How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App? Detailed Overview 

“Everything has an app for it” is one phrase anyone has heard at least once. That’s true! Whichever the reason, for social networking, e-commerce, health and fitness activities, whichever the application, they are part of life now.

An application is not just an idea, but an idea that allows it to consume some built matters. The cost of creating an app might vary greatly depending on several factors. 

So, how much does it cost to develop an app? For the most straightforward app that contains a login screen, a user profile, and a limited dashboard, you must be prepared to fork out between $5,000 and $50,000. The cost goes up as the complexity increases. A mid-level app should cost between $50,000 and $120,000. 

That’s not all. We have something more in store for you. Let’s get right into it! 

How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App: Cost Breakdown

For customers, especially those who do not have an in-depth understanding of the industry, application development may seem like a lot of money. However, the picture is not so straightforward with the first figure agencies give as a quote. Now, let’s strip it down to its core parts and examine how that contributes to the total cost.

App Features

The features of the app being developed will be valuable to users. You can also refer to them as functional concepts or approaches to satisfying users’ demands. 

For instance, a healthcare application that enables users to video call and manage their medicine orders has more functions than a simple clock application. The lower end of the app development cost is where you get a rough simulated predictive design for the software, ranging from $30000 to $50000, but with higher functionality, apps may cost more than this. 

App’s Functionalities

The difficulty of the features placed on the app will dictate the cost incurred in app development. Developing a simple to-do ‘bill’, namely a basic list app, will be much less complicated than developing an e-commerce app complete with all the shopping cart, payment, and customer review features. 

The cost of making middle-level or moderately complex apps will range between $50,000 and $200,000. Some complex apps with several features, such as logistics management apps and games, can cost between $80,000 and $350,000.

Intended Platforms And Devices

The cost can also vary depending on if you decide to choose iOS and Android, respectively, or the two. While building apps designed for a given OS offers better outcomes and more customization, it may cost more.

Proprietary applications are expensive, especially if you know the number of devices you will create them for. At the other extreme, you can avoid this expense by developing one such application that works around both mediums, which could be anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000 for very basic apps.

More advanced applications may begin at $80000 and reach up to $350000, while middle-tier applications supporting a few devices may fall between $50000 and $200000.

Prepare For Preventive Measures

However, the development process is not completed once your app is ready. Patching bugs, improving the software, and maintaining compatibility with new OS releases are other concerns that must be addressed. 

This yearly cost, which will be incurred as normally plannable maintenance, may increase the recovery rate of new development expenses by about 15-20%. Furthermore, beyond the $100,000 in development costs you are already expected to bear, the additional annual maintenance cost will range from $15,000 to $20,000. 

If any investment is made in a maintenance plan, the application continues to function normally and has users. Many often overlook this when making the budgets of the development lifecycle, which is very similar to the one that affects project metrics.

How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Based On Development Stages?

Knowing the potential budget for app development at every instant appoints you on how best to manage the resources at hand. Time and cash are needed at every point in the process, such as planning and research and then moving on to designing, developing, testing, and deploying. If you want to have a clearer understanding of the cost that one incurs in the development of an app, below is the detailed cost breakdown by design and platform. 

Monetary Outlay For Discovery/Strategy Phase 

The discovery stage details building your app’s infrastructure. This phase also includes research, analysis of the competition, and definition of the project roadmap. 

This is the most effective way to ensure that your development team comprehends your company goals and user needs. On average, this stage lasts between 20 and 200 hours and costs about 10% of the total cost of development. It may take two to four weeks. 

Estimated Cost: 1,200 to 11,000 dollars.

Design Stage Cost

This stage focuses on how an app will look overall. An app designer is also required in this process, as is the development of the wireframes and prototypes, which seek to achieve all the complete UI design elements. 

The main aim is to ensure that the interface serves the users well and looks decent. Thus, the user design benefits will come out in the long run, but it is worth investing in to enhance coverage and user satisfaction. 

This particular stage will use about 10-15% of your entire around that particular stage. Also, investing effort and money in the above proposition will bear fruit as it will wow your users.

Estimated Cost: Between $2500 to 10,000. 

Development Stage Cost

Most of the app development activities will be carried out here. This stage is the most expensive because of the code complexity, programming, and gathering integration of features.

To make software development more affordable, various factors, such as referrals, third-party integrations, the nature of the project, the application’s complexity, or the type, number, and quality of features offered, must be identified. 

Another point that needs to be considered is the most appropriate type of application that will have to be developed, be it a native application or a cross-platform one. More attention is given to native development as it is more costly and efficient than cross-platform development. 

Estimated cost: $4,000 – $25,000.

Testing And Deployment Phase

Testing is one important activity that minimizes the chances of launching the software to the target market when it is still buggy. This process ascertains the completeness of the program, the performance of the program, and the security of the program. 

Since post-launch costs are aimed at being reduced as much as possible, the program is thoroughly tested so that problems and/or defects are not experienced. The QA team also ascertained the app’s performance on various devices and operating systems. 

Finally, there comes the phase of deployment, in which the application is released for general use. The amount of time and effort required for testing and deployment, which may take even four weeks, is directly proportional to the complexity of the application. 

Estimated cost: less than $5,000.

How To Estimate App Development Cost?

To ascertain how much money will be required for the development of an app, one has to consider its features and the complexity of the project. To help you assess your expectations in advance, we include a classified charge below according to the expected app types.

Simple Apps 

There are applications where only the simplest needs, such as a pleasant UI and a few necessary functions, can be incorporated. Such has been the construction order since such fundamental apps do not require much by way of front or back-end development. 

This includes simple applications such as simple games and simple programs such as calculators or clocks. 

Because of the feature set, the development cost for simple apps usually ranges from $20,000 to $60,000 or thereabouts. Many factors, such as developers’ hourly rates and whether the platform is iOS or Android, might affect this cost.

Complex Apps

Such applications include calendars, weather applications, and mapping applications where information is collected, interpreted, and displayed to the user. The complexity of the data processing and integration defines the mark of these applications, which is highly variable concerning the amount of data handled. 

The typical price range for data-driven apps is from $25,000 to $80,000. The overall cost of development may go up if your program has complicated details, like having updated data structures at that time or later when the program is active or real-time or even connects to net sources and new information. 

On-Demand Services Apps

On-demand applications make it easy to access goods and services. Apps such as Uber or DoorDash require advanced functionalities, such as geolocation, tracking, and payment handling. 

Depending on the scope of work imposed, the market price of development may vary between $60,000 and $120,000.

Online Shopping Apps

Shopping online has now been made easier through the use of e-commerce applications.

Including secure transaction gateways, inventory management, and support for multiple platforms makes the development process more tedious and costly. The costs for developing an application for the online store range from $80,000 to $150,000. 

This price can increase much more if services such as wish lists, personalized recommendations, and customer reviews are added. Chains of e-commerce applications, such as those of Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba, achieve good results by managing huge resources and numerous users simultaneously.  

Business Applications Enterprise Apps

CRM or HRM, or project management apps, are created to help an organization manage its internal activities. The reason for such a high amount on these apps is, most of the time, security, many integrations, and complex business logic, up to $300,000.

Custom solutions aim to solve incorporated organizational needs. These may include solutions for people management, sales activities monitoring, or joint project support. Enterprise apps have no alternatives when it comes to increasing efficiency and output in large enterprises. 

Pricing, Expertise, And Experience Of App Developers 

Developers’ prices vary greatly depending on their level of experience and professionalism. Junior developers usually cost $30 per hour and do easier tasks like steaming maintenance and troubleshooting apps. 

Intermediate developers command about $60 per hour for most software development projects. Senior developers who head the development of complex projects are charged as high as $120 and above hourly. 

Even though costs may vary with the type of technology and platform, you should be able to spend about $25 to $85 per hour on Android development and about $45 to $75 on iOS development. The essence of keeping prices affordable while ensuring quality standards is to maintain the fine equilibrium between competency and costs. 

Other Aspects Related to Mobile Apps Development Technologies

The technology stack you choose will influence your application’s features and overall cost. The best web applications are inexpensive, except that advanced performance usually comes at a cost. 

While cross-platform applications come closest to native performance with shared code, hybrid applications bring a middle range by blending web and application developers’ tools like Javascript, HTML, and CSS. With the introduction of applications like Xamarin and React Native, cross-platform application development has never been so easy.

To strike a balance with costs without compromising on performance, pick a technology appropriate for the complexity and the feature requirements of your project. Choose a technology appropriate for your project’s complexity and feature requirements to find the optimal balance between Performance and Cost. 

Outsourced Mobile App Development

Outsourcing is an option for companies that do not have development staff. Project management and ongoing support help after launch are among the many expensive services provided by agencies, and they can cost $100,000 to $1,000,000. 

Most of the time, working freelancers don’t cover the complete project scope, and some degree of management is needed, but they are cheaper and more flexible. Finding relatively cheap skilled workers on freelance websites such as Upwork is easy. The rates usually fall between 

$25–$150/hour for freelancers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you build an app for free?

Certainly, free resources exist that allow you to create an app, such as AppSheet by Google. Utilizing AppSheet’s Artificial Intelligence code generation tool, one does not require a computer programmer’s background to create a working application. It is a good entry point for beginners and micro businesses.

Do apps make money?

Applications have the potential to generate a lot of revenue, but to what extent an application can earn depends on its category and the revenue generation strategy employed. Some apps are earning millions of dollars, and others probably will not even reach the cost.  

How do app owners get paid?

For app developers, user payments are mostly made via pay platforms in iOS like Apple Pay or Android systems like Google Pay. There are ads, in-app purchases, or subscriptions with which revenue can be generated.  

Do apps get paid per download?

With paid applications, each purchase and download generates revenue. Users are billed a fixed amount for every new or renewed subscription to app-based services.

Bottom Line 

Depending on what you need and your funds, how much does it cost to develop an app varies from zero to a pretty solid amount. There are ways to make more basic applications for free on sites like AppSheet; however, the more sophisticated applications will cost a pretty penny.