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Here's How to Calculate App Development Cost On Your Own
How much do you quote for developing a mobile application?
12:58 09 April 2019
This question brings different answers from different mobile application development companies to the door of someone planning to develop an app. Isn’t it so? With less idea of the technical specification of the mobile applications and the app trends, you find it hard to understand what brings so much of variation in the reply and thus, either go with the lowest price or the company claiming to be the No. 1 in the market.
Keeping this scenario into consideration, today I’m writing this article on how to find out the cost to develop an app. Along with, I will share the estimated cost values of a few, making it easier for you to get the right deal and make a successful entry into the mobile market.
So, shall we begin?
Firstly, let me share that there’s no exact value of how much does it cost to build an application. Every app development process involves different factors that affect the overall app development price. Besides, the time associated with the process also influences the application cost.
In fact, the formula for calculating the app cost is:- App Cost = Factors x Time Involved
Wondering what these factors are? And how much time does it take to work with each? Well, some of the factors that influence the cost to build a mobile app are:-
- Market Research - The foremost factor that affect the app cost is Market research. The process, as you might be familiar with, helps to get a clear understanding of the market and plan an application that brings major outcomes.
When talking about market research, the more efforts, time and funds you put into the process, the better results are gained. This implies the cost to build an app varies with the cost associated with market research.
- App Type - The cost also depends on the type of application you want to build. For example, the cost to design an Enterprise application would be somewhat different from the cost to develop a chat app like Whatsapp. This is because as we move from one app type to another, specifications like security considerations, user persona, etc. changes, which eventually affect the app price.
- App Complexity - Whether you want a simple mobile app with a single screen and minimalistic features or a complex application using innovative technologies like Blockchain, also influence the application cost.
- Platform - The answer to the question of how much does it cost to make your own application also varies according to the platform you build the application for. While Android application development seems an expensive affair over creating an iOS mobile application due to platform fragmentation, an Android mobile app can be cheaper if lesser OS versions and devices are taken into consideration.
- Hardware Specification - Just like the OS version, the hardware involved in mobile application development also affect the app cost. For example, an IoT-based app would cost somewhere around $30,000 to $40,000.
- App Design - The decision of whether you wish to build a standard app design or customize the app look using animations and the best elements of UI/UX design also bring an impact on the app price. This is because a customized app design demands more time and effort than a simpler application.
- Code Reusability - The cost to develop a mobile app also varies depending on the fact if you are building an application from scratch or reusing some code lines to build an application. This is because the development time and efforts would decrease with an increase in the code reusability factor.
- Quality Assurance - The next factor that makes a difference in the app development cost is quality assurance, i.e, the process to test an app to make it fit for the market. Now, when talking about quality assurance process, various tools and techniques are employed for testing the application, which can be available for free or at some subscription fee. This means the cost to test and make a bug-free application also depends on the cost of the tools and techniques used, along with the number of development hours they consume in the process.
- App Launch - When it comes to launching your own Android app, a one-time developer fee of $25 is taken. Whereas, Apple demands an annual developer fee of $99 to submit an iPhone app. This cost also add to the total amount you need to build an application of your own.
- App Update and Maintenance - While many believe that the app development process ends up with launching your application, it’s not so. With the changing market needs and customer feedback, an application is updated, which cost around 30% of the app cost.
While these are the prime app development factors that affect the overall application cost, there are various other things that need to be taken into attention, including the mobile app development company you hire, team size, location, time of delivery, etc. So, the best way to know how much does it cost to develop an app that adds value to your business is to consult with an expert.