How to determine the cost of your mobile app development

Mobile app development has many different variables, and the app development cost of a professional mobile app may range anywhere between $5000 to $500,000. The key is to find out the right trade-off between the app’s functionality and its cost. Once you understand the expenses incurred in each stage of app development, you can decide what features you can forgo in the first iteration without impacting the functionality. This blog dives deep into the major cost drivers of mobile app development.

Factors that influence the cost for mobile app development

Developing a mobile app is an elaborate process involving the inputs of many individuals. According to a survey by Outsystems, over 80% of mobile apps take more than 3 months to develop. A survey by EMM states that around 75% of app development companies spend around $2,50,000 on mobility solutions.

The App’s Functionality

Your app may be a single, standalone app with just 2-3 screens, basic backend, no integrations, and standard UI features. Compare this with a more sophisticated, feature-rich app with animations, complex interactions, AI and so on that will entail more time, skilled developers, and hence more costs.

Development Platform

For mobile development, you will be choosing either an Android or an iOS platform. When you look at the cost of development, the cost per hour for hiring an iOS or Android app developer is almost the same. However, the iOS platform supports only a limited number of devices while Android devices come in many varieties with different screen sizes. If you want your app to work on both platforms, cross-platform development with a single code base will save you both costs and time rather than opting for native development.

Development Team

To handle a large, user-driven app development project, a single developer will not be sufficient. You will need a team that includes a project manager, UI/UX designer, and a QA specialist. The cost of employing these team members will depend on your engagement model with them and their geographical location.

Target Industry

Mobile apps have penetrated all industries including healthcare, banking, retail and so on. Some of them such as healthcare have strict guidelines concerning regulatory and security requirements on the software to protect the user data. These activities require advanced development and higher implementation costs.

Integration needs

A considerable portion of the total cost of mobile app development depends upon its integration with third-party solutions such as social media platforms, CRMs, and other project management tools. These integrations ultimately impact the final app development costs.
Powering your mobile app with AI capabilities can help customers resolve issues quickly by enhancing their day-to-day operations and communications. But any machine intelligence integration involves more cost, and it is imperative that you understand the scope and associated costs before deciding on the integration.

Production Time

At the end of the day, the final cost of the app development project will be proportional to the working hours spent by the development team on it. Every change or enhancement to the product will incur additional costs.

Custom Design

The design of the mobile app is as important as its function as the design has the power to make or break the app. An ideal mobile app offers top performance with the optimal user interface. But designing an app with a customized user interface comes at a cost. Here you must weigh your initial estimates and choose the customization features only if you think it is worth the cost.

Support and Maintenance

Every app will require post-development support in the form of enhancements and upgrades to ensure smooth and error-free operations. The extent of this support influences the app development cost.

Final Thoughts

Although calculating the mobile app development cost is challenging, the above factors can help you create an accurate estimate and a realistic budget for your mobile app. A better option is to get in touch with Neuronimbus and we can help you understand how much your app can cost you and additionally, our app experts will help you understand what kind of app features can support your requirement better.