Gettinganappdevelopedisacomplicatedaffairthatrequiresaconsiderableexpenditureoftime,budget,andeffort.Andwhenthebusinessitselfisbasedonthemobileapp,thedevelopmentcostandtimebecomethemake-or-breakpointofthesuccess.
InarecentGoodFirmssurvey,theparticipatingfirmswereaskedquestionsontwodifferentdecision-makingdatasets-CostsandTime-forroughly80%oftheirprojects.
UnderthesectionofTime,thefirmswereaskedtoprovidetheminimumandthemaximumnumberofhourstheyusuallyrequiretocompleteaspecifieddevelopmentstageorasetofappfeatures.Fromthedatacollected,themedianminimumandmaximumhourrangeswerecalculated,alongwiththehighestmaximumsforcertainrequiredcases.
Theresultingaveragesandmedianswerethenworkedtoanswervariousappdevelopmentcostsandtime-relatedoften-askedquestions.Someofthesequestionsare:
TableofContents:
Themobileappdevelopmentindustryisoneofthefastest-growingindustriesglobally.Innovationsandtechnologies,suchasartificialintelligence,blockchain,etc.,aredrivingthegrowthofthissegment.Businessesutilizethesetechnologiesbydevelopingmobileappseitherthroughtheirdevelopersoroutsourcing.Theprimaryconcernforthedevelopmentofmobileappsisthecost.
ThissurveybyGoodFirmstitled:‘HowMuchDoesItCosttoDevelopanApp’willhelpbusinessesdeterminethecostsofdevelopingamobileapptogrowtheirbusiness.Theinsightswillhelpbusinessbuyershaveatop-levelperspectiveoncostandtimeissueswithahighlycomprehensiveyet,easy-to-digestanalysis.
Simplecalculationwiththetimetakenandaveragehourlycharges($60)resultingfromthesurvey,theaverageappdevelopmentcostswouldbe:
Ofcourse,theseareestimatedcalculations.Andtherearemanymovingpartsinthedevelopmentprocess.Eachofthesevariablesisdiscussedandaccountedforthroughthefollowingappdevelopmentcostbreakdown.
Eachstageinthedevelopmentprocesstakesdifferentamountsoftimetocomplete.Itusuallytakesweeks-atonofbrainstorming,to-and-frocommunications,developmentcycles,andtests-tobuildthefinishedmobileapp.
Simplecalculationsfromthesurveyfiguresrevealthattheaverageappdevelopmenttimecouldbe:
Therawfiguresfromthesurveywereinhoursandconvertedintoweeks.Forthis,standardpracticesareconsidered-simultaneousworkon2developmentstagesatatimeandworkingtimeof6-8hoursaday,5daysaweek.
Generally,thecostofcreatingamobileappisnotfixed.Anditrangesgreatly:fromseveralthousanddollarstoinsanelyexpensivepricesreachingmillions.
Thebasicappcostcalculationsdependonhowmanyappsdeveloperschargeperhour.
Basedonthesurveyresponses,foreconomicappdevelopment,differentcompaniesaroundtheglobechargebetween$10to$200anhour,withanaverageof$60anhour.
Whileforhigh-endappdevelopment,theratesareanywherebetween$10to$400anhour,withanaverageof$122anhour.Theteamofdeveloperswillascertainhowmanyhoursarerequired,andthebillisfinalizedbasedonthehourlyrates.
Yet,thetotalappcostdependsonseveralelements.Custom-mademobileappscomeinavarietyofscales,designs,utilities,andfunctionalities.Eachlotofthisvarietydemandsanothervarietyofdevelopmentefforts.Andeachoneoftheminfluencestheaverageappcost.Notingthevariousindicationsbytheparticipants,herearesomeofthesignificantfactors:
Withsuchalargenumberofvariablesatplay,mobileappdevelopmentvariesforeachproject.Thefollowingsectionsdiscusssomeofthefactorsindetailandgiveanswerstohowmuchanappcostsbasedonthesurveydata.
Userfeatures,appfunctionality,numberofpages,sophisticationofdesign,andadministrationrequirementsalladdcomplexitytotheapp.Andwitheachlayerofcomplexity,thetimeandeffortrequiredaremanifolded.
TimeTaken
(inHrs)
TotalCostForEconomicProject
(at$60/Hr)
TotalCostforHigh-endProject
(at$122/Hr)
$56,160to$82,080
CreatingaSimpleApp
Asimplemobileappcomeswithbasicuserfeaturesandlimitedadministration.
Userfeaturesinsuchappsincludealoginsystem,userprofilefacility,dashboard,necessarymessaging,fileuploading,search,andfeaturesregardingnativedevices.Mostofthesefeaturesarebareessentialsforausertomakeanaccount,navigatethrough,andgainadequateinformationfromtheapp.Atthesametime,theback-endabilityletsanadministratoreditappcontentandhandlebasicbusinessoperationswithacontentmanagementsystem,usermanagement,feedbacksystem,pushnotifications,ticketingsystem,etc.
CreatingaComplexApp
Further,amuchmorecomplexappincludesmanyfeaturesforuserengagementandmonetization.
Alongwithsimpleobligatoryfeatures,theseappshaveactivityfeeds,socialmediaintegrations,e-commerce,paymentgateway,audio/videostreaming,alldevicesync,userprivacy,etc.Theycanusethedevicefeaturessuchascamera,gallery,geo-location,andcalling.Developersevengetneedfuladministrationsuchasorder&cartmanagement,paymentmanagement,datacollection&analytics,appsecurity,etc.
CreatinganAdvancedApp
Theseappsareintegratedwiththelatesttechnology,orevenpioneeringones,inthemarket.
Theuserfeaturesareoftenlacedwithaugmentedreality,multi-languagesupport,high-enddatalogic,andmuchmore.Atthesametime,theappadministrationincludesapplicationsofmachinelearningtoenhanceusertouchpointssuchaschatbots.
Asyoucansee,thecostincreaseissizableasyoumoveontomorecomplexfeatures.Forabootstrappeddevelopment,oneneedstoprioritizenecessaryfeaturesandbringinitialsuccess.
Theplatformimpactsthecostofappdevelopmentinmanyways.HowmuchdoesitcosttomakeanappforAndroid,iOS,orhybridIfyouareplanningtobuildanappforanyoneplatform,thereisnodifferenceindevelopmentcost.But,ifyoudecidetobuildanappformorethanoneplatform,youneedtopayforeachindividualplatform.
Basedonthesurvey,herearethehourlyrates(averageeconomiccost-averagehigh-endcost)fordevelopinganappforAndroid,iOS,andHybrid:
BusinessesneedtotakeintoconsiderationfactorssuchasAndroidandiOSmarketshare,targetaudience,avarietyofdevices,OSrequirements,appservices,and,mostimportant-technicalimplementation.Appdevelopmentfortheseplatformsneedsdifferentprogramminglanguages,utilizingdifferentdevelopmenttoolsanddifferentAPIs.
Toenhancetheuserexperience,nativeappsaretobedevelopedforspecificguidelinesanddevicehardware.Andthus,thedevelopmentofsuchappsrequiresintensiveprogrammingandextensivetime.
AroughestimateofhowmuchitcoststodevelopanAndroidoriOSapp($90anhour)individuallygives:
NativeappscangetexpensiveifyouaredevelopingforbothAndroidandiOS.Iftheaimoftheappistoreachlargeaudiences,cross-platformorhybridappdevelopmentisagoodchoice.Asinglehybridappismadetoworkonavarietyofdevices,soonlyoneappisneededtodevelop.
ThemostpopularcountriesformobileappdevelopmentaretheUSA,Canada,SouthAmerica,theUK,Ukraine,India,SoutheastAsia,andAustralia.Andthehourlyrateschargedbyappdevelopersvarysignificantlyamongthesecountries.
Thus,thelocationofthemobileappdevelopersalsoshapestheoverallcostofdevelopinganapp.Youshouldconsiderthelocationwiselyaccordingtotheavailablebudgetforappcreationandviceversa.
iOS
(Avg.$/Hr)
Android
Cross-Platform
Generally,pricesdonotnecessarilyguaranteethequalityofyourappdevelopment.Sometimes,cheapdevelopmentcostsmaysaveyoumoney,whileexpensivecostsareforthenameofthecompany.
So,howmuchdoesitcosttocreateanappintheseregions
Typically,theaverageappdevelopmentcostintheUSAwouldbearound$19200to$44,800forasimplemobileapp.Acomplexappwithmuch-neededfeatureswouldcost$51,200to$89,200intheStates.Atthesametime,thecostofanadvancedapplacedwiththelatesttechnologywouldgobeyond$83,200.
HowmuchdoesitcosttomakeanappinIndiaWith$22perhourforcreatinganapp,thecostofbuildingasimpleappinIndiarangesbetween$4,800and$11,200.Thedevelopmentofacomplexappwouldcost$12,800to$22,400,andthatofanadvanced-levelappcouldcostatleast$20,800.WhilethesearetheratesforiOSandcross-platformapps,Androidappscomeevencheaper.
IfyouwanttogetyourappdevelopedinUkraine,developerschargearound$50perhourforacommercialproject.Hence,thecostofbuildingasimpleappinUkrainewouldbearound$12,000to$28,000forasimpleapp.Forcomplexapps,thedevelopmentcostwouldbeanywherebetween$32,000to$56,000.Atthesametime,anadvanced-levelappcouldcostatleast$52,000inUkraine.
Formostcompanies,appdevelopmentplanningisanindispensablepartoftheprocess.Theintentistoclearlyunderstandeachaspectofthemobileappthey’regoingtodevelop.Inaway,planningtheoutlineoftheentireprojectavoidscostlychangestothescopeoftheproject.
Asspecifiedbytheparticipants,theplanningphaseincludes,butisnotlimitedto-
HowmuchdoesitcosttomakeanappstrategyTypically,appdevelopmentplanninggoesfor60to90hours,whileamuch-demandingappcanevenrequireupto260hours.Appstrategy,calculatedbasedonaveragehourlyrates($60/hour),couldcostanywherefrom$3600to$5640andcangoashighas$15,840.
Often,findingsoftheplanningphasearewelldocumentedtoguideclientsaswellasthewholedevelopmentteamthroughouttheotherdevelopmentstages.
Mobileappsneeddesigningnotjustforhowitlooksbutalsoforhowitworks.Thus,mostdevelopmentcompaniesincludededicatedeffortsforresearchinganddesigninguserexperiencetoo.Inthedevelopmentapp,UIdesigningdealsmorewiththepresentationoftheapp.
AppUXdesigningcostsinclude:
AppUIdesigningcostsinclude:
Designingtheuserinterfaceofanapptakesaround40to100medianhoursorupto409hoursforsuperlativevisuals.Theaveragedevelopmentcosttranslatesintodesigningexpensesof$2,400to$6,000andcangoupto$24,540.MostparticipantsvocalizedthatUXdesigningisacontinuousprocessanddependslargelyonbranding,businessgoalsandneeds,projectcomplexity,numberofscreens,andfunctionalities.
AppdesignincludesbothUIandUX.Andoverall,itinfluencesthewholeprocessofbuildinganapp.Themoreintricatetheappdesign,themorecostlyyourmobileapplicationbecomes.
Thus,tohaveatop-levelperspective,theappmakerswereaskedtoroughlyprovidethetimetakentodevelopthreesetsofuserfeatures-Simple,Complex,andAdvanced.Eachsetincludedsomeofthemostpopularuserfeaturesthemajorityofappsnormallyhave.
Thefollowingtablewillshowanapproximateappdevelopmenttimeandcostforeachsetfromsimperfeaturestoadvancedfeaturesofuserfunctionality:
CostToDevelop
($60/Hr)
Thenumberspresentedareaimedatgettingageneralunderstandingofanaverageappdevelopmentcost.Infact,asingleappwouldincludemultiplefeaturesandnotnecessarilyfromthesamesetorevencomplexity,asmentionedabove.
Simplyput,evenasinglefeaturecangetcomplexdependingontheapprequirementandaddcosttothedevelopment.Eachofthesefeaturescostsindividuallytodevelop.Thus,thetotalappcostactuallydependsontheexactfunctionalitiestobeincludedandtheirnature.
Anadminpaneladdsfurthercomplexitytotheappandisoneofthemostdecisiveelementsinthesuccessofacommercialapp.Mostofthefeaturesonthepanelarerelatedtomanagingeitherappcontentorusers.Theseareaimedatmarketingtheservicesortheproductsbetterandmonetizingtheapp.
Tohaveanothertop-levelperspective,theappmakerswereaskedtoroughlyprovidethetimetakentodevelopthreesetsofadministrationfeatures-Simple,Complex,andAdvanced.Eachsetincludedsomeofthemostpopularadminfeaturesthemajorityofappsnormallyhave.
Thefollowingtablewillshowanapproximateappdevelopmenttimeandcostforeachsetfromsimperfeaturestoadvancedfeaturesoftheadminpanel:
Thesefeaturesprovideappositecontrolsfortheappcontent,userdata,andappfunctionalitiesthatenableappownersnotonlytomanage&analyzetheappdatabutalsotomakeessentialbusinessoperationspossible.
Thesekindsofavailablefacilitiescanoffermuch-neededcostsavingsonthemostexpensivedevelopmentstage.
Thetechnology,flexibility,scale,services,andalltheothertechnicalchoicesthatamobileappdemandsarefacilitatedsolelybyitsinfrastructure.Andthus,developingtheappinfrastructuredemandsoneofthelargestportionsofthedevelopmentcost,thirdonlytotheadvanceduserandadminfeatures.
Thefollowingaretheminimumnecessaryelementsoftheappinfrastructureonwhichthedevelopingcostsarebased.
Forthissetofinfrastructure,companiesgenerallytake100to200hourstodevelop,thehighestrecordedtimebeing400hours.Calculatingtheaveragedevelopingcostof$60/hour,thecostofinfrastructurewouldbeanywherebetween$6,000to$12,000andcouldgoashighas$24,000forasingleapp.
Asmentionedbyseveralotherparticipants,therearetwogoalswhileworkingoninfrastructuredevelopment.Oneistocreateanappfortheuncertainfuturebybuildingaflexible,pluggable,microservices-focusedmethod.Two,toworktowardsacontinuousdevelopmentanddeploymentprocess.
Rigoroustestingofthemobileappensuresthequalityofthesoftwareandthefunctionalityofthefeatures.ItcomfortsuserswithaseamlessappexperiencewithoutUIwalls,bugs,glitches,orcrashes.
Theamountoftimeandcostrequireddependsonthetypesoftestingprocedures,thepurposeoftheapp,itscomplexity,therequiredquality,aswellasthenumberofscreens.
Accordingtotheparticipants,testingofthemobileappincludes,butisnotlimitedto-
Forsimpleapps,afewbasicsarerunandthusrequirelesstime.Butfor,complexappssuchassocialmedia,interactivegames,andfinancialoreducationaldemandadditionaltestingtimeandcost.
Inthesameway,manyothercompaniesconducttestingasaniterativeprocessandthusallowacertainpercentageofthetotalmobileappdevelopmenttimetoit.Asstated,mostcompaniestakearound100to200hoursandcanreachupto400hoursforpremiumtesting.So,howmuchdoesitcosttotestanappBasedontheaveragecostof$60perhour,testingandQAservicesrequireanywherefrom$6,000to$12,000andmayreachupto$24,000.
Anin-depthtestingprocessassuresthatappuserswouldfaceminimalissuessuchasglitchesorcrashes.
Publishinganapptotheappstorerequirestheleasttime,yetitisacrucialmoment.Theprocessisdetailed,requiresadozenpiecesofinformationontheapp,anddirectlyimpactsthesuccessoftherelease.AppleAppStorechargesanannualdeveloperfeeof$99,andGooglePlayStorechargesaone-timedeveloperfeeof$25topublishamobileapplication.Butthereismuchmoreadministrationandoptimizationatworkthanjustuploadingtheapptothestore.
So,howmuchdoesitactuallycosttoputanappontheappstoreDifferentplatformsrequiredifferentpreparations,rulecompliances,marketing,aswellasreviewtimes.Anaveragedevelopmentfirmusuallytakes8to20hoursor50maximumhourstofulfilltheseadministrativesteps,terms,andconditions.Calculatingtheaverageappcostof$60perhour,itcostsaround$520to$1300,oramaximumof$3250,toputanappontheappstore.
ButSoumadeepandmanyothersonthesurveymentionedthattheapppublishingcostisnotsubjectedtothesetimechanges,andmostcompanieschargeafixedamountforthewholeprocess.
Oftenoverlooked,support&maintenancedemandsampleinvestmenttosustainandthrillthroughthedynamicsoftheappbusiness.Andmostdevelopmentfirmsincorporateamaintenancecost(forsomeperiod)intothecontract.
Someofthesupport&maintenanceactivitiesthatparticipantsincludedareasfollows:
That’swhytheassociationwithyourtechpartnerdoesn’tstoprightawayfromtheapplaunch.Oftenit’sacontinuousprocessandlastsmuchlonger.Usually,companieschargeanaverageof25%ofthedevelopmentcostperyear.Thatmeansifacomplexappcosts$85,150todevelop,itcanbeestimatedthattheappmaintenancewillcostaround$21,287.5ayear.
Thedataandinsightspresentedabovegivearough,standardizedideaofthetimeandcostofmakinganapp,asmentionedby267leadingdevelopmentfirms.Thenextstepintheappaffairistolookoutforsomeofthebestappdevelopmentcompanies,evaluatethemonseveralaspects,andpicktheonethatsuitsyourbusinessanditsrequirements.
Thesurveysurmiseddatafromallthreeofthesmall,medium,andlargebusinesses:13.77%ofsmallfirmswith2-9employees,56.29%ofsmallfirmswith10-49employees,22.16%ofmediumfirmswith50-249,6.59%oflargefirmswith250-999employees,and1.20%oflargefirmswithemployeesmorethan1000employees.