How Much Does It Cost To Make An App Like Uber In South Africa?
The year 2010 marked the wave of entrepreneurship as many great startups surfaced that today are generating double folds on investments. Among them was Uber, the leading ride-hailing company. Since its inception, the firm has made promising successes. Its apps have been a symbol of tech innovation. In 2020, Uber generated $11.1 billion in revenues. As per the statistics, around 32 million people use Uber for travelling in 2020.
In South Africa, there is a total population of 600,000 Uber drivers. Back in 2013, the drivers covered more than nine million kilometers across South Africa. If you are planning to develop an Uber-like app in South Africa, here is a detailed cost breakdown based on the induvial features and framework of Uber work.
Factors Involved In An App Like Uber
When developing an app like Uber you have to ponder on its various aspects and the components involved in the app framework. First, you must decide whether you want o go for the freelance developer in South Africa who will charge up to R2,000 per day and more or a private company who will have their own packages designed starting from R15,000.
Once you are through you have to pick the functionality of your app. A simple app requires up to 1,000 hours in completion and ranges between R30,000 TO R45,000. Now that you aim to go for Uber-like an app, it should be a bit complex with real-time tracking and multiple user dashboards. The cost will be higher. You will have to choose whether you want to go for a Native app or a Hybrid App.
The standard cost in South Africa starts at R140,000 for both Native and Android app. The cost of your app depends upon the diversity of platforms you choose and the number and types of features you want to incorporate. So, here is a list of the main features your Uber clone app will have.
User Main Features of An App Like Uber
The user main features are listed below:
Geolocation & Routing- real-time tracking and navigating feature
Payments- multiple payment gateways for easy transactions
Registration & Profile- a proper user dashboard with a usage history
Communication & Notifications- Proper updates about driver’s arrival and trip fares
Ride Cost Estimation- A estimation based on distance, car selection and time
Schedule a Ride in Advance- For pre-booking to ensure ease in travelling
Split a Fare- To ensure affordable travelling for students
Ride Booking & Cancelation: Book a ride to your desired location
Cost of User Main Features of Uber In South Africa
The estimated cost to develop the main features of user app of Uber is listed below:
| Features | Approximate Time iOS or Android (hours) | Approximate Time back-end Hours | Estimated Cost |
| Geolocation & Routing | 11 | – | R15,000 |
| Payments | 44 | 65 | R35,000 |
| Registration & Profile | 100 | 90 | R16,000 |
| Communication & Notifications | 56 | 45 | R20,000 |
| Ride Cost Estimation | 60 | 81 | R45,000 |
| Schedule a Ride in Advance | 94 | 65 | R20,000 |
| Split a Fare | 55 | 80 | R25,000 |
| Ride Booking & Cancelation | 146 | 151 | R80,000 |
Hence, the MVP cost of customer app of Uber in South Africa is estimated to be between R100,000 to R15,000
Driver Main Features of An App Like Uber
Here are the features listed below:
Driver Report- A complete profile to ensure the safety of both parties.
Advanced Route Building- To ensure to provide the fastest to travel.
Driver Destinations- The GPS location to reach to pick the passenger.
Ride Cancellation- Drivers have the option to cancel the ride to routes they wish not to travel.
Heat Maps- Helps in locating areas with high demands.
Cost Of Driver Main Features of An App Like Uber In South Africa
Here is the estimated cost of main features of Uber app:
| Features | Approximate Time iOS or Android (hours) | Approximate Time back-end Hours | Estimated Cost |
| Driver Report | 20 | – | R15,000 |
| Advanced Route Building | 146 | 151 | R45,000 |
| Driver Destinations | 80 | 65 | R35,000 |
| Ride Cancellation | 10 | 11 | R15,000 |
| Heat Maps | 50 | 56 | R35,000 |
Hence, the MVP cost of driver app of Uber in South Africa is estimated to be between R55,000 to R75,000.
Cost of Admin Main Features of Uber In South Africa
Here is a list of admin features and the individual estimated cost along with approximate time involved in development.
| Features | Approximate Time iOS or Android (hours) | Approximate Time back-end Hours | Estimated Cost |
| Authorization | 6 | 10 | R4,000 |
| Admins management | 60 | 40 | R6,000 |
| Drivers & User management | 55 | 35 | R10,000 |
| Payments management | 45 | 50 | R10,000 |
| Promotions management | 40 | 25 | R3,000 |
| Reviews management | 35 | 25 | R3,000 |
| Issues management | 36 | 25 | R3,000 |
Hence, the MVP cost of admin app of Uber in South Africa is estimated to be between R25,000 to R45,000.
The Final Cost to Develop an App Like Uber In South Africa
To feed your curiosity about how much does it cost to make an app like Uber in South Africa, here is the crunch of the blog. The estimated backend cost for both the iOS and Android version of Uber app is between R70 000 to R150,000. The development cost including all the main features of the three app versions is between R160 000 to R290 000. The cost involved in frontend development is between R150 000 to R260 000. The estimated cost involved in app Q/A is between R90 000 to R170 000. Lastly, including all the above process the total estimated cost is around R450 000 and goes to R845 000.
