App Development Cost : A Competitive Guide

The first step towards developing a validated extraordinary app idea is arranging for funds and there comes the question - “how much does it cost to build an app”? Coming up with a fixed figure for an app at one go is like judging a book by its cover- as they say, such judgement often goes wrong!

We have read the book err. developed custom ‘websites’ to ‘software’, ‘apps’ to ‘tools’ for a wide spectrum of clients (from cutting-edge startups to “Fortune 50 Companies”) and so, have eased the estimation process for you with our software development cost calculator, courtesy seasoned experience from successful projects across 15 countries!

Coming to the point, the cost to develop an app, from a 60,000 ft view, would be somewhere between $5k to $100k. Too broad a range? Let’s break it down with a rational classification:

Cost for,

• Small sized single-feature stand-alone software will be approx $5k - $10k,
• Medium sized web/ mobile app with 15+ screens including few complex features, an MVP/ software remodeling will be approx $10k - $40K,
• Enterprise grade software with all functionalities built around complex logics, multiple third-party integrations, enormous data migration etc. will be around $40K-$100K

Still broad, I know, and that’s exactly what you can narrow further down with our cost calculator. The cost calculator is designed to listen to your high-level needs and come up with a basic cost to implement those basic features.

1. What are the Software Cost Factors?

The BinaryFolks Cost Calculator takes into account several factors while estimating the cost to develop an app, here’s the list:

1.1. Complexity Of The Project

One organic avocado costs around $4

One pound grape costs $2.09

The difference is due to their nutritional potential.

Similar logic put in an app development cost context, sometimes a single feature can cost 10x of ordinary features because of its deadly logic, that ultimately makes it the “crowd magnet”.

For example, in Instagram the ‘apparently simple’ shopping tag that enables you to click-and-shop from an influencer’s story probably consumed more development time and bucks than a bunch of other Insta features.

1.2. Features

Put plain and simple, the more features and functionalities you add to your app plan, the more hours and cost it would take for development. Think of adding flour, veggies, eggs, sausages to your grocery cart and even though these kitchen essentials don’t burn a hole in your pocket with their individual pricing, finally adds up to a fairly big amount. However, thank God for apps unlike groceries, you can put up your entire feature-list against a priority-meter and launch a set of features in sequential versions. That way you don’t have to wait till the entire development completes and will also keep the curiosity awake in users implying consistent engagement and the eagerness for the next update.

1.3. Backend control

No points for guessing the funda here- the simpler the backend, i.e. a simple data storage paired with a basic data processing mechanism, can be developed under a shorter time span since they don’t include much customization. Quite obviously, their offerings miss out on high convenience facilitating only bland features. Whereas, for front-row apps like Gmail, the smoother the user experience is, the more complicated the back end is (been there in the Gmail workforce, seen the effort going into it, oh and contributed to!). Take the monitor’s display and CPU’s back side for reference!

So, the backend plays a key role in estimating an app quote.

1.4. Add Ons- UI & Special Effects

Self explanatory enough, an app with great animations, appealing visuals, catchy gestures and effects would surely keep your users on their toes, if paired with polished features. And on the other hand, they are going to need a lot of development and design time as well and thus, the app development cost will soar up, too.

2. Hidden app development cost? - No, Thanks!

Mobile app development is no way an abracadabra affair, and by looking at it from the sidelines, you will only end up missing a bunch of details that matter. Not paying attention to the soup-to-nuts of an app is a common mistake, i.e. jumping into development before clarifying the work scope and the end-to-end cost associated. Unfortunately, these mistakes often cost a fortune and the blame is on the hidden costs (and more on those who overlook them in the first place!).

While estimating app development cost,make sure you force-reveal the probable hidden costs to hit the right balance between what you signed up for and what you get, minus any last minute surprises posing financial fluctuations. Get the following list checked!

2.1. Infrastructure Services

Does your app have to deal with any user data (e.g.- images, contact info etc.)? If yes, you definitely need a secured storage for those. The common options are:

• A remote cloud storage charging a fixed monthly subscription fee
• As a hosting service (AWS or Azure)

Unlike common VPS, they facilitate improved reliability and easier scalability. Thus, infrastructure choices made have a decent say in app development cost estimation. So, don’t proceed with a guessed figure here, get the associated cost clarified first.

2.2. IT Support Services like : ongoing technical support

For the debutant in the mobile app development space, making the app find home in multiple platforms might sound overwhelming for now but in the long run, that’s the thriving strategy. The wider your niche is, the bigger is the chance that your target users are distributed across iOS or Android platforms and thus, settling down with either one implies letting go of a significant growth opportunity. Even though the launching expenses are well discussed, often, the cross-platform maintenance expenses are kept at bay, only unless it's the ‘make or break’ maintenance hour. Be aware of these hidden IT support services while estimating app development cost, which can arise anytime from ‘update’ launching to ‘script migration’ or any such need for modification.

2.3. Feature/ Business Logic Changes

In the app universe where new faces come in every other day and the standards change frequently, feature extension/ removal/ replacement or changing business logic is imperative. On that note, open discussion on the modification workarounds over the initial version of the app is a must when it comes to estimating the cost to build an app. Whether it’s about adding new push notifications or new API integration or something else- determining the final comes first.

3. How long does it take to build an app?

You know when you want to launch your app and the development team knows how much time it would take to develop the discussed scope - but, if you give a green signal to the development process without tallying both, expect a mess!

Starting a process with a deadline marked is just as important as estimating app development cost, because that way you won’t have to face an unforeseen lag & the team won’t be forced to develop your app in a jiffy, causing multiple bugs in the process.

Also, Not every project is same-

Some contain modules which have little to no interdependency, meaning, more developers can work on it discreetly, reducing the total development time.

On the other hand, some have a large number of modules interdependent on each other, meaning, engaging more developers will only take a toll on its integrity and sometimes even on execution speed. Thus, it requires a few developers working on it dedicatedly, stretching the total development time, to ensure robustness. So the overall timeline for an app development will greatly vary depending on the nature of the project.

However, the average app development time can broadly be ranged as:

• Small- Medium sized projects worth $10k - $50k : 1 to 6 months
• Medium- Large sized projects worth $50k - $500K : 6 to 12 months
• Extra Large projects worth $500K+ : 12 months & above

4. Budget Estimation Process & Project Execution, The BinaryFolks Way!

“How much does it cost to build an app?”- You ask this question to 10 development teams and chances are, you will get 10 different app quote. None of them can be called out as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ because every development team works in their own ways, using their unique skills & resources. Here’s the tried and tested way how we do it at BinaryFolks (and what made us the permanent tech partner for 94% of our clients)!

4.1. We Extract The Mission Out Of Your Vision

The first step towards estimating app development cost is requirement analysis. At BinaryFolks we look before we leap, implying, we only start off with project development, when the project scope is crystal clear to both of the parties- so none gets a last minute surprise, the client in their dream project and we, in our payment.

Disclaimer: We ask too many questions- because we believe, a half-baked requirement sharing can kill a project’s potential!

So our process goes like:

• Discuss goals on a high-level
• Requirement gathering through elicitation
• Goal feasibility check-up
• A ballpark range estimation of app development cost

4.2. Analyze, Explore, Repeat

After having a clear picture of the client's project at hand, the next step is to find which frameworks & platforms do justice to which part of the project, unless the client strictly insists on using one specific technology. What differs us from the others in the same business is that we don’t squeeze the project scope into a limited tech stack, instead, our developers go an extra mile analyzing what technology suits the functionalities best. Next, a detailed BRD (Business requirement document) is drafted as a roadmap keeping us and the client on the same page.

4.3. Milestone Segmentation

Next, the discussed project flow is segmented into practically achievable milestones in the design phase, so the client can test each block after development and the feedback can be worked on simultaneously, finally leading to quality functioning.

4.4. Manage The Sequential Milestones

After getting the milestones documented, in the following step we allocate one of our project managers based on their expertise to the project. He/ she further performs the following tasks:

• Acts as the single point of contact throughout the project until completion
• Methodical Communication facilitating transparency across entire project execution
• Monitoring progress to keep both parties updated with the predetermined feature set and timelines
• Demonstrating developed functionalities through remote screen sharing, video clippings etc. to simulate a near-office environment

4.5. Development

Thanks to the initial diligence that we put into the planning and designing phase, that makes our development phase as easy as joining dots. However, unforeseen obstacles aren’t as rare as we would have wanted. But it’s the blend of our experience and expertise in various technologies and frameworks that helps us in moving forward. The blocks contributing to the development process are:

• Scalability & Flexibility of the Architecture
• Clean Coding
• Customization and integration
• Alpha / Unit Testing
• Feedback analysis and refining code

4.6. Test & Repeat

The process of developing a project doesn’t end at ‘development phase’ and goes on to ‘testing’. The objective of testing is to end probabilities of situations that may degrade product quality and provide full value for every penny of your app development cost. Our testing style is as follows:

• User acceptance / Beta testing
• Functional / Performance Testing
• White Box / Black box Testing

4.7. Deploy and Acceptance

Here comes the final stage- implementing the final software right in the production environment. This includes:

• Production Environment setup
• Code migration
• Database migration
• Testing and Release
• App Submission ( For mobile apps )

4.8. Support and Maintenance

We don’t take our hands off just as we deliver, instead, we provide 90 days complementary support after finishing your project, including bug fixing. Regular help with enhancements and optimization comes along, too. So, as a bonus with your project development you also sign up for,

• Priority bug fixing
• Server maintenance
• Feature extension and expanding capability