How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App?- Cost to Build an App

How Much does it cost to create an App? The average app development cost ranges from $10,000 to $90,000 & can exceed up to $3,00,000 based on the app type, functionality, complexity, selected vendor & development.

Contents Table

1 What is Mobile App Development?
2 Importance of Mobile App Development
3 How Much Does It Cost to Build an App?
4 What Factors Impact the Cost of a Mobile App Development?
5 Hidden Costs of App Development
6 How to Reduce App Development Cost?
7 App Development Process
8 App Design Costs
9 App Development vs. App Redevelopment Cost
10 Conclusion
11 Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development is the process by which a mobile app is developed for one or more mobile devices. Personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants, or mobile phones. Thus, the mobile development process includes creating installable software bundles, implementing backend services & testing the application on target devices.

Importance of Mobile App Development

Enhanced Customer experience.
Better Conversion Rate.
Brand Recognition.
Better efficiency & increased revenues.
Customer Loyalty.
The customer actively interacted with the application.

How Much Does It Cost to Build an App?

The average cost of app development differs greatly based on two major factors – the industry your app falls under & the country your app development agency is based in followed by the factors such as the type of app, location, complexity, functionality, developers, features & design to influence the mobile app building cost.

Businesses need to have a rough estimate of app-making charges to build an application.

At Ailoitte, the cost of creating an application is very affordable & flexible.We provide a brief of the estimated app development charges of various industries in various countries.

App Category	USA	Ukraine	UK	India
Healthcare App	$40,000 to $80,000	$35,000 to $75,000	$25,000 to $65,000	$20,000 to $60,000
Social Media App	$35,000 to $60,000	$30,000 to $60,000	$20,000 to $50,000	$20,000 to $50,000
eLearning App	$75,000 to $90,000	$60,000 to $80,000	$25,000 to $60,000	$25,000 to $60,000
Fintech App	$45,000 to $70,000	$40,000 to $60,000	$25,000 to $55,000	$20,000 to $50,000
Mobile Games	$25,000 to $60,000	$25,000 to $50,000	$15,000 to $40,000	$15,000 to $40,000
Food Delivery App	$35,000 to $65,000	$30,000 to $60,000	$20,000 to $50,000	$20,000 to $50,000
Tourism Apps	$40,000 to $55,000	$30,000 to $55,000	$20,000 to $45,000	$20,000 to $40,000
Live Streaming App	$45,000 to $75,000	$40,000 to $75,000	$25,000 to $55,000	$20,000 to $50,000
eCommerce App	$45,000 to $70,000	$35,000 to $65,000	$20,000 to $55,000	$15,000 to $55,000
NFT Marketplace	$55,000 to $80,000	$45,500 to $80,000	$30,000 to $60,000	$20,000 to $50,000
Real Estate App	$20,000 to $80,000	$20,000 to $60,000	$20,000 to $60,000	$20,000 to $60,000

What Factors Impact the Cost of a Mobile App Development?

App Categories
Types of Apps
App Features
App Platforms: iOS & Android
App Design
Development Team
App Maintenance

I. App Development Cost by App Category

Apps have multiple categories like education, social media, entertainment & lifestyle incl. different target audiences & development requirements.

a. Basic Apps

The most common basic applications are calculators, clocks, notes & camera applications. These apps do not require an internet connection & are usually built into every smartphone.

b. E-commerce Apps

The e-commerce applications need multiple features such as user registration, customer support, product descriptions & user-friendly design.

c. Data-driven Apps

Many data-driven apps personalize the data for users to improve their services. Applications such as health tracking, maps & weather solutions receive a large amount of data, process & evaluate it & share it with users.

d. Social-networking Apps

Social networking apps involve millions of users, their personal information & information exchange. Such operation requires a reliable backend infrastructure like the cloud.

II. App Building Cost by Types of Apps

The technology tree you choose as the base for your app development project will ultimately determine who you hire to build the app. This selection will have a major impact on the overall cost of your app.

a. Web App

Not technically a mobile app, but rather a mobile-friendly website that uses responsive design to ensure a smooth user experience across a variety of screen sizes from tablets to smartphones.

b. Native App

A native app is built with a language native to the operating system of a given platform i.e., using Swift or Objective-C for iOS & JAVA or Kotlin for Android.

c. Hybrid App

The healthy compromise between performance & programmer productivity is the hybrid app which speeds up development times by allowing you to build your mobile app with the big three basic web technologies.

d. Cross-platform app

It allows you to build your app in one language, creating a single source of code that can be compiled into native code across multiple platforms as needed.

e. Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps are developed using web technologies but made to look & function like native mobile applications. These apps have a quick loading time, better performance, mobile app-like features, offline availability & lower development costs.

III. Cost Breakdown based on App Features

The cost to build an app increases with every new feature you add to your app. The type of features has a similar impact on the cost as the numbers. You can use many different basic & advanced versions of the same feature.

Each app has its own set of essential features & based on the type of features you include in your app, app cost estimation becomes easier.

Check out a quick app development cost breakdown based on features –

App Making Cost based on Features (Cost of Live Streaming Apps)

Live Streaming App	Features	Cost
MVP Features	User Registration	$2500 to $3000
	Live Streaming	$4000 to $6000
	Search	$3000 to $4000
	Live Chat/Comment	$4000 to $5000
Advanced Features	Filter & Effects	$7500 to $10000
	Private Chats	$7000 to $8500
	Screen Sharing	$8000 to $15000
	Multilingual Search Filter	$10000 to $15000

IV. App Creation Cost for Platforms: iOS & Android

Android & iOS are the leading operating systems in the smartphone industry. 70.96% of the mobile operating system market belongs to Android whereas iOS apps tend to give higher revenue to entrepreneurs & have a massive user base in geographies like the USA, UK & UAE.

Picking Android, iOS, or both will mainly influence the app building cost. Android app development will need tools like Java & Kotlin, on the other hand, iOS app development will require Objective C or Swift.

You can consider the table mentioned below to understand the development cost for a standard app.

Mobile App Development Cost Breakdown based on Platform

Type of App	Android	iOS
Native Apps	$55,000 to $1,00,000	$60,000 to $1,20,000
Hybrid Apps	$40,000 to $60,000
Cross-platform Apps	$40,000 to $60,000
Progressive Web Apps	$15,000 to $30,000

V. App Design

A mobile app’s design is the first thing your potential consumers notice. Thus, it should be pleasant and engaging. Icons, Logos, user interfaces, wireframes, and various other elements must all be put precisely in a mobile app. The experience of the designer, the designer’s location, the design’s complexity, and the platform for which the design is to be developed are all factors that affect the cost of designing.

VI. App Making Cost Based on the Development Team You Hire

The most important factor in determining the app development cost is Hiring or creating a development team. You can get an in-house team, freelancers, or offshore developers. It is best to ensure the kind of experts your development team will require to simplify this process.

The Ideal App Development Team

Android Developers.
iOS Developers.
Scrum Master.
Business & Market Analyst.
UI/UX Designers.
Project Manager.
Product Owner.
Quality Assurance Engineer.
Backend Developers.
Testers.

You can refer to the table below of the average cost to develop an app based on the development team you hire.

Standard App Making Cost based on Team

Inhouse		$1,20,000 to $2,00,000 PA
Freelancers		$50,000 to $90,000
Outsourcing	Onshore	$80,000 to $1,50,000
	Nearshore	$72,000 to $1,20,000
	Offshore	$45,000 to $80,000

VII. App Maintenance

Even if your app is launched in the Play Store, there are still other additional elements that can increase the cost of developing an Android app, like app maintenance costs. You need to maintain and update your app constantly after it’s launched in the market.

Businesses need to rebuild the functionalities and app integrations as per the customers’ requirements. You will also require constant help from expert developers to ensure the smooth and proper functioning of your app. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the price of mobile app development.

So, these were all the factors that answered how much it cost to build a mobile app. Now, we will discuss the hidden costs that are often overlooked when developing the mobile application.

Hidden Costs of App Development

The App Development Process contains multiple tools & services that cost differently based on the app type. However, planning for an app development’s hidden cost from the beginning can help you plan the budget effectively.

Some of the hidden app development costs are mentioned below –

How to Reduce App Development Cost?

Creating an app might sound expensive, but there are many ways to reduce the costs. Here are some ways to fix that –

I. Choose the right platform –

Developing various platforms can increase development time & costs. Study your target audience & the nature of your app to determine which platform to opt for.

II. Simple Design –

Adding too many complex design elements can increase development time & costs. Focus on a simple & clean design that still fulfills the needs of our target audience. Use a pre-built design template or hire a designer with experience in developing simple designs.

III. Scalability –

Maintain scalability while developing your application. Building an app that can easily scale to handle more users will save you money in the long run. Implement scalable technologies like cloud-based solutions to help your app grow.

IV. Approach an experienced development team –

Working with an experienced developer can provide valuable guidance on reducing development costs. Hire a team of developers with a proven track record of building successful apps within your budget, who can provide end-to-end services.

V. Plan for updates & maintenance –

Building an app is not enough, you’ll also need to plan for ongoing updates & maintenance to keep your app running smoothly. Use a modular development approach, where individual features can be modified or replaced without affecting the entire application, to make future updates more cost-effective.

App Development Process

The app development process is complex & multi staged requiring careful planning, building, testing & launching. The basic stages & steps of app development are as follows –

App Design Costs

Once the app is successfully developed, it’s time to design the same. App Design Cost is an essential part of the mobile app development process that you must plan before the process begins. The cost to design a mobile application can be anywhere between $2000 to $58,000 & more depending on the type of app you want to build.

You must design every color, font, icon & functionality of your app as per the preference of the target audience. This approach toward app design will ensure its success but significantly increase the development cost.

You can refer to the table below to get an average estimation of the app design cost.

Mobile App Design Cost

Mobile App	iOS	Android	Duration
Basic App Design	$8000 to $12,000	$10,000 to $15,000	20 to 160 hours
Standard App Design	$18,000 to 22,000	$25,000 to $30,000	150 to 400 hours
Complex App Design	26,000 to $32,000	$36,000 to $42,000	500 to 1000 hours

Recommended Section: App Maintenance Costs

App Development vs. App Redevelopment Cost

Terms	App Development Cost	App Redevelopment Cost
Definition	The cost required in the process of making software for smartphones, tablets & the Android &iOS operating systems is known as Mobile App Development Cost.	Mobile App Redevelopment Cost is the cost involved in the process of improving the creation of an existing mobile application to create a more engaging user experience.
Benefits	Developing a mobile app can help in building a stronger brand, providing value to customers, improving customer engagement & boosting sales.	Redeveloping a mobile application can lead to higher scalability, improved efficiency, valuable user feedback & improved accessibility.
Purpose	Mobile app development aims to provide users with a convenient & efficient way to access information, perform tasks & connect with others through their mobile appliances.	You need to redevelop a mobile app due to the complex interface, negative customer reviews, outdated creation & rebranding.
Cost	The average app development cost ranges from $20,000 to $1,00,000 based on the app type, functionality, complexity, selected vendor & the development.	If you’re redesigning an app, it may cost you anything between $20,000 to over $3,00,000 depending on the app’s complexity & features.

Conclusion

Your initial app development budget will determine the direction you must choose for mobile app development. It will ensure that you spend every dollar on an element that adds real value to the app. Refer to this article to estimate the cost for app development projects with both tight and flexible budgets. You can also get a free estimate from us now to plan and manage your development budget.

We are a mobile app development company handling multiple app development projects for clients from all over the world and sectors. Our team can offer solutions that cut software development expenses at every stage.

*Reach out to our experts to reduce app development costs & create your app at a very affordable & flexible rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What costs are associated with developing an app?

The cost to develop an app ranges from $40,000 to $150,000 and may even go to $300,000 depending on your app type, platforms, number and type of features, and app design requirements.

How many hours does it take to develop an app?

The app development duration depends on your requirements with app design, features, and overall functionality. The average hours to develop an app is between 900 to 1200 hours.