How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App

The Rising Demands for Mobile Apps are Shaping the Future

In recent years, the demand for mobile apps has increased dramatically. Businesses are eager to take advantage of this enormous market as the number of smartphone users rises. The market for mobile applications was estimated to be worth USD 228.98 billion in 2023 and is expected to expand at a 14.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2025 and 2030. Mobile apps provide a straightforward way to interact with consumers, build brand awareness, and increase revenue. The expensive cost of development, however, may be a deterrent, particularly for new and small enterprises. This is the point at which reasonably priced mobile app development services are useful.

Know Before You Code: App Development Cost Overview

Cost of app development can vary significantly depending on factors such as complexity, features, platform, development location, development team and more. However, to have an idea of the costs to plan a budget is helpful and effective. For example, a simple app typically costs between $10,000 and $20,000, while more complex apps can range from $20,000 to $100,000. Mobile apps with high-complexities can exceed the cost to $100,000+.

According to the research, the initial mobile application cost usually falls between $5,000 and $10,000 which covers several discovery phases. Moreover, GoodFirms offers a more detailed breakdown with basic apps priced between $40,000 and $60,000, medium-complexity apps ranging from $61,000 to $69,000, and top apps falling between $70,000 and $100,000.

Mobile App Development Costs Breakdown – Regionally

The region as well as the location of the development team highly affect the Cost of developing a mobile app. For instance, development rates in North America might vary from $100 to $250 per hour for a California mobile app development agency, which is indicative of the region's high labor expenses and level of competence. If we go through the rates criteria according to the regions, rates are a little lower in Western Europe where they range from $50 to $200 per hour. Moreover, affordable mobile app development is found in Eastern Europe, where hourly costs usually range from $30 to $100.

What Are The Factors That Affect The Overall App Development Costs?

Several key factors directly impact the development cost of the mobile app which include the choice of the platforms, either iOS, Android, or hybrid/cross-platform, technical complexities, number and the type of features added in the applications, and UI/UX of the app. Not only this, the location, expertise, and requirements of the development team also have a huge impact on the mobile app-making cost.

Android vs. iOS

There is not much of a difference in pricing, if you are choosing one single platform either Android or iOS, when choosing for your project. Each platform has its own set of development tools and software development kits or SDKs, and each utilizes a specific programming language such as iOS uses Swift or Objective-C, while Android uses Java or Kotlin. The target market share and audience in the targeted regions are the most important factors to take into account; for example, Android is more widely used in other regions, while iOS is more popular in the US and some parts of Europe. Depending on the complexity of the program and the developer's hourly rates, the average cost to develop a mobile app on any of the two platforms is between $70,000 and $250,000.

Cross-Platform Development

Frameworks such as React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin allow you to develop an app for iOS and Android by using the same codebase. This strategy can significantly save development costs, time and effort of the development team because it reduces the need for a large amount of code between the two platforms. However, cross-platform solutions may not always deliver the same functionality, have a fully native appearance and feel as programs created specially for any single platform.

For instance, the cost of developing a mobile app with React Native for iOS and Android typically costs between $50,000 and $200,000, which is less than that of native apps.

Technical Complexity

The cost to develop a mobile app varies according to the complexities. It can take up to three months and cost about $45,000 to construct a basic app with minimal features. Apps such as fitness or e-commerce apps with a medium level of complexity, cost between $120,000 and $200,000 and take three to six months to develop. The development of high-level apps with top-notch features and integrations costs between $200,000 and $300,000 and takes a longer development time of at least seven to twelve months.

Location And Structure of the Development Team

Let's review a general estimate of app development costs: a basic app will typically cost about $45,000, while more complex apps can cost anywhere from $120,000 to $200,000 or more. However, these numbers can differ significantly based on the nation to which you outsource. Why? The cost of developing a mobile app varies according to the location and the hourly rate of the company's IT consulting.

The Development Costs Of Popular Mobile Apps

As mentioned earlier, the cost of mobile app development highly depends upon the factors, but we can only give a rough idea that can be inspired by each app such as Netflix, Uber, and more. Here are some estimates about the mobile application cost of these apps, so don’t skip to have a better understanding and prediction if your app idea is alike.

Uber:

To give a rough idea about the cost for app development the Uber-like app ranges from $50,000 to $150,000. What does this app making charges include? This includes the driver, passenger, and admin panel development, also the cost of hiring a team to develop an app, as well as the cost of third-party integration such as payment gateway, map APIs, and others.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Build an Uber-Like App?

While depending on the factors such as complexities, features, and platform choices, we have broken down the average cost according to the factors.

• To develop the backend of an app like Uber, the cost ranges that you should be aware of are from $5,000 to $20,000, while the frontend can cost between $15,000 and $50,000.
• App testing and deployment add another $5,000 to $15,000 each. Moreover, addition of server and structure costs range from $1,500 to $4,000 or more per month while depending on usage.
• Now if we talk about the essential features that are useful and must-have in the application, this could highly impact the overall development budget. For instance, for the registration and authentication user interface costs about $3,000, the integration of the map API costs $6,000, to make a ride request costs $6,000 and in addition $6,000 to integrate payment gateways.
• The addition of exceptional features such as a rating and review system costs around $1,000, push notifications cost around $4,000, ride history and analytics add about $3,000, and driver and rider profiles cost about $3,000.
• Another important expense is ongoing app maintenance, which starts at $1,000 per month and guarantees the app stays safe, up-to-date, and fully functional especially after launch.

This was just about an app like Uber, but we have others with exceptional features and their development cost breakdown, for example, Netflix.

Netflix

Netflix has a strong hold in the app market, and here is a breakdown of the mobile application development cost that includes multiple features, complexities and features.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a Netflix-Like App?

• While depending on the features in depth, the initial stage of the development (planning and ideation) phase ranges from $5,000 to $10,000.
• Whether standard or custom, design typically costs between $10,000 and $15,000.
• Moving on to the development stage, while covering both basic and advanced features, the app development cost ranges from $40,000 to $80,000.
• Following that, backend development that includes a content management system falls between $15,000 and $30,000.
• It is important to test the developed app, therefore from basic to extensive, testing adds another $5,000 to $10,000 to the mobile application development cost.
• The deployment or release of the app is done when the app has successfully gone through the development and testing phases, and its cost depends on the app store fees for the chosen platform.
• Last but not least, the key elements of ongoing maintenance and support include security updates and bug fixes that usually range from $4,000 to $12,000.

Mind you, this is just an estimate. to get the appropriate cost for app development whether you are willing to develop an app like Uber or Netflix or any other, all you have to do is send your requirements to us and we will create an app for you.

App Development Costs Per Phase (Pre Production, Production & Post Production)

App development costs are typically broken down into three different phases, which include pre-production, production, and post-production. To understand these phases separately, pre-production includes planning and research that usually costs $5,000 to $15,000 or more. The next phase is the production phase, which simply covers design and development of the app (backend and frontend) as well as the development and testing that ranges from $30,000 to $250,000 or more. Finally, post-production involves launch, marketing, and ongoing post-launch maintenance that costs $20,000 to $50,000 or more per year, depending on the app's complexity and features.

Pre-Production (Planning & Research):

This phase normally costs between $5,000 and $15,000 or more. That is entirely dependent on the complexity of the project. In this phase, the importance of the app's fundamental concept, which identifies the target audience while determining the features, functionalities, and complexities. It includes completing market research, competitive analysis, developing the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as well as weekly sprints.

Gathering requirements, creating user stories, and creating prototypes are all part of this step. This phase is usually expected to be finished in two to four weeks.

Production (Design, Development & Testing):

This phase normally costs between $30,000 to $250,000 or more, but it too depends on the project's scope and complexity that the app faces at the time of development. This is the stage at which the actual app is developed (backend and frontend) that includes designing the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). It also covers database integration, testing, and the creation of APIs. During this phase, the app may also include third-party services.

This stage normally takes about 4 to 8 weeks for design, 12 to 20 weeks for development and 2 to 4 weeks for testing, just to ensure that the app is completely functional for user experience.

Post-Production (Launch, Marketing & Maintenance):

The post-production phase is the launch, marketing and maintenance phase that costs $5,000 to $50,000 or more per year, depending on the scope and operations. This step requires launching the software on popular app stores like Google Play and the App Store, as well as developing a strategy to promote the app platforms.

It also includes the post-launch app maintenance that ensures the app is free from any bugs or errors. Furthermore, in this phase of the development, the experts add new features as per customers and users feedback to ensure exceptional app operations.

App Development Costs Benchmark

The mobile application development cost varies according to the factors that affect the time and effort, and one of those factors is the development team, which generally ranges from $5,000 to $250,000 or maybe more than that. Moreover, a simple app can cost between $5,000 and $50,000, while a complex app can vary in cost according to the advanced features that can exceed up to $100,000.

Complexity: Simple apps with simple features such as login, profile, restricted functionality, and more are relatively inexpensive, but when it comes to the complex features like AR/VR, AI, high-end data logic, and multilingual support of the complex app, these are more expensive.

Features: The cost as well as the time of the mobile app development also rely on the features like social media integration, payment gateways and audio/video streaming, which increase the complexity and price.

Platform: Developing an app for both iOS and Android will double the app development costs compared to a single platform.

Design: The design of the app plays an important role therefore, the design of the basic app might cost between $5,000 and $10,000. On the other hand, complex apps with designs can cost $15,000 or more.

Development Team: Hourly rates for developers vary based on their experience and location. Where junior developers may charge $5-$50/hour, mid-level developers $50-$100/hour, and senior developers $100-$150+/hour.

Location: Mobile app development costs vary based on the location of the development team. Post-launch maintenance and support will also add to the overall cost.

Is Investing in Mobile App Development Truly Worth It?

Yes, investing in mobile app development is worthwhile since it provides long-term growth by enhancing user experience along with fulfilling industry needs from every sector as well as user requirements. Moreover, these scalable solutions that require continual upgrades helps businesses in reaching high levels of success in a short period.

Conclusion

Nowadays, having a mobile application for your business is a necessity and not just a promotional asset. And conclusively, if you are willing to build a mobile app for your business either small business or large enterprise, you must hire a top-tier mobile app developer such as Appignine. As an exceptional software development service provider, the experts at Appingine assist with in-depth details about the cost of mobile app development.

As mobile apps become increasingly crucial for business growth and customer engagement, it is highly recommended to understand the factors, app development lifecycle and areas that affect the cost of app development, and most of all it is essential for businesses to plan and budget effectively.

Since the mobile app market continues to grow, therefore, businesses are discovering the long-term benefits by investing in a mobile app. By considering industry-specific collaboration and keeping the business goals and vision transparent with experienced professionals, businesses ensure that their app not only meets their goals but also stands out in the digital landscape.