How Much Does It Cost to Make a Basic App?

How much does it cost to build a basic mobile application? It is one of the most frequently asked questions in our charts. Everything has a price. However, when it comes to mobile applications, the price depends on various factors. Thus, it raises more questions than answers. The cost of a basic mobile application is dependent on more than just the application itself. It raises two questions.

1. How much money do I need to develop a basic application?
2. What are the factors on which price depends?

You can browse the internet to find out the cost estimations but take a break before giving a final call to the google results. You would go across many websites which aim at mobile application cost estimation, but these websites are nothing but a visitor magnet. They ask brief questions about your needs and requirements and provide a rough estimate. Nevertheless, these cost estimations do not show the real picture of how much money you need to spend.

“The Price of a Basic Mobile Application Varies from $2500 To $250,000.”

A very significant gap! There are many drivers of mobile application development. In this blog, we will try to cover everything for you.

How much an application costs worldwide?

“The average price of a simple app development is between $40,000 to $60,000,” – shows the recent survey analysis done by Good firms. They further quote that an average application costs $60,000 to $70,000 while a complex mobile application can cost up to $80,000 to $100,000.

If you look around, you will find thousands of companies who claim that they are the best mobile application, developers. Nevertheless, there are so many parameters to consider. These parameters include the following.

1. Is the company well-established or a startup?
2. Is the company ambitious or experienced?
3. What is the size of the firm?
4. Is the firm local or foreign?
5. Is the firm offering low prices? If so, why?

For newbies, these parameters might be confusing. There are a lot of misconceptions. Most of these are not even real. The common misconceptions regarding the application development companies include the following:

1. The high price is directly proportional to high quality.
2. Startups are not experienced enough to offer optimal quality.
3. Small companies would quote lesser price and vice versa.

It is no surprise that the average application development cost varies worldwide. While North America charges $160 to $170 per hour, an Indian developer might charge as less as $30 (Sometimes even $10 would do). Let us take a look at the hourly rates region-wise:

Local development or outsourcing?

When it comes to application development, having only money is not enough. If you do not have a team of application developers, you may think about hiring someone else. Thus the question arises, “should I consider local development or outsource it?”

Active communication is critical. Thus, you should always choose the physically proximal option. Outsourcing is a more challenging option. Nevertheless, if the freelancer team eagerly ensures advanced communication to meet your needs and requirements, there is nothing to worry about. With outsourcing, you are likely to get the following benefits:

1. Huge talent pool
2. Higher levels of expertise
3. Lower rates and cost flexibility

On the contrary, you can get the following benefits with local developers:

1. Real-time meetings
2. Deep involvement
3. No time zone challenges

We have informed you about the application development cost variation across the regions. The quality of the development services depends on the region you choose to work in. Always make an informed decision.

Estimated Time of App Development

Not all mobile applications are equal. If one application is taking a month for development, the other can take four months. IT IS OKAY. Let us provide you with a brief list of non-monetary factors that affect application development:

1. Android vs iOS; an android application takes more time.
2. The complexity of an application. A medium complexity app can take up to 1000 hours.
3. The features and functions. An added list of features can increase app complexity.

Factors Affecting Mobile App Development Costs

Never expect your application development team to inform you about the costs right away. Always remember that there is no pre-generated rate list. The number of hours invested in implementing all the specifications can vary the final bill. Several factors can affect the cost. Following are a few of them:

1)    Functionality and features

The number of features and the application functionality drive the application cost. Buttons, fields, screens, and vice versa matter a lot. Quite frankly, these are the baseline of cost quotations. Consider login-log out feature, which costs from $1400 to $2100. It needs 28 to 42 hours for implementation. It functions in the following ways:

1. Login with email
2. Login with a social media profile
3. Forgot password
4. Forgot username/ email
5. Log out

2)    Visual design customization

Creating a unique user interface is crucial. It is one of the prime drivers of cost. Know that the platform that you choose, IOS or Android, does not matter in this case.

3)    App administration and backend structure

Backend is the OS that provides the developers with an API to connect user databases and applications. The costs vary according to the following factors:

1. Number of parameters that you wish to track
2. How detailed you want your tracking to be
3. Using standard admin panels vs customizing one

4)    Structure and location of the developer

The cost of developing an application in the UK will differ from developing an app in the US. Thus, the location of your application development team will affect your cost. Consider a business analyst as an example. In the United States, you can get his services for $110 to $200, while in Asia, you can get his benefits for a mere $30 to $50.

5)    Cost of application maintenance

You should allocate 20-25% of the initial development cost to maintain the app. It is a must-have service. It helps in adding features and functions while fixing bugs in your application. It includes the following:

1. Developing new functions and features
2. Supporting latest OS versions
3. Supporting the latest versions of third-party services
4. Code optimization and fixing bugs
5. Improving performance and stability

Costs of well-known applications

Following are the real-life success stories that might inspire you:

1. Uber invested 200k in seed funding.
2. Instagram invested 500k in seed funding.
3. Tinder invested $485k funds in 2012.
4. Postmates invested $750K funds.
5. Snapchat invested $485k in 2012. Their total funding to date is $3B.

If you want to develop an application like these, contact us today! Our professional team will understand your needs and requirements and develop a top-notch mobile application.