Weusecookiestoboostyourexperienceonourwebsiteandensureitfunctionsproperly.Italsohelpsuswithanalytics-youwon’tblameusforthat,willyou:
Readingtime:24minutes
Appscomeindifferentsizes—whileprovidingasinglenumberispossible,itoversimplifiesthings.Solet’stakealookatsomeofthemostcommontypesofappsfirst:simpleapps,average-complexityapps,andcomplexapps.
Asimpleappmeansanapplicationwithbasicfeaturesandastandardtemplate-basedUI(userinterface).Thinkofbrochuretypeapps,atasktracker,orameditationappasanexample.
Anaverage-complexityappismoreelaboratebothinfunctionalityanddesign.Theexamplesrangehereiswider,asmostoftheappsinAppStoreorGooglePlaybelongtothiscategory.Delivery,fitness,andrentingappsofanaverage-complexityconstantlyenterthemarket.
Complexappmeansafullycustomizedapplication,packedwithcomplicatedup-to-datefeaturesandanelaborateUI.Itcancontainnewfunctionalitiesthatwereneverusedbeforeandaredevelopedfromscratch.Thespendinginthiscaseliterallyhasnolimit.
NumbersarebasedonGoodfirmssurvey.
Dependingonthenumberoffeatures,theappdevelopersinvolvedandthedesiredfunctionality,theappdevelopmentcostcangooverahundredthousanddollars.
Aboutadecadeago,everybusinessdreamedofcreatinganappjustforthesakeofhavingone.StartupsweremoreconcernedwithwhattheyCOULDdo,andnotWHYshouldtheydoit,sotheprojectanalysisstage,orthediscoverystage,wasfrequentlyunderestimated.
Evennow,only70%ofclientsgothroughtheprojectanalysisstagewiththeirdevelopmentteam.However,themobileappmarketishighlycompetitive,sothedecisiontoeliminatethefirststagecanonlyleadtoreputationalandfinanciallosses.
Projectanalysisbreakdown
AsyoucanseeinourownPurrweb’sbreakdown,theaveragecostofthisstageisrelativelylow.Yetitcansavethousandsofdollarsinthefuture.
So,whatarewedoingonStage1
Researchingthemarket.Thisisanessentialsteptodetermineifthere’sanyproduct-marketfitforyourappidea.Atthisstage,wedeterminejusthowbigthemarketisandexamineoveralltrends.Also,weconductcompetitoranalysistogetinspirationandunderstandwhereothersexcelorfallshort.
Featuresprioritization.Now,ifthere’samarketforyouridea,webrainstormtheprioritizedlistofthemainfeaturesforyourapp.Then,oursystemanalystworkswiththeclienttodeterminewhatfeaturescontributetodeliveringthecorevalueproposition.Also,thefeatureshavetoaddresstheneedsofourpotentialusers.Thankstothat,wecanfigureoutwhichfeaturesareamustandwhichcanbeomittedforthetimebeingandshouldbedoneatthelatteriterations.
Calculatingappdevelopmentcosts.Webreakdowndevelopmentintoseveralstages:projectanalysis,UXdesign,development,andQAtesting.Eachstagetakesacertainamountoftimetocomplete.Wetakethisdata,calculatetheapproximatetimeframes,andmultiplyitbyourhourlyrate.Thisway,wecanaccuratelyfigureoutthepricing.
Now,whenyouhaveablueprintforanapp,it’stimetodesignit.CostofUI/UXdesignmayvarydependingonthenumberofscreensyourapphasandthedesigneryouchoose.Youcanalsofaceadditionalexpensesifyouchangethefunctionalityoftheapp.
WhatishappeningonStage2
Creatingamindmap.Wetakeeachfeaturewesingledoutandmakeupamindmapthatoutlinesthekeyuserjourney.Itlookslikeadiagram.Init,thedesignervisualizesthenavigationbetweendifferentparts,content,andfeaturesoftheapp.WepresentourmindmapsintheformofaMirofile.
Fleshingoutwireframesandadesignconcept.Onceclientsapprovethemindmap,webeginworkingonthedesign.Theprocessstartswithwireframes,wecreateblack-and-whitescreensoftheapp.Thesesketch-likerenditionsshowushowwecanpositionfeatures,buttons,icons,andcontentonagivenscreen.Afterwefinishcreatingwireframes,wechoosethreeofthemandturnthemintoadesignconcepttoshowcasethefinalvisuallook.
Designingthewholeapp.Afterourclientgreenlightsourdesignconcept,westartdesigningeveryscreentheappwillneed.Whilenotthehardestpartofdevelopment,ittakesalotofattentiontodetailandspecializedknowledgetomakesurethatyourappisconsistentthroughouteveryframe.
EstimatedUI/UXdesigndeliverables
Thisstageisthelongestandthemostcostly.Mobileappdevelopmentteambringsdesigner’smockupstolife.
Theappdevelopmentcostsheredependmainlyon2factors.Thefirstoneisthenumberofplatformsyouchooseforyourmobileappdevelopmentproject—iOS,Androidorboth.
Appplatformshavetheirownspecifics,sothepricesofanapparedifferentforeachofthem
Thesecondfactoristhenumberoffeaturesandappcomplexity.Simplefeatures,suchaspush-notificationsanduserreviews,tendtocostless,whilstmoreelaborateones,suchaspaymentsystemsdevelopment,canbereallyexpensive.We’lltakealookatthemindepthlater.
WhatishappeningonStage3
Essentially,wepickoutasinglefeaturefora2-weeksprint.Yougetademoattheendofeachsprint,ensuringthateverythinggoesasplanned,whileyoukeepgettingtheintermediateresultsofthedevelopmentprocess.Duringthattime,wedevelopitfromstarttofinish.Thisway,wealwaysmeetourdeadlines.
Creatingtheappitself.Ourdeveloperscombinefinishedfeaturesintoafunctionalproduct.Weusedifferenttoolstocreatetheapp,e.g.ReactNativetomakeasinglehybridappthatworksonbothAndroidandiOS,orAWStostorethebackendportionoftheappinacloudserver.
Estimateddevelopmentdeliverables
Everytimethedevelopmentteambuildsanewfeature,QAengineersstartsearchingforbugs,sothatprogrammerscanfixit.
ThecostofQAtestingisapproximately30%oftheappdevelopmentcost.Though,bearinmindthatmaintaininganappisnotaonetimetask.Afterdevelopment,everyapplicationneedspost-releasecontinuoussupport.
Here’swhat’shappeningatthisstage:
Testingtheappforunexpectederrors.OurQAengineersgothrougheverycommonscenariothattheusermayencounter.
Ifwe’retalkingaboutamarketplaceapp,forexample,theQAspecialistwouldtrytosignup,addsomeitemstoacart,andplaceanorderonline.Afterthat,ourspecialistsuseautomatedtoolstotryandbreaktheappinthemostunconventionalways.Thisensuresthateveniftheusermistypessomeinfoordoessomethingnotintendedbytheapp,theystillwon’tencounterbugsorcrashes.
EstimatedQAtestingdeliverables
Theappreleasedoesn’tmarktheendofthedevelopmentprocess.Herearesomeotherthingswedotomaketheappevenmoresuccessful:
Ensuringtheappadherestostores’guidelines.Sometimes,theAppStoreortheGooglePlayMarketrefusetoreleasetheapponmurkylegalgroundsorduetootherinternalfactors.Wetryourbesttounderlinesomenuancestoyou,mitigatepotentialpitfalls,andactuallyreleasetheapp.
Updatingtheapp.Ourspecialistscollectcrucialfeedbackfromfirstusers.Itincludesinfoonunexpectedglitches,suggestionsforfuturefeatures,andmore.Afterthat,webeginimplementingtheirfeedbackinnewiterationsoftheapp.Weaccountfortheresultingappmaintenancecostinourinitialpriceestimations.
Projectmanagementaccompaniesthedevelopmentprocessfromtheverybeginninguntillaunch.Itcomprisesaround15%ofthetotalappdevelopmentcost.
Wementionedthatoneofthefactorsthatinfluencesthecostofbuildinganappisthenumberofplatformsyouwishtocover.
Anappdevelopmentcompany’slocationisalsoimportant.Hiringspecialistsfromcountrieswithlowmarketpricesformobiledevelopmentcansignificantlyreducethecostofcreatinganapp.Considerthisoptionifyou’rereadytotaketheoverseascommunicationalrisks.
Takealookatsomemobileappdeveloperratesbycountry—they’recalculatedonanhourlybasis:
(Avg.$/Hr)Android
(Avg.$/Hr)Cross-Platform
Ifyouwantamoredescriptiveexample,takealookatamapwithrateestimates.
We’veoutlinedkeyfiguresusedbydifferentappdevelopmentcompanies
Eachapptypehasitsownfeaturesandpitfalls.That’swhythechoiceofappyouplantodevelopwillalsoaffectthefinalcost.So,let’stakeacloserlookatthemostcommonplatforms,theirtypesandaveragepricing.
ThisisthesoftwarethatrunsonsmartphonesandtabletswithiOSandAndroidoperatingsystems.Theseappstypicallyofferusersawiderangeofmobile-specificfeatures:biometricauthentication,GPSnavigation,andpushnotifications.
Thedevelopmentcostsfortheseappsrangefrom$15,000to$120,000.
TheyrunonoperatingsystemslikeWindows,macOS,orLinux.Desktopappsofferenhancedperformancebecausetheycantakefulladvantageoftheverypowerfulhardware.Thisallowsthemtoperformmorecomplextasks,forexample,graphicdesign,videoediting,appdevelopment,andmusiccreation.
Developingsuchanappcancostanywherebetween$20,000and$150,000.
Webapplicationsdonotrequiredownloading.Userscanaccessthemfromanydevicetheywant,alltheyneedisaninternetconnectionandabrowser.Becauseoftheircross-platformnature,webappscaneasilyadapttoanyscreensize,makingthemthemostversatileapps.
Thecostofwebappdevelopmentvariesbetween$5,000and$100,000.
Applicationscanfurtherdifferbycategory.Sincetherearemanyofthem,wewillonlylistthemostpopularexamplesandtheiraveragedevelopmentcosts:
Thereareotherwaystocalculateappdevelopmentcostoutsideoflookingattheirtypes.Somefeatureshaveasmallappdevelopmentbudgetoftheirown.We’llprovide4examplesofthemostfrequentlyrequestedappfeaturessoyou’llgettounderstandtheirgeneralpurposeandprice.
Thisfeatureallowsyoutostayconnectedtoyouraudience.Eachtimeyousendanotificationtoyouruser,theygetremindedofyouandyourapp—it’sagreatwaytolureusersin.
Anotherbenefitofpushnotificationsisincreaseduserretention.Youcanusethisfeaturetointroducenewfeaturesandoffersomebenefitsorbonusestoyourusers.Thisincreasesthechancesofthemopeningyourappanddoingwhatyouwantthemto.
Thisfeatureoffersaconvenientwaytolookatdataimportantforusers.Inthecaseofafinancialapp,dashboardshelptrackexpensesanddistinguishspendingpatterns.Andifwe’retalkingaboutahealthcareapp,afeaturelikethiscanshowthecaloriesburnedorthetimeyouspentonaworkoutintheformofadiagram.
UsersofanHR-platformcanlookatadashboardandquicklygrasphowmanyapplicationstheygathered
Manyappsbasetheirsellingpointsoncustomization.Personalizingthetypeofcontentyoucanviewandothersettingsintheproductisimpossiblewithoutuserprofiles.Theytypicallyhaveallthenecessaryinformationabouttheuser:name,phonenumber,avatar,etc.
Thelookandfocusofuserprofilesdependsonthetypeofappthey’rein.Forexample,someappsmaketheavatarslarger—e.g.datingapps.Otherapps,likereviewaggregators,makesuretohighlighttheuser’spreviousreviews.
AuserprofileiniZumator—clientscanswitchbetweenrolesinthissection
Manyappsincludefeatureslikemaps,locationtracking,routeplanning,andsoon.FortheapptoanalyzeGPScoordinatesandreceivesatellitedata,you’llhavetointegrateaseparategeolocationfeature.Withit,theappwillbeabletoscrapeinfoontrafficandroadwork,souserscanenjoymulti-stoproutingandaccurateToA(timeofarrival)predictions.
InAppleMaps,userscanefficientlyplantheircommutewithoutmucheffort.Alltheyhavetodoistypeintheplacewherethey’reheading,andtheappdoestherest
Thisfeatureisimportanttoincludeforsecurityreasons.Ifwe’retalkingaboutmarketplaces,forexample,itallowsustostoresensitivedatalikecreditcardinfowithouttheriskofshowingittothewronguser.Andifwefocusonrealestateapps,makingusersleavetheiremailaddressesletsyousendthempersonalizedrealestatedeals.Inturn,there’llbeahigherchancethattheybecomearegularpayinguser.
Speakingaboutsignups,trytoshiftyourattentiontoUXwhenintegratingregistrationintoyourapp.Customersdislikeitwhentheprocessdragson.
It’sanexcellentfeaturethat’samust-haveforalmostanyapp.PlanningtodevelopanenterpriseappChatsarecrucial,astheystreamlinecommunicationbetweenworkcolleaguesandentireteamswithinacompany.WanttobuildadatingappWithoutchats,it’salmostentirelymeaningless.In-appchatsareessential,andtheirabilitytoimprovethequalityandusabilityofanyappcan’tbeunderstated.
In-appchatsallowforseamless,straightforwardcommunication,somethingamajorityofusersneedinanyapp
Afeaturepresentinalotofapps,formanydifferentreasons.Forinstance,healthcareappsusecalendarstotelluserstheirexactmedicationscheduleorthedateofthenextdoctor’sappointment.Fitnessappsuseittoshowpastandfutureworkoutsessions.Thisfeatureisveryversatile.
Acalendarincontentplace—ausercanoutlineacontentplaninadvance
Oneofthemostcommonmonetizationmodelsisapremiumsubscription.Alotofappshideadditionalfeaturesbehindapaywall.Ifaserviceisgoodenough,usersstillbuyasubscription—nomatterhowinconvenientitmayseem.
Gettingapaymentmoduletoworkandcollectingpersonaldatalikecardnumbersrequireaseparatefeature—financialtransactions.Thisfeaturemakesearningmoneyfromaproductmucheasier.Withoutfinancialtransactions,subscriptionsareimpossibletoimplementinanapp.
Weguessyou’vealreadycomparedyourfutureappwithexistingones,sowehavegatheredsomeinformationonappdevelopmentcostsoffamousapplications.
Thisbankingapphasover20millionactiveusers,950thousandofwhichareSMEs.Revolutcovers52countriesandoffersvariousservicesthathelpusersmanage,invest,borrow,andprotecttheirmoney.Ontheotherhand,SMEsalsofindtheappincrediblyusefulforhandlingmobiletransactions,managingaccounts,andminimizingoverhead.
Intheapp,youcancreatemulti-currencyaccounts,trackexpensesandincome,setsavingsgoals,andmuchmore.Whilethesefeaturesmayseemstrictlyutilitarian,Revolutmanagestomakethemmoreengagingthroughpleasingaestheticsandalogical,clear-cutuserflow.
Afeature-richappthatnotonlyallowsuserstopostandedittheirphotosandvideos,butprovidestonsofotherfunctions.LivevideosandIGTV,directmessagingandin-appphonecalls,searching,followingandblockingusers.There’salsoabuilt-inshoppingfeatureandspecialaccountsettingsforbusinesses.
ThemainfeaturebehindtheUberappisrecognizinglocationsoftheuserandavailabledrivers,connectingthetwoandfollowingtherideinreal-timeuptothedestinationpoint.Otherinterestingfeatureshereareratingsystem,livechat,differentpaymentoptionsandaccessinguser’sordershistory.
Themessengerletsuserssharetexts,pictures,videos,audiosandgeo-locations,eitherone-on-oneoringroupchats.End-to-endencryptionfeaturemakestheappvaluedbytheusers,highlightingusers’interestinappsthatgiveconsiderationtotheirsecuritylevels.
Theappdevelopmentcostdependsonavarietyoffactors.Forexample,thetypesofpartnershipsyou’regoingtopursue:outsourcing,outstaffing,andhiringafull-timein-houseteam.Let’stakealookattheirdifferencesfirst:
In-houseteams.Inthiscase,you’llhavetofinddevelopersandoverseetheentireprocessonyourown.Findingtherightpeopleforthejobisnoeasyfeatandmaytake4–5months.Inotherwords,youcouldspendasmuchtimesearchingfortheperfectcandidateasyoucoulddevelopinganappfromthegroundupwithoutsourcing.Also,hiringin-houseteamsraisesthecostofappdevelopmentbecauseyou’llhavetopayadditionalbenefitsandtaxes.
Afteryouchooseaprovider,they’llcalculatethedevelopmentandappmaintenancecoststhemselves.
Then,theresultingtimeframeismultipliedbyanagency’shourlyrate.Anapproximateestimationbreakdownlookslikethis:
Speakingaboutdesign,thebusinessanalystoutlineshowmuchtimecreatingeachfeatureisgoingtotake.Thisincludesepics,orthedescriptionofafeatureinbroadstrokes,andstories,orparticularactionstheusercantakeintheapp.
Differenttypesofapplicationsrequiredevelopingdifferentlogicandfeatures.Let’stakeacloserlookat8apptypesandlearntheircostgrounding.
Usersopentheseappseveryday.Theyliterallybecometheirvirtualbuddies,countingtheircalories,puttingonfavoritemusicandhelpingtochoosethebestrestaurantfordinner.Anappwillbecomeindispensableifitislinkedtoothersoftwarethecustomerisusing.
Costestimate:$40,000to$50,000
Costestimate:$55,000to$65,000
Onlineeducationmarketisgrowingrapidly.Userslearnforeignlanguages,getcertificatesinnewprofessionsandpassexamsonline.Whatfeatureshelpthemachievetheirgoals
Costestimate:$60,000to$70,000
Theseappsareindispensablewhentheyreallyhelptheusergettheirjobdone.Themostimportantfeaturesherecanbeadesktopversion,integrationwithbasicutilitiessuchasacalendar,phonebookoraGPS-tracker.
Professionalplatformsaretoolsmakingtheworksimplerbyprovidingcertainfunctionsthatotherwiseuserswouldhavetodomanually.Thisappneedsadministrativefeatures:reminders,push-upnotifications,calendarandgroupworkchat.
Costestimate:$50,000to$60,000
Financeisaspherewherebothavendorandauserwanttofeelsecure.WhenplanningmainfeaturesofaFintechapp,thinkofbeginnerswhoarebeingcautiousinanewecosystem,beingconcernedtheycouldlosetheirmoney,iftheapplookstooconfusing.
Costestimate:$75,000to$85,000
FactorsthataffectappcostsTypesofappsaside,therearespecificaspectsofdevelopmentanddesignthatinfluencetheappdevelopmentbudget.Let’stakeacloserlookat4ofthem:
Themorefeaturesinanapp,themoreitwillcost—that’sbecauseappdevelopershavetotakemoretimetocreateandimplementthefeatures.
InthecaseofPetBuddy,wedesignedfeaturesforasingleuserrole
Thenightclubecosystemhas5userroles,eachofthem—itsownuniquefeatures.Ittookmoretimeandcostmore
Thenumberoffeaturesisn’ttheonlyfactor.Notallfeaturesaremadeequal—somearemorecomplexthanothers.Thinkofane-learningapp,forinstance.HowdoyoumotivateuserstoopentheproductandengageinlessonsTherearetwoways:
Theappbasedongamificationrequiresadditionalscreens,time,andresourcestomapoutitslogic,soitendsupcostingmore.
Duolingoisanappwithintricaterewardsystems,goals,andbadges.Designingthemtakesmoretimethancreatingasinglescreen,soit’smoreexpensive
Certaindesignelementscanendupdemandingmoreresourcesinthelongrun.Creatingasimpleheaderisdifferentfromauniquebuttonwithanimationsandseparatestates.Takealookatsomeofthedifferencesbetweencheapandexpensivedesignelements.
We’vealreadymentionedBreathmethod.Theapp’sdesignneededtoreflectcalmnessandtranquility,soweaddedphotosandcreatedanimatedelements.Also,weintegrateda“peaceful”colorpaletteandcameupwiththeappbrandingfromthegroundup.
TheBreathmethodappdesign
Onthecontrary,themedicinedeliveryapp’sdesignisn’ttoocomplicated.Ithassimpleicons,monochromecolorpalette,andastandardlayout.
Themedicinedeliveryappdesign
Differentdesignteamsoffervariousappdevelopmentprices.Someofthereasonscanbechalkeduptotheexperienceofthevendor.However,mostlyitdependsonthetypeofdesignteam.Let’stakeacloserlook:
Freelancedesigners.Theytypicallyofferthecheapestrates.However,therearemanydrawbacks:forexample,there’snoguaranteethey’lldeliveragreatproduct.Undoubtedly,therearegooddesigners,butthey’redifficulttofind.
In-houseteams.Thesetypesofteamshavehigherdevelopmentcostsoverall.Notonlydoesaclienthavetopaysalariesandbonuses,theyhavetospendtimesiftingthroughcandidates,onboardingnewcolleagues,andmanagingstaff.
Overall,ayearofupdatescancostaslittleas20%oftheinitialappdevelopmentprice—e.g.$11,720fora$58,600app.Takealookatatablewecompiledthatshowswhatthesemaintenancecostsconsistof.
Let’sanalyzesomeoftheaspectsindepth:
Anappcantakefrom3monthsupwards.Someofitdependsonthefunctionality—e.g.ifyou’replanningonmakingafull-blownappwithallthefeaturesorasimpleMVP.
Takealookattheprocessindepth—we’veoutlinedtheestimatedtimeframeforeachstageofappdevelopment:
Launchinganappisthestartofajourney,nottheend.Youwillhavetomaintaintheapp,whichcancostabout50%ofyourtotalcostinthefirstyearand25%andlessinthenextfewyears.Thishiddencostincludes:
Dependingonthefunctionalityoftheapp,youmayneedtosubscribetopaidservicesthatwillmakeyourfeatureswork.
Theappcomplexityandtheamountofdatathattheappwillstoreandusecanadduptoinfrastructurecosts.
Appmarketingisveryimportant,becausewithoutpromotionitwouldbedifficultforyourtargetaudiencetogettoknowaboutyourproduct.Thishiddencosthasnoceiling—appsthatyouseeontopoftheircategoriesarelikelytospendhundredsofthousandsofdollarsonmarketing.
We’vealreadydiscussedthatoneoftheimportantfactorsthatinfluencethecostisthenumberofplatformsyouchosetocover.We’vealsoanalyzedhowmuchcross-platform,AndroidandiOSappdevelopmentcosts.
Ifyouwanttosavetimeandmoneyonthemobileappdevelopmentprocess,gowiththecross-platformoption,despitethecross-platformmobileappdeveloperschargingmore.Youwillneedonlyonecross-platformteaminsteadoftwonativeteamsforiOSandAndroidappdevelopment.
MVP—MinimumViableProduct—afirstversionofyourapp.TheMVPapproachhelpstopaymoreattentiontothefeaturesthatwoulddistinguishyourservicefromthecompetitors.Howcanithelpdecreasethecosttobuildanapp
Howcanithelpdecreasethecosttobuildanapp
MVPcanhelpyougathervaluableuserfeedbackbeforespendingtheentireappbudgetonaproductthatdoesn’tmeetcustomerexpectations.
Anentrepreneurisnotaprogrammer.Theycanplanappfunctionalitythatisimpossibletobringtolifefromthedevelopmentperspective.AnMVPhelpstotestvitalappsfunctionsanditsscalabilitywithoutlargecapitalinjection.
Anoutsourcingfirmtakestheprojectunderitscontrol.Youdon’tneedtoworryaboutmeetingdeadlines,hiringdevelopers,andmanagingexistingstaff.Outsourcingmobileappdevelopmentdoesseveralthings:
Cutsdowndevelopmentcosts.Noneedtopayadditionalbonusesandtaxesalongsideregularsalary.
Speedsupdevelopmenttime.Youdon’thavetoonboardnewemployees.Becauseyousavetime,developerstechnicallyworkfewerdays—youonceagainsavemoney.