How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Mobile App and Web App?
Mobile and web app development is gaining a good market. There are numerous apps that solve real-world problems and make the end user’s life way easier. For example, Figma is a designer’s best friend. You can create sketches, plan your app designs and even collaborate with other designers to improve productivity.
Figma is one of the finest web and desktop applications. There are about 1.2 billion Internet users in the Eastern part of Asia alone. This chart indicates the total number of internet users by region (Statista).
These numbers indicate that the Internet population is fast-growing and it is important to cater to their needs. While the business idea is the first step to building a sound mobile/web application, you should also focus on the budget requirements.
This should be your primary concern, as there is a good chance you might go overboard with your mobile app development cost.
When you define the budget and timelines, you are able to deliver a mobile application that doesn’t eat into your profits. In this guide, we will talk about the cost of developing a mobile or web application. We will detail the ways in which you can reduce these expenses.
Before we dive into the topic, let’s answer the most important question- should you develop a mobile or a web application for your business?
Web or Mobile Application: What to Develop?
Is it important to answer the question-should you build a web or mobile app before getting started? Here are a few pointers on when to build a web app versus a mobile application.
Web App Development: You can choose this approach when
● You want a platform-agnostic application that can be accessed via web browsers.
● Your business wants to incorporate the latest trends such as progressive web applications.
● You don’t want users to go through the trouble of downloading the app before using it.
You should opt for mobile app development approach when:
● Integrating the application with device-specific components such as a camera to enhance the features.
● Building a game that can be accessed online and offline.
● Extend better experiences and a more immersive interface.
● Extend offline support to the end users so that they can use the application even when the internet is not available.
We will look at the cost of developing a web application and a mobile application individually. We will also consider the factors that can help reduce the overall cost.
The Web App Development Cost
When you estimate the web app development cost, it doesn’t look at the design-to-development expenses. There are pre-production and post-production jobs that you cannot ignore. Here we will look at all the factors that tend to impact the cost.
Top Factors to Consider When Calculating Web App Development Cost
1. Scope
The overall scope of your web application can impact the cost. If you add complex features, the development will require skilled resources. The timeline for development will also increase. This can, eventually, increase the cost of development.
It is important to determine if you want to build a simple application or go with a complex solution. Depending on the requirements and the overall work scope, you can calculate the cost of development. An MVP will cost less compared to a complex and high-end application.
Your project manager should help define the overall scope of the application.
2. UI/UX Design
Whether you are building a simple application or a complex solution, your user interface should be interactive. It should extend immersive experiences to the user.
The cost of the web application depends on the user experience design. If you have a complex web app, the underlying UI and UX elements can also seem complex. This will require skilled resources.
3. Timeline
When you build a web application project on a tight deadline, you will be running the resources and infrastructure for a longer time. this can cost you more, considering you might have to pay the resources hourly rates.
However, if you have divided the entire project into smaller milestones, and have defined a reasonable deadline, you can build the web application affordably.
4. Size
If you have a complex and high-end project, you might need a bigger team. This will automatically increase the overall cost of development. The size of the team that will help build the web application is equally important when estimating the cost. Along with the size, you might want to consider the developer’s experience which plays a pivotal role in calculating the costs.
5. Development Team and Location
The location of the team is a monumental part of your estimation. If your development team’s location is in a developing country like India, you might notice lowered rates. However, if you are outsourcing to Australia, Canada, or USA, you will be charged more. This will be an important part of the estimate.
6. Non-functional Requirements
There are specific non-functional requirements that you need to consider when estimating the cost of the web application. The scalability needs of the web application fit into the non-functional requirements. similarly, you will notice that the performance or load needs are part of the non-functional requirements.
The average cost of developing a web application is about $10000. Let’s look at the cost of developing a simple to complex web application.
Simple Application: This will include the basic features and is the simplest version of the idea. It can cost anywhere between $10k to $25k, depending on the timeline and features needed
Medium Complexity Application: As it is medium complexity, the interactions might be slightly complex as compared to the simpler version. The cost of this app would be anywhere between $25k to $80k
Complex Application: This app would include complex integrations and a lot of difficult features. It can cost anywhere between $60k and $250k.
The Mobile App Development Cost
It is very crucial to know all the factors that can help determine how much it cost to develop an app. These factors can make the overall development estimate go up or down.
Top Factors to Consider When Calculating Mobile App Development Cost
1. App functionality
The features that you aim to include in the application can lead to determining the cost of development. For example, if you are planning a simple app, there would be fewer features. Most of the features would be taken from existing apps, if they have the same feature.
If that’s the case, the app development cost would be less. However, if you are planning to implement advanced technologies and a lot of features into the application, you may increase the app development price.
2. Development Approach
The mobile app development cost depends a lot on this factor. If you are choosing a native app development approach, you would notice an automatic increase in costs. The Native development requires specialists in the specific platform. So, you will need iOS or Android-specific developers.
In case you opt for cross-platform development to build an app, you will need experts in the particular cross-platform framework. The total resources and their per-hour rates differ for native and cross-platform app development approaches.
3. Complexity of the app
The complexity of the application will determine if you need expert UI/UX strategists and designers. If your app planning is complex, you will notice that you still need to create an app interface. You will need proficient and highly experienced mobile app interface designers, who can simplify the design.
4. Proficiency of the developers
If you are hiring highly experienced and senior-level developers, you need to pay more. The senior developers charge a higher per-hour rate than the junior developers. The expertise of the mobile app developer will depend on the type of application you are building.
If you are building an MVP, you can approach junior-level developers. However, if you are planning to develop a complex and high-quality app with current technologies, you should think of adding expert developers to your team.
5. Development team location
The location of the mobile app developers is crucial to estimating the cost of development. If your development team is located in New York, they might charge more compared to Texas. Again, you might notice a slight difference in the rates within New York.
Depending on the size of the company and other factors, you might notice a difference in the developer rates. This might impact the cost to build an application.
6. Maintenance of the App
It will impact the overall cost of the app development. If your app is high maintenance, you need to pay more. The maintenance includes hosting expenses.
You will need to pay the hosting provider for the plan you have taken. However, if you have chosen a relatively low-priced plan, you can easily reduce the cost. However, you should ensure that low-cost hosting can offer the services you need.
App Marketing, engagement, and monitoring the metrics are equally important when considering the mobile app development costs.
How to Reduce Software Development Costs?
Whether you are planning a web or mobile application, there are ways to reduce the cost and make it affordable. Here we will look at the two methods to help you make development affordable.
1. Use Templates
If you begin coding the entire solution from the ground up, you will invest more time and require the resources for a long while. You will notice that the developer has to spend more time and use different tools to accomplish the tasks.
With the template solutions, you can reduce the time taken to build the application. At the same time, you can reduce the infrastructure requirement. Eventually, it will impact the cost of development. The right use of templates can make development fast and cost-effective.
2. Reduce to Minimum Features
You may not need all the features you are planning to include in your mobile or web application. There is a good chance you might not need the major features you are considering here. When planning the mobile application, you should define the minimum features that you need to enhance usability. This can reduce the cost of your application development significantly.
Conclusion
Whether you are planning a mobile or web application for your business, it is important to be budget conscious. Determining the budget and knowing how much each part would cost can improve the outcome.
You should determine the features, complexity, and approach before you start looking for support from external resources. Know whether you want to go in-house or outsource the app development.
These things will help you plan the app development cost, and ensure you stick to the budget. New York Mobile Tech is a leading web and mobile app development company. We offer capable and highly engaging solutions. If you want to outsource your next software development project, connect with our team to partner with you.