Obviously, it took years and thousands of dollars to make Instagram. There are regular requests about building a similar app. Every time our team digs deeper, each such request has different intentions and goals often similar to Instagram due to the wide app functionality.
The key information about Instagram and the general MVP of a photo-sharing app to start with, in the article: How to Make an App Like Instagram: Tech Stack, Features, Costs.
The Complex System of Instagram
These days, the service allows users to not only share photo and video content with other users but also offers wide business possibilities.
Instagram constantly improves the user experience by maintaining simple, intuitive navigation for new users along with monochrome and laconic design.
The Instagram App Functionality
The key functionality of Instagram includes the following:
- Authorization (via email, phone number, or Facebook)
- Create and edit profile (including Business profile)
- Messages
- Image customization
- Determination of geolocation
- View user profiles and follow other users
- Personalized feed
- Search (by posts, usernames, tags, and places)
- Mentions
- Analytics
- Settings
For a more demonstrative mode, the image below represents the Instagram app functionality.
Photo & Video Instagram App
All the Instagram content consists of posts which are shown in the personalized user feed based on preferences. Users are able to follow other users, pages, and hashtags. As well, Instagram has the functionality to edit these photos, apply a range of filters, and tag locations and friends in the photo.
The year 2017 was dedicated to Instagram stories by allowing users to broadcast short videos.
Also, Instagram has become an innovator in mobile television. The platform also launched IGTV for vertical videos adapted for smartphones.
Messaging Instagram App
One of the first great updates made by Instagram in 2013 was the messenger, Instagram Direct, which allows private photo-sharing and messaging.
Instagram as an E-commerce Platform & Business App
Shopping on Instagram allows brands to highlight products in Stories and Feed to attract new customers. Businesses are able to generate sales via Instagram by tagging their products in the pictures with descriptions, prices, and sales links.
Supported Products for Instagram
Instagram also has a few sub-projects. All these are working with video and photo-processing applications namely:
- Boomerang- creates unexpected and fun short videos that circle back and forth
- Layout — makes collages from a set of photos by mixing and editing them
- Hyperlapse — allows stabilizing videos to create time lapse shots
How Much Does Instagram Cost to Create?
The price for a mobile app development varies due to these and more factors:
- number of features
- complexity of features
- design specifics
- number of platforms and operating system details
- technology preferences
- development team capabilities & rates
- project management, etc.
How Much Would it Cost to Create an App Like Instagram?
Our team has wide experience in building photo-sharing and social networking projects, as well as projects similar to Instagram in functionality.
- Logging and tracking user interest
- Geotagging photos
- Calendar of specific memories
- Exploring NearMe prints
- Social sharing
- Following friends based on a specific interest
- Discovering new places
- Reviews and ratings
- Rewards
Description of App Features Similar to Instagram
Let’s now cover major element involved into social photo-sharing app like Instagram in detail:
Architecture & Technology Stack in Instagram-Like App
The following diagram represents a project architecture plan similar to that of an Instagram.
Mobile Frontend Instagram-Like App Development
The following technologies are used for the front-end development:
- Swift programming language — for iOS application
- HTML/CSS/AngularJS — for admin panel
Backend Development for Instagram-Like App
Our team used the following technologies to develop the project`s back-end:
- Ruby programming language (Ruby-on-Rails framework)
- PostgreSQL Database
- Web servers: Nginx
- Cloud server platforms: Amazon Web Services (AWS, EC2, S3, etc.)
The integrations used in the project included:
- Google Maps API
- Facebook SDK
- Instagram API
To Sum Things Up
Let’s outline the total app cost by setting an hourly rate of $30 as the cost (based on the average Ukrainian market rate). With these known values, the total cost to develop a project (on one platform) similar in functionality to Instagram would be around $115,000.
To summarize, the steps to make an app like Instagram are as follows:
- Analyze the market and develop your strategy
- Come up with your unique and outstanding app concept
- Get support from investors
- Hire a development team to build an MVP for you
- Work out your PR and marketing steps and launch the promotional campaign several months prior to the product release
- Add unique features to your app to get it into the spotlight
- Perform thorough app testing to make sure its quality is flawless and that it is user-friendly
- Don’t forget to keep up with your competitors
- Enjoy your success!
Reach out to us to build your own “Instagram app”. We`d be glad to assist and grow your social networking project together.
This is a brief summary of an article published on MLSDev blog. If you would like to learn more details about developing an app similar to Instagram, read the full article.
