Factors affecting iOS app development cost

Are you planning to build an iOS app but don’t know how to estimate the cost of developing an iOS app? There are many factors that affect the overall iOS app development cost. No two iOS apps cost the same, hence giving an accurate cost estimation for any app is next to impossible. However, if you know the various factors you need to consider when starting your iOS project, you can get a better idea of your iOS app development budget and plan your strategy accordingly.

The most cost-effective method of developing iOS app is to hire iOS developers from a reliable offshore mobile app development company. However, before you do that, you should be aware about the rough cost estimates and the factors to look after when deciding your iOS app budget.

Factors affecting cost of developing iOS apps

Here are the top factors that impact your overall iOS app development costs. Keep these in mind before starting your iOS app development journey –

App Complexity

First thing first, your iOS app development cost will directly be impacted by complexity of your app. If you want to build a simple to-do list app the cost of developing such an app will be significantly lower compared to creating a high-graphics gaming app. Hence, the app functionality, features and complexity will directly impact your iOS app development costs.

Some of the additional features that might increase your iOS app development costs are –

• Use of Animations
• App Prototyping
• Customized Solutions which require AIML or AR/VR integrations

Average cost to develop a basic iOS app range between $5000-$20,000 whereas a complex iOS app can cost around $20,000 – $250, 000 or more depending on the specifications of your app.

Development Approach

If you are developing a native iOS app using Swift or Objective-C, you will get a native iOS app that has better security and access to user’s device sensors and settings. Such apps are called native apps and they provide true iOS experience. Naturally, such apps are more expensive since they provide more features.

Alternatively, you can opt for cross development approach using popular modern frontend frameworks such as Flutter and React Native. Cross platform app development allows you to develop apps for iOS and Android at 1/4^th price of native app development. So, you get two platforms at lesser costs. But the features are limited, and access to certain sensors can be limited. Hence, depending on your project requirement and targeted platforms, you would choose either native or cross platform app development approach.

Average cost of native iOS app development can range from $70,000 to $200,000 whereas cross platform app development cost could be anywhere between $20,000 – $55,000.

Developer Location

If you truly want to build a secure, robust and scalable iOS app, your best chances are by hiring iOS developers from a trusted mobile app development company or outsourcing your iOS app project to offshore mobile app development company. In both cases, where your iOS developer is from will impact the cost of acquiring them significantly.

Each country has different minimum wage rates that translate to different average hourly developer costs. If you hire dedicated developers from a trusted app development company in India, the hourly costs would be way lesser than hiring iOS developers from the US or UK.

• Average hourly costs of iOS developers in India – $20-$40/hr
• Average hourly costs of iOS developers in US – $60-$85/hr

App Category

The category of your iOS app plays a great role in the overall cost of your iOS app development. Different app categories cater to different user requirements. Some apps are for daily use like productivity and calculation apps whereas others cater to the wants of a user like entertainment apps.

Generally, productivity apps are much easier to develop as they have basic features and functions whereas entertainment apps require large database integrations, video playing abilities and auto-recommend features that can be complicated to integrate.

Here is a basic cost breakdown of iOS apps as per categories –

• Gaming Apps – $30,000-$250,000
• Business Apps – $5000 – $150,000
• Education Apps – $10,000 – $80,000
• Health and Fitness Apps – $5000 – $250,00
• Entertainment Apps – $15,000 – $100,000
• Food and Drink Apps – $10,000 – $30,000
• Travel Apps – $5000 – $30,000
• Shopping Apps – $15,000 – $100,000
• Social Networking Apps – $10,000 – $50,000
• Medical Apps – $30,000 – $90,000

iOS App Testing

Testing your iOS app is of utmost importance as without testing, your iOS app will remain vulnerable to external threats and internal bugs and glitches. This might result in app getting rejected on the app store or users uninstalling it due to inconsistent performance. You need to conduct thorough testing of your app on various factors like performance, security and other factors to ensure your app gets approved on the app store and is usable for your users.

• iOS UX Testing Cost – $200 – $1500
• iOS Functional Testing Cost – $700 – $3000
• iOS Performance Testing Cost – $150 – $500
• iOS Security Testing Cost – $800 – $20000
• iOS Platform and Device Testing Cost – $100 – $200

iOS App Maintenance Cost

You also need to consider iOS app maintenance cost when deciding on your iOS app development budget. General rule is to allocate 10-20% of your overall app development budget for maintenance every year. Maintaining your app is important if you want your app to stay relevant in the market and usable for users. All cost of maintaining bugs, adding new features and adjusting your app as per latest iOS versions.

Your iOS app maintenance cost would depend on following factors –

• Code Optimization
• Bug Fixes and Improvements
• Support for latest iOS versions
• Adding new features
• Updating third party libraries

iOS App Developer Position

If you have an existing team of iOS developers and need to hire dedicated developers for helping your team to develop your iOS project. Based on what skills you require, the cost of acquiring your developer will vary accordingly. Here is a rough cost estimation of hiring different iOS developers as per their position –

• Average Cost to hire iOS developer – $20 -$100
• Average Cost to hire UI/UX Designer – $15 – $50
• Average Cost to hire Scrum Master – $50 -$150
• Average Cost to hire QA Engineer – $12 – $40
• Average Cost to hire Business Analyst – $30 – $70

If you need to hire more than one or two talents, it is better to outsource your iOS app development project to an offshore iOS app development agency where you don’t need to manage any development requirements anymore.

iOS App Design Cost Breakdown

iOS app design plays an important role in how your app is perceived by your users. You need to design iOS app in a way that it includes your brand identity, is user-friendly and easy to navigate. There are different stages in iOS app design and each stage adds on to the cost of iOS app development. Here is the cost breakdown of iOS app design –

• iOS Research Cost – $50 – $350
• iOS UI/UX Cost – $2000 – $10,000
• iOS Design – $5000 – $20,000
• Animation and Illustrations – $1000 – $30,000

Final Words

This is the ultimate guide to develop an iOS app. Make sure to consider these factors before coming up with your iOS app development budget. Develop your cost-effective iOS app by hiring a reliable mobile app development company with proven experience in iOS app development.

Author Bio

Ronak Patel is a CEO and Founder of Aglowid IT Solutions, an ever-emerging Top Web and Mobile Development company with a motto of turning clients into successful businesses. He believes that Client’s success is company’s success and so that he always makes sure that Aglowid helps their client’s business to reach to its true potential with the help of his best team with the standard development process he set up for the company.