How Much Does It Cost to Make an iOS Application?
So, how many of you remember Nokia’s signature statement “We don’t see this as a threat” in 2007? An exceptional turn to this statement is that in a matter of just three years, in 2010, the Symbian OS owned by Nokia was nowhere to be seen and Android took over. You must be thinking, why am I sharing all this! Well, here’s your answer: Despite the fact that Android is excelling by leaps and bounds, iOS – which is primarily Apple’s little baby – is forecasted to excel and top the tops. Of course, iOS is nowhere close to getting any piece equivalent to the 85.1% market share that Android owns (IDC), but if you look at the most recent infographics displayed by Statista, you will know why 2021 is going to be the best time to invest in an iOS application.
Why Does an Enterprise Need an iOS Application?
According to PG Mag Survey, which was held in the USA in 2018 to check the forecast and mobile user behavior, it was found that 29% of the users have switched their mobile operating systems, among which almost 19% have switched from Android to iOS. The most probable reasons underpinning this behavior is Apple’s premium practices and ultra-powered security protocols. Being an enterprise, if you are wondering whether you need to opt for an iOS application, you should base this decision on the following subtle factors:
- Is amazing user experience (a robust combination of software and hardware) your concern?
- Whether you want simpler but most effective application testing practices?
- Is security (eradication of data breach, data duplication or theft) your concern?
- Despite brand salience and fame, is customer loyalty your concern?
- Do you want a win-win customer reach in markets like the US, Australia, and the UK?
Factors Affecting the Cost of iOS App Development
Before jumping into the vast seas of iOS application development, it is crucial to create a basic understanding with certain essential implications which are likely to direct your road through the road of application development and the cost that you incur during this process. These include the following:
- What type of application do you intend to build?
- Would the users and visitors of the application need to log in?
- Would users need to create personal profiles?
- How will you generate money using the application?
- Would the people have the liberty to review or rate the application?
- Whether your application needs to be connected with your website
- Would your application look like bare-bones, stock, or perhaps you intend to give it a beautiful finish?
- Do you need an application icon?
Now getting back to the point of argument, i.e., how much would an iOS application cost – simply put, the cost of application would always depend on the afore-mentioned needs. Let me make it more simple for you. Consider the creation of a basic iOS application is $25,000, now consider how each of these factors mentioned above would add cost to the basic structure and design.
Audience selection is critical – If you intend to build an iOS application, you need to consider the audience that you are targeting. For an Apple iOS application, you must be targeting regions which do not primarily revolve around Asia and Africa – given that the Android application usage rate is relatively higher in these regions. iOS application is known to reach a more engaged user-base in regions such as Europe, America and similar profiles.
Similarly, log in is another premium need that should be addressed before hitting it off with an application. Email login is generally the best way to start with an application – unless – you have already pre-developed or intend to develop tight integration with social platforms like Twitter and Facebook. If you are sure about this, then you should definitely go ahead with a social login; however, each of these steps keeps adding more cost to the application. Email login can cost up to $3000, while social integration can cost up to $5000 easily.
Similarly, if you are allowing the creation of personal profiles, know that in addition to being liable for the users’ information that you keep, you would also be responsible for the information that might be viewed publicly. Creation of personal/ public profiles can add costs ranging from $1200 to $2000 exclusively.
Then comes the method of generating money using an application. There are three ways to think about this one which includes in-app purchases, upfront costs, and finally, free of cost. It is important to know that applications which include an upfront cost, they are easy to build and thus, they are cheap. Nevertheless, if an application has in-app purchases, it is undoubtedly expensive and complex to build as well – but you can guarantee higher returns on such applications. While upfront costs would add only $1000 to $1200 to your budget, in-app purchases can double this cost easily. Free of cost application never charge an extra penny.
Reviews and ratings are another options that entirely depends on how you want it to be. The complexity and impact on your budget would vary as your ranking and rating preferences get adjusted in the product. Adding a review or rating system to your application can cost up to $2000 to $2500.
If you want to connect your application to a website, being extremely honest about it, you are going to have user-friendly as well as store-friendly application. Point to ponder – if someone asks you how applications talk to each other, tell them it is managed by an API. Now what is an API – for starters, it is the application programming interface which is the building block for application-website integration. Of course, it is the right investment but a costly one! Consider $5000 to $6000 as an okay quotation for this feature.
Custom gestures, custom buttons, custom transitions – trust me, it’s not cheap being pretty and it holds true in the case of application development as well. If you want the bare-bones application, it might cost you less but saving some pennies and having low user engagement is not something that I would recommend. While bare-bones might not cost you a single penny, the stock interface might cost you roughly $2000, and a professional and beautiful finish can cost up to $6000.
Lastly, the icon for the application. While all the features might add to your cost, they offer functionality as well. Many people think that icon isn’t as necessary. Think about it twice before slipping the hard pill because an application on which you have invested thousands of dollars if it does not stand out in the app store – does its worth really remain? An application icon might cost you from $500 to $5000 depending on the quality offered and your needs, but it’s worth it.
How Much Does It Cost to Make an iOS Application?
Coming straight to the point, your budget should be around $50,000 to $250,000 if you intend you get an iOS application built. This is not some benchmark number. It is only a supposed number based on the factorial description we just gave. The actual price can vary depending on many factors such as possible user journey, technology stacks, app design, and least to mention the scalability plans.
- Which market to turn to?
Typically, people turn to UK, USA, Ukraine, and just in case if you are someone with a tight budget, you can turn to India as well because people there would work on as low rates like $10 per hour.
There is only one point to remember when working on iOS application – the company has still not given access to any manufacturer to freely use its operating system, which of course, makes iOS exclusive and helps iOS stand before Android thus, announcing itself as a premium service. Nevertheless, it’s about time to learn from the mistakes that Nokia made once, if you want to stay, you would need to play the game as others do and eventually get to the top!
