How much does it cost to develop an app in 2022? : The Ultimate Guide for Success
Mobile apps are becoming the preferred way for doing almost everything. Customers are availing services through mobile apps and spending large amounts of money. Last year, consumers spent a whopping $133 billion on apps and are expected to spend 20% more this year. Studies also show the global mobile app revenues are expected to cross $900 billion by 2023. There has never been a better time to take your business online with an app.
Mobile apps are becoming the preferred way for doing almost everything. Customers are availing services through mobile apps and spending large amounts of money. Last year, consumers spent a whopping $133 billion on apps and are expected to spend 20% more this year. Studies also show the global mobile app revenues are expected to cross $900 billion by 2023. At Zenia Mobile, we’re in the business of developing mobile apps with experienced app developers. We get lots of questions about app development. The most imp question we get is “how much does it cost to develop a mobile app?”. There has never been a better time to take your business online with an app but how much does app development cost?
Mobile App development Cost in 2022
The most important aspect for many businesses wishing to develop an app is the cost. The cost of a mobile app can be anywhere between $5000 and $1 million. This large range is thanks to the different types and wide range of features in apps. To estimate your app cost accurately, you need to decide the specifics of mobile app development.
To help you get a better idea of how much app development costs in 2022, we have created this guide tackling the question from different development approaches. Whether you have a focus on complexity, features, or developer type and location, this guide will help you calculate the costs.
How Much Does App Development Costs in 2022
Alex Ahlund, CEO of Appvee and Android Apps, wrote an artcile about app sales on Tech Crunch. As per the article, a survey was performed by 114 mobile app developers which shown that average cost to develop an app was $5782. An article on OSX Daily told that cost of app development ranges for “small to medium apps” as $2500 to $7000 and for “complex or enterprise apps” ranges as “$11000 to $70000 or more. Thats sounds a lot. At Zenia Mobile, we can help you develop your apps at effective cost, without exceeding your budget. You can fill out Quote Request form, or go to our Contact us page. One of our technical expert will assist you in answering all your queries, and providing you the reliable cost for your mobile app development.
Factors Affecting App Development Cost
These major factors that affect the cost:
- Complexity of the app
- Development approach and number of platforms
- Features and technology integration
- Development partner type and location
- Stage of app development
- Maintenance and other costs
App Development Cost by Complexity
1. Basic App
Cost: $2500 – $7000
What you get:
- Basic features e.g. notifications, feedback, database integration, user login, etc.
- Standard UI/UX
- Basic back-end support
- Upto 6 screens
- No social media API or technology integration
Development time: less than a month
2. Intermediate App
Cost: $7,000 – $15,000
What you get:
- Basic features + payment gateway integration, social media login, etc.
- Customized UI with better UX
- Better back-end support
- 6-15 screens
- Social media and other API integration
Development time: 1 – 3 months
3. Premium App
Cost: $15,000 – $75,000
What you get:
- Intermediate feature + audio/video streaming, live synchronization, multiple languages, better database integration, etc
- Advanced and well-researched UI/UX with animations
- Total back-end support
- 15+ screens
- third party and latest technology integrations
- Advanced security e.g. end-to-end encryption
You can read more about the cost based on complexity in our blog Average Cost to Develop an App in 2022. The cost will also vary based on the number of platforms and the approach which we will discuss next.
App Platform and Development Approach
One of the first things you have to decide while planning to develop an app is the platform. Android and iOS are the two major platforms which you may want to develop your app for. Based on the target audience and market, you can go for either one or both of them. Once you decide to go for one or both platforms, you can easily decide between native development and cross-platform development.
One of the first things you have to decide while planning to develop an app is the platform. Android and iOS are the two major platforms which you may want to develop your app for. Based on the target audience and market, you can go for either one or both of them. Once you decide to go for one aor both platforms, you can easily decide between native development and cross-platform development.
Android vs iOS App Development Costs
Usually, Android and iOS development costs for the same app don’t have a large difference. Still, different features and technology integration take different amounts of time and skills which can affect the cost. You can get an idea of the difference based on the hours a particular feature would require for the platform.
When you choose to go for both platforms, you can save costs using cross-platform development instead of paying for two individual native apps. The cost may increase due to the stricter guidelines of Apple App Store compared to the flexible ones of Google Play Store. Moreover, for native apps, the platforms have dedicated SDKs and frameworks which can affect the cost. To estimate the cost of app development these must be considered over the average costs.
Cross-platform and Native App Development Costs
Cross-platform development has improved rapidly over the last few years. New development technologies like React Native, Flutter and Ionic are being used to develop apps for both platforms with a single code base. App development with cross-platform frameworks saves a large amount of money and time by reducing the work required. Further, having a single code reduces work required for maintenance and updates.
Native app development allows for high-performance app development with complex custom UI and platform-specific features. The platform-based approach gives native apps an edge over cross-platform apps due to their optimized user experience. Native app development requires frameworks and coding language specific to the platform like Swift for iOS apps and Java or Kotlin for Android apps. All these reasons contribute to the costs and make native apps more expensive than cross-platform apps.
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Cost by Features and Technology Integration
App development cost = (Feature 1 x Hourly Rate 1) + (Feature 2 x Hourly Rate 2) + …
1. User Login and Authentication Mode
Development time: 50 – 70 hours
Cost: $200 – $500
2. Payment Integration Module and In-App Purchases
Cost: $700 – $1000
3. User Review and Rating Module
Cost: $300 – $500
4. Chat messaging and AI Chatbot
Cost: $700 – $900
5. AI Chatbot
Cost: $1300 – $1600
6. Push Notifications
Cost: $500 – $800
7. Audio and Video Streaming
Cost: $3000 – $4500 hours
8. Security and Privacy
Cost: $700 – $1200
Cost by App Developer Type and Location
App development costs vary massively around the world. An app with the same quality and features might cost as much as 50-70% less in Asia compared to the West. While that might sound tempting, working with developers in foreign countries comes with its own issues that you have to tackle. Our how to hire app developers blog can help you choose a developer for your needs.
When it comes to app development costs, the location and type of developer matters a lot. Let’s look at hourly costs in different regions which will also affect costs of developers based in those regions.
Average Cost by Location
North America: $140 – $200 / hour
UK: $50 – $100 / hour
Australia: $80 – $125 / hour
Eastern Europe: $25 – $60 / hour
India: $10 – $25 / hour
1. In-house App Developers
In-house app development team will require you to dedicate resources for hiring business analysts, expert mobile app developers, UX designers, quality assurance engineers and project managers. These costs will depend on the human resources and assets you already have. In-house app development is easier for businesses with an IT department. Such businesses just need to hire experts for specific tasks and utilize resources.
The overall costs will depend on the expertise you require and where you hire the employees from. Typically, for companies based in North America and Europe, in-house app development is the most expensive way of development.
2. Outsourcing App Development
Outsourcing app development is a popular and often an economic way of getting a mobile app developed. There is no shortage of app development companies around the world ready to develop an app for you but you must research and choose carefully. You can focus on features, expertise, reviews and cost involved. When it comes to cost, it will depend on where the agency is located.
Onshore or near-shore app development companies are in the same country or region as you are. These have the advantages of shared culture, closer time zone, no hiring required or employee benefits to be paid. The issue with onshore companies is that they employ or hire local developers which will cost them more. Add to that the management costs and profit margins which means your bills will be high when you outsource to an onshore company.
Outsourcing to offshore companies in Asia, Eastern Europe and other regions with low-cost developers is the preferred way for most businesses in the West. These app development companies offer the same expertise, features, technology and management capabilities at lower costs. As we saw before, the costs in Asia can get you as high as 50-70% discount on the costs. Outsourcing to an offshore company always makes sense when cost is a major consideration.
3. Freelance App Developers
Freelance app developers offer the cheapest way of developing an app. Hiring one or multiple individual freelancers reduces costs associated with management costs and profit margins of agencies. Hiring freelancers also allows you to choose individual experts and specialists from different locations easily. While there are no extra costs while hiring freelancers, you will need in-house management capabilities to hire freelancers, create a team sentiment and communicate with them. If the cost for these in work hours becomes higher for you, outsourcing to offshore companies might be a better choice.
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Cost by App Development Stages
App development is a long process and businesses can get a better idea of costs when it is broken down in stages. We will discuss the stages briefly and costs associated with them. The app development process has four stages.
1. Strategy
2. UI/UX Design
3. Development
4. Testing and Deployment
App Maintenance and Other Costs:
1. App Maintenance Costs
2. Infrastructural Costs
3. App Store Fees
4. Updates
An app may require functional updates, security updates, bug fixes or updates to meet new guidelines. Functional updates may cost $500 – $2000 based on the hourly rate of the developers.
There are many other costs including those for third-party services, analytics, monitoring, project management, marketing and patenting costs. It is positive to make sure you know what costs are being included in the services offered by the developer. The final cost of app development will always depend on many factors as we’ve discussed. Having read this guide, you can get a better estimate of the cost of your app.
Zenia Mobile provides the features, quality and management expertise that businesses look for in their apps. As an offshore app developer, we can provide the latest features and technology at competitive costs. Our expert developers and dedicated project manager will make sure the project moves smoothly. Contact us today to get a free estimate for your app!
