In recent years, the mobile app development industry has observed rapid growth. The primary reason for this expansion is the growing number of smartphone users. Due to this, it has become crucial for a company to have a mobile app to engage more customers. As per the statistics, the mobile app industry alone is expected to generate more than $935 billion by 2023. That’s why companies hire a mobile app development company to engage and please their existing customers and attract their target audience.
But do you have an idea how much it costs to develop a mobile application? Well, it is not easy to tell as it depends on certain factors, such as your application’s platforms, features needed in your app, type of application, etc.
This article will discuss the mobile app development cost based on its types and the factors that affect mobile app development price. We will also talk about some methods to reduce your overall cost in developing a mobile app.
Mobile App Development Cost Based on Type of Application
Hybrid Apps
Hybrid Apps also referred to as cross-platform applications, are the perfect solution for businesses to reach a wide range of audiences. These apps are generally cheap to develop as they require a single code base to build applications that run on multiple platforms.
Database Driven Apps
These types of apps are a bit complex and contain data in bulk for operations. These apps can incur additional costs as they require some extra features like internet connectivity, camera access, storage access, etc.
Basic Functionality Apps
As the name suggests, these apps are basic in nature and consist of very few features. The development time of these apps is significantly less, and they are mostly used for personal use. Hence, the development cost of basic functionality apps is generally low.
Hardware/Firmware Dependent Apps
These applications require access to smartphones and aim to enhance the functionalities of existing applications/software/programs. Examples of such functionalities are cameras, alarms, flashlights, etc.
Mobile/Gaming Apps
You can calculate the cost of these apps by calculating the features you want in a particular mobile app. When it comes to gaming apps, there are two types: simple and advanced. Simple gaming applications are two dimensional, having light graphics and very few features. Therefore, developing them is less expensive than the advanced games consisting of 3-D graphics, AR and AI support, social media integration, etc.
Factors Affecting Mobile App Development Cost
Number of Platforms
Your app development cost certainly varies with the number of platforms for which you want your application. If you’re going to develop a mobile app for a single platform (say Android or iOS), the cost will be significantly low when you create two separate apps for both platforms.
Type of Apps
If you want an application with the best performance, it would be better to build a native app. However, a native app requires more time, skills and additional tools to offer better functionalities. Consequently, the development cost of native apps is pretty expensive.
On the other hand, cross-platform applications are quick to develop as you can build a single mobile app for multiple platforms using a single codebase. The time to market cross-platform apps is also relatively less than native apps. As a result, cross-platform app development will cost you less than native app development. However, in terms of performance, the former will lag behind the latter.
Team Setup
Sometimes, your team size and included members can also affect the cost of mobile app development. For example, suppose if you are working on an Android native app development project, and two of your team players excel in iOS app development. Those two people would not prove to be very productive for the current project. In that case, you need to hire two more people with expertise in Android app development, which will increase your overall cost. Therefore, you can say that the cost of building a mobile app also depends on the structure of the development team.
App Features and Complexity
This factor is directly proportional to the app development cost. The more features you want in your mobile app, the more tools, skills, resources and time you will need. To fulfil all these requirements, you will need more funds. Therefore, when you integrate additional features into your app, the complexity of your application increases, which further increases the development cost.
App Maintenance Cost
When you successfully launch and deploy a mobile app in the market, you need to keep track of its performance and maintenance. Therefore, apart from the development costs, you should not forget about the money you would need to spend to maintain your app. App maintenance includes bug fixes, updating the app, adding more features, enhancing the UI, etc.
Some Key Points to Minimize the App Development Cost
- Before initiating the app development process, prioritize the features you want in your application. Try to put in those features first that are crucial for your mobile app.
- Involve quality assurance to ensure there are no bugs and errors in your mobile app. The fewer errors your mobile app has, the less your app maintenance cost will be.
- Outsource your mobile app, if required. When your project is large, and you have no idea about it, it is better to hand it over to an experienced outsourced development team.
- Have a deep market analysis and look for the resources that produce greater output in budgeted cost.
Wrapping Up
Now, since you know the factors that affect the mobile app development cost, you can easily estimate the cost of building your mobile app. This article has also provided you with some simple ways to reduce the cost of developing a mobile app. However, if you want more information on keeping your app development budget low, you can hire a mobile app development agency to advise you on the best practices. A team of experts will ensure a rapid app development approach at a genuine and affordable cost.
