How Much Does Cost an App Like Uber

DC Kumawat
8 min readMar 11, 2022

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How many apps do you really need? You connect drivers and passengers when you build a ride-sharing app. To do so, you’ll need:

Driver App

Drivers can use this app to share their locations, find optimal matches, and get paid for their work. The software typically contains tools for tracking payments, real-time and scheduled requests, and trip details.

Passenger App

Users will be able to request rides easily using this app. There can be features such as matching passengers with drivers in real-time, providing real-time updates on rides, verifying profiles for extra security, and offering a user-friendly payments portal.

Admin panel for app owners

An admin panel is usually available as a web-based application that can be accessed via any browser. A successful carpooling app must have a user-friendly admin panel. Feature customizations include driver and passenger management, as well as reports and analytics.

Uber-like features for passengers

Basic features:

· Location and routing.

· From the app, you can call or text the driver.

· State of the ride.

· Estimation of ride costs.

· Making payments.

· Push notifications.

· Registration and management of personal data.

· Personal profile.

Advanced features:

· You can book rides for others.

· Organizing rides in advance.

· Sharing the ride fare with a companion.

Uber-like features for drivers

Basic features:

· Reporting drivers.

· Optimizing routes.

· Activate or inactivate the option.

· Bookings and earnings are reported daily or monthly.

· Location and routing.

· From the app, you can call or text the passenger.

· State of the ride.

· Estimation of ride costs.

· Push notifications.

· Registration and management of personal data.

· Personal profile.

Advanced features:

· Cancellations are free within a certain time frame.

· Heatmaps and advanced reporting (for example, showing traffic on streets).

· Uber’s admin dashboard performs the following functions.

· Adding and deleting administrators.

· Managing the privileges of administrators.

· Choosing a driver from the list.

· Data updates for drivers.

· Verification of the driver.

· Price changes for rides.

Costs of Developing an Uber-like App

Let’s get back to the original question after we have examined all the cost components. Is Uber an expensive app to develop? Find out how much it costs.

The app’s customer-facing features and the development costs

Here are the app’s features and how much it costs to develop from the customer’s perspective.

Uber’s customer-facing features

1. Payments

When developing an app like Uber you would have to come up with a strategy. Depending on what type of Uber you order (e.g., UberBlack, UberSUV, etc. ), the rates are different.

How does Uber determine a trip’s fare? Definitely! There are several factors that Uber considers:

Base fare.

Cost per minute.

Cost per mile.

Sales ride free.

Developing an Uber-like app with cashless payments is very simple if you follow these steps. One of the first things you would want to address is the financial data security of your customers.

When storing and processing credit card data, make sure PCI compliance is at the top of your list.

Another option is to use payment gateways that are fully PCI compliant, such as Stripe or Braintree.

Transacting with credit cards is handled by Braintree for Uber. Using the Uber app, users can scan card numbers using the card.io platform.

2. Web/UI/UX Design

You can’t have a successful app without a great user experience. UI/UX that is easy to use and stunning will impress your clients.

It is usually minimalism, clarity, and simplicity that stand out as aspects of great design. In addition to what you want to achieve, the cost of UI/UX design will also vary.

3. Pre-scheduling a ride

It is a great idea to be able to schedule a ride in advance. That is very convenient. Imagine being able to schedule a ride in advance.

Travel planning is a breeze with it, and that’s wonderful. When you conduct thorough research on your customer profile, you will be able to create features that are beneficial for them.

4. Taking someone else’s ride (for a third party)

Imagine you want to book a ride through your account for your grandmother. She would be thrilled! That is an interesting feature of Uber.

Scheduling a trip is also quite useful. Your grandmother, friend, or relative will receive the ride details once the booking is completed. An SMS will be sent to both the customer and the driver.

5. Splitting Fares

The split a fare feature is also exciting. Using this feature, customers can share (divide) the cost of a ride with their fellow travelers. Here is the cost of developing the feature:

6. Location and routing

Next, let’s talk about a basic feature. The primary use of GPS technology is geolocation and routing. This allows for the tracking of the driver’s location.

As a result, the process is attractive, and in the background are complex processes and architectures.

The use of a routing server facilitates knowing the distance and running routes. From the moment customers launch Uber until the moment they are dropped, the app’s routing engines work seamlessly.

Technically, developers can track real-time car movement using Google Maps. GPS directions can be followed with Google Maps.

Making an Android app like Uber requires you to use the Maps SDK.

Using the Geolocation API, developers can also get precise information about the user’s location. The Core Location framework helps you with location services when planning the iOS version of the app. We’ll be able to select routes and directions easily using the Map Kit framework.

App Features for Drivers & Development Costs

It is essential to look at the features of both entities (including drivers) to get a complete picture of the Taxi Booking App Development costs.

Driver-facing features are available on the Uber app

1. The driver’s report

The feature (driver report) protects both the driver and the passenger. It summarizes the driver’s driving style.

The report is provided for a specific period, like a week or a month. Uber will use the report to decide whether to suspend a driver for driving carelessly once or repeatedly.

2. Driving Destinations

A must-have feature is the driver destination feature. With this feature, drivers can search for passengers that need rides based on their preferred location.

People who would like to combine their professional and personal lives will find this feature useful.

There are many features in Uber’s app. To come up with a price for your app, you must know that features will be a major factor.

Depending on the features you want to add to the app, the software development cost will vary. Many factors go into app development costs. Here are just a few.

App development costs are determined by other factors, such as Uber

Besides the features, some other factors determine how much it costs to develop an app like Uber. Here are some of them.

Company Type

The type of your company is an important factor. What type of business are you? Will the app be built in conjunction with your business? Startups often have a smaller budget than an established business.

App Platform

This is one of the most common questions you would encounter before a development project. Are you interested in developing an Android app, an iOS app, or both?

In the beginning, Uber’s app was only available on iOS. The iPhone was huge at the time. (On the US market) the iPhone had a market share of around 80%.

Your app platform must be carefully planned. It would be easier to make a final decision if you based it on market research.

Type of the App

On the technology front, the next critical decision must be made. If you develop a hybrid app instead of a native one, it may seem more reasonable. But how are they different? Many subtleties can be found in programming languages, architecture, and other fields.

If you’re not sure, what should you do?

A provider of expert mobile development services such as Imaginovation is always available. Make a final decision on your Uber-like app development approach with the assistance of experts.

The approximate cost of building an Uber-like app

**Feature** **Approximate Time** **Approximate Cost**

Payment integration 3 to 6 weeks $6,000+

Geolocation features 3 to 6 weeks $6,000+

Ride scheduling 3 to 6 weeks $6,000+

Booking a ride for others 4 to 8 weeks $8,000+

Split a fare 4 to 6 weeks $6,000+

Registration and profile 2 to 3 weeks $3,000+

Notifications 2 to 4 weeks $4,000+

Ride cost estimation 1 to 2 weeks $2,000+

For Back-end 4 to 8 weeks $8,000+

For Android/iOS(backend) 4 to 6 weeks $6,000+

For Android/iOS (frontend) 6 to 10 weeks $12,000+

**Total for two apps (Android/iOS)** **~4 to 8 months** **~67,000+**

An Uber app might cost anywhere between $67,000 and $150,000 to develop (for iOS and Android) for one or two users. Additionally, you would need to factor in the cost of an admin panel that starts at $14,000.

WP Engine Founder & CTO Jason Cohen says: “Features, messaging, the path to customers, your competitive edge, your pricing model — all this will get sorted out as we go.” It’s important to create a detailed blueprint and analyze each feature critically as it may affect pricing. You will also develop a competitive edge through the exercise.

Work on developing an Uber-like app’s costs

Developing a system can be planned out easily. Just map out your app choices, costs, and features. It’s not just about planning initial expenses and ongoing expenses, but also about cutting costs like a pro.

Whenever we make decisions as entrepreneurs, we need to base them on well-founded research. It never fails! If you follow your instincts, you may be able to improve your market profitability and lead you to make more informed decisions.

As a result, the cost and features components are crucial. A brilliant app, however, should focus more on providing value to your customers. It can be overwhelming to deal with pricing and financials, but nothing can beat the joy of a ‘happy customer’.

As a final note

A taxi-on-demand app like Uber takes a lot of time, dedication, and financial resources to build. To justify the price and time required to develop this application for startups and SMEs, this blog has explained every segment and feature of the application.

Consequently, the owner of the business can choose and customize the structure of the application according to their needs and budget. Next, contact a Taxi Booking App Development Company India and upgrade the app to include advanced features and launch mindfully designed marketing campaigns to promote the existing business.

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DC Kumawat

I am DC Kumawat. I am Co- Founder of Orion Infosolutions Mobile App Development Company. I am passionate about reading and writing new things.