Looking for more than a guide to mobile app development cost? Ready to develop an app that will transform business? We’d love to talk about your project.
A mobile app, correctly developed, will provide endless opportunities for scale and growth. However, the average cost of app development is a serious investment. Read on to glean insider knowledge on the true costs of app development.
The Value of Mobile Apps
When starting to build an app, the self-exploratory question that companies often reach is, “Truly, is app creation worth the costs?” Realistically, not every company is ready to develop a full mobile application. We’ll discuss factors that influence costs, and though there are options at different price points, this process isn’t cheap. However, the vast majority of customers appreciate and expect mobile app services.
Customers flock to mobile apps to make purchases, invest, hire services, and generally utilize apps as a personalized digital storefront.
An app has endless value as both an opportunity to drive revenue and a method of connecting to the user.
The Modern State of Mobile Apps
Below are some current numbers on mobile applications that illustrate the popularity and versatility of modern-day apps.
- Mobile apps are projected to drive over 613 billion in revenue by 2025
- 49% of users open an app 11+ times every day – a number suspected to be underreported
- As of 2021, 4.75 million apps were available in the Apple Store
- In 2022, users spent 4.8 daily hours in the top mobile-first markets
From gaming apps to mobile eCommerce platforms, people spend almost a third of waking hours and billions of dollars surfing apps. For many companies investing in mobile app development is a no-brainer.
Factors Affecting Mobile App Development Cost
The more niche your app, the more varied overall costs will be. Ensure that you’re working with an expert app development team who can guide the mobile app development process with transparency and innovation.
Complexity
Clearly, the more complex an app, the more it will cost. Many developers bill an hourly rate, and with average costs varying from $50/hour to $250+/hour, there is a huge variation in possible expenses.
If the project has basic features, it will take less time and resources to complete—visa versa for a complex application. App complexity needs will vary based on app requirements. For example, involved payment gateways and simplistic user profiles will have differing complexity of features. The following chart should help you visualize this cost difference.
- Low-tier Complexity App Development Cost – $40,000 to $120,000
- Mid-tier Complexity App Development Cost – $120,000 to $200,000
- High-tier Complexity App Development Cost – from $200,000+
An app development agency will be able to give you a general ballpark of costs. However, a semi-useful tool is an average app development cost breakdown calculator. Here’s a more simplistic calculator and a more detailed calculator. Just like all mobile app development estimates, the results will vary as projects vary in complexity and the hourly rate varies.
Design and Function
Proper design and functionality in your mobile app can determine its success or its failure. A high-tech online storefront will have different design needs than a video conferencing app for medical professionals. Whatever your functional needs are, it’s important to have a proper design team that works well with your developers.
Functionality and Visual Design
First, the actual function of an app, like which buttons users can click to log in and what mapping structure the application uses, constantly interacts with the app’s visual design. The cost of professionals who design and implement these functions/design varies anywhere from:
- United States Based Professional: $75-$300+/hour
- Latin America Based Professional: $40-$75+/hour
- Asia Based Professional: $25-$45+/hour
Location matters when it comes to the cost of any professional, including a design team. When outsourcing a service with an out-of-country team, there are always other considerations to contemplate, like time zones, language barriers, or varied terminology.
These numbers are general, and the cost of a designer depends on the experience level and resources of that professional or app development company.
Template Design
We do not advise using a template design or a builder site for your design for a mobile application. It is a cheaper service, but the continuing cost of updating and evolving an application designed with a template is often high.
Additionally, a quality development team and design team can help with app ideas and innovation.
Platform
Do you want your app to run on both Android and iOS devices or on a single platform? Will you require hybrid app development or native app development? Which app stores do you want your mobile app development project to run on?
The conversation around which platform to develop a mobile application can get very technical. There are occasionally different price points associated with a different type of app. There are also different functions and benefits to using either an Android platform or an iOS platform. Building out this app type functionality also comes with a higher expense. Software development companies are used to explaining platform as an important aspect of your mobile app development budget.
Continuing Mobile App Costs
The upfront cost and time involved in developing a mobile app are significant, but app continuation is also additional costs you’ll need to consider with your app development partner.
First, general maintenance of an app is always a factor and may be required monthly or quarterly, depending on your usage and your needs. Updates to a mobile device, new third-party services, and additional features are all an aspect of general upkeep. If you have your own team of developers or a trusted app development company, then this work can be handled regularly, and you may be able to project the general expense.
Second, updating user experience standards and processes based on feedback is vital. The number 1 reason an app user uninstalls is because the app isn’t in use. This is usually related to too many notifications, bad ads, etc. Quality mobile app developers will keep updated user interface as a priority.
Third, keep the general app budget in mind. It’s a good rule of thumb to double your app development cost estimate for app development and app continuation. If your app suddenly succeeds, you may need to pay for significant updates to handle new traffic. If your business model shifts, you’ll need to invest in an altered application as well.
You want to end up with a viable product that takes advantage of your market share. Make sure to budget for actual cost and what you actually need. These are just factors to keep in mind moving into the development stage.
Elevato: The Expert in Mobile App Development Company
The process of beginning a mobile app development can be intimidating, but with the right experts on your side, you can be confident moving into this exciting revenue builder. At Elevato, we prioritize transparency and innovative expertise.
Technical Skills
Our skilled technical team has a wide range of app experience and can deliver a project ideal for your unique needs.
User Intent
We understand the importance of user intent, and it guides every decision and recommendation our team makes.
Hybrid-web Apps
Our hybrid-web apps are one-code based, fitting both Android and Apple storefronts.