How Long Does it Take to Develop an App?

Overview Of App Development Timeline

Creating a mobile app is an exciting journey, but there is a list of complexities that affect how many hours to develop an app.

First things first, the timeline of app development begins with the planning and research, where the idea is conveyed and strategized collaboratively. Next is the design phase, where prototypes and structure is made according to the design to have a clear picture of what the app idea looks and feels like.

Once the structure of the app is ready, move on to the development phase, where developers write the code, add features, and turn concepts into tangible outcomes. Furthermore, this phase also includes testing and bug fixing. When the app is done with the development and testing, it goes through the quality assurance and user testing that ensure the smooth working of the functionalities and deliver a great user experience.

When the app passes each phase, it is then launched in the market, and there when the actual journey begins. The app is then kept under an eagle eye to keep it healthy and maintained for a longer period with the help of ongoing updates and improvements. To let your app successfully meet the vision and goal, each stage of the app development timeline plays a vital role.

Now when you know what the development timeline is, you must also go through the type of application to which the app requirement varies and timelines as well, accordingly.

Breaking Down The App Development Timeline By Type Of Apps

The estimated time it takes to develop an app is affected by the type, complexity, features, and functionalities that are included. Here are some of the types, with examples listed below to make it easy for you to understand the types of allocations and their complexities clearly.

On-Demand App: To develop an on-demand app like Uber takes about 3-5 months due to its incorporated app features like real-time tracking, search and filters, order history, order tracking, push notifications, reviews and ratings, and whatnot.

Social Networking Apps: Think about these kinds of apps, Facebook and Instagram are what come to mind because these apps fall into a similar timeline which is about 4-9 months or more. These apps are featured with chat, video calling, photo & video sharing, user profiles, and more, including security and privacy.

E-Commerce App: If you are looking for a team to develop an eCommerce app like Amazon for you, then take an estimation of about 5-7 months or more, including features and functionalities like product listing, shopping cart, payment gateways, and to give users the most out of an e-commerce app AI-driven features are also included.

E-Learning App: This application comes with the top features of live sessions, quizzes, office access, and whatnot, which typically takes up to 4-7 months of the app development time. The best example of an e-learning app is Duolingo.

Each application is built differently and consists of unique features; therefore comes with a different timeline for app development.

To get the estimated timeline of the development of an app, consider an idea that is conveyed by the top development partner. But as a business owner, you must also have a clear understanding of how long does it take to build an app.

How Long Does it Take To Design An App

The design stage is where the designers of the development team show creativity to provide the best of their work. While designing an app, creativity meets refinement because designers regularly revisit their work and make changes according to their requirements to match their vision. And in this process, the app development timeline may stretch. But if your app consists of basic features and operations, it might take 2-4 weeks with the team collaboration, sprints and reviews, and setbacks as well, all culminating in stunning visuals that not only attract the clients but also the end-users.

And if you want to avoid any conflict and endless back-and-forth? The secret lies in the design practice. It also depends on how the requirements are delivered to the designers, and using powerful tools like Figma, Adobe XD, etc.

How Long Does It Really Take To Develop An App

Well, the development of the application is just a coding of what the designers have already made a structure of. The design phase often takes much time to put the idea and convice the client about the design, this is what takes most of the time. It requires detailed collaboration and extreme brainstorming with careful attention to every single requirement gathered from the client. Once the design is finalized, the prototype is then sent to the developers to start their development work.

There are multiple sub-categories in the development phase, which have their own estimated timelines.

• Front-end Development
• Backend Development
• Api Integration

Front-end Development:

In this step of development, the interface of the application is created to ensure the app looks and feels good as it is designed. This phase includes the deep concentration on the frontend logic, caching, UI designs, wireframing, and more

Backend Development:

The app servers, databases where all data is saved, and logics are created in this part of the development. It also manages data integrations, versioning, user management, server-side logic, and more.

API Integration:

This stage of the development connects both the front-end and the backend; also, the integrations of third-party services are also done. To estimate the timeline of development, a good practice is to break down the process to manage the time accordingly.

Now, let's move on to the factors that need to be taken care of while developing a feature-loaded application or even an MVP that affects the app development time and can move your budget as well.

Factors That Affect The Overall App Development Timeline And 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.

Platform Choice: Android OR 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 to develop within app development timeline; 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 that affects the iphone app development timeline as well as android app development time, and have a fully native appearance and feel as programs created specially for any single platform.

Now if we look at cost, 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

Technical complexities are another factor that affect how long does it takes to make an app including the budget. 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 timeline for app development of at least seven to twelve months.

Location And Structure of the Development Team

Let's review a general estimate of app development time and costs:

A basic app will typically cost about $45,000 in Austin, while complex apps can cost anywhere from $120,000 to $200,000 or more in New York or Los Angeles. However, these numbers can differ significantly based on the nation, location, and collaboration between the teams, which would highly affect how long app development takes. Why? The cost of developing a mobile app varies according to the location and the hourly rate of the company's IT consulting.

Every phase of app development is as important as the icing on the cake; therefore, after each phase comes the crucial step that cannot be neglected. If so, there the downfall of the app or your business starts and that cannot be maintained later. Therefore, it is suggested to carefully read the entire article so you don’t become one of them.

There is a list of complexities that developers have to face in the development process. These are the most important ones that connect both the development team and the clients, so there should be no conflict while following each step collaboratively.

How Long Does It Take To Test An App

When the development is completed, it's time to move on to the next phase and become a detective to go through the developed app thoroughly. There comes the quality assurance team, who dive deep and test every feature and functionality to ensure the smooth run of the app. By using a combination of the test procedures, manual and automated. That checks everything about the app, from code quality to security measures, including overall performance. This app is crucial because it ensures that the end-user gets a glitch-free and smooth-running product.

Through catching and fixing issues, the quality assurance team ensures the app works flawlessly with no errors or bugs or any other defects. This step promises that the end product not only meets the client's requirements, but before hitting the app market, it should hit the highest quality standard.

Factors That Speed Up The App Development Process

Who doesn't want their app to be developed on time, as it is scheduled? Now that we have explored how long it takes to create an app, unfortunately, not every team can pull that off. Now let's go through some smart strategies that actually help you out to launch your app in the market as soon as possible.

1. MVP and Prototyping

MVP and prototyping are the game changers when it comes to speeding up the development process. You can get a lean and functional product instead of the feature-loaded app that brings your creative concept to life. Now, if you are wondering what the best part is? You can step into the market early, gather valuable feedback from your users, and have them test the application thoroughly, then you can go for the feature-loaded application by adding important features.

We are sure you have heard about the apps named Zomato and Airbnb, just by a strategic move, these companies are now serving globally without any complications. To test their idea and see if people cared about it, they began with the simple MVPs and then moved on to the feature-loaded application. With this strategic move, they saved time, effort, minimized risk, and provided exactly what their user wanted.

2. Opting for Cross-Platform Apps

It's a debate that is never going to end, to choose the suitable platform, either Android or iOS. Each platform comes with its perks and benefits, but it affects the app development timeline and budget.

The perfect solution to end this debate is to develop a cross-platform application with the powerful tools like Xamarin and PhoneGap. Developers are now able to develop smooth and streamlined applications on both platforms, just by using a single codebase.

3. Hiring a Professional Developer

Choosing the right mobile app development company or a dedicated developer is essential and is considered a smart move. The developers of a dedicated company aim to design an attractive and captivating app solution that makes the user keep coming back. Their experience is a plus point that means a shorter app development timeline with a smoother development path.

Outsourcing an application to kill any complexities and hurdles that come in the way of developing an exceptional app is another strategic move. At Appigine, the developers not only build applications but are also experts in making them a success story. With an incomparable team record of delivering the highest quality product solution, they are experts in meeting your business's goals effectively.

4. Agile Development

Believe it or not, some of the tech giants have switched to agile development to boost their productivity. Why? Because agile is changing the game, that is, planning with speed, adaptability, and delivery, and delivering results faster.

Agile allows dynamic structure and open communication throughout the development process. This results in faster launches, smarter iterations, and top-quality apps developed on time.

5. White-Label App Development

To expand their offerings, businesses have been provided with the white-label app solution without losing focus. By teaming up with a top development partner, like us, you can launch products and services quickly.

This strategy not only works on the launch of the app, that empowers you to meet customers' demands with precision. These white-label companies deliver a complete and polished solution with a professional edge that sets your brand apart in the competitive market.

By following these factors, you can simply speed up the time it takes to build an app as well as gain the popularity in the app industry that you have been craving for since the beginning. But above all, having a trusted mobile app development partner like Appingine gives you all the reasons to come back. From planning and strategizing your requirements to continuous support and maintenance, especially after the launch of the app, is the actual phase where the journey of the application and the development partner come in parallel.

Conclusion:

Developing an application is more than just writing code; it's about giving life to your idea and concept in the most innovative yet impactful way possible. From basic features to full-scale functionality, or others that are mentioned in the above article, affect the budget and timeline for an app.

But worry no more, you can maintain or even speed up the development procedure by developing an MVP to get the feedback and reviews of the end-user, cross-platform tools, following agile methodology, and above all, the right partner, you can turn your months of hassle into a successful launch within the timeline.

We ensure that many businesses, whether small startups or large enterprises, come with an idea and return with a handful of high-performing, quality applications on time and on point. Hire the expert team of Appingine today, which aims to serve you faster with zero compromise on the quality.