10 Factors Deciding a Mobile App Development Cost Estimate

Mobile App Development

The business owners and non-tech people are still overlooking the unparalleled opportunities that mobile app market offers due to unawareness of how much does it cost to make an app and how to hire the right app development company.

While the latter part is covered in our blog, Questions to Ask Before Hiring A Mobile App Development Company, here we will focus completely on the former question, i.e., how to calculate the app cost.

But before beginning, let me reveal this shocking fact: There’s no fixed value to app development cost.

Yes, you read it right. The cost to make a mobile application varies from app to app. It is nearly impossible to get a mobile app like Instagram and an IoT-based application at the same price. And the reason behind is that the cost of any mobile application depends directly on the different factors involved in the development environment.

Wondering what these factors are and how they influence the average cost of app development for your business? Let’s discover.

1. App Type

The decision of whether you want to create a social-media mobile app like Instagram or invest in developing an Enterprise application makes a major difference on your budget. This is because each type of app comes with a different set of layout, complexity and requirements which make their development process and strategies entirely different from each other.

  2. Platform

The platform you are planning to develop your app for also affect the app cost. Let suppose, if you are building an application for Android, it’s cost might be a bit higher than that associated with its iOS counterpart. Likewise, if you are developing an application catering both Android and iOS platforms using React Native or any such cross-platform technology, it will cost you lower than that of developing apps for both the platforms using Native approach.

So, it is necessary to decide which platform you want to cater before you look forward to getting a mobile app development cost estimate

  3. Technologies and Features

Besides the app type and platform, technologies and features that you plan to introduce to your application also affect the overall app cost. If you are integrating IoT (Internet of Things) technology into your application, it will cost you around $30,000 to $40,000

  4 .Monetization Model

The next factor that hold the power of altering the mobile app price is Monetization model. If you choose freemium, the cost to develop an application will be somewhat lower than that involved with an In-app advertising and In-app purchase application.

  5.App Design

When talking about app design, the choice of whether you want a simple traditional application like Calculator or a fully-customizable and engaging app like Instagram, PUBG, Snapchat, etc. also affect your app price.

A customized design, as per the top product designers, takes around 400 hours. While a simple one consumes only 150 hours, which eventually brings a difference in their associated budget too.

  6. Code Reusability

The number of development hours involved with building an app also brings a considerable difference in the overall app cost. The amount of code you reuse in your development process cut down the overall development hours. This brings a considerable impact on the overall app cost.

So, take an account of the possibility of code reusability too while making a mobile app development cost estimate.

  7. Location

The location from which you are getting your application development also influence the cost to make an app. If you are getting your application development from a developed nation (like the USA), the app development price will be nearly double. You will be getting in half price with getting app development services from a developing country like India.

  8.App Development Company

Another factor that you should take an account of while calculating your app cost is the app development company you hire. If you hire a freelancer or a small-cap app development agency, they will ask for lower price compared to a medium-sized or established company. But, at the same time, they will have a lower experience and familiarity with industry-based challenges. They may induce some hidden cost at later development stages.

Thus, it is crucial to bring all such pointers into discussion before deciding whom to consider as your app partner.

  9.Deployment and Testing

The time taken for deploying and testing your application can also increase or decrease your app cost. Is your mobile app has a huge size and complex architecture? More efforts and developer hours will be involved into the process of deploying and testing each and every app screen. This will affect the overall cost.

Likewise, the number of testing tools you consider for quality assurance process and their fees also bring an impact on your mobile app cost. So, it is advisable to consider them too while making a mobile app development cost estimate.

  10.App Launch

The cost associated with submitting your application on App Store or Google Play Store also affects your mobile app budget. If you are launching your application on Google Play Store, it will take a one-time developer fee of $25. Whereas, an annual developer fee of $99 will be asked if launching your mobile app on App Store.

So, here were the factors that majorly brings an impact on the mobile app development cost. But, these are not the only ones. There are several other factors that influence the cost value. So, consider these factors to get a mobile app development cost estimate. And, discuss your app needs with a reputed mobile application development agency to get an accurate value.