In the rapidly evolving landscape of mobile app development, understanding the intricacies of cost factors is crucial for businesses and entrepreneurs alike. Whether embarking on a new project or optimizing existing apps, navigating through budget considerations can significantly impact outcomes.
This guide aims to demystify the complexities of mobile app development costs, offering insights into key factors influencing pricing, strategies for effective budgeting, and considerations for maximizing return on investment (ROI). Whether you’re a startup, enterprise, or individual developer, this comprehensive resource will equip you with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions and achieve your app development goals efficiently.
So, you have this cool idea for a mobile app for your business, right? And now you’re wondering, how much is it going to cost to make it happen? Well, we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’re going to talk about how much it costs to develop an app in 2024. We’ll go over all the different things that can affect the price.
Our goal is to help you understand what to expect when it comes to money and give you the knowledge you need to plan and budget for your app in 2024. Let’s dive into the details and figure out how much it’s going to cost to develop a mobile app in 2024!
How much does app development cost?
So, when it comes to making a mobile app, the price can vary a lot. It can be anywhere from $15,000 to $80,000, or even more than $200,000 for really complicated apps that work on different devices. We know this because we’ve made over 50 apps and looked at websites like Clutch and Upwork.
But why is there such a big difference in cost? Well, figuring out how much an app will cost isn’t always easy. There are a bunch of things that can change the final price of making an app.
Once you know what these things are, you can guess how much it will cost to make your app. You do this by figuring out how many hours each part of making the app will take, and then multiplying that by how much the people working on it charge per hour. This gives you a rough idea of how much it will cost to make your app.
How do software companies estimate the app development costs?
When software companies make apps, they have a plan to figure out how much it will cost and make sure everything is clear for their clients. At Progressive Robot, we have a special way to figure out how much it costs to make an app just for you. We’ll give you a detailed plan that fits your project and budget.
Here’s how we figure out the cost of making an app:
Key factors that influence app development costs
If you want to figure out how much it will cost to make an app, you need to know what things can make the price go up or down. By knowing these factors, you can get a rough idea of how much money you’ll need for your app project.
Now, let’s check out the main things that can change how much it costs to make a mobile app.
Platform strategy
Choosing which platform to build your app on is super important because it can really affect how much it costs to make your app. It all depends on what you want your app to do, who you want to use it, what kind of tech stuff it needs, and how much money and time you have to work on it.
Basically, you have to figure out if you want your app to be on iPhones, Android phones, or both, and that choice will definitely change how much it costs to make your app.
- Native development: Native apps are like two different languages that only work on certain types of phones. They run really fast and look super cool, but making one for iPhones and another for Androids means doing twice the work. And that means spending more money.
- Cross-platform development: Cross-platform development is when developers use special tools like React Native, Flutter, or Xamarin to write code that works on both iPhones and Android phones. It’s like killing two birds with one stone!
This method is usually faster than making separate apps for each platform because you can use the same code for both. However, sometimes cross-platform apps might not work as well as apps made specifically for one type of phone. It’s all about finding the right balance between speed and quality!
- Hybrid app development: Hybrid apps are like a mix of web and regular apps. They’re made using stuff like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but then they’re put into a special container to make them work like a regular app. This makes them faster to make and cheaper too. They can work on both iPhones and Android phones using the same code. But sometimes they might not work as well as regular apps because they don’t have all the same features.
Apart from the choice of the app platform, also consider the following factors:
- Market considerations: When you’re picking which platform to use for your app, it’s super important to think about who you’re trying to reach. iOS is really popular in places like North America and Europe, while Android is used by people all over the world. Knowing what your audience likes can help you choose the best platform without spending too much money.
- Platform-specific costs: The price of making an app can change based on what the platform needs. Like, if you’re making an app for iPhones, you have to follow really strict design rules. But if you’re making an app for Androids, you have to test it on a bunch of different devices with different screen sizes and hardware, which can make testing take longer.
App complexity and features
At Progressive Robot, we suggest starting with a basic version of your app called a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This means you launch with the most important features and then add more based on what users want and what your business needs. Starting this way helps you test your app idea without spending too much money upfront. Plus, you can slowly improve and grow your app over time without breaking the bank.
Mobile app category and app feature complexity
So, different types of apps have different levels of difficulty, cool features, how easy they are to use, how safe they are, and what they need to work behind the scenes. We made a chart to show you some examples of mobile apps, how hard they are to make, and what affects how much they cost.
App design and animations
The fancier and more complicated you want your app to look, the more money it will cost to make. Some apps need special features like talking to them or cool animations to make them look awesome. These kinds of designs take a lot of planning and testing to get right, which means it takes longer to make and costs more money.
So, if you want a really cool design for your app, be prepared to spend more money on it.
- Advanced tools: Fancy designs might need fancier and pricier tools to make them. These tools could be special software for really detailed mockups, cool animations, or interactive stuff that costs more money to use.
- Usability testing: When making really fancy designs, it’s important to test them out to make sure they’re easy for people to use. Sometimes, we find problems that need to be fixed, which can make the project more expensive.
- Compatibility testing: Making sure the app works on all kinds of phones and tablets can be really tricky, especially if the design is super fancy. It means we have to test it a bunch of times and make little changes to keep everything working right.
- Scalability: Fancy designs can be tough to change or update when the app needs to grow with new stuff or changes based on what users say. Fixing up a complicated design can take more time and money than fixing a simpler one.
- Technical debt: Complicated designs can cause problems later on if they’re not done right. This could make it harder and more expensive to make changes in the future because developers will have to deal with all the confusing stuff from the original design.
But if you don’t have that stuff ready, we’ll have to spend more time looking things up and figuring out who might use the app. So, it’s a good idea to have all that stuff ready before we start so we can get things done quicker and keep costs down.
Structure and location of the development team
Technical specialists
Mobile app developers: When it comes to making an app, the people who write the code are the ones who cost the most money. The type of technology used, like if it’s made for just one type of phone or for all phones, can change how many developers are needed and how long it takes to make the app. Really good developers might cost more, but they can work faster and make fewer mistakes, which means less time fixing problems later on.
UI/UX designers: The people who design the app make it look cool and easy to use. They know how to make things look good and move around on the screen. This helps keep the costs down because they know how to make things work well without being too expensive.
Architects and technical leads: These jobs involve creating the blueprint and structure of the app. Good leadership means building a strong foundation for the app, so we don’t have to spend a lot of money fixing mistakes later on.
DevOps engineers: This job is all about making sure that the apps run smoothly and work well. The person in this role is in charge of all the technical stuff that goes into getting the apps up and running. They make sure that updates happen without any problems, that the apps don’t crash too often, and that everything runs smoothly.
Business specialists
Having the right tools is super important when making a mobile app, but having a team of people who aren’t tech experts is just as crucial. Having people like project managers, quality assurance folks, and business analysts on board isn’t just an extra expense – it’s a smart move. Let’s take a look at how much time and work goes into these tasks:
Business analysts: Make sure to spend 5-7% of your time working on your app to make sure it fits what people want and what the business needs. This will help you avoid having to make big changes after you launch the app and make sure it will be successful.
Project managers: Making sure everything is on track is super important! About 10% of the time spent on a project is used to keep things running smoothly. This means making sure everything is happening when it’s supposed to and not going over budget. By doing this, we can avoid any big problems that could slow things down or make the project more expensive.
QA experts: Around 10-12% of the time spent on making a game is used for testing. Testing the game early on in different stages and on different devices helps find and fix problems before the game is released. This saves money because it’s cheaper to fix bugs before the game is out.
Hiring freelance developers vs. engaging an outsourced team
If you decide to hire freelancers, it might be a cheaper option. But keep in mind that you may need different people with different skills to work on the app’s code and design.
When you decide to build a team to create a project, you have two options: hiring a bunch of different people yourself or outsourcing the work to a team that already has all the skills you need. If you choose to hire your own team, you’ll need to find and manage developers, designers, and QA specialists. This takes a lot of time and effort, and you’ll also have to handle business analysis and project management tasks.
If you’re not experienced in these areas, it can end up costing you more money and time than you planned. On the other hand, if you outsource the work, you’ll get a team that already has all the skills you need. They’ll have business analysts, project managers, and QA specialists ready to go, all for a fixed cost. You won’t have to worry about finding and hiring different professionals for each role.
All you have to do is tell the outsourced team what you need, and they’ll take care of the rest. But outsourcing comes with its own challenges, like finding the right provider, making sure everyone communicates effectively, and dealing with time zone differences.
If you’re trying to pick the best company to help you with your app, make sure to read our article: What is SoW in Software Development and How To Evaluate Your Future Provider Based on Their Statement of Work.
Basically, when it comes to how much it costs to make a mobile app, there are different options to choose from. Each one has good things and not-so-good things about it. Your decision will depend on how much money you have, how complicated your project is, and how well you can manage it.
Additional costs
Besides the money needed to create an app, there are other costs that you might not have considered but they can still affect the total budget. Let’s go over them below.
App submission cost
Oh, and by the way, how you work with your development team is super important when it comes to getting your app out there.
| Time and materials model | Fixed price and fixed scope model |
| If you are working with a provider on a time and materials basis, the app submission process is likely to incur additional costs. This is because the time spent on making necessary adjustments and handling the submission process is counted as billable hours. | In a fixed-price model, the cost of the app submission process is included in the overall project price. Since the scope and price are agreed upon in advance, any work related to app submission is covered within this fixed cost, provided it falls within the agreed-upon project scope. |
Apart from that, there are some additional costs that you have to consider:
- App store fees: When you want to put your app on Google Play or the Apple App Store, you have to pay a fee. Google Play charges a fee one time, while the Apple App Store charges a fee every year.
- App store optimisation (ASO): If you want more people to find your app in the app store, you should work with experts who know all about ASO. They can help your app show up better in search results and get more downloads.
Marketing and legal cost
When you’re making an app, don’t forget about marketing and legal stuff! Even though they’re not exactly development costs, they’re still important and should be included in your budget planning from the beginning.
After your app is finished, you’ll need to tell people about it so they can use it. This might cost a lot of money, depending on how big your marketing plan is. Here are some things you might need to budget for when it comes to marketing your app:
- Market research: Before you start making your app, it’s important to do some research first. This means figuring out who will use your app, who else is making similar apps, and how your app will stand out from the competition. You can try to do this research on your own, but sometimes it’s better to hire someone who is an expert in market research to help you out.
- App store optimization (ASO): Making sure your app shows up higher in app stores so more people can find it. You might want to work with experts who know all about ASO to help your app get seen by more people when they search for it.
- Promotional activities: When a company wants to get the word out about their products or services, they need to spend extra money on things like ads, social media posts, teaming up with popular people, and making cool videos and blogs.
Legal considerations are also vital for some apps.
- Compliance with regulations: Making sure the app follows all the rules and laws (like GDPR for privacy, COPPA for kids’ apps, or HIPAA for health apps) might mean spending money on lawyers and changing how the app works.
- Intellectual property (IP) protection: Keeping the app safe from copycats can be expensive. This includes getting trademarks for the app’s name and logo, as well as patents for any special features or ways the app works.
- Privacy policy and terms of use: Creating clear and detailed privacy rules and terms for using a website, with the help of a lawyer, to make sure everything is easy to understand and follows the law.
Post-launch operational costs
Server hosting
If you go with dedicated servers, you have to pay not only to rent the server but also to keep it running smoothly and safe from hackers.
Database management
It’s super important to make backups and have a plan in case something goes wrong, especially if your app uses a lot of data. But remember, these things can cost you extra money too.
Content delivery network (CDN)
API and third-party services
Security
Maintenance and updates
The cost of running an app can vary a lot. It all depends on how big and complicated your app is, and how many people are using it. Smaller, simpler apps are cheaper to run, while big, fancy apps with lots of features and users cost more. The technology you use for your app also affects how much it costs to keep it running.
So, there’s no set price for building an app. It all depends on a bunch of different things. But if you think about all these factors, you can come up with a rough estimate of how much it might cost. If you want a more accurate idea, you can talk to the experts at Progressive Robot. They can help you figure out how much it’ll cost to build your app and get you started on making it a reality.