How much does it cost to build a mobile app?

How much does a mobile app cost?

You won’t get a definitive answer to this question. For one simple reason – there isn’t one. The cost of developing a mobile app depends on a number of factors, as we’ll discuss below.

If you ask us how much it will cost to develop your mobile app, you won’t get an evasive answer along the lines of ‘it depends’. Even though, in principle, that is true – given the factors mentioned earlier. Estimating the cost of developing a mobile app really comes down to answering a series of questions from the company responsible for its development. Of course, you’ll find price ranges online. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that these are very general.

Why does a mobile app cost so much?

First and foremost, it is the enormous amount of time devoted by individual members of the project team. Starting from the initial phase when the idea first takes shape, right through to the day-to-day work involved in maintaining and promoting the application. One clue is the ‘scale’ of such a product – or rather, its level of complexity and the time required to create it. Mobile apps can be divided into three categories: simple, medium (in terms of complexity) and complex.

This is, of course, a fairly flexible breakdown. It all really depends on your ideas and the requirements of the product. However, there is a specific plan setting out the individual tasks, and it is these that are quoted for.

The cost depends, amongst other things, on:

• the number of functions,
• their level of advancement,
• the scope and quality of the interface,
• the number of platforms on which the product is to run,
• application maintenance.

These are just a few of the issues that will be raised during discussions with a potential contractor for your product.

Business analysis of a mobile app

An important stage that often takes up a lot of time, but is well worth the effort. In this phase, we define what features the app should have – what will make it a popular choice amongst customers. This is the moment when you present your idea. It is at this stage that the business opportunities offered by your vision are uncovered. It’s worth raising one point here. In fact, this analysis also features in subsequent stages of product development – for example, in relation to user experience.

Business analysis often enables you to revise your vision for the product – to one that turns out to have greater potential. Discussing this with the team responsible for developing the application allows you to implement the best possible vision.

Cost estimation for a mobile app

The cost of developing an app can vary considerably and depends on a number of factors. Some of these include:

1. Type of application: Mobile apps are generally more expensive to develop than web apps, and native apps (developed specifically for iOS or Android) can be more expensive than hybrid apps (which run on both platforms).
2. Complexity of the app: The more features an app has, the more time and effort it takes to develop it, which increases the cost. This includes things such as user login, integrations with other systems, the use of GPS data, in-app payments, etc.
3. User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design: Creating an attractive and intuitive user interface can be time-consuming, but it is crucial to the success of an application.
4. Maintenance costs: The costs of developing an app are not limited to the initial outlay. You must also take into account the costs of maintaining the app, such as bug fixes, updates, hosting, user support, etc.
5. Developer rates: Hourly rates for developers can vary depending on their skills, experience and location. However, the rate is not the most important factor; what matters most is the efficiency of the development team.

As far as keeping costs down is concerned, here are a few suggestions:

• Planning: Careful planning at the outset can save a lot of time and money later on. This involves understanding business objectives, identifying key features, setting priorities, and so on.
• Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Rather than trying to build a comprehensive application right from the start, consider creating an MVP – a version of the application with a minimum set of features – which will allow you to gather early user feedback and find out which features are truly important.
• Ready-made solutions: There are often ready-made tools or libraries available that can save you the time it would take to build certain functions from scratch.
• Iterative development: Instead of creating a ‘perfect’ app straight away, start with a simpler version and then develop and improve it iteratively based on user feedback.

App Valuation – Summary

Whilst there are certain general price ranges, as we’ve already mentioned, it’s the individual circumstances that matter most. The best approach from your point of view is to send enquiries to a number of companies, specifically asking for a quote. In our case, all you need to do is provide your email address and telephone number. And off you go. On the main page, on the right-hand side, you’ll see a ‘Quote’ pop-up. You can’t miss it.