Abhishek Dixit
Applications are what makes our life easy. We have applications for everyone and everything. According to the reports by Statista, around 3 million applications are registered on both the Google play store and the Apple app store.
According to the reports by grand view research, the global market size is valued at USD 206.85 billion in 2022. According to Statista, the Indian app market revenue is expected to reach US$ 2,364.6 million in 2026.
Growing in the digital age, we can see the popularity that mobile app development gains and how businesses are investing in mobile app development. But whenever we talk about investing in mobile app development, the most common question that comes up is - How much does mobile app development cost?
Here we are with a detailed guide, which aims to give you all your answers that includes the impact of app development cost, the mobile app development process, and how we can save money on your mobile app development.
Average mobile app development cost
The average cost to create an app can range somewhere between 20 lakhs to 1.2 crore rupees but the complexity of the app can increase it to about 2.4 crore rupees. As the complexity of the app increases the price increases. More simple the app, the cheaper it is.
At Corewave we create custom applications that are dependent upon the factors such as features and functions, development approach, and many more.
In this article, we will do a detailed analysis of all the important factors that engage in the mobile app development cost. To understand how much it cost to create an app, it depends on how much time it takes for every single development process.
The major factors that can impact your cost
Type and Size of the App
A simple application can cost around 4 lakh rupees to 40 lakhs rupees. Applications that include a login system, user profile, dashboard, and some limited administration are simple applications. Whereas medium-complex applications include features like user engagement and app monetization. Along with the basic features of simple applications with features like social media integration, payment gateway, audio/video streaming, user privacy, etc. These medium complex applications can range up to 1 crore rupees.
The major complex applications can cost more than 1 crore and can range up to 3 crore rupees. These kinds of applications include high-end features like AR/VR, AI, multi-language support, high-end data logic, and much more.
Complexity
| A brief | Time, hours |
| Simple | Addition of simple features like an email subscription, social login, calendar, etc. No API and backend integration. | 400 |
| Moderate | Custom UI features, payment features, API integration, headsets and tablets adaptation, and backend server. | 500-800 |
| Complex | Support for multi-language 3rd-party integrations, custom animations, back-end, professional design, real-time features. | 800-1500 |
Platforms and devices
It is important to choose a platform while creating a mobile application. Applications are to be created on iOS, Android, web, or Cross-platform. For a startup, it is good to opt for a single platform so that you can manage your minimal budget, and later you can shift to multiple platforms.
The most popular app development platforms are:-
Native App Development
It is to create and develop apps individually for Android and iOS. It is to create apps specifically for a particular platform. Whenever a business wants to achieve a big
user base they opt for Android and to get a lot of revenue run, they choose iOS.
Native apps are built using specific programming languages like Swift or Objective-C for iOS, Java or Kotlin for Android, and development tools.
Better performance can be achieved but you do need a separate development platform.
Cross-platform App Development
Apart from native app development, cross-platform app development is basically creating one app and publishing it on both Android and iOS together. This comes with a lot of advantages like code reuse, low development cost, and greater audience reach but it also comes with a set of disadvantages are how the differences in iOS and Android mobile app design are there, slow app updates, and lack of proper app quality.
Progressive Web Apps
This is another option that is being looked highly upon in upcoming times for businesses that want to increase their reach while eliminating the restrictions coming from the Play Store & App Store. These incorporate modern web technologies to provide a better experience. These types of apps can be used offline and also be used to send push notifications.
Hybrid Mobile Apps
These mobile apps are based on the web view. These types of apps are built using languages such as CSS, HTML, and Javascript and then Cordona is used for wrapping them into native apps. These are more cost-effective as compared to native apps.
Location of your team
The app development company, local team, in-house developers, or freelance developers are prime choices when it comes to mobile app development.
An experienced app development company is more reliable than choosing a freelancer. Working with an app development company can work too well if you want high-end features in your application.
The location of the app developer is another important factor, it can influence your overall cost.
By outsourcing your project, you are free for all managing responsibilities and pay exceptionally for the scope of work accomplished. Developers from different regions have various hourly rates. So the developers/ location affects the final cost.
Design
An appealing design is what makes the app attractive and can make users invest time in your site. There are two ways that can increase your UI and make it more interesting. You can go for the standard UI or the customized UI. The customized UI is not easy and takes more time, which makes it expensive.
Features and Functionalities
The major dependency of the cost of an app is on its features and functionalities. As the features increase, the cost increases. It is important to focus on the base features in the initial stage of your application. The best way to understand this is to create an MVP. MVP can save a lot of time and money also it helps to get valuable feedback from the users.
Cost Maintenance and Marketing
The average cost of maintaining an application can range from Rs.30,000 to Rs.70,000. It mainly depends on the type of update, location of the market, technology upgrades, etc.
The amount that is to be used for app marketing strategy, will also be under the cost of maintenance. It is important to keep up with the market trends and update the app accordingly. Never bring too many updated features that make the app complex for the user. If the app is complex the user will avoid its usage and move to another application. Keep the updates simple.
Mobile App Development Process
It takes proper planning and strategy to develop a mobile application. These are the few steps in the process that are important while developing an app.
Define the goals and purpose
Your goals will ultimately decide your app development process. It is important to have a clear and defined purpose. One should know, why are they developing an app. What do they wish to achieve by making it? For what solution is this app made?
Once you know these answers you will get a clear image of what you require. Also, never set unmeasurable goals. Set and define goals that are related to your business.
Research the Target Market
When developing an app, you must conduct research to understand your target audience and target market. This will help you understand the market dynamics. You should also see the reviews on the top apps in the market, which will give you an idea of becoming a better product.
Decide the features of your app
It is important to add attractive and user-friendly features to your app. You have to identify the important feature you require in your app. Also, the more features you add, the more it cost and also increases the time of development. So in the early stages, try to keep the app as simple as possible.
UI/UX design
The easy-to-control and user-friendly nature of the app make it appealing to users. If the users are not able to implement the features in real life, that will drive the user away to another application.
While User Interface refers to how your mobile app looks and the User Experience is how the users interact with the app and give commands to complete and solve the user issues.
Your app should be:
Intuitive
Simple
Engaging
Does what it says it will
Hire an app development company
Hiring a reliable app development company will help you to create an app that includes trending functions, and features at an affordable cost.
A mobile app development company has a team of designers, app developers, market specialists, and project managers who will keep your vision in mind and give you suggestions that are valuable to your app.
Build an MVP
MVP is type of a test version for the actual app with minimal basic features. Before investing a lot of money, MVP will help you get a user base that accepts your idea. To better understand the MVP, you will find a link here that discusses MVP in a better way.
Test and Launch your App
When you decide to create an app, test everything from performance and content to user experience. Proper testing helps us reduce the cost and time of development. It helps to improve bugs and improve the services. Once the app is tested, you can submit it to Mobile app stores (Apple App Store or Play Store). Before submitting the app, you must understand Google and Apple’s developer guidelines and align the monetization strategy.
Post Launch Activity
After launching, the most crucial step comes into the picture, which is marketing your app. If the users are not aware of the app, no one is going to download it. To market your app, you should try to make attractive videos that explain your app and its functions
How can you reduce the cost?
Every business owner has to keep a check on the development of a mobile app. For entrepreneurs or even business owners, the cost can be maintained and even reduced using the following tips and tricks:-
Features as priority
The business owner should make sure of the most important features of the app. One must define them and keep the major focus on them. Here MVP will help the owner to decide the basic important feature. The designing element or nice-to-have element can be added later on.
Quality
The applications tend to have bugs and issues. One must be always aware of these, and have a team of professionals ready to solve them in the first place. This will help the development process and make you more strong on the mobile application part. Aldo it can help save a lot of money, cause once the issue reaches a high point, it will take time to resolve.
Cross-platform Development
Once the app is developed, it is a big question of where to launch it. On Android or iOS. This is where the cross-platform comes in handy. Creating an application for just one platform can make you lose a big user base of other platforms. Flutter, Unity 3D, and React Native are some popular technologies for developing a cross-platform app.
