How much does it cost to develop a mobile app in 2024
As mobile apps are becoming an inseparable part of our lives, businesses are understanding the need to have one. The core reason is that an app can help enhance operations and customer services if it is well-designed and developed. At the same time, most companies are puzzled and concerned about mobile app development cost.
If you are one of them and planning to build an app, this article covers the key aspects you should consider while calculating the mobile app cost. They include complexity, features, platforms, development approach, technology, security, resources, etc. We hope this article will help find an answer to your question, i.e., “How much does it cost to develop a mobile app?”.
Factors Affecting Mobile App Development Cost
Let’s discuss the key factors to consider while planning a budget for a mobile app development project.
App Complexity
App complexity is one of the factors that affect your mobile app development cost. Let’s understand this better by exploring the levels of complexity, i.e., Simple, Medium, and Complex.
A simple app would have limited functionality and basic features, such as user login and profile creation. For instance, a fitness app with basic features would log workouts and provide statistics in a basic way. Such common and easy-to-develop features cost less and may fall anywhere between $5,000 and $50,000 depending on other accompanying features.
A medium-complexity app provides more than basic functionalities and includes interactive features. Payment gateways for e-commerce stores and integrations with APIs to provide more functionalities can be considered under a medium complexity level. Such apps can provide online browsing, ordering products, and tracking their delivery. Apps with such features can range from $50,000 to $100,000.
A complex app has advanced features providing a better and customized user experience. They are AR/VR integration, real-time synchronization, and custom animations to name a few. An app with the capability of allowing multiple people to interact with each other, like a social gathering or live video streaming is an example of a complex app. Such features take special skills and resources and require a large budget, like $100,000 to $300,000 or even more.
Development Approach (Native vs. Cross-Platform)
Apart from the complexity, the development approach is also a factor you should consider. Choosing between native and cross-platform affects your mobile app development cost and performance. Let’s understand this in detail.
Native Apps
Built for one platform with its specific language, native apps leverage platform-specific tools for an optimized user experience. Additionally, they provide exceptional performance and smooth integration with the device’s features.
If better user experience is the goal, developing a native app can be a better choice. For instance, an iOS app developed using Swift will offer optimal performance on iPhones. On that note, the cost to build an app with native versions would take about $30,000 to $150,000 per platform.
Cross-platform apps
Unlike native apps, cross-platform apps work on multiple platforms and can be developed at a significantly low budget. A cross-platform app uses frameworks like Flutter and React Native that save coding time and cost. You can target a broader audience without requiring separate development teams. The budget can fall anywhere within a range of $20,000 to $100,000 depending on the features and functionality requirements.
At WingsTech, we offer both native and cross-platform development services. Contact us to discuss the best approach for your app.
Development Team Location (In-house vs. Outsourcing)
The location of your development team has a significant impact on the mobile app development cost. In-house development involves hiring a team within your country. Though hiring an in-house team provides better control and communication advantages for your project, it also comes with a price. Developers in the US or Western Europe charge $100 to $250 per hour which leads to a huge budget for your app.
On the other hand, hiring an offshore development team from locations where labor costs are low gives you a huge cost benefit. Asian countries like India and Indonesia offer talent at a significantly low hourly rate, ranging from $20 to $70. While you can save a significant amount of cost, project management, and communication can be difficult due to the time zone differences.
At WingsTech, we have a highly skilled and experienced team of developers with a track record of delivering high-quality work. The decision to hire us as an offshore team has proven to be the best option for 100% of our clients. Contact us to discuss your mobile app development project and cost.
App Features and Functionalities
While the factors discussed above have their role, the cost of an app largely depends on the features and functionalities. There will be a significant gap between the prices of an app with simple features and an app with advanced features.
Consider an app with the most advanced features like augmented or virtual reality. They can add more costs to your app development project. These features need specialized skills, advanced technology, and more time, and the cost varies from $50,000 to $300,000.
Likewise, a real-time chat functionality would add $10,000 or more to your mobile app development cost since it requires a robust backend and server to ensure seamless communication.
A chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) or lie updates with real-time synchronization are some more examples of features that affect the budget. These advanced functionalities enhance user experience but require an additional budget of $20,000 to $150,000.
Additional Mobile App Development Cost Factors
While planning a budget for your project, you must also consider the additional factors given below that can affect the mobile app development cost. Let’s look at each of them in detail.
UI/UX Design
It is essential that your app has a well-designed user interface (UI) and provides an excellent user experience (UX). Though a professional UI/UX design takes a sizable chunk of your budget, it is imperative for making your app more intuitive and attractive. This increases user engagement and retention.
A UI/UX design contains wireframes and prototypes, and the cost depends on its complexity. A basic UI/UX design would cost around $5,000 while a complex one would take up to $50,000. While the cost proportion may be huge to your total budget, a nice design offers an enhanced user experience giving you a competitive advantage.
Maintenance and Support
Once you launch your app, regular maintenance and support is essential. This ensures smooth operations of your app and keeps it up-to-date. Bug fixes, version updates, and server maintenance are some activities that incur additional annual costs. Moreover, they are 15-20% of the app development budget. Hence an app with a development price of $100,000 can incur an annual maintenance cost of $15,000 to $20,000. Regular updates and enhancements keep users engaged. They also maintain the app’s performance and reputation over time.
Technology Stack and Tools
The choice of the technology stack and development tools impact mobile app development costs. Some of them are listed below.
LAMP: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP
MERN: MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js
MEAN: MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js.
These stacks are robust but vary in price. For instance, JavaScript frameworks like React or Angular are cost-effective. Further, they also speed up development. However high-performance apps might need MEAN or MERN, which are more expensive. The reasons are they need specialized skills and longer development times.
Using premium tools or frameworks with licensing fees can add to the budget. For example, tools like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS) offer excellent infrastructure. They are also suitable for apps that need scalability. However, these benefits come with ongoing costs based on usage. An open-source stack might reduce initial costs but call for more extensive maintenance. Thus the right stack influences both, i.e., the cost to build an app and its performance making a careful choice a need of the hour.
Third-Party Integrations
Third-party services and APIs are crucial and sometimes inevitable to achieve certain functionality. Some features that need such integrations include social media logins, payment gateways, and analytics. Each integration needs extra development time and testing leading to additional mobile app development costs.
For example, adding advanced analytics using Google Analytics or allowing login with a Google or Facebook account might add $1,000 to $4,000. These integrations are essential for a smooth user experience but should be factored into the budget. Also, third-party APIs often have subscription or usage fees, which should be included in the long-term budget.
App Security and Compliance
App security and compliance are vital, especially for sensitive data, and require the use of measures like encryption protocols and secure authentication, like two-factor authentication. On that note, your mobile app budget should consider an additional cost that can be around $5,000.
If your app is going to collect personal data, compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA is mandatory. This includes activities like consultations and testing to ensure your app adheres to legal aspects and follows data handling protocols. Further, after the app is launched, you will need regular audits to find security vulnerabilities.
Thus security, legal compliance, and audits assure the app users that their data is in safe hands. Meeting them will build trust and failure or any nonconformity may cause harm to the brand’s reputation and attract legal consequences. So consider an addition of $5,000 to $20,000 while calculating your mobile app development cost.
Conclusion
As discussed above, the cost of developing a mobile app in 2024 depends on many factors, like app complexity, development approach, team location, and chosen features. We also explored the impacts of UI/UX design, maintenance, technology, third-party integrations, and security compliance on the development and post-launch project costs.
Understanding and paying attention to these factors while planning a budget will give you peace of mind during and after the app development.
At WingsTech, we have a highly skilled and experienced tech team that will help you prepare a well-planned budget for your specific mobile app needs. Let’s make your idea a reality through a well-crafted mobile app. Contact us to discuss your requirements and get a detailed mobile app development cost and time estimate.
