It has been said that running a business is an art. It’s the caliber of businessperson on how they look into different opportunities and challenges and determine if it’s profitable to invest in or not. One such challenge that the businesspeople are facing these days is if they should invest in mobile app development.
The businesspeople are familiar with the fact that mobile apps have become an indispensable part of a successful business. It has offered the opportunity to engage a wider audience, improve communication, enhance sales, promote their business products/services, and thus, beat the competition. But, at the same time, they can’t overlook the fact that mobile app is not a cheaper affair – especially when there are thousands of app developers who are distributing average services for a huge amount of money.
Taking this dilemma into consideration, I am sharing the secret of app development cost so that you, businesspeople, could get into the mobile market without getting into the claws of fraudulent or compromising with app quality to manage the budget.
But before you get excited and sit with your notebook to note down the app cost, let me share that there’s no exact app cost. Just like your marketing strategies, every app constitutes of different design elements, features and other factors that change the app cost. So, the best way to determine the app development cost is to look into these factors and how they are affecting the overall cost, which is as follows:-
Things to Know Before Calculating Mobile App Development Cost
1. App Type
What type of app do you want to build – a standalone or an interactive one? Depending on your choice, the whole mobile app development Melbourne process is based. An interactive application will consume more of your savings as compared to a simpler standalone application due to the integration of the cutting-edge technologies and other elements of the tech stack.
For example, an Enterprise mobile app cost for $50,000 to $1,75,000 whereas a standalone app with minimal features might get published into the market at much lower than half of these numbers.
2. App Platform
The platform you wish to build an application for also adds to the mobile app development cost. An Android native mobile app will cost higher than an iOS native mobile app. Whereas, an application build via React Native would let you target both the popular markets costs somewhere between $15,000 and $50,000 which is nearly half of the cost required for building individual applications.
3. App Design
A standard UI design might seem unpleasing and boring, but it is quite cheaper than a customized UI design. As per the experts, a standard mobile app design can be prepared within 150 hours while a customized UI design demands more than 400 hours.
4. App Complexity
The factors like the number of app screens, the app flow, the challenges into the app development also influence the total mobile app development cost.
5. Location
The location of the hired mobile app development service providers also have an impact on the overall cost. While India app developers might charge only $18-$40, a USA-based team might ask for $100-$150 for the same work.
6. Team Size
The number of experts dedicated to your app project also make a difference in the overall app costing. A freelancer or a small scale company might deliver mobile app development services at the rate of $2000 to $25,000, whereas a large-cap app development company might charge for about $450,000 to $1,500,000 for the same app project depending on their team size.
7. App Testing
Though often overlooked, app testing is a crucial phase of the mobile app development process. In this phase, you deal with bugs and glitches that might affect your end user’s experience with your app.
The price for app testing depends on the type of testing you perform, the tools you employ, the number of app screens, and the possible bugs.
8. App Launch
The app launch cost depends on the platform you are launching your application. If you are launching your mobile app on Google Play Store, it will cost you a one-time fee of $25, whereas launching an application on the App Store will take $99/year.
9. App Marketing
App marketing is another important element of the app development process. Here, you focus on promoting your mobile application to make it easier to achieve the desired ROI.
There are different methods and platforms to promote an app. While some are free, some demand for a heap of notes. The cost depends on the type of marketing you prefer.
10. App Maintenance and Update
The app development process does not end up launching a mobile application. You need to optimize your app, resolve the issues recorded by the end users, and keep your app updated with the current marketing scenario.
As per the mobile app experts, the app maintenance takes up to 40% of your app development cost. While the app update cost depends on the new features and technologies you plan to incorporate into your mobile app.
Now as you know the 10 major factors influencing the mobile app development cost, what’s your plan? Are you ready to hire an app partner and bring your business on mobile? Share in the comment section below.
