In this article, we will provide a detailed explanation of everything that makes up the cost of creating an app and a few up-to-date app price options for you.
Factors That Determine App Development Cost
- Type of vendor you choose
- Vendor’s location (country)
- Complexity of features
- The platform (or platforms) you choose
- Design complexity
Freelancers vs. App Development Agency
Advantages of working with freelancers to build an app:
- Cheap app development
- Constant communication with the developer only
At the same time, weigh the risks:
- The need to find freelancers for all required services
- Flexible working times of freelancers
- Quality of services
- Limited accountability and transparency
- Team management
Benefits of working with an app development company:
- Trustworthy relations
- Quality of deliverables
- All or the majority of needed services in one place
- Schedule and discipline
- Project management
- Accountability
Disadvantages of working with companies that make apps:
- Higher rates
- More bureaucracy
The overall experience of cooperation with freelancers and agencies can be summarized in the table below:
App Developers’ Location
Let’s review the latest data about how much app developers charge per hour.
Simple Features vs. Complex Feature Set
Complexity matters when it comes to the cost of making an app. The following table will show you an approximate app development timeline by complexity:
If your budget is limited, think about prioritizing features to fit within that price range and release your product on the market as quickly as possible.
Platform: iOS or Android
It is worth choosing only between iOS and Android, as these platforms are the most popular.
Design Complexity
App design influences the whole process of creating an app. The more complex the design, the more expensive your application becomes. The first image shows what simple app design looks like:
More advanced design of your application can be as follows:
If you want to design an app in a very complex way, see the following example:
How Much Does It Cost To Build an App: Cost Breakdown
The following are the steps involved in the app development process and consequently final app cost.
Expenses for Business Analysis
Key activities a business analyst usually performs during business analysis:
- Identify a problem
- Identify and define project value
- Define, understand, and verify business scope
- Analyze (mind map, competitor analysis, etc.)
- Produce a business solution
- Conduct a workshop (requirements elicitation and management, documentation development, testing, support)
- Produce best possible solution based on market needs
- Work on enhancements (change management, support)
Taking the average hourly rate in Ukraine ($30/hour) as the basis, business analysis may cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000+ depending on requirements and app complexity.
App Design Cost
Based on the categories mentioned above, approximate app design costs will be as follows:
Also read: How Much Does It Cost to Design an App? to learn more.
App Development Cost
The table below represents the most popular app features and the approximate cost required for their basic implementation. Please take into account that the cost is calculated based on the average Ukrainian rate of $30/hour.
Also, the next table includes features that require more complicated implementation and thus will be time-consuming and add to your mobile app cost. Data regarding time and cost is calculated for one platform only, the need for back-end development varies.
Project Management Cost
To give you a general idea of what project managers usually deal with, take a look at the list below:
- Project budget -prevent budget overrun
- Scope of work -ensure that a team is doing the right work on a project and has correct tasks
- Schedule -ensure that the team completes all tasks on time
- Quality -prevent bad releases and set priorities for bug fixes and improvements
- Resources -ensure that a project has appropriate team members who will do their job well
- Risks -prevent them or be ready to fix them if they occur
- Communication -ensure that all project members communicate with each other and that their communication brings value to the project
- Problem-solving -be able to solve any issues that might occur in the process of work
Payment models for this service differ; some companies charge hourly rates, others have a fixed price to pay for a definite period of time. If you calculate roughly at $30/hour, the average cost may start at $2,500 and go beyond $10,000, depending on the project.
Quality Assurance Cost
The main goals of testing are:
- Increase the chances that the app being tested will work correctly under all circumstances
- Increase the chances that the app being tested will meet all the specified requirements
- Provide up-to-date information about the present state of the app
In the process of making an app, quality assurance usually consists of the following steps:
- Requirements gathering
- Test discussions and planning
- Test development
- Test execution
- Test summary report
Based on the complexity of the app to be tested and the average Ukrainian rate of $30/hour, QA services may cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 and beyond.
Cost of App Release
In the table below, you will see the list of information that should be prepared before submission.
App release may take different amounts of time depending on the scope of work to be done by the company. In terms of cost, it will be calculated based on an hourly rate.
How Much Does It Cost To Maintain an App?
App maintenance includes:
- Upgrading to the latest OS versions
- Upgrading an app to the latest versions of third-party services
- Upgrading an app with new technologies
- Fixing bugs
- Code improvement and optimization
- Adding new features
- Controlling app stability
- Controlling the performance of servers
- Scaling applications
As a rule, development companies offer a few options when it comes to app maintenance costs: full-time (ongoing) work and on-demand service. The on-demand model usually assumes hourly rates, while ongoing maintenance can be done either for a fixed cost or based on hourly rates as well.
Additionally, you should not forget about the following regular payments:
- Registration and use of a domain name — $10-$15/year
- Hosting on servers — $40-$200/year
How Much Does It Cost to Make an App by Yourself
There are two possible options in this case:
- Planning, developing, and testing an app using your technical skills
- Using special app building tools that create template applications
Online app builders usually have free trial periods. The majority of these tools will be available to you for $10 — $150 per month, but there are more expensive ones that can cost anywhere from $500 to $1000+ monthly. However, chances are that app stores will decline apps made this way.
How Much Does It Cost To Create an App: Real Examples
Total Mobile App Development Cost
Let’s revise the cost of mobile app development by service and app complexity, taking into account that an app will be built by a development team in Ukraine.
So, how much does it cost to make an app?
You may use our app cost calculator to learn more about how much an e-commerce, social networking, or on-demand delivery app can cost.
Or simply contact us and we will elaborate on your app idea, estimate it precisely, and implement it in the best way for you to achieve success.
This is a brief summary of an article published on MLSDev blog. If you would like to learn more about the app development process and its cost, read the full article.
