Mobile apps are very, very different from each other. Some may have one button, others may have an entire enterprise management system. Therefore, the cost of developing each application is different.
The cost mainly depends on the number of hours it takes developers to implement the features. But that’s not all. What else — let’s look at it now.
If you are ready to develop a mobile application and want to know right now how much your project will cost, write to us for an individual estimate.
What is the cost of creating a mobile application?
Scenario #1. You are developing an application with an outsourced team
Outsourced application development is a story about trust. You give your project to another team when it is still at the idea stage. The team is growing from this idea a cool service that will help your users.
The cost of outsourced application development consists of three components: the price of production work, associated costs and the cost of post-release support. Let’s look at each of them.
1. Cost of production work
Production is the part of the team that makes the application by hand: designs, creates the design, writes and tests the code. All this is done by different specialists.
They need a certain number of hours to do their work. They determine this amount themselves, based on the complexity of the project, their experience and observation. The number of hours is multiplied by the cost of an hour — this is how the cost of production work is obtained.
The cost of an hour of specialists in different development studios is different. The rate can be influenced by everything: the Mobile application development company place in the rating of developers, the city in which the company is located, the cost of renting premises, and the experience of specialists. But the average market rates are:
2. Related work — everything that is superimposed on top
Production work isn’t all a project needs to get off the ground. There are several other cost items around production that also need to be budgeted for.
Research . Applications are created to solve people’s problems. Research of the target audience and competitors helps to understand what these problems are and how applications can solve them. You can come to the developers with ready-made research, or conduct research together with them.
Detailed requirements . Application requirements may change from stage to stage. The client comes up with a new idea — the developers implement it. Or during development, developers realize that something is not working as planned — then the requirements are clarified, and this also affects the cost of the project.
Management . In order for everything to go smoothly on the project: the tasks were understood correctly, the deadlines were not missed, you need a person who will monitor all this and help the team get the job done. This person is a manager. His work is also paid according to the number of hours he spends working on the project.
3. Support — everything after development
For an application to be successful, it needs ongoing support. Support includes updates, server maintenance, cloud hosting services, as well as improvements based on user feedback and development of service functionality.
For many companies, only warranty support is included in the total cost of the application. Technical improvements and further development of the project are a new chapter in its life . A new contract is concluded for these works, and their cost is assessed separately.
Scenario №2. You hire freelancers or form an in-house team
1. How much will it cost to develop a freelance project?
If the application is developed by a team of freelancers, then its cost will depend on the complexity, the amount of work on the project and the specialists’ rates. And the specialists set the rates themselves — depending on how long ago, how well and in what country they have been working.
On average, the cost of developing a mobile application by freelancers can be ₽750,000–₽3,750,000 or more. These figures are not standard and may vary depending on the requirements of the project and the qualifications of the developer.
2. How much will it cost to develop a project with an in-house team?
Forming an in-house team from scratch will cost more than hiring freelancers and more than outsourcing development. However, this approach has its advantages: greater speed and control in project planning from start to finish.
The cost of developing a mobile application by an in-house team can start from a million rubles and go up to infinity. It will include the costs of infrastructure, equipment, software, salaries and additional benefits to the employees you hired. See how much you will spend on salaries alone per month:
Who to choose for app development to save budget
It seems that a project created by freelancers will be cheaper. But the lack of communication between individual specialists will interfere with and prolong communication — the project will become more expensive. You can correct this by hiring a freelance manager. Or start managing the project yourself. But in terms of workload, it’s like running a second business.
In-house teams and outsource developers make complex projects more expensive, but better. And it’s better that they have the same thing — all because they have experience, well-established communication and immersion in project tasks. Look at the projects below — we are sure it would be difficult for you to guess who is behind them.
Hidden costs of app development
Regardless of who you entrust the development of the application to, you will need to budget for the support of third-party services, legal support of the application and marketing of your project.
Integration support . You need to pay for services that integrate with the application. These include SMS notifications, mailing lists, and in general any auxiliary tool that the application needs to work.
For example, we are currently developing an application in which we need to collect collages. So that you can use any picture for a collage, we have connected a service for cropping backgrounds to the application — the client will pay for it regularly
Legal issues . The application may require compliance with certain rules and laws, which may result in additional legal fees.
Marketing and promotion of the application. Releasing an application to the market requires marketing expenses, including promotion, advertising and promotions. These costs cannot be ignored because marketing is what will help more people learn about your project.
An example of the importance of marketing is the Airbnb case. When the service was just launched, brand marketers conducted a campaign to increase awareness of the application, using social media and mobile advertising platforms (Facebook and Google AdWords), personalized email newsletters, and push notifications to attract user attention.
As a result, the application brought the company many new customers and profits. In 2018, the app received about 500 million downloads and was valued at $31 billion. Airbnb is now the most popular vacation rental service.
Are you interested in creating an Mobile application? Contact us for top-notch mobile app development solutions.
Application development cost depending on your business goals
1. Test the hypothesis
Cost : up to 1,000,000 ₽
Applications worth up to a million rubles are created to test the idea and understand whether the product is suitable for users. Constructors are used for development. Out-of-the-box products launch quickly and look good, but their capabilities are limited by what the designer offers. Functionally, they are “storefronts” and lack the potential to promote a product or service.
2. Enter the market
Cost : 1,000,000–2,000,000 RUR
For this money you can create both an MVP version and a full-fledged digital product. If a business wants to make money using a mobile application, serve a large number of clients, or needs an application for corporate use, but plans to develop gradually, this solution is suitable for it.
3. Scale your business
Cost : from 4,000,000 ₽
Applications whose price exceeds the 4 million ruble mark are large projects with a large number of integrations. Sometimes superapps, for example, such as Yandex or Tinkoff Bank, where you can not only transfer money to your grandmother , but also buy plane tickets.
Factors influencing the cost of mobile application development
1. Number of platforms
Once upon a time, it was generally accepted that there is a business that needs to be developed on iOS applications, and there is one that needs to be developed on Android. People even chose which platform suited them best. But all these are myths that the industry has long debunked ( and so have we ).
The truth is that it is more profitable for a business to develop an application on both platforms. This way the app will reach more users and more people will use it every day.
Of course, it is more expensive to develop an application for two platforms than for one. But this is more profitable in the long run. After all, creating applications takes not only the time of developers — it is the work of designers, managers, analysts and testers.
If you create an application first for iOS and then for Android, then you will have to go through all the stages first — in terms of cost, it’s the same as developing two applications. If you start developing applications for iOS and Android at the same time, the cost will be ×1.5 than developing an application for only one platform. And this is cheaper than ×2 to the cost if you develop an application for different platforms one by one.
2. Functionality
Functionality is the main features of the application. That is, what the application does and how it does it. The dependence is direct: the more functions and the more complex they are, the more expensive the project will be. Let’s say there are two companies that want to create a mobile application for an online store.
The second application has broader functionality than the first. Consequently, its development will take more time and resources — this will increase the price of the project.
This does not mean that an application with less functionality is worse. If you understand that a small number of functions will be enough to meet the business goals of your company, then the project needs to be developed now. If you see that simple functionality will not cover your goals, then the application’s capabilities need to be expanded. The developers will help you navigate the set of functions — call 7708889555 or write to us so that we can advise you for free.
3. Scope of design customization
When developing a design, we focus on the guidelines of the iOS and Android operating systems — these are standards for interface design. Developers use them to ensure that the same actions lead a person to the same result from application to application.
But they still deviate from the guidelines in order to give the project individuality, to stand out, or, conversely, to change some established pattern — if research has shown that specific users in a particular product need something different, and not what the guidelines require.
There may be less meaning in customization. Sometimes the design is customized just to make it look nice.
An example is selecting a date in an application. In iOS, a drum is usually used for this, and in Android, a card is used. If you want the date selection to be the same in the application on both iOS and Android, then you need to write code from scratch for one platform. It takes longer and is more expensive than the standard solution.
It’s a similar story with animations: the more complex and cool they are, the more time and budget they require. But sometimes we, together with the customer, include non-standard solutions purposefully, as was the case with the “ Our Child ” project.
There can be many such moments in an application. In total, they will affect the cost of the project, because they will require more time from the designer and developer.
Which application components will take developers the longest to create?
1. Mobile application backend
Development of the “virtual part” of the application — the one that is located on servers, stores databases and links together all the services that work with the application: CRM, acquiring, warehouse and other systems necessary for running a business.
Price : from 500,000 ₽
2. Introduction of complex technologies
These may include VR/AR, artificial intelligence-based technologies, or integration with external devices. So, for one of our projects, we made an application that reads information from a smart device located inside the car and displays data about it on the screen.
Price : from 200,000 ₽
3. Development of admin panels
Development of a part that allows managers on the client side to manage content in the application: change banners on the main screen, arrange seasonal promotions, change headers and add new images.
Price : 300,000–600,000 ₽
Are you interested in creating an Mobile application? Contact us for top-notch mobile application development services.
How an application is evaluated: let’s look at an example
The first time the cost of the application is calculated at the stage of acquaintance between the client and the studio. The client tells us how he envisions the functionality of the application or shows us a brief. Then we conduct an interview to detail the requirements, and give the finished list of functions to the developers for evaluation.
Case with evaluation of an eCommerce application
Task : develop an MVP version of an application for a large federal retailer from scratch for iOS and Android.
Functionality : product catalog, filter system, product card, shopping cart, loyalty card, delivery screen, ability to pay in three different ways.
Is it possible to calculate the price yourself?
You have a vision for the project, technical specifications for a mobile application , you have figured out what specialists you need and now you know what the cost of the application consists of. It seems that you can calculate the costs yourself. But evaluating a mobile app is more difficult than it seems.
When we evaluate an application, we need to estimate the value of something that is not yet in reality — only in the idea. As the project progresses, the idea may change — dramatically or slightly. Because of this, the way tasks are completed and deadlines will change. In addition, unforeseen difficulties may arise at any moment or the market situation may change (this has happened too often lately).
Without in-depth knowledge, experience and competent forecasting, it is impossible to take everything into account. Therefore, if you want to know how much your project will cost, there is no need to torture yourself with calculations — it’s better to write to us. We will listen to what you want, engage our specialists for an assessment and draw up an estimate for application development .
Cost of applications in the world in 2024
The state of the market is a factor from which we cannot hide. It also affects the cost of development. This is how things are in the world right now.
According to Clutch , the average cost of developing a mobile application in the US and Canada ranges from $100,000 to $500,000. In European countries, prices are equally high and range from €80,000 to €300,000.
In Asia, prices vary greatly depending on the country. In India or Pakistan, the cost of a mobile application can range from $10,000 to $50,000, in the Philippines and Indonesia $20,000 — $75,000. In Japan and South Korea, prices for mobile application development are also quite high.
In Russia, prices for mobile application development start at $10,000 and can reach $150,000 or more.
IT companies are part of the Russian economy, so the cost of a mobile application in 2024 depends on the general state of the market. On the one hand, there is currently a shortage of developers in Russia, and companies are increasing salaries in order to get good specialists. But on the other hand, you yourself know everything. Development studios are looking for opportunities to reduce client costs for creating applications while maintaining the quality of services and code at a high level.
Trends influencing development costs in 2024
1. Increasing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications. Companies are increasingly incorporating AI and ML into their applications to improve personalization, data analytics, process automation and other purposes. Developing such applications may require specialized knowledge and skills, which may impact costs.
2. Growing popularity of applications for smart devices (IoT). With the increase in the number of smart devices such as smart watches, home devices and cars, developers will create applications that interact with these devices. IoT integration may require additional effort and resources.
3. Expanding the functionality and capabilities of applications. Users are becoming more and more demanding in terms of functionality and design of applications. Developers will strive to create more complex and innovative applications , which may affect the cost of development.
4. Introduction of new technologies such as blockchain and distributed registries (DLT). Companies are beginning to use blockchain and DLT for data security, digital transactions, and other purposes. Mobile application development company Developing applications using these technologies may require additional knowledge and resources.
Given these trends, the cost of mobile app development may be higher in 2024 due to the need to integrate new technologies and functionality. In addition, the demand for skilled developers may affect labor market prices.
6 ways to save money on mobile app development
Method 1. Try a boxed solution
Out-of-the-box products, or application builders, allow you to create standard services with limited functionality. They help test hypotheses for launching a mobile product: do users need it and whether there will be demand for it.
The disadvantage of constructors is that they are not adaptive. If you see that users are interested in the service, you will not have the opportunity to scale and develop the project. To retain your audience, it is better to close the “box” and develop the application from scratch.
Another reason to move away from a boxed solution is rights. They will not belong to you, because you are not buying the product itself, but a subscription to the design program.
Method 2: Develop a cross-platform application
If you want to make a more flexible product, then you can try developing a cross-platform application, for example, Flutter technology. Applications written on it work on both iOS and Android.
One code for two platforms allows you to instantly make an application cheaper than a native one. But this option is more suitable if you want to test user behavior in the application — in the future, supporting and developing such projects is more expensive than native ones .
Method 3. Start with developing an MVP version
This option is suitable for any business. This is an acceptable investment at the first stage of work, and the opportunity to make a profit after the first months of development, and flexible scaling of your product. Order development from us if you want to save on creating an application for the benefit of the entire project.
Method 4. Outsource application development
Outsourcers have access to the best technologies and the most modern application development methods. Outsourcing companies usually use their own database and are responsible for the quality of the products created. This significantly increases the competitiveness of the finished application on the market.
An external company usually does not require permanent maintenance, payment for vacations and sick leave, which significantly reduces the cost of maintaining its own team. In addition, outsourcing allows you to use the experience and knowledge of professionals — helps optimize the development process and leads to improved product quality.
Method 5. Develop the application and backend with one team
Sometimes it happens that the client has his own backenders whom he wants to involve in developing the application. Or the client is looking for freelancers to make it cheaper. But at such moments it is worth remembering that working on an application with two teams inflates the cost of the project. This happens because teams work in isolation — if problems arise, specialists will not have the opportunity to solve them quickly.
Working on a project with one studio significantly reduces the time for communication between performers and code revision. Effective interaction between mobile developers and backenders reduces project development time and reduces the cost of maintaining and supporting the application in the future. If you have the opportunity to delegate all the work to mobile developers, it is better to do so.
Method 6. Reduce the number of custom elements and increase the use of ready-made libraries
In the development world, there are ready-made snippets or libraries that programmers can use on projects. This allows you to reduce development time and reduce the cost of the project several times.
For example, if we want to add a function for sending push notifications to the application, then we can write the code from scratch — it will take 20 hours. Or we can use a ready-made library that already contains the necessary snippets, tests and documentation — its adaptation will take 4 hours
Of course, it’s impossible to make the entire application from ready-made solutions, but sometimes abandoning custom development in favor of libraries will help make the project smaller and cheaper.
How long does it take to develop an application?
We would like to tell you this: “Two months and everything will be ready!” But in fact, the conversation about the development time of a mobile application is as long as the conversation about its cost. This literally requires an individual approach — functionality assessment, Gantt chart.
But, based on our experience and the experience of our colleagues in the market, we can give you an idea of how much time it usually takes to develop an application, depending on its functionality.
How much does development cost in Sparkout?
We become reliable partners who not only make the product, but also help in its development. We have been cooperating with one of our clients, PARKK for 6 years — we developed the application from scratch, created a version for tablets and continue to develop the product
To find out how much it will cost to develop an application in Live Typing, call +7708889555 or write to us. We will ask about the goals and objectives of your service and give you an estimate of how much it will cost to create it.
Are you interested in creating an Mobile application? Contact us for top-notch mobile application development Solutions.
