How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App For Businesses In 2024
How much does it cost to build an app?
You might have asked about this question before, especially if you’re looking for app development.
The newest reports in the industry say a mobile app can development cost anywhere from $10,000 to $250,000, averaging around $75,000. But remember, these are just estimates, and the actual cost could be higher or lower depending on what the project needs.
So, how do we figure out how much it costs to make an app?
This article gives a detailed look at the worldwide mobile app development market. You’ll find out how to figure out the app development cost, what things affect that cost, and how to handle those costs well to prevent any surprises later on.
Breakdown on Average Mobile App Development Cost
The cost to develop an app ranges from $35,000 to $250,000 and up. Now, a lot of factors influence the price, and we’ll look into each of them.
The main factor influencing the price will be its complexity.
| Type | Approx. App Cost | Estimated Time |
| Simple App Development Cost | $10,000 to $35,000 | 2-3 months |
| Basic App Development Cost | $35,000 to $140,000 | 3-6 months |
| Complex App Development Cost | from $200,000 | 9+ months |
Now that we are aware of the basic app costs, we’ll see other factors on which mobile app development cost is based.
Mobile App Development Cost by Industry
App development cost by industry is another factor that needs to be taken care of. Here’s a list of apps industry-wise:
| Mobile App Type | Approx. App Cost | Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
| Startup App | $5,000-$350,000 | 1,600h |
| Taxi App | $10,000-$350,000 | 1,600h |
| Game App | $55,000-$300,000 | 1,600h |
| Retail App | $12,000-$200,000 | 1,200h |
| Augmented Reality App (AR) | $35,000-$240,000 | 1,600h |
| eCommerce App | $25,000-$240,000 | 1,600h |
| Social Media App | $20,000-$280,000 | 1,200h |
| Education App | $15,000-$200,000 | 900h |
| Video Streaming App | $25,000-$280,000 | 1,600h |
| Restaurant App | $7,000-$140,000 | 900h |
| Shopify App | $8,000-$160,000 | 900h |
| Dating App | $7,000-$340,000 | 1,400h |
| Food Delivery App | $15,000-$140,000 | 900h |
| Healthcare App | $20,000-$250,000 | 1,200h |
| Cross-platform App | $15,000-$200,000 | 1,200h |
Mobile App Development Cost by Technology
One big factor that affects how much it costs to make an app is the type of industry it’s for. Let’s break it down by different types of technology:
| Type | Approx. Cost |
|---|---|
| iOS app | $10,000-$450,000 |
| Android app | $8,000-$500,000 |
| Cross-platform app | $15,000-$700,000 |
Breaking down each app development cost technology for your better understanding:
iOS App Development Cost
iOS is basically built to work on the iPhone OS and interact natively with the device’s components. iOS applications are created using Swift, Objective-C, XCode, etc. Based on each app’s idea and its complexity, iOS app development costs vary between $10,000-$450,000.
Android App Development Cost
As per the title, it was created to run on Google’s Android OS. These apps interact with OS’s components and guarantee the best user experience. They are created using Kotlin and Java. Based on each app’s idea and its complexity, Android app development costs vary between $8,000-$500,000.
Cross-platform App Development Cost
Cross-platform apps work effectively on both Android and iOS devices using a single base code. Cross-platform apps are created with the help of React Native, Ionic, Flutter, NativeScript, etc. Based on each app’s idea and its complexity, Cross-platform app development costs vary between $15,000-$700,000.
Mobile App Development Cost by Country
Mobile app developer for hire rates and their variations also influence application development costs. This rate varies from country to country, and here’s the whole list:
| Country | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| United States (USA) | $115-$140 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | $110-$125 |
| Canada | $80-$120 |
| Australia | $105-$120 |
| Europe | $70-$100 |
| India | $20-$30 |
As observed, there is a significant price difference.
The cost of developing an app in the United States exceeds that of any other country, with hourly rates ranging from $115-140. On the other hand, finding an app developer with a similar skill set in India often costs to $20 to $30. Nevertheless, it is important to note that India has the best skill set at a very low rate.
It is essential to consider three factors that influence the hourly rate of mobile app programmers:
- The language used for app development (such as Swift, Java, Kotlin, PHP, JavaScript, Golang)
- Project’s complexity
- The expertise of the professionals involved (including programmers, testers, scrum masters, business analysts, and project managers)
Taking into account these key cost factors for app development will enable you to obtain an initial design that aligns with your requirements.
Popular Apps and Their Development Cost
Following are some examples of popular mobile apps which have changed the customer experience and are leaders in the market. Along with the insights we also have mentioned their average cost of developing an app.
Snapchat
Launching Snapchat was a total game-changer move. It has over 300 million active users on an everyday basis. It is one of the pioneers to bring augmented reality to market users via its filters and lenses.
One of its USPs is its “self-destruction” feature, which destructs the texts in 10 seconds. The cost to build an app like Snapchat would be somewhere near $45,000 to $100,000 for each platform and up to $200,000 for both platforms.
TikTok
TikTok has brought a major change in the entertainment industry. This app has features that allow users to lip-sync the dialogues and re-act their favorite scenes from clips of the movies.
Upon that, this app also provides a lot of filters and effects to beautify your videos and images as well. The cost of developing an app like TikTok would be somewhere near $60,000 to $100,000 for each platform and up to $150,000 for both platforms.
Netflix
Netflix has now become the world’s top media streaming platform which allows users to stream shows and movies on their own time. The cost to build an app like Netflix would be somewhere between $25,000 to $200,000.
Uber
Uber is a much popular app connecting drivers and riders across the globe. With Uber, you can book a car within a few minutes with a few clicks from your mobile. The cost to build an app like Uber would be somewhere near $30,000- $100,000.
WhatsApp is one such instant messaging app that allows users to have conversations in the form of messages along with instant phone and video calls. You can also send and receive photos and videos. The cost to build an app like WhatsApp would be somewhere near $30,000- $70,000.
| Popular Apps | App Development Cost |
|---|---|
| Snapchat | $45,000 to $100,000 |
| TikTok | $60,000 to $100,000 |
| Netflix | $25,000-$200,000 |
| Uber | $30,000- $100,000 |
| $30,000- $70,000 |
These were the estimated cost of developing an app in the market. We also need to look at the factors that influence the cost to develop apps.
8 Factors that Impact the Cost to Create an App
Mobile app development cost is based on multiple factors that need to be taken care of. Understanding these app development cost-affecting factors will help you in getting the best return from your app along with helping you to stay within the budget.
Mobile App Complexity
As seen earlier, the average cost to develop a simple app is between $4500-$45000. This app has basic features like login features, a user profile, a dashboard and a restricted admin panel.
Moreover, the cost to make a medium app would be $45,000-$110,000. This mobile app contains a lot more features keeping user engagement and monetization in mind. Along with such features, social media integrations, payment gateway, user privacy and such features are also included.
However, complex app development will be costing somewhere between $100,000 to $300,000 and up. These apps come with the latest technology such as AI & ML, AR/VR, etc. In addition to that, they also have features such as multilingual support, high-end data logic, etc.
Mobile App features and functionalities
The features and functionalities that you integrate in your app idea has a significant role in deciding the cost to develop a mobile app. The base price keeps on increasing if you keep on increasing additional features.
Hence, it is advised to concentrate more and more on the core features when it’s the initial phase of the app. This will help you to stay under the budget and create a good customer experience at a pocket-friendly rate.
Mobile App category
Now, the answer to how much it cost to develop an app widely depends from category to category. When one shifts from one category to another, a lot of changes can be witnessed such as no. of users, security measures, functionalities and a lot more.
When we talk about eCommerce categories such as Amazon which is at the peak of its popularity. This is due to it has tons of features that allow the mobile app to perform efficiently in real-time, handle millions of users at once and have very tight security.
Coming to social media apps, they are developed with third-party integrations having the ability to access hardware functions like cameras, audio recorders and more. They are also equally scalable handling millions of users at a time.
In the On-demand app category, even the simplest of all has 3 versions: the user, those who are offering services and the business.
Mobile App design & animation
Another factor that adds to the answer of how much it will cost to make an app would be app design. When you want a good user attention span, you need to have a specific focus on app design. You can have custom UI as well as standard UI. The first one is more difficult to implement than the standard one hence, making it more expensive.
Other components are wireframing and animation. Wireframing is used to craft a user experience such as features, maps which are employed by developers. To do so, special tools like Photoshop, Balsamiq and MARVEL are used. While, animation makes some aspects of the app very interactive.
Mobile App Development Platforms
Before initiating the mobile app development process, it is important to select a platform. Based on your target audience, you can select iOS, Android or cross-platform apps. If you are a startup, it is advised to go for one platform considering you’ll be having a tight budget.
Here are some of the popular app development platforms to choose from:
Native (Android &iOS)
The iOS app is developed on Swift and Objective-C while in Android it is done on Java and/or Kotlin.
Web App
Progressive Web Apps(PWAs) and such forms of web apps are very cost-effective comparatively. Web app development costs would be ranging between $10,000-$45,000.
Cross-platform
Cross-platform apps work both on iOS and Android making it cost-effective to develop. This is made in single code eliminating development effort which is currently divided into Flutter and React Native.
Mobile App maintenance
What takes up your money post app development? Well, app maintenance which involves continuous innovations as per the trends and new gadgets. This all comes bearing a cost.
It has 2 aspects. One is bug fixes which are only highlighted when the app gets published. The second is design changes which is important for a brand to not outdate itself from the market.
Code reuse
Code Reusability helps in reducing the costs of mobile app development. When businesses opt for reusing their existing code of an app in their own app along with some minor branding changes, mobile app development costs will be much less. As per our experience, 20-30% cost can be reduced with the usage of existing codes.
Mobile App Development Team
The total cost of mobile app development is heavily based on who is developing your app. Now, there are multiple options to choose from such as a local/experience app development company, a local team, setup of an in-house team, hiring a dedicated mobile app developer, hire a freelancer.
However, hiring a top mobile app development company or hire dedicated developer can work in your favor.
How Do Mobile Apps Make Money?
While there are a lot of ways to make money from mobile apps, we’ll look at some popular revenue channels that you can use to generate revenue and enhance customer value.
Advertising
Advertising is one of the most common and popular ways to earn money from an app. In Advertising, you have to promote services or products for the audience on your mobile app and in return you get paid.
Freemium Model
In the Freemium Model, users have access to the basic features of the app. To avail premium features, users need to pay a certain amount. This model has the scope to remove secondary revenue channels like in-app advertisers.
Subscription
In subscription, users need to buy a subscription to use the features of the app. This usually works for the popular apps where the model works as a monthly subscription, yearly subscription or may be per-day subscription based on their audience. These include big names such as Google and Apple as well.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship involves getting a sponsor of your domain and setting up a compensation structure. In return for the money they spent, the app includes their brands, advertise sponsor’s products and promote it to the audience as well.
How to Reduce Your Mobile App Development Costs?
There are multiple ways in which business owners and entrepreneurs can cut the cost of mobile app development. Let’s take a look at some useful tricks.
Prioritizing Features
While developing an app, it is very important to prioritize the app’s features correctly. Prioritizing functionalities will quickly drive business value. Trendy and complex features can be saved for the later development stage.
Early Involvement of Quality Control
It is obvious that your app be having bugs and errors from the beginning. You need to address them as early as possible with the help of involving QA experts right from the beginning. This way you’ll be able to find serious bugs and errors in the initial mobile app development phase. Hence, saving up a lot of money.
Planning for the Future
You should always plan ahead while developing an app as the app made today will be completely different in the future. Target audience, features, UI everything will change its direction leading you to change the whole product.
In-house vs. Outsourcing
Selecting the staffing structure for mobile app development is a crucial aspect of project planning. The decision you make will have an impact on budget allocation, workflow organization, and even the approach to product maintenance. Therefore, the key question is whether to opt for outsourcing or in-house development.
Outsourcing involves engaging an established team to handle the development project. By outsourcing the app development process, the company gains access to a pool of highly skilled professionals to select from. This approach also enables reducing office expenses, and equipment costs, and streamlining internal workflow.
If you’re still confused, read our blog on outsourcing software development to India for a better understanding.
Go for Cross-platform App Development
When entrepreneurs embark on launching an application, they encounter a crucial decision: whether to release it exclusively for Android, iOS, or for both platforms. By opting for a single-platform approach, there is a risk of disregarding a substantial portion of the user population on the alternate platform.
The optimal resolution lies in developing cross-platform applications that function seamlessly on both Android and iOS. Twitter serves as an excellent example of a mobile app that successfully operates across platforms. The latest technologies used for creating cross-platform apps include Flutter app development, Unity 3D, React Native app development, and others.
How Can Zealous Help You With Mobile App Development Cost Estimation?
Now that all the details have come to an end, it has become quite evident that there is no specific amount to how much it costs to develop an app. Taking all the information into consideration, you might be able to arrive at an estimation.
Just in case, if you’re still at a stage of calculation, you can contact a top mobile application development company like Zealous to get a proper amount. We have experts who have specialized in creating the most scalable and innovative mobile apps.
Hence, if you are planning to get a mobile app developed, feel free to reach out to our experts by dropping details here.
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Pranjal Mehta
Pranjal Mehta is the Managing Director of Zealous System, a leading software solutions provider. Having 10+ years of experience and clientele across the globe, he is always curious to stay ahead in the market by inculcating latest technologies and trends in Zealous.
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