Believe it or Not!
“A User possessing a Smartphone spends 90% of the Time on Apps!”
It all starts with an idea, which when practically implemented brings innovation in the lives of people. Today, almost every business type desires to build a mobile application that can help them expand their business reach seamlessly.
But do you know where exactly they fail in their implementing their concept into a reality?
It’s merely a lack of planning and an unorganized project budget.
Thus, it’s imperative to determine the cost that an app incurs as per the business requirements.
How Much May An App Cost You?
There is a wide price range of building an application and could be closely compared with the price of a car. This is because an app cost varies widely depending upon a number of factors:
App Type, Platforms, Features, Integrations, Functionality & Design, among others.
Available app cost calculators state a price range that might not be affordable for majorly fresh business startups or newly established enterprises and ranges from $267,000 to $360,000 for complex, multi-feature mobile apps.
The array merely showcases the hype of mobile app development in the IT sector. While looking at this NetSet has designed a comprehensive range of App costs depending on the size and complexity of building an enterprise-ready application.
To know more get the estimate of your app cost precisely or schedule a call with the experts that will provide you the best assistance ad recommendations as per your business demands.
The cost of an app correlates to the number of features added to it and the frequency of the app complexity. These factors form a direct equation with the app development cost irrespective of any business industry.
The fundamental rule expressed in symbols that give an estimated cost is:
A Quick and fairly Accurate Cost 
Prior to proceeding towards the development phase, we usually provide you with a rough mobile app development cost estimate that projects attributes involving project description, project requirements, delivery, etc.
Our evaluation proceeds by exercising the following two steps:
#1 Create a Rough Cost Estimate
We calculate an approximate cost and give you an idea of the investment you need to develop an app. It’s done before you sign any contracts, within 1-2 days.
#2 Create Exact Cost Estimate
Then we make an accurate estimation supported by the contract that cites the terms and stages of the process and a detailed description of the final result.
[Prefer Reading: “Multi-Experience Evolution: New Experiment in Mobile App Development.”]
Insightful Frequently Asked Questions Highlighting App Development
Here are a few questions that help the development team to build an ideal application that perfectly streamlines with the app requirements. (Many more may be included varying from company to company.)
#What Application Do you want to develop?
Choose the operating system that suits you best according to your audience. If you don’t know which platform your potential customers use the most, we recommend that you choose multiplatform.
#How would you like to design your app to be?
Appearance does matter. An attractive design conveys more confidence and is one of the necessary security elements in any sales process.
#Do you need users to register?
Currently, the preferred form of registration for many companies is through one or more social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google +). This type of registration is usually faster because it does not require validation.
#Can users create a profile?
Profiles can be very interesting to gather information about the interests of your users. This will allow you to create offers tailored to your needs and increase your sales.
#How will you generate money with your app?
If you accommodate a very active user database, an in-app purchase is the best option.
#Do you need your website and application to share data?
This means that you will have to make an API (or application programming interface) that is the friendliest way to connect between applications or some other custom solution.
#How many languages do you need the application to have?
Having multiple languages available will allow you to reach a larger audience. In some cases, it can make a difference if your competition doesn’t offer this option.
#Do you need an Icon?
An icon allows a brand to differentiate itself quickly and also improves relevance in different marketplaces.
[Prefer Reading: “10 Unforgivable Mobile App Development Basics Mistakes Everyone Makes.”]
Essential Factors Influencing App Development Cost
# Targeted Platform
Whether you wish to go for native or cross-platform, the development time and cost would start getting hefty the more platforms you target at once.
Make a decision of choosing one out of Android and iOS probably which is most famous in your target geography and think of the other as the next enhancement.
# Count of Features
Features are no less than enhancements for an application. The more you add them to an app, the more time consuming and heavy on cost it becomes.
“The more you delve deeper into personalized app features, the wider is the investment spread.”
Regular and basic features are easy to include but customization and modification in the general features may indicate price add-ups. It’s wise and recommended to make a list of features to be added version-wise which would help eliminate cost enhancements in the headstart, thereby, releasing the app in corresponding versions.
Next, the crowd-driving feature(s) further ascend the cost as per their complexity where even a single significant feature can be equivalent to ten regular features in the cost comparison.
# No. of Screens
When the idea of the app becomes final after refinement, make sure you have finalized the functionality. Adding unique screens or the ones less required would raise the cost bar, especially the ones which are user-specific and require their intervention.
Unique screens may affect proportionately while determining app cost.
# UI/UX, Animations, Special Effects
It’s true and proven that today apps are built with a single motive of delivering an amplified user experience, improving the quality of the app. Adding special effects, unique gestures and animations certainly work in fulfilling the motive and is a plus from the marketing point of view as well.
Designing and development are time-stretching phases which extend the cost along with it, especially, with bespoke business requirements. Gaming apps set a good example for the same, however, many other app niches may involve a huge investment of time and money where customization gets involved.
[Prefer Reading: “Can Design-Development Phases be Leveled with Prototypes?”]
# Offline/Online
In a general sense, online applications are more useful and high in demand, nevertheless, this category is the one that derives tremendous development hours and cost.
While the offline apps are static and much ordinary, cheaper, and quicker to build as they aren’t internet-driven and do not exchange data from the internet.
(Embedding modern technologies like firebase can help you be light on the pocket of data-driven apps.)
# Backend Processing
“App Development Cost is majorly influenced by App Design Cost, Frontend Cost, Backend Cost & Server Management Cost.”
Backend is the support of an application. Where some applications require simple backend data processing and storage, others involve backend complexities which surely consume time along with money as per the modern technologies used.
Say, X-purpose mobile apps may seem easy with the frontend, but surprisingly the backend is what eats the cost of development.
# API Integrations
App login via Google, Facebook, LinkedIn is a common play now but ever analyzed that how much effort it requires to integrate the functioning at frontend and backend both.
Things that appear simple and easy are made so while running various codes and test-runs before they are actually applied. From the frontend appearance to the backend data handling, API integrations take time and cost too.
With the advent of modern APIs brought up by third parties, though the efforts get reduced at some point, the cost correspondingly ladders if the count of third-party integrations gets increasing.
Some of the requisite app third party integrations include:
- Social media login
- Payment gateway integration
- Integration for data sharing
- Integration with Google maps
- And much more
[Prefer Reading: “How Much Will it Cost to Develop an Ecommerce Website with its Native App?”]
Secondary Factors that Rollover the App Development Cost
#Time
Depending on the deadlines, the cost may or may not increase. If you need the app before a specific date and the developer does over time, the price will go up a bit.
On the other hand, if you are more flexible and are not in any rush, you can adjust a delivery time and the development cost will be adjusted more.
#Quality:
Think that the more details the app has, the more development work it will need. All the details will end up as you want, but logically the cost will go up if the design requires much more effort.
#Launch costs:
If your application has a B2C model (that is, it is not an internal app) you will have to make sure your users find it. This usually involves an initial investment in marketing to give visibility to the application and to position it well in the app stores using ASO techniques.
Although this point is not directly related to the development of your application, it is essential that you take it into account.
#Additional costs:
Did you know that uploading an application to the app store has a cost?
In the case of the Play Store, it is a single payment while in the iOS App Store it is an annual payment that you must pay to register as a developer and be able to upload your application.
#Maintenance:
Your application cannot remain frozen in time. Mobile technology advances very fast with new devices, screen sizes, hardware functionalities…
To make sure that your application remains up to date, and to resolve any bugs that may appear, you will have to continue collaborating with a development team. You can do it with a bag of hours dedicated to this maintenance.
5 Secrets to Reduce Mobile App Development Costs
- Be Clear with your Business Requirements and App Goals
- Choose the Right & Reliable Firm (NetSet Software is a genuine recommendation)
- Monitor App Development on Regular Intervals
- Prefer to Choose Cross-Platform App Development
- Opt for Building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) First
[Prefer Reading: “Top 10 Trends that Define the Future of Mobile Applications in 2020 & Beyond”]
