Congratulations! You are contemplating building a custom mobile app. It's a significant step forward for any business. Be it complex analytics or a basic functionality app, you need to plan your budget.
How much does it cost to make an app in 2020? It depends. Prices can vary from $25,000 to $250,000 and beyond. That's a significant range, isn't it?
To help you get a general idea of what amount to expect, let's look at factors that affect the cost of app development.
1. Features
Let's compare an app to a car. If you are planning to buy a base model, you can save a substantial amount of money. Such a vehicle is a perfect choice for someone on a tight budget. However, you can forget about an automatic transmission, panoramic roof, rear spoilers, cruise control, power-folding mirrors, etc.
The same works with software. If you want it to have basic functionality, you can save. However, the more features you add, the more expensive it becomes.
The price of each feature depends on its complexity. The more time a developer spends on creating a feature, the more it will cost. For example, if a standard feature can be made using a third-party API, it will be less expensive than features created from scratch.
Examples:
- User login feature – $500 - $1,000
- User management feature (add, delete, block, edit) - $3,000 - $4,000
2. Number of Platforms
Are you planning to create an iOS app? Or do you want it to work on Android as well? If you want to make an app suitable for several platforms, the price will be higher than for an app designed for a single platform.
- Native apps – created for optimized user experience and fast operation. They have an excellent feature variety and work on several platforms. The more platforms you choose, the more expensive these apps are.
- Hybrid apps – these cross-platform apps are cheaper to develop and maintain since one code works for all platforms. However, these apps can't provide native user experience and lack optimization.
3. Maintenance
One of the top benefits of creating a custom app for your business is high-quality support from the developer. However, it also comes with a price. The maintenance may cost up to 20 percent of the development price.
Maintenance and support are integral parts of app development. You'll continue working with the development team for the duration of the app's use. From fixing bugs to adding new features, nobody can do it better than the original developer.
4. Design
Visual design is an important part of an app. The "nicer" you want it to look, the more you have to pay. User interface, UX, logos, wireframes, icons, etc. have a certain price tag. A simple app design could cost you about $5,000. Meanwhile, the prices for complex app design can start at $25,000.
Paying Per Hour
To make things easier to understand, app development cost usually depends on the number of hours a team spends on it. While a simple app with basic features may require about 400 working hours, a complex app with professional design, real-time features, multi-language support, etc., could take 1,500 hours to complete. The final price depends on the developer's hourly rate.
The rate a company sets depends on many factors, the most important of which is expertise. For example, senior designers may charge $150 per hour while their less experienced colleagues could settle for $50 per hour.
Final Thoughts
The final cost of an app depends on dozens of factors. If you want top-notch design, a wide variety of features, and multi-platform functionality, be ready to pay a higher price. Basic apps are much less expensive, but they may not satisfy all of your needs. That's why many companies settle for something in between.
If you'd like an accurate estimate of how much your app will cost, schedule a free strategy session today!
