How much does it cost to make an app ?

As innovations are on the rise today, many people are developing or looking to develop new software apps to aid the world. Hereby GoodFirms, A simple app costs about $24,830 to $59,150 and takes about 4.5 to 11 weeks, A moderate app costs from $36,107.5 to $85,150 app takes 7 to 16 weeks and A complex app costs about $59,507.5 to $137,150 and takes 11.5 to 26 weeks. The development of an app is dependent on several issues, such as how much it cost to build an app. It is the first question that usually pops us immediately when one thinks of making an app. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to estimate your app development project. Here’s what we’ll dive into-

• How much does it cost to develop an app?
• How long does it take to create an app?
• An app’s development cost in the United States?
• How much does it cost to hire app developer?
• What does it cost to maintain an app?
• How much does it cost to create an app for a small business?

How much does it cost to make an app yourself?

App development is done using a programming language with the help of developers/programmers. However, now there are low code platforms available that allow non-programmers to create mobile apps. These platforms are good starting points to make simple apps but still lack the support to make commercial grade complex mobile apps needed today. In most of the cases, these low code platforms may not be your best bet to build a good app.

The cost to develop an app depends on the type of app you want to make. It is the primary factor that you should consider because it encircles the complexity of the features and the platforms that you use, as mentioned above.

Nonetheless, before you build an app from scratch, you should consider the features, visual designs, testing, updates, and marketing, which contributes significantly to the app business. Therefore, as there are many factors in check for this, it is essential to lay down the type of app you want.

How much does it cost to make an app for your business

As the technology is rapidly growing currently, so average cost to develop an app can be-

• A Simple app will cost you an approximate of $25,000 to $40,000.
• A Moderate app with limited features will cost you an approximate of $40,000 to $80,000.
• A Complex app with advanced features will cost you above $80,000.

It is just an overall impression of the approximate cost you should have when you want to develop an app and make money from apps, but will depend completely on your app idea and may go higher or lower accordingly.

App development cost breakdown

When you are building an app, you need to understand that app development involves teams who work together to come up with the final product. Consequently, the mobile app development cost might change depending on the services you may need in the overall development cycle. As many factors are to be considered, here is a breakdown of the stages your app will undergo and the cost per hour that you may incur usually.

Planning stage

It is the initial stage for the app development; in this phase, you will require a project manager and a business analyst. The step entails analysis of the business and technological requirements you need for the project. Additionally, here you come up with the cost to build an app through a writing specification that states your expectations.

The details in the specifications will guide in making the wireframes that you are going to assess and give feedback, which in turn offers the team a detailed project estimation.

For the procurement of the project manager and the business analyst, you will need an approximate of $60 per hour. It is the average cost you can incur in the beginning phase.

Product development stage

It entails the development of visual designs, software development, testing, and the deployment of the application. During the development stage, you need UI/UX designers who will facilitate the visual platforms and the aesthetics of the app. Additionally, an IOS/ android developer who will work on the software compatibility for smartphones.

After these two steps are completed, testing is done to identify the defects and correct them before it is deployed and supplied to the consumers. To work with these professionals, they charge per the type of app. However, the difference comes in the number of hours they use. The average cost for these services is $80 per hour.

Generally, the total costs of the whole project, with the inclusion of the costs you will spend with the team of professionals, for the basic app, you will need an approximate amount of $70,000+. For the medium complexity app, the total costs are approximately $117000+, while the complex app total costs are $200,000+. These amounts are an estimate of the value you will need for the whole project with the hours included. As the Mobile app development is holistic, there is a need to have these professionals for quality results.

Factors affecting app development costs

How much does it cost to make an app is a question any app entrepreneur asks. It is essential to know that several features affect the mobile app development costs, and they include;

Type of application

It is the first factor that will affect development costs. For any simple app, the price is lesser while it increases with the complexity of the application. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the type of app you want to feature. Additionally, this will also determine the development costs, which will allow you to create a budget.

Functionality and Elements

In terms of the functionality of the Mobile application, there are several factors to consider, like the display features as the login, file upload systems, location, map, profile completion, editing, push notifications, and the messaging aspects. The above are some features that need to be implemented in the app and may cost an additional amount. Nonetheless, the features are what attract the customers; thus, they should be appealing and detailed for customer satisfaction.

Design

It is how the application displays when you open it. When you are designing an app, the visuals play a huge role in affecting the costs. As the user interface designs vary, the simple app might be cheaper compared to the complex apps as the app uses the standard elements. This factor reduces the cost; however, for more prominent applications, more screens are used, which is costly to the project.

Platforms

Platforms affect the development costs of the app because when you are creating an app, you need to understand the audience that you want to capture. Nonetheless, you need to identify the target market and users of the product you wish to make.

When you are creating an app on smartphones, you will experience different costs when you are working with iOS and Android. Rationally, the platforms have different programming languages and development tools. It will significantly affect your budget. Some apps are required to be built native for these platforms using two different programming languages, ending up doubling your cost of development and maintenance of code.

However, now with evolution of cross platform frameworks like react native, ionic and flutter, you can have same codebase that can be built into apps for both platforms, saving you a significant amount of time and money in longer run.

Infrastructure and App Administration

The back end app infrastructure entails API that offers data exchange between the application and the database. This is one of the factors that might interfere with the amount of money you can use. As you have finished developing the app, the analytics will track the activities thus, if your application is too detailed, you will encounter more costs for the tracking.

Additionally, the administration mode should be considered when you are making the app, as they play a significant role in collecting the statistics and content. This feature will alter the costs depending on the complexity of the application.

Development team

Team member	Duties	Offshore Hourly Cost	Nearshore Hourly Cost
Project manager	Prevents any miscommunication and misconduct within the team to avoid pitfalls and abide by deadlines.	$35+	$85+
Developer	Writes the code of an app, integrates it with the data source, and fixes bugs.	$25+	$75+
Designer	Works on how an app interface would be laid out and how it would be felt by users. Solves different optimization tasks.	$25+	$65+
Tester	Monitors each part of the app,  controls code, and design quality ensures the end-product meets all project requirements.	$25+	$65+

This entails the mobile app developers and the mobile app development team that you are going to work with. The costs are different because they charge their services depending on their proximity. The geographical location plays a significant role in the development process; therefore, when you are procuring the service, it is vital to consider the area you are. Moreover, this will reduce the final total costs that you will incur for the whole project.

Maintenance Costs

After the cost to develop an app the next big question arrives that is “how much does it cost to maintain an app?” once your app is live in app stores. For the application to run effectively, you need to maintain it through running tests and making updates where necessary. Furthermore, it includes bug fixing to prevent it from crashing and improving its performance for the users for more new features through the updates. Code optimization is essential to ensure the application is safe from cyber attackers and improve the privacy policy.

The addition of new support that is compatible with the current operating systems is also among the maintained process. For the maintenance to be done, you will use up to 20% the total amount you made the application. Therefore, it is imperative to include this in your budget.

If you are confused about a niche to create an app below are the few latest app stats that will surely help you to pick a niche.  

Also Read: How To Set Up An Experienced Mobile App Development Team?

Mobile App Usage 

As of 2021, research shows that the average mobile user in the United States spends about 3 hours and 54 minutes on their phone every day. 

Number of Apps Across Platforms 

Top Platforms	Number of Apps in 2021 (in million)
Google Play	3.48
App Store	2.22
Amazon Appstore	460,000

Apps Downloads Statistics 

In 2020, there were 218 billion downloads of both Android Apps and iPhone Apps. 

The most downloaded apps for August 2021 are:  

• TikTok, which is not a game, has been downloaded 66 million times or more. 

• With 59 million or more downloads, Instagram was the second most popular app that was not a game. 

• WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook were also among the top five most downloaded apps that were not games. 

 Hidden Expenses of App Creation  

In answering the question, “How much does it cost to build an app?” What factors typically go unobserved by the user but are nonetheless crucial?  

 How to Reduce the Expense of Developing a Mobile App 

You may save money on app creation in several different ways. You should aim for both the lowest possible cost and the highest possible potential in your software. Let us quickly review a few alternatives for reducing the expense of creating a mobile app.  

1) Development for Multiple Platforms  

To reduce development time for mobile apps, choose a framework such as Ionic, Xamarin, or another one that is similar. In this approach, you may work on versions of the software for both platforms at the same time.  

When compared to developing an app for each individual platform, the cross-platform method can save costs by 10–30%.  

If your software features a lot of unique animations, you should stay away from cross-platform development. When making complex mobile applications, you should choose Swift for iOS and either Java or Kotlin for Android.  

Costs associated with building an app on the native platform include:   

• An Apple Developer license is available for $99. Businesses must pay $299 to acquire the same license.  

• Swift, Kotlin, and Java are free programming languages  

• A Google developer license costs $25 per year.  

Cross platform development pricing  

• Ionic is open source  

• Xamarin is free to use  

• Monocross is open source  

• Appcelerator offers a basic free tier and paid plans  

• React Native is open source 

• Kony offers paid plans  

Build an MVP 

It might sound counterintuitive to start with a minimum viable product (MVP). However, it is a practical means of conducting low-cost tests among actual end users in the wild. Your best budget for the final, fully featured app version can be calculated based on the early responses you receive. Customers’ most pressing needs will serve as the primary focus of your initial development efforts.  

Use the Same Company for Both Design and Development  

Find a company that specializes in both design and development to avoid playing the role of an intermediary. You will end up saving a ton of time.  

Use Commercially Available Products  

As I have already mentioned, it is not a clever idea to create a one-of-a-kind solution instead of buying something already made. Thanks to the booming mobile market, you can create an entire app with just a few software developments kits (SDKs). However, you must be able to differentiate between code snippets (or code templates) and mobile software development kits (SDKs).  

Mobile software development kits (SDKs) are different from code snippets from sites like codecanyon.com. In contrast to code snippets, which are sold in “as is” condition, software development kits (SDKs) come with official support and are a safe bet.  

Read More : How to Make Money from Apps?

Do not bother with old versions of software and hardware.  

You can cut your app’s costs by as much as 1.5x-2x by only supporting the latest versions of iOS and Android and the most recent models of mobile devices.  

Do not fall behind the times!  

Conclusion

Developing an app is based on the budget that you have; consequently, the amount that you are willing to spend will help you identify the type of app you can make. The budget ultimately answers the question how much does it cost to make an app?

Moreover, you will be able to select the team developers with ease. The app development factors will influence the total cost of the project. Therefore, if you need efficient results and the best app, you need to put the money in it.