12 Factors That Affect Mobile App Development Cost

The mobile apps market continues to expand fast, and there are no indications that it will slow down. In today’s environment, where everyone uses applications such as ordering takeout food, chatting, shopping, gaming, watching movies, and so on – developing an app has become a business for some people.

According to recent research published by IDC, 90% of developers and 87% of IT decision-makers anticipate that connecting mobile apps to enterprise data sources will become the standard in business. In that same research, however, it was revealed that companies confront a slew of difficulties regarding mobile app development costs.

Factors Affecting The Cost of Mobile App Development

A variety of criteria determines the cost of mobile app development. No mobile app development company can tell you what it will cost without knowing your app type, the complexity of features, design uniqueness, and other factors.

Let’s look at some of the most significant elements that contribute to the cost of creating an app.

• Type of Business Model

Consumers spend approximately $22.6 billion on mobile apps throughout the world. Also, 178+ billion applications are downloaded every year, and it is anticipated to rise to 258 billion by 2022. These numbers suggest how much money is spent on numerous aspects of mobile app development services.

The primary variables, such as business type, target users, and services, help determine the app budget design. The development time for a business app model is longer than that of a consumer app model. As the complexity necessitated by business apps rises, so does the amount of time it takes to complete the process. As time goes on, the cost of doing business will likewise rise.

If it is a customer service model, the company has to think about how it is interacting with its users. Many customer support features need to be designed and cost in from the beginning. A business model usually necessitates a back-end integration, increasing development time and overall cost.

• App Development Team

The mobile app development cost may differ depending on the mobile app developer you hire. When working with an independent mobile app developer, the cost of developing mobile apps is typically less expensive than when working directly through a mobile app development company or specialized software house.

Most companies that offer full-cycle services (including design and implementation) charge more for their work because they have to hire more people specializing in different areas, such as UX/UI designers and developers. They also have marketing teams that can help promote your product, project managers to make sure everything goes smoothly and on time, and so forth. This all takes extra money out of the final price tag.

• Choose Platform for App

Another significant cost determinant is the platform you choose to develop your app. Native applications are written in the programming language for the specific mobile operating system, for example, Objective C or Java. Cross-platform apps can be created using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript coding and then converted into a native app with PhoneGap or Cordova.

The decision of which route to take significantly impacts development time and final costs. Developing separate apps for each platform will undoubtedly be more expensive than creating one cross-platform app. However, developing a cross-platform app presents its own set of unique challenges – most notably ensuring an optimal user experience on different devices and platforms.

• Features and Functionality of the App

The cost and time involved in developing an app are directly proportional to its complexity and number of features. A basic weather app, for example, would take significantly less time and money to build than a more complex social networking app with messaging capabilities, photo sharing, etc. The same goes for business apps – those that are focused and straightforward will cost less than those with multiple functions and integrations.

• UI and UX

The look and feel of your app – its user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) – is another important consideration that can affect development time and cost. A well-designed, intuitive UI/UX will make users happy and help to keep them engaged with your app. Conversely, a poorly designed UI/UX can lead to negative reviews, decreased usage, and even abandonment of the app.

You must, therefore, develop a beautiful app design. A complicated large-scale program will need additional features, and the cost calculation for a complex UI/UX is more complicated. Similarly, a simple UI/UX will have lesser cost.

• Application Testing

Application testing is essential for app performance and stability. Testing can be done after the coding phase or at a certain interval during development to identify issues before they become major problems.

It would be best to keep in mind that one test is never enough and that the app testing should be done continuously to ensure that the app works well on all types of devices and in all possible scenarios. Mobile apps need more stringent application testing than websites because mobile platforms vary so much from device to device, operating system version to operating system version, etc. As such, it may cost more money in time and effort to test an app across all of these different variables thoroughly.

• App Security

Even though security is critical, many businesses neglect it. App security is an essential consideration. Keeping user data secure is crucial to your credibility as a business since lost information may make you seem untrustworthy to current and future clients. It is critical to safeguard data while developing the application, as a large security breach might cause your company to fail.

• Integration Points

It is essential to decide how the app will integrate with other systems. Integrations are often between an application and external services, either client-server or peer-to-peer. The APIs used for integrations should be tested thoroughly during development before launch. A large-scale integration that involves multiple endpoints might cost more than a simple one because of its complexities like authentication, security, etc.

• Complex Animations/Visual Aids

Adding advanced features such as animation can help engage users; however, these elements may also increase your costs if they require additional work by mobile app development services (for example, developing custom CSS). It would be best to consider whether using complex visual tools or engaging user interface components would make sense for your product from the beginning.

• Support for Multiple Mobile Platforms

If your app needs to support multiple mobile platforms (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows), that will add to the development time and cost. Supporting different devices and operating systems requires separate codebases, which means more work for the developers. You also need to test these platforms to ensure compatibility and a good user experience.

• Planning for Maintenance

Apps require ongoing maintenance to keep them functioning correctly and up-to-date with the latest security patches, software updates, etc. This can be an added expense if you do not have someone on staff familiar with coding and maintaining mobile apps, and sometimes you will have to hire someone to maintain your app.

• Avg. Cost of App Development

Mobile app development is simply a step beyond developing and coding an application. The typical cost of creating an app, according to The Manifest, ranges from $100,000 to $500,000. The cost of developing a mobile application can vary from nothing to millions of dollars, although it is typically in the hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands. Development stages and platform and stage costs have an impact on the cost of creating an app.

Conclusion

App development is not an inexpensive endeavour, but it can be worth the investment. When deciding whether or not to develop an app, businesses should consider all of the associated expenses in addition to the potential benefits that an app could bring. By understanding these factors, you can make an informed decision about whether developing a mobile app is the right choice for your business.

Author Bio:

Arjun Solanki is a Business Growth Strategist at a Leading Mobile App Development Company. He has experience in developing and executing digital strategies for large global brands in a variety of business verticals. Apart from working on a long-lasting relationship with customers and boosting business revenue, he is also interested in sharing my knowledge on various technologies and its influence on businesses through effective blog posts and article writing.