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An Extensive Guide to Mobile App Development & Its Costs



  • With the massive demands of smartphones, almost every business today starts entering the internet sphere with custom mobile apps to expand their growth at a huge pace. Investing in mobile application development services in 2023 brings golden opportunities for modern businesses and entrepreneurs. A well-designed mobile app gives businesses the ability to stay with their customers and meet their needs.



    When it comes to mobile app development cost, choosing between a full-time developers' team and a freelancer can significantly impact your project's budget. Understanding the intricacies of custom mobile app development costs is essential for making informed decisions that align with your project's goals and financial resources. In this blog, we will delve into the various factors influencing app development costs, helping you make a well-informed choice when hiring app developers. Let's dive right in.

    What Is Mobile Application Development?

     

    In this booming landscape, finding the right Android application development company is crucial for businesses aiming to tap into this lucrative market. These companies specialize in tailoring apps to ensure seamless compatibility across various Android devices, helping enterprises meet their specific needs and capitalize on the projected $20.7 billion market size by 2025, as forecasted by IndustryARC.

     

    Application development is a long process, from planning to design and implementation, a number of steps are involved. In this ever-evolving digital landscape, a fully-featured mobile application helps you stay ahead of your competitors. Some significant benefits of developing an app for business include:

    • Provides more value to the potential customers
    • Helps to expand your brand
    • Boosts customer engagement level
    • Develops a personalized marketing channel
    • Offers excellent consumer insights

     

    Mobile app development is the process of creating mobile apps that run on smartphones. These applications can be preinstalled on the device, downloaded from a mobile store, or accessed through a mobile web browser. Typically, a mobile application uses a network connection to work with remote computing resources. Thus, the process of app development involves:

    Factors That Influence App Development Costs

     

    When you’re planning to estimate the overall cost of app development, there are too many things to consider – from app complexity level to the developer’s hourly rate. Every factor plays a very significant role in figuring out the exact app development cost. Understanding these important factors will allow you to make a very cost-effective decision & help you stay on budget. Key factors include:

    1. Project Complexity

    The complexity level is one of the important factors that effectively influence the overall cost of app development. The project complexity depends on several factors such as app design, features & functionalities, devices & platforms, integrations, and so on. Take a look at the below table and explore the app development average cost based on the project complexity levels.

     

    App Type

    Features Included

    Estimated Costs

    Estimated Time

    Simple Mobile App

    Basic UI with Only Core Features

    $25000 to $60,000

    2 to 3 Months

    Medium Complex App

    Sophisticated Features & Functionalities

    $50,000 to $100,000

    3 to 6 Months

    Highly Complex App

    Custom UI, Advanced Features & Integrations

    $100,000 to $300,000

    6 to 9 Months

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    2. Features and Functionalities

    App features and functionalities also play a crucial role in estimating the overall cost of app development. This means, if you want to add more advanced features to your app, you need to pay more. 

     

    Therefore, it’s recommended to focus on only the core app features at the initial stage. It helps you enhance customer experience at a very reasonable price. Below table will help you give a basic idea about the feature-wise cost of making mobile apps.

     

    App Features

    App Functions

    Estimated Time

    Average Costs

    User Login

    Login feature with social media

    Login feature with email address

    Forgot password

    Log out option

    30 to 42 hours

    $500 to $1,000

    Profile Completion

    Add image & basic info

    Set region/location

    30 to 40 hours

    $900 to $1,000

    Messaging

    Online or offline status

    Typing status

    Send documents or media files

    Read or sent status

    170 to 180 hours

    $3,000 to $5,000

    Push Notifications

    Reminders & push notifications for users

    25 to 32 hours

    $1,000 to $1,200

    Admin Panel

    List of users

    Delete or block user

    Create new user

    Edit user

    70 to 90 hours

    $3,500 to $4,000

    Payments

    Transaction history

    Check balance

    Add credit or debit card

    Add payment gateways like Paypal, Paytm, etc.

    60 to 80 hours

    $2,500 to $3,000

    Maps

    User’s location detection

    Set pickup & drop point

    100 to 120 hours

    $3,000 to $4,000

    Calls

    Audio calls

    Video calls

    Contact list

    300 to 400 hours

    $14,000 to $15,000

    3. App Category

    When you move from one app category to another, a number of things can change such as users, security criteria, functionalities, and so on that significantly leads to varying overall cost to hire apps developers. Here is a complete list of app-making costs based on application categories.

     

    App Categories

    Estimated Costs

    Estimated Hours

    Social Media Apps

    $50,000 to $300,000

    1,200 hours

    Learning Apps

    $60,000 to $225,000

    900 to 1000 hours

    eCommerce Apps

    $50,000 to $150,000

    1,200 to 1500 hours

    Dating Apps

    $50,000 to $350,000

    1,000 to 1,400 hours

    Gaming Apps

    $60,000 to $250,000

    1800+ hours

    Web Apps

    $60,000 to $300,000

    1,200 to 1500 hours

    Startup Apps

    $40,000 to $400,000

    1,600 to 1700 hours

    Taxi Apps

    $50,000 to $400,000

    1400 to 1,600 hours

    Augmented Reality (AR) Apps

    $100,000 to $250,000

    1,600+ hours

    Retail Apps

    $50,000 to $150,000

    1000 to 1200 hours

    Business Apps

    $50,000 to $200,000

    1200 to 1400 hours

    Video streaming Apps

    $80,000 to $300,000

    1400 to 1,600 hours

    Restaurant Apps

    $40,000 to $150,000

    900 to 1200 hours

    Food delivery Apps

    $50,000 to $180,000

    1000 to 1300 hours

    Healthcare Apps

    $55,000 to $300,000

    1,200 to 1500 hours

    How Much Does It Cost To Hire An Android App Developer?

    Generally, the mobile app developer cost ranges from $5,000 to $30,000 yearly. However, the rate of app developers differs based on their region or location. This means if you hire an app development company in the USA, you have to pay 5 times more than hiring developers in India.

     

    However, this rate also depends on several parameters such as app size, complexity, app category & much more. For your convenience, we have shared a complete list of region-wise developers’ hourly rates.

     

    Developers’ Regions

    Estimated Costs

    North America

    $35 to $80/hour

    Northern Europe

    $40 to $80/hour

    Latin America

    $30 to $70/hour

    Western Europe

    $35 to $70/hour

    Africa

    $15 to $40/hour

    Middle East

    $25 to $50/hour

    Southeast Asia

    $35 to $80/hour

    Eastern Asia

    $20 tp $60/hour

    India

    $25 to $60/hour

    Benefits of Hiring A Mobile App Developer

    To create a mobile app, there are two basic options open to you. You can either hire a dedicated app development team or freelance developers. Experts suggest you choose the first option as professional developers are well-trained, experienced, and have industry-proven expertise. Let’s dive into the key benefits of hiring mobile app developers:

    1. Top-notch Resources

    Reputable app development companies are equipped with certified and well-experienced app developers, designers & programmers who effectively utilize their vast knowledge and trending insights to create feature-rich applications for their clients. They also use the latest industry trends and technologies to meet their client’s needs and expectations.

    2. Good Support System

    From dedicated app developers, you can expect a strong support system. Once you hire them, you will be free from all system management headaches. The professional developers will provide you with different types of technical solutions even after app delivery. From app development to maintenance, they take all responsibilities to meet all your project needs. 

    3. Effective Project Tracking

    When you hire an app designer team, you have full control of your project. This is because the app developers divide the entire project into different sections & plan every task in a consistent manner. As a result, you can smoothly track the work progress & monitor updates of every segment of your app development project.

    4. Vast Responsibilities

    Mobile app developers not only develop an app and deliver it to the client, but they also focus on a number of tasks to keep the whole development process streamlined. Following tasks, they usually carry out:

    • Assist with app development lifecycle (planning, designing, testing, and support)
    • Build a completely operational application & check debug issues
    • Gather specific project requirements & propose solutions
    • Make user interface tests to address flaws
    • Focus on troubleshooting & debugging
    • Make an interface to improve the user experience
    • Consult with clients regarding new features and addition
    • Ensure that the application adheres to all industry standards
    • Recommend new mobile applications, products, and protocols
    • Stay updated with new market trends

     

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    Final Words

    Mobile application development has a massive scope that effectively evolves the entire business landscape. However, developing a successful mobile app highly depends on how you estimate your budget properly and what developers you hire.

     

    If you are planning to make an app for your business but are not sure where to start and how to estimate properly, the above-mentioned tips will help you find the right ways. For more info, get in touch with professionals to get expert assistance.