When it comes to the question of how much the average mobile app costs to develop, the truth is that answers can vary wildly. This is because there are as many kinds of apps out there as there are customers for those apps. However, understanding the key factors behind app pricing will allow you to budget for your own app accordingly. Here are 5 factors to look at when it comes to app budgeting.
1: Teams and Talent
Behind every truly great app is a highly-trained team. Ideally, you have team members versed in everything from hardware and software to user experience patterns. It’s a good idea, too, to hire a company who have already designed multiple apps and who design apps full-time. What this boils down to, though, is that you must be willing to pay for the kinds of experienced and innovative app designers that you want.
While it is tempting to hire individuals directly out of college or freelancers as a way of shaving such costs, you risk getting an inferior product and possibly having to assign multiple people with less experience to handle tasks that one experienced person could handle.
Consider this: Mobile app development companies work with you to transform your idea to a solid product. Team members will define requirements and force you to think through every little scenario. With freelancers or less experienced developers, you’ll have to do this on your own.
2: App Complexity
One of the most influential factors regarding the cost of an app is its complexity. For instance, there are mobile apps that integrate with existing APIs. For these types of apps you should have a five-figure budget. For standalone apps, the budget can go into the six figure territory. There is a huge gap between these budgets, especially for smaller app developers, so it is important to consider this when planning your design. For apps not requiring API or server components the price will be lower, but it will be difficult to get a quality app from a professional firm for anything less than $25,000.
Does your app require: in-app purchasing, share capabilities, SDKs, or gaming features? These features can be considered more complex and will have an impact on cost.
3: Time and Detail
Some of the most successful apps are developed by companies that have detailed app development processes. This can pay off in such forms as being featured in the app store or receiving positive endorsement from famous users who enjoy the app. Of course, all of this takes additional time, which adds to the overhead of developing your app. When this time and money are invested wisely, however, it helps to ensure that each member of the team is focused on helping the app stand out when compared with the competition.
4: Platform choice
Because time does represent money for your company, the app platform can also contribute to its overall development costs. It often takes anywhere from two to three times longer to develop Android apps than it does iOS apps. While there is still a robust audience for apps on multiple platforms, those developing for android must consider the added cost of the so-called “Android tax.”
5: Ongoing costs
Ironically, one of the contributors to the cost of an app hinges on its success. Popular apps will need various updates and tweaks, and anything requiring access to a server will have server maintenance costs attached to it. This adds to the existing developmental and marketing costs associated with the app. When budgeting for your app It’s also important to take into account any legal and accounting fees.
In Conclusion
Developing a great mobile app begins with devising a solid plan to turn your idea into a reality. As you can see, mobile app costs are difficult to quote without details because of the many factors involved. Regardless of how much you spend on your app, ensure that it’s built right the first time. If you simply focus on hiring the cheapest developer you can find, in the end. it could be the most costly option.