A Comprehensive Guide To Mobile App Development Costs For 2022

This competitive market impels any existing or new business to create a mobile app to get recognized. Creating a simple yet sophisticated app can have a varied cost depending on different aspects. Let’s have a complete guide to mobile app development cost.

The cost of developing an app depends on various factors such as features, design, hiring a developer, the time your application development will take.

Let’s start from the basic;

The cost of a basic app can range between 60,000 to $120,000.

Simple Mobile app development costs may range up to $60,000.

While a complex and multi-featured app cost may range from $230,000.

Stats says that 90% of the time users spend is on mobile applications. There have been different metrics of enterprise app development cost each year.

Factors that influence the app-building cost

• The complexity of UX/UI Designs
• Inclusion of additional branded visual elements
• Vendor Type and location
• Development approach (native or hybrid or web)
• Number of platforms to be developed (iOS or Android)
• Complexity and the number of features 
• Back-end infrastructure and connected APIs

The key findings through data industry surveys of the year 2020 suggest that the app ranged from $5000 to $500,000. 

Estimating App Development Cost Through Features

Ingraining a special activity or task can spike up the cost of any development. Be it a signup button or video streaming integration, the complexity of the feature defines the cost, which is calculated as Total Development Time X Hourly Rate = Cost.

Estimation Of Development Cost Through Other Factors

Many development companies estimate the cost of development through factors such as:

Stories – Describes the list of features that make up a concept

Concept – Describes the total features to accomplish 

Story Points – Describes the pace and complexity of development

Other options that could be asked are –

Fixed Rates – Many app development companies outline a complete package that looks beneficial for small projects before the beginning of the app defining the clear scope of work.

Time & resources – A few companies are flexible in terms of cost when it comes to development. The price can vary depending on the number of developers assigned to your project which also defines the time your add building would take.

Mobile App Development Cost Based on App Type

While the app is prepared in different stages, the exact cost is only estimated and represented in a development plan. However, every project is unique with a different set of requirements hence we only represent the common understanding of app cost.

Development Cost for Basic App

Basic Apps has a few pages, 5-6 pages with no backend or no network connectivity requirement Basic apps are developed to run a specific task such as calculator, clock, camera, local audio/video apps, and more. These types of apps take around 1 or more months to get developed and may take around $15,000 or so.

Branded App Development

Authenticated app or the app development of brands require 3-6 months for designing and building. Branded apps offer full app functionality such as Google Drive or McDonald’s Loyalty App. With a multitude of features to integrate into an app, the development cost may reach $60,000 and above.

Social Networking App Building Cost

Social Networking apps are entertainment apps that allow you to share information thus require a well-planned architecture that can process all data easily. However, many companies have templates of social sharing apps, apps for consumer reviews, communities, dating apps, and more. Some clients have slightly different features to integrate. Hence social sharing & networking app development can cost from $60,000 to $230,000 or more. 

E-Commerce App 

Ecommerce is a shopping app containing multiple functionalities with different pages such as user account, social features, product catalogs, separate product pages, and user check-out systems. The development of the eCommerce app requires a well-planned admin and back-end panel to manage payments, orders, catalog pages, inventory, hence costs range from $60,000 – $230,000 and 3-9 months or more.

IoT & Hardware App 

Internet of Things is the new emerging disruptive technology that everyone wants to ingrain within their business apps. A few examples such as beacons, Amazon Dash Buttons & similar other products are smart tools that require Bluetooth or Wifi technology to operate. This app development requires specific devices and documentation which further helps in estimating the cost for development. However, the rough price for IoT app development starts from $60,000 and may require 3-6 months or more.

On-Demand App Development

The most famous example of an on-demand app is Uber. However, the cost of this app development was around $1,30,000 which was funded. On-demand apps are an amalgamation of social media app functionality and eCommerce app functionality such as easy communication, delivery, payment features, ordering goods. The app can range from $70,000-$80,000 & above depending on features and UI/UX.

Conclusion –

Mobile app development costs may range from $5,000 to $230,000. Based on the myriad of features, such as functionality, complexity, approach, platforms used and design defines the actual app development cost.