November 18, 2024 
Milan Kumar 
0
November 18, 2024 0
App Development Cost in 2024, Cost to Build an App in 2024, Cost to Create an App, Cost To Develop Mobile App In 2024, How Much Does It Cost to Develop An App, Mobile App Development Cost in 2024, Mobile App Development Cost in 2025, Mobile App Development Cost in UAE, Mobile App Development Cost in USA Have you ever heard the saying, "There's an app for everything?" Well, it's true. According to BusinessofApps, there are 3.3 million Android apps available on the Google Play Store, and for the Apple App Store, the number is close, at 2.2 million.
Moreover, a report from Grand View Research estimates that the revenue of the mobile app market across various segments will reach approximately $567.19 billion by the year 2030.
With such widespread popularity, it's not surprising to see every digital business investing in mobile app development. However, when discussing investment in mobile app development, the most common question that arises is: "How much does mobile app development cost?"
This guide aims to provide you with a comprehensive answer to that question, along with detailed insights into the factors that impact app development cost, various app monetization models, the mobile app development process, and strategies to save money on your mobile app development.
In short, the approximate expense of creating a mobile application can vary between $25,000 to $150,000, and could even surpass $300,000 for highly customized and complex applications. We use the term "tentative" because the cost of developing a custom mobile app depends on various factors such as the complexity of the app, its features and functions, development approach, and more.
However, there's no need to fret, as we have conducted a thorough analysis of all the significant factors influencing the cost of mobile app development.
Once you understand these factors, you can estimate the cost of building an app using a standard calculation method. The answer to the question "how much does it cost to create an app" lies in calculating the number of hours required for each development stage and multiplying it by the billable hours of resources.
Now, let's explore some popular apps and their associated development costs.
Here are some examples of popular apps that have changed the idea of customer experience and are currently at the forefront of the app market. We've also included the typical cost of developing these apps.
| Popular Apps | Average Cost |
| Uber | $30,000-$100,000 |
| Netflix | $25,000-$200,000 |
| $30,000-$70,000 | |
| Snapchat | $45,000-$100,000 |
| Coursera | $60,00-$120,000 |
| Tik-Tok | $60,000-$100,000 |
While these were the estimation costs of some of the leading mobile apps in the market, we also need to discuss essential development factors that affect the overall mobile app development cost.
The cost of developing a mobile app depends on various important factors. Knowing these factors will assist you in making cost-effective decisions and maximizing your return on investment in development. Additionally, understanding these factors will enable you to remain within your budget.
Now, let's explore the key factors that influence the total cost of mobile app development.
Developing a simple app typically costs $5,000 – $50,000 and includes basic user features like login, user profiles, and a dashboard.
For a medium complex app, the cost ranges from $50,000 to $120,000, offering additional features such as social media integration, payment gateways, and enhanced user engagement.
Complex apps, costing $100,000 to $300,000 or more, integrate advanced technologies like AR/VR and AI, along with features such as multi-language support and intricate data logic.
Here’s an average app development cost breakdown based on its complexity:
| App Complexity | Level of Complexity | Average Timeline | Average Cost |
| Simple App | MVP functionality with Basic UI | 2-3 months | $5,000-$50,000 |
| Medium Complex app | Sophisticated features with Custom UI | 3-9 months | $50,000-$120,000 |
| Highly complex app | High level advanced features with Bespoke UI | 10+ months | $100,000-$300,000 |
The cost of creating an app depends largely on the features and functionalities you include in your application. As you add more features, the base price for developing a mobile app increases.
Therefore, it's wise to focus on the essential features in the initial version of the app. This approach ensures a good customer experience at an affordable price. Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which is the first version of a product with a basic set of features, is the best option. An MVP saves both time and money, and it enables you to gather valuable user feedback.
Let's first consider the average cost and time needed for basic features, and then we can discuss more complex features.
| Features | Function | Approximate Time | Average cost |
| User Login | Login with social mediaLogin with an email addressForgot password optionLog out option | 30-42 hours | $500 – $1,000 |
| Profile Completion | Add basic infoAdd photoSet region | 30-40 hours | $900-$1,000 |
| Messaging | Online/offline statusTyping statusSend media files and documentsRead/sent status | 170-180 hours | $3,000-$5,000 |
| Push Notifications | Push notifications and reminders for users | 25-32 hours | $1,000 – $1,200 |
| Basic admin panel: User management | See list of usersDelete/block userCreate userEdit user | 66-90 hours | $3,500-$4,000 |
Now, here is the mobile app development cost breakdown based on advanced feature integration:
| Features | Function | Approximate Time | Average cost |
| Payments | Transaction historyCheck balanceAdd debit/credit cardAdd other payment gateways such as Paytm, Paypal, etc. | 60-78 hours | $2,500-$3,000 |
| Maps | Detect user’s locationSet pickup and destination point | 100-120 hours | $3,000-$4,000 |
| Calls | Audio calls,List of contacts,Video calls | 300-400 hours | $14,000-$15,000 |
App development costs vary greatly depending on the category. Moving between categories means changes in user numbers, features, security, etc., leading to different development costs.
In E-commerce/M-Commerce, apps like Amazon and Wayfair are popular for their real-time performance, ability to handle millions of users, and robust security.
Social Networking apps require third-party integrations and access to hardware functions like cameras. They must also support millions of users, making their development cost higher than less complex apps.
Now, here’s an estimation cost to develop an app based on its category:
| App Category | Approximate Hours | Average Cost |
| eCommerce app | 1,200 | $50,000 – $150,000 |
| Social media app | 1,200 | $50,000 – $300,000 |
| Learning app | 900 | $60,000 – $225,000 |
| Dating app | 1,400 | $50,000 – $350,000 |
| Gaming app | More than 1,800 | $60,000 – $250,000 |
The next aspect that contributes to determining the cost of developing an app is the app's design. Making sure that users engage with your app requires a particular focus on its design.
When considering app design, there are generally two options – Custom and Standard UI. Customized UI involves more complexity in design and implementation compared to Standard UI, resulting in higher costs.
Additional components of mobile app design include wireframing and animation:
Wireframing: Developers use wireframing to create effective user experience features and maps. Specialized tools like MARVEL, Balsamiq, and Photoshop are utilized for this purpose.
Animation: Animation has become a popular technique to enhance certain aspects of any application, making them more engaging and intuitive. Gaming and social media applications often utilize animations extensively.
Here is the mobile application development cost breakdown based on its app design:
| App Process | Design Tasks | Average Development Time | Average Development Cost |
| App Design Research | Market research, Competitor analysis, Market trend analysis, Selecting ideal solutions | Based on niche and available resource | $100-$350 |
| UX Design | Rough sketches, Low fidelity wireframes, High fidelity wireframes | Simple- 10-14 hours Medium- 50-60 hours Complex- 150+ hours | $2000-$8000 |
| UI Design | Mood boards, UI mockup samples, Final UI mockups | Simple – 14-20 hours Medium- 80-90 hours Complex- 100+ hours | $10,000-$40,000 |
| Branding | Creating brand identity | Logos, icons and social media | $5,000-$20,000 |
| Illustrations & Animations | Visualizing user and on-screen content, User action visualization | Based on level of animations | $1000-$20,000 |
When starting the process of creating a mobile application, it's crucial to select a platform. Depending on the people you want to reach, you can decide to create an iOS, Android, web, or cross-platform app. If you're a new company with limited funds, it's best to start with one platform initially, then expand to others later.
Here are the most popular options for app development platforms:
| Type of App | Average Cost |
| Native apps (Android & iOS) | $50,000 to $100,000 |
| Cross-platform apps | $25,000 to $60,000 |
| Web apps | $15,000 to $50,000 |
| Hybrid apps | $10,000 to $150,000 |
After completing the initial development of a mobile app, expenses continue. Businesses must regularly update their apps to match market trends, new devices and operating system versions that incurres additional costs. What factors affect your budget after the app is developed?
This factor significantly reduces the expense of developing a mobile app. When businesses opt to utilize the code from an existing app and simply modify branding elements, the cost of mobile application development decreases substantially.
However, businesses are advised to only reuse common elements such as "contact us" and "login," while developing the remaining features anew. Otherwise, maintaining a distinct brand identity becomes challenging.
The cost of app development using existing code is typically 18-32% lower than developing an app from scratch.
The overall cost of developing a mobile application largely depends on the choice of developer. You have several options available, including hiring a professional app development company, a local team, an in-house development team, or a freelance developer.
Nevertheless, opting for an experienced mobile app development company can significantly benefit your business app by delivering high-quality applications with advanced features and functionalities.
Below is a rough estimate of the expected cost range for hiring a mobile app developer for app development, including outsourcing to a development team.
| Cost Factors & Requirement | Simple App | Medium App | Complex App |
| Development time | 2-6 months | 6-9 months | 9-15 months |
| Developers | $30-40,000 | $50-60,000 | $100,000+ |
| UI/UX Designer | $4-5,000 | $5-7,000 | $10-15,000 |
| Project Manager | $5-7,000 | $10-15,000 | $15,000+ |
| QA Specialist | $8-10,000 | $15-20,000 | $20,000+ |
| Business Analyst | $2-3,000 | $5-8,000 | $8-10,000 |
| DevOps | $2-4,000 | $5-7,000 | $10,000+ |
| Solution Architect | $1-3,000 | $5-8,000 | $9,000+ |
| Total | $20-50,000 | $50-100,000 | $100,000+ |
The location of app developers is a significant factor in determining the overall cost of app development. Below is a table showing the average development costs based on different geographical locations:
| Region | App Development Cost |
| India | $20-40/hr |
| United States | $80-170/hr |
| Ukraine | $30-100/hr |
| Australia | $80-200/hr |
| Russia | $60-150/hr |
These factors cover the expenses associated with building an app. Now, let's delve into the hidden costs that are frequently disregarded during the app development process.
Hidden costs in mobile app development projects are crucial to understand to mitigate risks and save time and money. Let's delve into each:
Now that we've covered the various factors impacting the cost of developing mobile applications, let's delve into the standard process of app development to guide you in getting started.
To build a successful app for your business, follow these stages:
FAQs on Mobile App Development Costs
Q: How much does it cost to make an app?
A: While it's challenging to provide an exact figure for custom mobile app costs, here are approximate estimates:
Q: How much does it cost to maintain an app?
A: In the first year after launch, app maintenance costs can be around 50% of the initial development cost. Subsequently, yearly maintenance budgets can range from 15% to 20% of the initial cost.
Q: How long does it take to build an app?
A: Typically, apps can take anywhere from three to nine months or longer to develop, depending on factors such as app complexity and project structure. For more detailed insights, you can refer to resources on app development timelines or consult with a mobile app development company.
Q: What factors influence overall app development costs?
A: Various factors affect app development costs, including features and functionalities, app complexity, design and animation, code reusability, size, and location of the development team, among other hidden factors related to app development.
Director & Co-Founder
November 18, 2024 Milan Kumar 0 Our newsletter is finely tuned to your interests, offering insights into AI-powered solutions, blockchain advancements, and more.
Subscribe now to stay informed and at the forefront of industry developments.
