How much does it cost to develop an app?

How much does it cost to create an app

The price ranges go from $ 10,000 for a very simple application or a proof of concept, to + $ 150,000 for a complex application, with real-time geolocation, and multiple functionalities, “Uber-like”.

There are different aspects that influence the cost of an application. First of all, you must ask yourself what you need the application for, and what is its functionality, which will generate a great experience for users on their smartphones.

If it is for a basic, medium or complex project, what is your objective, if you want it to last in the long term, how the user interacts, what impact you want to generate and of course, what is your economic capacity. With these clear ideas you can define what type of application you want, according to your needs, and request a quote.

The growth of the mobile application market continues to be a trend, even after the pandemic. According to AppAnnie, the App stores represented Google and Apple more than $ 112 billion dollars.

In 2020, not only was there a growth in app downloads, over 20%, but also people’s time on mobile devices is exceeding 3.5 hours a day on average.

Due to the digital transformation that is happening, it is possible and even necessary that you are considering developing an app for a new project, creating or developing a business from a mobile application or using it as an innovation strategy for your company and that, your question Essential before making an investment is: How much does it cost to develop a mobile application?

Some factors to take into account to know how much it costs to create an application are:

What kind of application is it? Complexity, features and functionality

The type of application defines how complex its features and functions are and allows estimating the time it will take the developer to implement them. There are several types of applications on the market:

Native applications: It is the one that develops the language of a specific operating system. Android and iOS are the strongest and their cost varies, depending on the country, the market or the extent of processes.

In general, native applications can be more expensive because they do not allow the code of one operating system to be reused in another and they require a specialized group in the different languages. It allows a personalized design, take full advantage of the cell phone’s characteristics and have a better response time.

Cross-platform applications: You can develop a language for several platforms (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, etc.) and you will only have to make small adaptations for each device. It can be a good option if you want to reduce costs and time in the beginning, although the user experience is less.

There are other characteristics that determine the complexity of a mobile application:

Without web servers , information is displayed in lists, such as diet planners, a calendar, or an email application. The cost can range from $ 1,000 to $ 4,000.

With remote database web servers , which allow the user to search for data. Because it requires more sophisticated programming and an API, its cost is higher and can be between $ 8,000 and $ 50,000.

The cost of any type of application increases if it includes social networks, emails, push notifications, payment functions, shopping carts, chats, administration panel, use of hardware components such as Bluetooth, geocars, barometers, etc.

Game applications can have simple functionality with gamification or include complex virtual reality games. They also involve more human resources. The range of these types of applications can be between $ 6,000 and $ 250,000. 

Create an app in time and money in the world

Once the type of application and its complexity are taken into account, the answer related to cost may be closer and definitely has to do with the time invested. The mobile companies development costs vary according to geographical location, it may be useful to take a look at the hourly rates in the world, as shown Cleveroad in your blog:

North America (US and Canada): This region is the most expensive with a development charge of $ 20 to $ 250 per hour.

Australia: Australian programmers develop mobile applications at a rate of $ 35-150 per hour.

South America: South America regional development service fees are $ 25 to $ 120.

UK: Developers tend to charge $ 35 to $ 175 per hour.

Eastern Europe: Rates range from $ 20 to $ 110 per hour.

India: Developers in India get between $ 10 and $ 75.

Indonesia: The highest app development cost is $ 20 per hour.

Likewise, Cleveroad presents a classification based on average time needs: A basic application with simple functionality requires approximately 300-600 hours of development; an application with medium complexity takes 600 to 800 hours. In most cases, a complex application that requires more time, exceeds 1200 hours of development.

Depending on the size of your company and investment capacity, you can hire mobile application development companies or freelancers and choose between local development or outsourcing. In the following analysis you will be able to expand information on quotes in small and large companies. 

It should be taken into account that Latin America is a good market to hire app development and that you can find experienced companies and emerging projects of young Latin American developers , who can offer good prices and quality.

To develop an app

In short, these are some factors to consider:

The cost of an application varies depending on the complexity and features. The more features you want to add, the higher the cost. Remember that if you know clearly what type of application you want, you will avoid incurring unnecessary expenses.

The choice of platforms. Do you want to be on Android or iOS? If you intend to be in both with a full development on each operating system, this is going to cost more.

If you take an average rate of $ 50 per hour, a basic application will cost around $ 15,000; one of medium complexity will be between $ 20,000 and $ 50,000, and a complex application may exceed $ 50,000. However, you can also develop an application between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000, depending on the country and type of contract.

In addition to development and design, you need to consider the additional costs for installation, support (hosting, servers, etc.), marketing and advertising, updates, and administration.

The best app developers will present you with a prototype where you can verify the basic design and operation of how the final result will be. At this stage you will be able to obtain an exact figure of the investment required to carry out the development of the mobile app.

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