The COVID-19 outbreak caused enormous growth in the number of digital buyers, which will reach over 2.14 billion people worldwide by the end of 2021, according to Statista. In 2016, by comparison, this number stood at only 1.66 billion people. Thus, if you still haven’t launched an application for your business, it’s time to create a mobile app for both iOS and Android. But how much does it cost to make an app for your business from scratch today? Keep reading to learn the subtleties of the mobile app development price formation, and understand how to save on your budget in the development of your application.
App Complexity
The first thing you need to consider when planning your mobile app development budget is to define the complexity of your future application. Read on to learn about app complexity and the costs necessary for developing simple, basic, and complex mobile apps.
Simple Apps
A simple app usually has no backend or the necessity for a network connection. To develop such an application, you should have a relatively low budget (from $15,000 to $60,000). Simple mobile app development takes approximately 500-800 development hours (timeline: 3-6 months). The best examples of simple apps are: Calculator, Camera, Clock, Local games, SMS apps, etc.
Basic Apps
Basic apps are simple apps with 5-6 screens. You should have a clear goal in mind for developing such an application. The whole app development process will take you about 800-1200 hours (timeline: 6-9 months). As a rule, basic apps cost from $60,000 to $150,000. Here are some examples of such applications: Weather, Stocks, Maps, McDonald’s Loyalty.
Complex, Custom (Multi-Feature) Apps
Complex apps are applications that support broad, unstructured goals and solve users issues via nonlinear workflows. As such apps are comprised of many features, their development usually takes 9 months minimally. A complex app can be estimated to be $250,000 and more. Uber, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, and Melabiz are all complex applications.
App Types
Every project is unique; therefore, it’s hard to estimate mobile app development without knowing the details. Nevertheless, understanding different types of apps can allow you to discern what to expect from your project.
Authentication App
Authentication apps usually generate security codes for signing in to sites with a high level of security. Such apps also allow users to log in to benefit from full app functionality. Since the development of an authentication app may imply applying subordinate features, its cost may start from $60,000.
Social Networking App
Social networking apps represent social media with chats and information sharing. Interested in knowing how much it costs to create an app like Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn? As these applications process an incredible amount of data, it will cost you from $60,000 to $300,000 and even higher to create such an app.
E-Commerce App
E-Commerce apps are applications that include functionality such as user registration, user account, social features, etc. Besides, these apps consist of product catalogs, product pages, and a user check-out system. E-Commerce apps belong to the complex apps field, so their development may cost you up to $300,000, or even more.
On-Demand App
Uber is an excellent example of on-demand apps. The mobile app development of such applications can take from $70,000 to $150,000 to develop on average.
Marketplace App
A marketplace app is an application that involves features from both e-commerce and on-demand services; therefore, the cost of these apps can be over $300,000.
3 Ways to Save On Your Budget on App Development
Do you want to develop an app, but your budget is too tight? Check out these tips to get to know how to save money without negatively influencing the app quality!
PoC, Prototype, MVP
Proof of Concept (PoC), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and Prototype are all made to remove your doubts about the viability of the idea, UX design, and to take a look at the product, as well as gain user feedback. By combining these strategies, you can avoid serious mistakes, which could negatively influence your project budget.
Outsourcing
Hiring a professional outsourcing team will help you significantly lower your app development cost. Check out the agency portfolio and choose the best service model to create a successful application, with outsourcing quickly and cost-effectively.
Cross-Platform App Development
Cross-platform app development allows you to reduce your costs and go to market 1.3x faster, which is an excellent solution for projects with a tight budget and timeline!
Conclusion
Now that you know how to save on app development, you can launch a successful application, even within a tight budget. Generate approximate app development costs for your project using the information in this article and create a great app for your business right now!
FAQs
How Much Does It Cost to Create a Mobile App for a Small Business?
For simple applications development, you will pay from $38,000 to $91,000. A basic mobile app of medium complexity may cost around $55,000-131,000. The cost of complex applications usually starts from $91,000 and may reach up to $211,000.
How Long Does It Take to Develop an App?
App development, namely the engineering part of the process, usually takes three to four months. However, to develop and launch a ready to go application to the App Store or Google Play, you need to spend from three to nine months, depending on the project’s complexity.
How to Develop an App Within a Tight Budget?
With the right strategy and approach, you can easily build a mobile app within a tight budget. All you need to do is set clear goals by analyzing the market and your audience, choose the right platform, consider the maintenance costs, and go for the right partnership.
