How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Mobile App?

how much cost develop mobile app expense application dev

The cost of mobile app development can be any of the highest range. Freelancers are generally one of the cheapest options if you are on a tight budget. There are several options for mobile app development. And, you might be thinking that why should I go with the cheapest option? Taking an example, why is it required to buy a BMW when a Corolla works well? The answer is that Corolla is a lemon. It means that we should always choose quality over quantity. 

A freelancer does not have a brand to protect. On the other hand, the domestic mobile app development companies engage with enterprise customers regularly and build their businesses on their reputations. If they fail to deliver, there are lots of people that will find out. 

Consider Purple Olive Labs, an app development company in Dallas and Peter Driskill, a freelancer developer. I went to get an app build by Peter. He tried his best, made me one in $70,000. As my customer base grew, I encountered the problem with scaling. Now Peter charges me another $50,000 for the modifications. Whereas, Purple Olive Labs will build a scalable app in $100,000 with 3 months maintenance. 

So, It’s always better to go for BMW, even if it charges a bit high at first, it will save you from recurring expenses. 

Herein we’ve compiled a few stats from diverse surveys, the cost for developing an enterprise mobile app ranges from $100,000 to $500,000: 

● A Clutch survey of app development companies indicated that a median price of mobile app development is $171,450 per app. 

● As per the VDC survey of enterprise app developers, the mobile app development cost an average of $140,000 each. 

● According to Kinvey survey of CIOs, the average price to be $270,000 per app. 

● The cost calculators provided by various companies show a feature-rich app may cost from $276,000 to $360,000. 

● An EMM survey showed over 75% of enterprise budgeting over $250,000 for mobility solutions, along with over 25% budgeting over $1.5 million. 

Let’s check out a few important stats, which contain the data on the number of apps for download in the leading App Stores like Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The report from Statista shows that Android users were able to choose between 2.1 million apps in the first quarter of 2019. 

The more we dive into the cost of app development, we would only come up with an estimation of mobile app development. This is due to the fact that each development process embraces many factors, which collectively influence a final cost figure. 

There are a few budgets forming factors that cause the shape the mobile app development cost of an app. The app development cost breaks into the following parts: 

● Mobile App Functionality and Purpose: It describes what an app will be capable of doing for its users. 

● Mobile App Platforms & Devices are supported: Whether an app is developed for Android or iOS. What specific devices will be supported e.g. Apple iPhone XR, Samsung Galaxy Note9, and so on. 

● Integration Points: It includes what will an app be integrated with third- party apps that will be the source of its content. 

● Maintenance Plan: Once a mobile app development project is over, it will require technical support from its developers. 

Here are a few important stats, which you need to check before moving ahead. 

● According to the report from PadGadget.com, “The cost of building a mobile app and suggested the development costs range from $4000 to $150,000 or more.” 

● On the other hand, from the other report from OS X Daily about iPhone development costs, reported that the mobile app development cost range for small apps is $100 to$8,000. 

If you are still confused and looking for an exact cost for developing a mobile app, check out a few factors that are influenced by the cost of app development: 

1. Create An App For 0 Bucks! 

You might be surprised to see that you can create an app for a negligible price. If you wish to go forward with the app development this way, you would have everything yourself. It may seem to be a piece of cake for someone else or sound like a challenge to someone. Check out different ways to develop a mobile app at almost zero cost: 

● Code it out yourself: There is an abundance of good resources available where you can get started with mobile app development. Multiple educational websites, which guarantee to teach you programming. If you have time, passion, and energy, go for this option. It will be fun and you will learn a lot. You can also earn some money by making apps. 

Note: If you have plenty of knowledge of technology, you should go for it. Otherwise, it may lead to a serious problem. 

● Use Custom Mobile App Developers: With an almost-zero or zero monthly fees, you can create your app from scratch. You can hire custom mobile app developers from a mobile app development company in Dallas. If you have the budget, the best option is to go with outsourcing the work. Get the experts. The main objective is to gather a team of experts. 

When it comes to deciding the complexity and cost of the mobile app, there are several parameters have to be taken into consideration. For instance: 

● The type of mobile app to be built 
● Platform to be used 
● Genre of app 
● Features in the app 
● Analysis of miscellaneous costs 

You need to go through each parameter individually to get a profound idea about the costs associated with mobile app development. If you are looking to develop a mobile app, hire a professional mobile app developer from a leading Dallas- based app development company. 

2. Complexity Depends On The Type Of App To Be Built 

A mobile app can be of three types depending upon a different level of complexity. 

● Web App: It is a mobile version of the website. The core features encompass all the core features in a web app is - mobile-friendliness. 

● Native App: Large apps that aim for perfection when it comes to user experience and performance that make use of native apps. Such apps are built for specific operating systems like iOS, Android or Windows. These apps can directly communicate with the smartphone’s hardware like GPS, camera, etc. These apps can be directly from App Stores. 

● Hybrid / Cross-platform: These apps are the best-suited to approach a large audience at the initial level. Such apps are built using a combination of web and native technologies. In this case, the development and maintenance cost is low. However, these apps are not as good in terms of capabilities as native apps. This is because they have limited access to the smartphone's hardware. Apart from this, these apps can easily run on all OS like iOS, Android, and Windows. 

3. Cost Depending Upon The Platforms To Be Used 

During mobile app development, there are several features, which can be added to a mobile app. The mobile app’s essential features are: 

cost to develop a mobile app build applications

4. Mobile App Development Cost Ranges By Mobile App Development Companies 

Check out how different agencies characterize their typical price range for developing a mobile app: 

● “Around $100,000 and $400,000” - Purple Olive Labs 
● “Around $100,000 and $300,000” - Applico 
● “Around $150,000 to $450,000” - Savvy Apps 
● “Around $150,000 to $500,000” - Fueled 

5. Analysis Of Miscellaneous Costs 

The cost is done after the mobile app development can be termed as miscellaneous costs. For instance, cost to maintain the application. Generally, the average cost of maintaining an app is about 20% of the mobile app development cost per year. There are some additional features, which may drive up the cost of mobile app maintenance. The other aspects associated with maintenance are: 

● Hosting 
● Monitoring 
● App Update 
● License 
● Engagement & Marketing 

Additionally, there are other hidden costs, which are associated with an app like patenting, copyrighting, etc. 

Concluding Remarks 

It is assumed that the entire process of mobile app development is slow, costly, and frustrating. According to the report from Kinvey - 

● “56% of mobile leaders surveyed say it takes from 7 months to more than 1 year to build an app.” 

● “18% say they spend from $500,000 to over $1,000,000 per app, with an average of per app.” Image Credits When it comes to time, the entire process typically takes about a year for most businesses. 

We hope that our research on the cost to develop a mobile app will help you to find the answers to all your queries and the right mobile app development company.

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