How Much Does It Cost to Make an App [Early 2021]

That is an overview of a simple application.

Such an application will have the main features, including:

• Login
• Signup
• Profile making and editing
• Search
• Notifications
• Messages
• Admin panel or dashboard

How much time taken by the selected pool of features will help decide an app’s cost.

• A simple alarm clock or
• a calculator application.

Functionality and features, right?

Similarly, to develop an app, adding more features and databases will increase the cost.

In these applications, you are looking to add some extra features (other than the ones you find above)

• Social Media Integration
• In-App Purchases
• Payment Portals
• Geo-location
• Location Tracking
• Better Security

Apart from these, there is better accessibility and usage of robust infrastructure.

These are the applications that require data storage and retrieval from more than one database.

To build such an app, you should also understand how much the customer base is; it also helps define the cost.

Lastly, depending on how the developers integrate features can also make a difference in time and price.

Once you decide the features list, the developers will use third-party API or code scratch.

While importing the codes is cost-effective, writing it from scratch takes time, effort, hence, the higher cost.

Some applications require connecting two segments, the user and admin panel, for instance.

This also requires more work and synchronization.

Similarly, there are endless possibilities you can expect from your application and features.

So, the higher the developing level of an app, the more the cost.

• Company Application
• Photo-sharing application

The total cost to make such an app can go way beyond how much you might expect.

Here’s how the development cost of this kind of app changes:

• Rating Systems
• Data Synchronization with more than two devices
• Native features
• Online streaming
• In-App Calls
• Messaging
• Video Chats

With such applications, not only the development work is highly complex.

But, research and planning are also equally intricate.

With an advanced app, the cost to build, visualizations, platform nativity, and everything else is highly precise.

There are multiple servers, databases, and a heavy dependency on the infrastructure.

Not to mention the synchronization levels necessary for the smooth functioning.

Since there are heavy customizations, the developers have to write the code for the majority functions.

Anyone cannot fix the scope of an app and decide how much it cost. Especially before entering into lengthy meetings.

• OTT Platforms applications
• Food Delivery Applications
• Taxi Service Applications
• Enterprise Level Applications

However, it begins from UI or how the application will look to the viewer.

Depending on the inclusion of different visual elements, you can find how much an app cost. In fact, it influences the cost of MVP design as well.

Better design not only means a better outlook.

Designing an application follows creating the mockups that allow getting a visual hint of the solution.

Here too, the design will depend on your goals.

What do you require from your app?

• Engagement
• Sales
• Information

So on….

Furthermore, what kind of application are you developing will also play a role in app development cost.

• Basic app
• Authentication
• Social networking
• On-demand
• E-commerce
• Marketplace
• IoT

At SpdLoad, we lay an equal focus on the design and development to find the cost to develop an app.

• Layout
• Screen
• Colors
• Typography
• Shapes
• Elements
• Items

The above statement summarizes what it means by User Experience or UX.

UX is about how the application works.

UX involves creating the screens on paper or on a designing platform.

Ultimately, it also helps decide how much does it cost to make an app.

The goal is to make the application easy to use for the end-user.

Creating that kind of experience, understanding the market, the user, your goals, and objectives is essential.

The cost here of developing an app will fluctuate on the engagement levels and intricate design.

• Button Placement
• Color Psychology
• Following the user’s eye pattern

• Apple
• Nike
• Reebok
• Volkswagen
• McDonald
• Dominos

All the organizations have a brand value.

Their icons and their names stand out from a crowd of thousands of similar brands.

Why?

Because they have invested in branding.

Now when you are developing an app, you may not care to market your brand because of how much does it cost.

But, if you would notice the five reasons for a startup’s failure above, the lack of a good business model is at number 3.

Branding is a part of your business model.

So, there is no doubt about whether or not to include branding in the application development process.

However, the final cost you need to build an app will depend on branding; that is why you must keep is nominal in the beginning.

After capturing the market to some extent, you can think about scaling branding efforts.

• Creating an Icon
• Marketing Efforts

A creative copy must compel the user to engage and interact more with your solution.

The fusion of good copy and impactful design is important for an app’s success.

However, when it comes to the cost, you cannot ignore the fact that good copy needs good money.

To know how much does it cost to build an app, ask your developer to choose a copywriter first.

Or, if you want to hire one by yourself, include the price into the final tally.

Here too, you can select from a huge pool of writers globally.

Choose a writer that shows the nativity and cost-effectiveness.

In comparison, selecting a writer from a native English speaking country will cost more.

• Landing Page
• Emails
• Newsletters

In the discovery phase, that we adhere to at Spdload for deciding how much an app cost, this question is primary.

Before boiling down to one platform, take three things into considerations:

• Market Share
• Device Fragmentation
• Prevalence

All these depend on the market you are going to target initially.

It is useful to find out the cost of iOS app development by knowing the market.

You need to know where iOS is more prevalent than Android,

The same theory relates to the Android devices.

The development process for both the platforms is different, but not how much does it cost you need to bear to develop an app.

Cross-platform applications get the benefit of easy-fit, smooth operation, and they can use the platform-specific features.

All of this helps create a better experience and lowers the “how much cost” answer of an app.

And this is for obvious reasons.

You require double manpower and efforts to build two apps at the same time.

They look and operate like a native application.

But the development process is both native and web-based, which also changes the app cost.

Native applications will indeed cover a broader market. But here’s what you need to do additionally:

• Dual developers
• Dual designers
• Dual quality assurance guys
• Dual DevOps

So on and so forth…

You get the idea, right?

Since you will need to employ different people for different platforms, the cost will certainly double.

It’s a legible question.

But the answer is that the cost is the same to build an app iOS and Android.

Yes!

Although the technologies, SDK, databases, frameworks, and quality assessment systems are different for both, the price is the same.

There is no doubt in that.

Depending on the country you are starting your startup in, the per-hour rates of a development team and a design team can range between $150 to $250 per hour per specialist.

So, if the total work is for 400 hours and taking an average rate of $100, you are looking to spend $80,000.

That is the app development cost.

Plus, you will get expert quality and the possibility to make changes easily.

Lastly, a local team will be responsible and accountable for their work.

However, the cost factor of these teams is over the charts.

If you can and are ready to spend $40,000 on the product in one go, be our guest.

But this cost is bereft of the maintenance, edits, copywriting, discovery, and market analysis.

However, if you would ask how much does it cost to develop an app by an in-house team, the answer is quite shocking.

Here, the cost is even higher than contracting the work to a local agency. (You can compare the salaries using our calculator.)

Let’s see:

• Full stack developer = $98,000 per year.
• Designer = $85,000 per year
• iOS or Android Developer = $85,000 per year.

However, if the developers will work for equity from the very start, a founder could save the budget. So, the in-house team costs twice cheaper as the local agency – $40,000.

The communication is super smooth, and everybody on the team will be fully involved.

In this, however, everything comes on your shoulders.

The quality, responsibility, budget, and employee welfare is in your hands.

You are looking at a significant amount of extra app cost, how much can you afford?

If not, you may have to set up a system for the server and other infrastructure.

Therefore, if you do not want to get a shocking answer to how much an app cost, it is best to leave it for now.

• Hire them on a contract basis
• Hire them on an hourly basis

Plus, there are plenty of platforms to find freelancers.

Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, Toptal, and so on.

The average hourly price of a freelancer again depends on the country you are hiring from.

• US: $50 per hour
• Asia: $15 to $25/hour
• Ukraine: $25/hour
• Latin America: $20/hour

These are the starting rates, and they can climb as per the experience.

So, to figure out the cost to build a useful and excellent app, consider the hours.

With freelancing, you have the power to dictate the prices and still get a quality product.

However, with freelancers, you can throw accountability out of the window.

They can quickly leave the job and leave you hanging.

Hence, here the question is not how much does it cost for a freelancer to make an app, but will the freelancer see it through?

But ensuring that the freelancer helps you till the end of the product development and adheres to your requirement can become an issue.

So, we would not recommend going the freelancing way until and unless you have the time and energy to monitor them continually.

They ensure a high-quality product and creativity.

It all boils down to the cost of develop an app that differs from country to country.

In Ukraine, for instance, you will get access to a development agency at as low as $30/hour.

They are not freelancers, nor are they companies charging predatory pricing.

Getting your hands on an excellent agency in another country will get you a multitude of benefits:

• Cost-Effectiveness
• High-Quality
• Break-free Communication
• Adherence to Guidelines
• No-fuss and hiccups
• Accountability
• Responsible team
• Timely Delivery

So, besides a relatively low cost required to build an app, you are also getting access to an innovative product.

Outsourcing your work to an agency will certainly reduce the development cost of the app.

However, before you choose an agency, make sure to leave no stone unturned.

Check everything and talk to the team.

• Check the case studies
• References
• Past Experiences

You can only expect this app to have up to 5 screens.

Thus, the cost of developing a data-driven app is higher.

There is a constant to and fro of data.

Stock Tracking

The cost to develop such an app can increase by how much is the extent of features and functionalities.

You can add as many features as you like, but it will also increase the cost.

They also need to store a lot of data.

Every product needs to have a separate page, and the information storage on the database is requisite.

The cost to develop an on-demand app will depend on the segments.

Mostly, there are three:

• Customers
• Business Owners
• Delivery Personnel

So, with the segments, the cost to develop an on-demand will increase besides the features costs.

It will have some advanced features, intuitive screens, responsive design, and a lot more.

Due to this, the app cost and time will be higher.

Airbnb

This is where we help our clients develop their idea.

It helps us and the clients learn and adapt to the solution.

Plus, it helps build our mindset.

They are the guys who will execute your idea and our vision to make it a reality.

There is nothing that we cannot do, so don’t worry about it.

We have got you covered.

We consider the specifications (Design and Development).

Here we make the prototypes for your understanding.

• To get a green light from your side.
• To make you better understand what we plan to do with your idea.