What is the expense of developing a mobile application?

Are you concerned about the mobile application development cost? Mobile application development is mostly an ongoing process. Keeping up with rapidly evolving mobile technology requires frequent updates and versions of mobile applications. A successful mobile application requires a strong marketing strategy, the best user interface and user experience, and an experienced development agency to bring your idea to life.

You should thoroughly research the agency you intend to hire before hiring them in order to be sure they are capable of realizing your idea and charging you the rate they charge. Whatever platform you use to publish your application, you will need a mobile professional with the right skill set. The purpose of this article is to learn how to set a budget when working with a highly-rated mobile application development company.

Features, functionality, and the platform determine App development costs.

Cost-determining variables for developing mobile applications

Prior to floating out your requirements in the market to seek estimates, you must do all your groundwork. 

Mobile application development consists of different phases (e.g. wire-framing, UI/UX design, working prototypes, functional implementation, backend API development, etc.) and you have multiple interactions with an agency to monitor progress.

Platform to Target

Costs vary on the type of platform selected. Developing your application for more platforms will cost you more. The deployment of a single application on multiple platforms is sometimes not possible due to the usability of the code; as a consequence, only one platform is deployed at a time.

It is always our recommendation to deploy your mobile application on one platform, then move on to another.

Scope & Development Methodology

The very first step when developing a mobile application is to identify your business objective and what solution you will require. Technical specifications consist of all the features your application will require. You may have difficulty listing down technical specifications due to the fact that you’re not technically savvy. But you need not worry since our Business Analysts will analyze your specification and develop detailed scope documents with wireframes that will give you an idea of how your application will work and behave.

You must now choose the appropriate development methodology as one of the most important points to consider. Depending on the features you want in your product, or if you anticipate additional features coming as your app grows, this will determine the cost of your application. As a development methodology, we recommend going with progressive development, which is a mixture of Agile and Waterfall. In this, you will have some flexibility over features during the development process.

UI / UX Design

Your application will stand out with a unique design. We always respect your idea! Our creative team justifies that by creating user experiences that are critical to the success of your application.

Ordinary designs, which most of the users are familiar with, cost less than high-end designs requiring lots of brainstorming, time, and effort to create. It is important to consider user stories and user flow when designing an application.

UI/UX designers can help you implement high-end interfaces for your mobile applications with their valuable feedback. You can use our services to design user interfaces that engage end users with mobile applications. The UI/UX designer can also provide you with advice on what is good for mobile applications to create amazing user experiences.

Cross-platform Vs. Native mobile app development

Multiple cross-platform development options are available to build your mobile application at a relatively low cost and in a few weeks, but there are some limitations. As compared to a native platform-based application performance is downgraded. Due to this, the cost associated with developing your application is dependent on what platform you decide to use.

App features

The development timeline and effort involved in developing a mobile application are strongly affected by the features selected for the application. As your mobile application’s features become more complex, it will cost you more. In our view, it’s best to publish the first version of the application with minimal features and then, as you add features, publish it on the app store. The process of keeping your users engaged will cost you money, but at the same time, you will be able to understand user behavior and plan your next updates accordingly.

Infrastructure

1) A stand-alone, static mobile application that does not communicate with a database, which does not require server and storage resources, and 2) an application that requires server, storage, data encryption, and user management. They both affect the development cost a lot.

Additional Cost in mobile application development cost

The development cost is not the only expense that needs attention during budget preparation. It’s important to understand which costs are recurring and which ones are one-time.

• Developer Accounts :

To publish the app on iOS, Android, and Windows, you need a developer’s account. 2) The cost of setting up an enterprise account for Apple Developers is $299/year. Google charges a one-time $25 fee for a developer account, while Windows charges $99 for companies and $19 for individuals.

• Server components & Cloud services :

There will be additional costs if your application includes storage and retrieval components. If third-party integration is necessary for your application, consider applicable charges from the provider.

• App maintenance :

The app store has many applications that have either not been updated or have been abandoned by their developers. A company that provides continuous mobile application services to its customers/app users will always update the app with new features and release new OS versions. Having said that, you must update your Android app with OS releases, which is a very complicated task and requires additional money in your project budget which you should consider before publishing the application on the Android app store.

How much it will cost to develop my application?

If you are looking for mobile application development, you will come across a variety of companies with different rates. The quality of some companies is sacrificed to achieve rapid development, and they focus on the quality of their products. For businesses that rely heavily on their mobile applications, we recommend partnering with strong tech partners that deliver applications that meet the highest quality levels. For a basic scalable app that has server components, APIs, and storage, the cost would range from $8000 to $15000. With minimal features, the price would be between $5000 and $10000 for the beta version.

What Affects Mobile Application Development Cost: Project management triangle 

There are three constraints on project management: time, budget, and scope. The project management triangle represents these constraints. 

Let’s examine each one in turn. 

1. Time constraint: A project’s completion time is determined by the available time
2. Cost constraint: An amount budgeted for a project must be included in the budget
3. Scope constraint: A project’s result is determined by the items that must be accomplished in order for it to be achieved

How do those constraints impact the project costs? 

The three constraints are often competing constraints:

• Costs and time are typically increased when the scope of the project is increased
• Costs and scope could be reduced by a tight schedule
• If your budget is tight, you may have to cut some corners and reduce the size of your project

Consider a third approach to project management: financial, time, and human resource constraints. 

To accomplish a task in a shorter amount of time, you could put more people on the job, but that would increase the project’s cost unless we saved money elsewhere by doing it faster.

Increase budgets and reduce scope to help developers complete a project faster. Similarly, increasing the scope will necessitate increased funding and a schedule from the development team. 

The proverb “Good, fast, cheap. Choose two.” is illustrated in this way, because if you cut the budget without readjusting the schedule and scope you will reduce quality.

If you have a tight deadline or a limited budget and must launch a project quickly, you should consider building its MVP, which stands for Minimum Viable Product.

Mobile Application Development Cost Estimation In India As Per Platform Choice

Costs involved in developing an application? Some costs of app development are avoidable, while others are unavoidable since they comprise the foundation of an app.

If we included everything at once, the cost might get higher, but advancements in version may make it more affordable for early startups.

First, here is a comparison between global and Indian app development costs. Thus, a developer’s perspective will be clear.

There are several nations that come to mind when planning to develop an application – the UK, the USA, India, and Ukraine. These countries have an abundance of IT experts and solution providers. Let’s take a look at their rates and how they charge:

• Several factors you should consider before developing an app, including the technology stack, architecture, scalability plans, etc.
• Since Ukrainians charge lower fees than Americans, it becomes cheap for most app owners.
• You can only find skilled freelancers in India, as well as multiple IT companies that provide an affordable solution to any app development project.

Also, there are a few factors that are important and unavoidable but at the same time considered vital while developing an app:

• Minimum Viable Product Development:
•  An MVP stands for a minimum viable product. In the future, it can show the development of the application.
• Development Type: 
• It is important to analyze the pros and cons of outsourcing versus an in-house team.
• Number of Platforms: 
• When starting out, it is advisable to develop an application for only one platform at a time so that you can plow the profit back into building another app. Thus, you will be able to earn and expand your business.

You can also see the differences in cost between platforms, along with avoidable and unavoidable factors:

iOS App Development Platform

Developing an iOS app requires adhering to strict guidelines set by Apple’s AppStore, which include language requirements, formatting requirements, and requirements for the app toolkit. A developer and designer who specializes in iOS development can build your app for you.

Advantages of Developing an iOS App

• Because iOS uses Java, which is a programing language that requires a lot of coding time, the per-hour charge for iOS developers is higher than Android’s.
• Because of the company’s strict guidelines, it provides a higher quality application by restricting unnecessary tools from integration or development, which attracts more audiences to buy the application.

Disadvantages of Developing an iOS App

• Regular Maintenance is a must for iOS apps.
• It is crucial for an application to be approved on the App Store. Must Follow Apple’s guidelines to obtain approval.

Android App Development

The Android platform is also capable of developing an application, however, the major question remains “How much does an app cost?”?As a result of its free availability, Android is the most popular platform with millions of users.

Pros of crafting an Android platform

• Developing apps on Android is more cost-effective than on iOS.
• You will have fewer updates to do and the traffic on your mobile web will decrease.

Cons of Building an Android Platform

• Development takes 2-3 times longer than iOS because it requires more resources.
• In Android, there are a number of factors, as opposed to iOS that must be taken into account while developing, such as screen size, resolution, etc.

How to Cut Mobile App Development Costs?

There is a special tip that can help you reduce your budget so that there will be fewer investments and fewer risks to an entrepreneur.

The following factors, considering the startup budget, can help in saving money and time when it comes to app development.

Cross-Platform Development

Cross-Platform Development means developing applications for multiple platforms while providing similar user interfaces across different platforms.

You can build an application across several platforms using multiple technologies. Using PhoneGap, Xamarin, or similar frameworks will also speed up the app development process. Also, flutter is a very popular language these days. Read our blog to know, about why your next app should be developed in Flutter.

It is costly to develop native apps for the native platform, and there also has to be a separate code for each app.

If the app relies on custom animation, don’t use Cross-platform. In order to develop advanced applications for iOS and Android, use Swift and Java.

Also, if you want to know, which platform will be most suitable for you Ionic or React Native, read our blog here stating the differences between both.

The following differences will provide a clear picture of the costs involved with the development of an app:

Cross-Platform Development

• Among the open-source and free features of the framework are Flutter, Monocross, and React-Native.
• Kony and Appcelerator offer Free plans
• It is also a budget-friendly option to build an application using the above technologies.

Native App Development

• Free programming languages include Swift, Java, and Kotlin
• There is a $25/year charge for Google Developer licenses
• Individuals and businesses are charged $99/year for Apple developer licenses, while businesses are charged $299/year.

If you don’t have someone to put this idea into virtual form then you don’t have anything if you don’t have an idea, a budget, or a target audience in mind. Then a provider of IT solutions makes sense.

In general, startups shouldn’t blow their entire budget on an application. Entrepreneurs have a difficult time hiring, especially if they wish to start their own businesses.

Why hire us for mobile application development?

• Expertise in technical fields and we assure to that complete the work within the timeline.
• Research (including geographic area, and long-term clients) will help you determine if the price is reasonable
• You will be provided with an experienced team.
• We test the app we develop thoroughly.
• We offer Maintenance & Support of the app we develop

Open-Source Framework

In order to build an application for startups, open-source would be the best choice. Using the open-source framework, an entrepreneur with a limited budget can create an app.

When the source code of a program is made available to the public, it is possible for them to use it or modify it according to their preferences. This way we save time and money.

Wrap-Up

There is no way that this blog can provide you with an exact number of ways to develop an application, but it will provide you with a lot of useful information about mobile application development costs.

Mobile app development company TechnoBrains has developed many mobile apps and has many satisfied clients. You can hire Mobile App Developers in our company who have been working with us from the very beginning. Since we have been in business for over 12 years, we have evolved a lot when it comes to technologies and IT solutions.

In addition to offering effective IT services and a deep understanding of technologies, we can provide quick quotes for your project if you need them.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How much time does it take to develop an app?

If you plan to build an app of medium complexity, the timeline to implement your application can take from 6 to 9 months. In general, the timeline to build an app varies anywhere from 1 to 9+ months. It depends on multiple factors including a number of features and their complexity, uniqueness of the design, usage of third-party services, and so on.

Why do reliable app development companies recommend developing native apps instead of hybrid?

The hybrid apps opposed to native are less expensive but this option has some considerable limitations. Native app development offers more possibilities for customization, facilitation, and optimization, providing better quality, performance, and user interaction. In its turn, this gives the most value to the target audience.

How to choose a reliable app development company that will become my tech vendor?

The initial step is to study the shortlisted IT vendors by checking information like portfolio, experience, industry focus, tech specialization, client testimonials, etc. Further, when communicating with potential teams, you need to consider factors like the estimated project duration and required budget, documentation, software development tools, the number of developers assigned to the project, and so on.

How much budget should I allocate for the app maintenance?

Typically, the cost to maintain an app makes up 35% of the total budget spent on original app development over the next two years. Please, note that the sum won’t be less than $5,000 – $10,000 annually.