6 Crucial Factors That Affect Mobile App Development Cost
As an app development services provider, we often get asked ‘how much does it cost to build a mobile app?’ to which we usually reply ‘it depends on a number of factors.’ Ask any app development agency and they’ll tell you the same. Multiple factors contribute to the total app development cost, and today, we will be discussing those factors in detail.
The cost of mobile app development isn’t fixed. It varies as per a client’s requirements. But it is understandable why this question gets asked a lot as it all comes down to the budget in the end. To help you get a better understanding, we have prepared a list of the key factors that influence mobile app development cost.
1. Platform: Android vs iOS
The platform you select for your mobile app plays a crucial role in deciding its app development cost. A choice needs to be made between the two major operating systems- Android and iOS. Apps are built differently for these platforms. They have their own programming languages and tech stack. While Android apps are coded in Java or Kotlin, iOS apps make use of Swift or Objective-C.
If we consider the hourly rates, iOS developers charge roughly 15% more than Android developers. But unlike an iOS app that is tested for a limited number of devices and OS versions, an Android app has to be tested against a variety of devices (different smartphone brands and screen sizes) for compatibility which makes Android app development comparatively costlier than iOS app development.
Confused as to which platform you should build your app for? Read our guide and decide accordingly.
2. Features and Functionality
Another factor that affects the mobile app development cost is features and functionality. As much as you would want to make your app feature-rich, doing so will result in a higher development cost. The more interesting (and advanced) features you include in the app, the more money you will have to invest because the team will have to put in extra time and effort on developing those features.
To avoid paying excessively for the features upfront, clients often proceed with the idea of MVP development. A minimum viable product or MVP is a product built with minimal features just to support the key functionality of the application. It allows potential app owners to check the demand for their app in the market and also to understand the needs of their target audience like what kind of features they would wish to see in the future. This information can come extremely useful when going for full-fledged development later- helping clients be more clear about the features they would like to include in the app.
3. Mobile App Design (UI and UX)
The cost to build a mobile app depends vastly on the level of UI and UX the app demands. In other words, the complexity of the mobile app decides its overall development cost, which is categorized into three levels- simple apps, average-complexity apps, and high-complexity apps. Designing a higher complexity app would mean higher involvement of animations and transitions to help users move from one screen to another.
A high-quality app design speaks for itself, and it is what draws a user towards an application. When a user first opens an application having no idea of how it looks or functions, it is its UI/UX that keeps them hooked to the application. And based on their initial interaction with the app, they form an assumption about its quality. It is therefore important to build an app that is visually appealing and easy to use. However, the richer the app is in terms of UI/UX, the higher will be the cost because it will include more design elements to improve the look and feel and the overall functionality of the application.
4. Size and Experience of the App Development Team
The next factor that decides the app development cost is the size and experience of the app development team. You may require a small or a large team depending on the app’s complexity. The more people are involved in the project, the higher will be the cost. A development team usually comprises a business analyst, a project manager, UI/UX designers, developers, and QA engineers.
In addition to the team size, the experience of the team matters too. An experienced app development company can be on the expensive side for the obvious reasons that they have years of experience behind them in building quality apps and are aware of the challenges and the technical know-how of what goes into developing a quality mobile app.
Dew, having over 11 years of experience in app development, has designed and developed scads of applications for its clients, worldwide and has served multiple industries over the years. If you need any assistance regarding how to build an app or how much does it cost to build one, feel free to reach out to our team of experts.
5. Application Security
Security is one of the important aspects to look at when building an application. Depending on the type of application you are looking to build and whether it requires low-level or high-level security can fluctuate the app development budget. For example, a banking or a fintech app would require a higher level of security than a travel app.
A mobile app collects data usually in the form of user details, transaction details, and debit/credit card details. Considering security breaches or phishing attacks that happen on a daily basis in the digital space, it is important to ensure that the app follows good security standards to keep user data safe and secure. This includes multi-factor authentication, data sanity checks, creating threat models, etc.
The security cost ultimately boils down to the application type, size of the application, platform (since iOS demands following higher security standards), and the level of user engagement. Based on these parameters, your app development partner would suggest the most effective security methods.
6. API Integration
APIs establish communication between software products. Thus, if your application requires connecting and communicating with other services, you can either utilize third-party integrations or create your own API(s). For instance, integration of Facebook or Instagram API helps users register quickly (through social login) and integration of payment API like Paypal facilitates in-app purchases.
Third-party APIs would cost you as per integration whereas if you develop APIs, it might exceed the total app development cost as it will require more time and effort.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the primary factors that decide the app development cost. The list goes beyond this. Get in touch with an app development agency and tell them about your requirements and budget limitations. Based on these, they will be able to propose a close estimate that would match your needs and preferences without you having to overspend.
Originally published at https://www.dewsolutions.in on December 27, 2022.
