What Are the Development Costs of Creating an App?

After coming up with an idea for an app, companies often think of two questions next – how much money they will have to pay and the factors that affect the price.

In this article, we will explore some of these development costs and help you get an accurate estimate of what you would be looking to pay to develop an app.

A basic app will cost around $25,000 if we use a standard $50 per hour rate.

However, as mentioned before, there are a lot of variables that can push this price up. Apps with medium complexity can cost between 40,000 and $70,000. If an app is more complex than this, you can see it push past the $70,000 mark.

Some of the factors that are important to look at when developing an app include how established a company is, how experienced or ambitious they are, the size of the company and more.

So, the cost of app development depends primarily on the complexity of the project and the scale of the company. 

The first port of call when looking to develop an app could be how much apps cost to develop by the hour around the world. Geographical location has a big effect on price. Below are some of the prices you can expect to pay in different areas around the world –

North America – in North America is where you will find some of the most highly paid developers. This means the development of apps can cost anywhere from between $20- 250 $ an hour.

Australian developers may charge between $35-$150 an hour.

In South America, app development can go from $25 all the way up to $120.

In the UK, developers will charge the equivalent of $35 up to $175 per hour.

Conversely, developers in Eastern Europe charge a relatively small $20 up to just $110 each hour.

In India, developers charge but $10-$75 an hour.

As you can see, the geographical location impacts the price greatly.

When developing a mobile app, finding the correct team to do so can be imperative to your success. Having a team locally or having one that is further away will make the development process different in its own ways.

As you can imagine, having a team that is based near to you physically can make communication more simple. This lessens the need to communicate around time zones and means explanations can be given face-to-face. You also will have the chance to get a feel for your app before you put money down for it.

Outsourcing the app development to an overseas team is usually cheaper, depending on where the company locates the team. But it does come with some issues you should keep in mind.

For one thing, overseas teams usually struggle with engineering and design work. The finished quality of the work might also not be up to your standards.

EB Pearls does all its engineering, design and client communication locally in Sydney. However, the development itself happens in our own offshore office in Kathmandu.

That way, you get both of the benefits of overseas and onshore development.

Not every app created for mobile is equal. Aside from the nuances of each app being different, the complexity of the app will dictate how long it takes to develop.

Simple apps will take between 500 and 700 hours to finish completely. This can go up to 1000 hours with apps that are of medium complexity, whereas the most detailed apps may go past 1200 hours to complete fully.

The time by which apps to take development comes down to the different development processes involved.

The brief for your app involves creating a flow diagram and wireframes and should take 3-5 weeks. This also includes research.

The next phase is the design sprint. Design sprints take 2-4 weeks. After the design process it’s time to get down to development.

Development is the longest part of the process and it takes 14-18 weeks. After the app is developed you will need to make sure that it works. The testing phase of an app usually takes 2-3 weeks. 

After this, you deploy the app to the stores. This part of the process is quick and usually take less than 1 week for the submission and review process.

The features of your app go hand-in-hand with the complexity of the app you wish to develop. Functionality and making sure all aspects of your app work correctly is a big driver of price.

The aspects of your app can include buttons, various screens, and working logic that makeup how it functions. Implementing certain features, especially if they are uncommon, can take time and work.

Depending on the solution needed for your app, your development team might need to use an API from the third party on may have to code an entirely new one from the beginning. More simple solutions will use native features.

Creating your app will start with, in most cases, any platforms you wish to develop it for.

One of the biggest reasons for choosing an app platform is market share. Your company will have to think about the return on investment in developing an app for either iOS or Android, and whether the market share is sufficient for the purpose of your app.

Fragmenting apps between devices are also looked at. This means creating apps that have differences between platforms.

Platforms use different programming languages, so developing the different platforms can be time-consuming – but can be worth it if the app is successful.

Cross-platform app development can be an excellent option for a less complex mobile application seeking to reach the widest audience.

If you want your app on both platforms, then be aware that it will cost more. Cross developing on iOS and Android usually requires more than twice the amount.

For example, if an iOS app costs $20,000, then an Android app will also cost another $20,000 — plus additional costs for the Web service API and the backend of the app.

As such, if your budget is tight, you should stick with one app platform that fits in with your user base.

Depending on your requirements, your apps may have to go through certain stages in order to implement the correct features and infrastructure to make your app successful.

While development costs can vary widely, creating an app that fulfills its function successfully and is pleasing from both an aesthetic and UI perspective can be a fantastic return on investment.

Looking to develop your next application? Get in touch with us for more information.