The costs incurred in app development can vary greatly. The time required, complexity, and range of functions of a mobile app are decisive factors in the price. The price for app development is made up of three main areas:
- Planning phase (current status and goal setting)
- App design (UI and UX design)
- Programming and testing
Depending on the scope of these project areas, the price range can range from a few thousand to several hundred thousand euros. There is no upper-cost limit because apps can also be complex technical systems with many interfaces. Information about the functions, design, and programming schedule is crucial for estimating the price of an app. An independent assessment of the use case is also essential to determine how much it costs to develop an app.
An initial rough cost framework arises depending on the complexity, technologies, functions, and individual requirements. The complexity can significantly affect the cost of simple Android app development compared to complex apps.
App Complexity Impacting the costs
The complexity of the app and the number of features are significant factors that affect the final price of app development. But they are far from the only ones. Let’s look at the key factors influencing the cost of building a mobile app.
Before starting a collaboration, your development team will estimate the number of hours of work required to implement your specifications. This step is important in preparing your project.
The critical factors that influence our development costs are the features and functions of the app, the platforms you want to develop the app for, customization of the visual design, the complexity of the backend infrastructure and management, and the maintenance costs (we will cover this Cover topic later).
In reality, the number and complexity of features you want to implement in your app will be the most important cost factor in app development. It’s important to be aware of this, as it can help you make informed decisions about which features are essential and which can be prioritized for later development. We’re talking about the amount of business logic that needs to be translated into the software, the number of screens, buttons and other elements like in-app purchases that require third-party integrations.
While some features are relatively easy to implement, others can be more challenging. Depending on the complexity, the development team can use ready-made solutions or write code from scratch.
Other Factors Affecting The App Budget
The complexity of the app and the number of features are important factors that affect the final price of mobile app development. But they are far from the only ones. Let’s look closely at other key factors influencing the cost of developing a mobile app.
User engagement features
Such features include authorization, networking, notifications, and others. Even a user authorization feature can come in many flavors, whether simple or complex.
- Adding features like password storage, password recovery, attractive visuals, or social login will increase the cost of your app.
- Additional costs are also charged for features like push notifications, social sharing, commenting, and liking content on social media profiles.
- Note that they often require integration with third-party libraries and frameworks.
Location-based services
Building such features is often time-consuming and expensive if you want to implement innovative technologies like geofencing or beacons. Additionally, you need to find a development team with the right expertise to offer such services, which can also cost you time. Ultimately, integrating one of the more advanced location-based services will also drive up the cost of your app.
In-app purchases
This range of features concerns how users shop in your app. Credit cards, Twint, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and PayPal are all popular forms of payment in apps. Each payment processing method requires additional implementation time and increases the development cost.
Device functions
Just a few years ago, software that used device features could only use dialing, camera, or location information. Today, developers can integrate many other things, such as Near Communication Field (NFC) chips, payment systems, and emerging device features.
Careful planning reduces app development costs.
Of course, as a customer, you can also actively contribute to reducing the costs of app development. A detailed specification of the requirements and functions is of central importance. This is the only way to calculate the costs accurately.
If you, as the client, have already developed a concept for the app, it will be easier for us developers to estimate the effort required. A well-thought-out concept also makes it easier to understand the functions and processes within the app.
You can also outline specific processes and workflows in advance. Tools such as the Prototype on Paper app or a simple sheet of paper and a pen are helpful.
Hire Android App Development Experts; through your preliminary work, we app developers can familiarize themselves with the processes and functions. Good preparatory work on the part of the customer can significantly reduce the actual development effort.
Another advantage is if you already have initial design ideas for the app. Having a corporate identity or style guide for your company that specifies preferred colors and fonts can also be helpful.
Conclusion
We hope this article helps you understand how much mobile app development costs and what factors affect the overall price of your app development. Following the tips above, you can reduce costs.
