How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Mobile App?
Mobile app development pricing
How to create an app? Whether you need to make app for iOS or create app for Android, in most cases it is most advantageous to entrust the development to experienced mobile application developers. How much does it cost to build an app? Mobile app development price estimation is a complex process affected by many factors. First of all, the cost variates depending on the finished application’s function types and amounts. Secondarily, we evaluate the following criteria:
· The platforms for which the application will be developed, their amount.
· If there will be a server backend, third-party services integration?
· At what stage currently is the customer’s idea? Is there a ready designs or application sketches?
· Will the case be a public one, if we will be able to publish it in our portfolio?
It should also be noted that individual applications, as a rule, presume several separate releases. The application that is released with the use of the App Store and Google Play must be regularly updated and maintained in response to users’ demand and feedback. This is why we always recommend dividing the project into several versions and form the price of each individual release respectively considering all the factors above.
Our ample experience cooperating with startups and entrepreneurs allowed us to establish the following principles:
· We comprehend the impact of the proposed mobile solution by the measurable key business performance indicators such as application’s user number increase, income generated by the application, additional monetization opportunities.
· The mobile application benefit is estimated based on what users’ problems it solves and how. While evaluating the functions of the application we try to take into account the critical ones. We advise our clients not to develop the non-critical ones with the first release. This helps our customers not only to save funds but also to receive the working application build as soon as possible.
Let us examine the aspects of mobile application development cost more closely.
I. What impacts the cost of the mobile app development?
Mobile application development cost is calculated by lots of different factors over the simple product of development time and hourly rate. Some of those are the needed development team, app intricacy and post-production maintenance.
Development team
Depending on the estimated project complexity and amount of platforms for which the application is being developed, either basic or advanced team can be assigned.
Basic team consists of:
· UI/UX designer;
· 1–2 developers;
· (optional) Backend developer;
· QA engineer.
One of the team members assumes the role of the team lead. UI/UX designer is responsible for the application appearance. Developers write the main code and engineer the additional app features. In case the project uses server infrastructure/API, backend developer joins the team. QA engineer tests the application in whole and proofs the implemented features. Team lead manages the team.
Advanced team consists of:
· Project manager;
· UI/UX designer;
· 2–4 developers per platform;
· QA engineer;
· (optional) Backend developer;
· (optional) Admin panel developer.
Project manager manages the team, distributes the tasks and is personally responsible for the team’s results. In case the project uses server infrastructure/API, backend and admin panel developers join the team. The former setups the server and codes the server backend, the latter creates the administrative board that lets the customer to control the server.
Cost-increasing application elements
These are the main factors that increase the application development costs:
1. The intricacy of the project’s business logic;
2. Used platforms amount;
3. Custom graphic elements and animations.
1. The intricacy of the project’s business logic
Tons of features can increase the business logic complexity. Some of the most obvious are:
- Integration with third-party services
Some of the mobile app functions can be best realized through the incorporation of third-party ready libraries, frameworks, services and websites. Examples are audio/video players, real-time charts, payment services and cloud hostings.
- Social media integration
Social media sharing and synchronization are possible through the APIs of such networks as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, etc
- Server backend
In most cases, server infrastructure is developed for the coordination and synchronization purposes, to connect a mobile app with one or more databases. Most of the application’s business logic is implemented here.
- Admin panel
The administration board or admin panel is a tool that lets the customer to control the backend and setup its settings, deploy apps, manage server’s content and user access, collect and view statistics, etc. Some examples of apt administrative templates exist, both free and paid, though in most cases it is most advantageous to create a custom admin panel suit for customer’s needs.
- Monetization
There are a plethora of possible monetization methods starting with virtual goods and decorations selling and ending with paid accounts. Implementing the monetization requires a profound code modification and expansion thus contributing to the increase in the project complexity.
- Optional hardware usage
Modern smartphones often contain different non-standard hardware components such as sensors (gyroscopes, accelerometers, barometers, proximity sensors, brightness sensors, etc.), communication modules (Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, etc.) and additional devices (cameras, hardware keyboards, etc.) The specific set may differ from gadget to gadget and from manufacturer to manufacturer. Implementing the interaction with different hardware components and testing the software’s compatibility with specific devices may increase significantly the project’s complexity and development time.
- Project urgency
If the customer needs the application to be released in a certain limited period of time, faster than the project timeline estimates, to maintain the minimum acceptable application quality we would need to increase the amount of personnel, involved in developing it. The more resources are involved, the more the development cost grows.
