Do you intend to create your first mobile application? Are you concerned about the price of developing a mobile app because you have never worked with mobile developers before? The price of creating a mobile app varies greatly depending on the app’s features and functionality, the developers’ level of expertise, the platforms you intend to create it for, and a number of other factors. The process of creating a mobile app involves many different steps and jobs performed by designers, developers, quality assurance specialists, project managers, and other experts. Cutting corners with the design could lead to the failure of your project rather than lowering the app development cost.
Through individualized user experiences and improved analytics feedback loops, mobile apps assist businesses in fostering stronger relationships with their customers.
It’s understandable why so many companies want to adapt their services to the gadgets on which their customers spend the majority of their time, given the advantages of having a mobile app.
How much does it therefore cost to create a mobile application?
The average minimum app development project cost, according to a Clutch survey, was between $5,000 and $10,000, but it is quickly noted that these starter projects only cover the discovery stage. With a median total app development cost of $171,450, the actual costs are significantly higher.
A basic app costs between $40,000 and $60,000, a medium complexity app costs between $61,000 and $69,000, and a feature-rich app costs between $70,000 and $100,000, according to GoodFirms.
While a straightforward cost would be nice, the reality is that the price of a mobile app development cost can vary significantly depending on a number of factors. The various costs involved in developing a mobile app will be examined in this article.
How to estimate the price of developing a mobile app
In general, you can determine the mobile app development cost by looking at the rates your developers charge. Thus, at a rate of $50/hour for a project requiring 500 developer hours, that app would cost $25,000 to complete.
However, it is easier to say than to do how long it will take a company to develop an app. It greatly varies depending on the complexity and type of features in your app. How much it will cost to create a mobile app is determined by the following:
- Rates, background, and skills of app developers
- Android versus iOS
- Technology for creating mobile applications
- attributes of mobile apps
- Need for additional talent
Compensation, expertise, and experience of app developers
Price and experience typically go together when it comes to hiring mobile app developers. When building a development team, your startup may need a particular combination of experience if you want to create the next WhatsApp or Uber:
Beginner developers: If you’re willing to offer some on-the-job training, entry-level developers can assist with debugging, app maintenance, code documentation, and simple feature requests for about $30 per hour.
The majority of app design projects and new feature requests can be completed by intermediate developers, who bill an hourly rate of about $60.
Senior developers: With hourly rates typically around $120, senior developers can oversee your app development projects or implement cutting-edge app features.
Your eCommerce business objectives should be established before you begin developing applications. You should attempt to find answers to the following questions, among others:
- What type of mobile eCommerce application do you want to introduce?
- What platforms do you want to concentrate on?
- Who exactly is the target market?
- Do you offer goods or services for sale?
- Which payment methods would be used? How do customers make purchases of goods or services?
- The delivery will be overseen by who?
- What changes can be made to product pricing?
- Do you require a commission-based model?
After you have answers to each of these queries, you can decide what kind of app you want to create. You can consider strategies for market penetration in the contemporary digital world once you are clear on your expectations for the app.
Even though there are many mobile app development companies and easy access to development tools, there are some difficulties that every owner of an eCommerce business may run into when considering creating their first mobile application.
Here are some ideas and techniques to help you lower the price of creating apps:
Guidelines for lowering the cost of developing apps
1. Have the work outsourced
Some of the freelance marketplaces that can assist you in developing your mobile app at reasonable costs are Upwork, oDesk, Elance, and Freelancer. Between $150,000 and $450,00 could be the starting price for developing a mobile app. You can cut the development costs of your project by up to 70% by outsourcing. Over 17 million users and over 9 million projects are available on Freelancer. When you use these platforms for freelancing, you have access to a sizable developer community. It’s simple and easy to sign up on these websites, and you can post jobs to receive bids from agencies and freelancers around the world.
One way for startups, small businesses, and medium-sized enterprises to cut costs is by hiring devoted freelancers and teams from such websites. Time and money savings, access to a large pool of designers and developers, a review and rating system, and payment that is only released once the work is completed are all immediate advantages of hiring people or agencies from such websites.
2. Developing cross-platform applications
Some business owners make the error of creating separate versions for both iOS and Android, resulting in the need to purchase two apps rather than just one. A practical way to reduce the cost of app development is to build cross-platform apps. These apps save time and effort because they look and function like native apps, and they make your app available on all the major platforms.
By choosing cross-platform apps, you can reduce the app development cost by 30–40%. These apps’ highly reusable code makes it possible to create mobile applications for various platforms. Some of the well-known examples of cross-platform frameworks that can be used to reduce the cost of developing mobile apps include PhoneGap, Xamarin, NativeScript, Sencha Touch, and Appcelerator.
3. Stop Using Push Notifications
Have you heard that turning off push notifications can help you save 30% on your monthly expenses? Indeed, that is true. Your app would need constant upkeep if it receives a lot of push notifications. Because the majority of users dislike push notifications, you can avoid receiving unnecessary ones.
Undoubtedly, some push notifications are required. Notifying customers of the need to refill prescription medications can boost sales and make it simpler for customers to place orders if you operate a pharmacy app. Be prepared to pay for the push notification’s ongoing upkeep and expenses. If you’re working with a limited budget for app development, skip the push notifications.
4. Constant Evaluation
When creating an app for your company, quality assurance is a crucial component that cannot be ignored. Fixing bugs may be difficult if your app is only tested after the project is finished. Your app development cost may need to increase significantly as a result of the additional costs. You can cut costs by conducting continuous mobile testing throughout all phases of app development because problems can be fixed right away before moving on to the next stage. Avoid testing the app until all stages have been released. Look for mobile app developers who thoroughly test their products throughout the entire development process.
5. The Agile methodology
Rapid development, adherence to project specifications, and cost management are made possible by agile project management in the development of mobile apps. Larger app development projects can be divided up into smaller development cycles by the developers. Smaller chunks of work are easier to manage for the developers and customers. Together, developers and testers work on projects using the Agile methodology, which accelerates development.
The conclusion
The top 5 strategies for cutting mobile app development cost associated with developing mobile apps for businesses include outsourcing, cross-platform development, doing away with push notifications, continuous testing, and Agile project management. To achieve your business objectives and start making money, lower your mobile development costs and create a cheap app.