leading mobile app development companies offers app development service at more reasonable price.
So, it is the best time to build a mobile app with high performance and enhance your business growth. Apps can play an important role to attract, engage, and satisfy the needs of target customers.