Examples of App Development Cost

Below you will find the examples of applications along with their price and app development time. It is only to give you an idea about the app development cost and not the actual cost of an app based on our own experience.

Example #1: Tinder

Tinder is one of the most popular dating applications.

In 2012, the year it appeared on the market, it raised $485,000 in seed.

Tinder’s functionality is quite simple for users. It’s just a function to swipe right and left for liking or disliking a particular person.

In case the person you liked returns the affection, the application creates a match.

The cost of such an application can start from $20,000, and it can take about 1,000 hours.

The cost of a dating app like Tinder requires the calculations of such app features as:

• authorization,
• GPS location, settings,
• user profile,
• matching functionality,
• push notifications,
• communication,
• and 3rd party integration.

Example #2: Ikea

Ikea is a brand-based application that was developed with the help of Augmented Reality. The photos of the furniture in their catalogues are mostly 3d models.

Due to the various new features and integrations plus security aspects, these apps increase the bill but add many functionalities.

The cost of such an application can start from $40,000, and it can take about 1,000 hours.

The features of the mobile app design include:

• 3D visualization of the products,
• compliance with social media sharing,
• 360-degree view of the products,
• real-time dashboard and analytics,
• CRM integration.

Example #3: Uber

Uber is an example of a successful ride-hailing app.

But in fact, an app like Uber has 3 applications: 2 mobile applications – for the passenger and driver, and a web application – the admin panel.

Hence, the app development budget should be as for 3 different applications.

The cost of such an application can start from $10,000, and it can take about 1,200 hours.

The features of the app include:

• payment integration,
• geolocation,
• routing and advanced route optimization
• SMS and push notifications integration,
• and more additional features.

Example #4: TikTok

TikTok is a popular social media application for video-sharing.

The cost of developing an app like TikTok can increase by the extent of app features and functionalities it offers.

The cost of such an application can start from $20,000 and can take about 1,200 hours.

The app features include:

• online messaging,
• video calls,,
• multi-language support,
• sharing images, videos,
• user connecting, and much more.

Example #5: Airbnb

Airbnb is an example of a thriving marketplace app.

Typically, a marketplace is the fusion of an on-demand app and e-commerce store. Due to this, the mobile app cost and development time will be higher.

The cost of such an application can start from $25,000, and it can take about 1,000 hours.

It will have some advanced features like:

• Search for available living units and last-minute booking,
• Save list for favourite homes and places,
• Co-planning of a trip and referral system,,
• Advanced booking workflow including date, check-in, and more details,
• In-app chat, and more.

Now you understand how much it costs to develop applications like well-known startups, so it’s time to look at the factors that affect the app costs.

Factors that Affect Application Costs

Before creating the mobile application, you need to analyse the target audience and business objectives, understand how to develop an app, and choose a platform to code. The buttons, screens, and other elements make the application unique, engaging, and convenient, but each additional piece affects the overall project budget. Therefore, it is Tamil Nadutial to pre-develop a prototype and think over the functionality to the smallest detail. This functionality influence the following factors that affect the price.

How much it cost to build an app depends on three things:

• The application’s complexity levels
• Design and Structure
• The platform on which the application will run

We will discuss these three aspects in detail, starting with the complexity.

Factor 1. Complexity Level of App Development

The smaller and simpler the application, the less time you will need for its development. When it comes to the timing of the application development, you need to decide on the scale of the upcoming work. How many features will be implemented in the product? How many screens, buttons, functions will it have? How complex will the application’s business logic be? The complexity level of the app depends on the features and integrations you choose and how to get an app developed.

Mid Level Apps – 6 to 10 months

• Complex Apps – 8 months to a year or more

The cost of developing mobile applications is highly dependent on the level of complexity and the size of the project.

Type 1. Simple Complexity

It consists of basic features, three to four screens, simple functions, and no data storage. That is an overview of a simple application. Such an application will have the main features, including:

• Login
• Signup
• Profile making and editing
• Search
• Notifications
• Messages
• Admin panel or dashboard

The cost will be determined based on a collection of features offered through the app.

Examples: A calculator app, time tracking app, notes app, social networks.

Type 2. Basic complexity: database and API-based applications

Why does an airplane cost more than a car? Similarly, to develop an app, adding more features and databases will increase the cost. In these applications, you are looking to add some extra features (other than the ones you find above)

• Social Media Integration
• In-App Purchases
• Payment Portals
• Geo-location
• Location Tracking
• Better Security

Apart from these, there is better accessibility and usage of robust infrastructure. These are the applications that require data storage, retrieval from more than one database, and more synchronization. To build such an app, you should also understand how large the customer base is; it also helps define the cost and price range. So, the higher complexity and number of features offered by the app will increase the cost.

Examples: Photo-sharing application, taxi or food delivery application.

Type 3. High complexity: feature-rich and large-scale applications

The complex apps are designed for big businesses. Basically, the companies create a custom development without integrations or they use custom integrations with existing systems. The complex apps are legacy or custom applications, that’s why it usually leads to higher development costs. The total cost to develop the app can go way beyond how much you might expect. Here’s how the development cost of this kind of app changes:

• Data Synchronization with more than two devices/li>
• Native features
• Online streaming
• In-App Calls
• Messaging
• Video Chats

With such applications, not only the development work is highly complex but research and planning of the mobile app development cost estimate are also equally intricate. The creation of dashboards and visualizations, development platform complexity, number of servers, databases, all require various infrastructure elements. Not to mention the high availability and redundancy requirements. These may require heavy customizations; the developers have to write the code for the majority of functions. It is difficult to determine the scope of an app project and decide how much it costs, especially before entering into lengthy meetings.

Examples are enterprise applications, CRM applications, gaming apps, trading platforms.

Factor 2. The Complexity of the Application Design

Moving on with how much does it cost to develop an app, we have entered the app design stage.. The design stage is an integral part of the development stage. You cannot separate the two to decide on the cost to develop the app. Designing is much like the development part; just as you add more features and cost rises, pro-rata. (Read more about the price of app design.) Similarly, with designing, if you decide to use the templates, the cost estimate will be restrictive but more customizations in the design mean higher costs and more time. There are a few things that we need to look at here as well.

Point 1. User Experience

UX is about how the application works. UX involves creating the screens on paper or a designing platform. Ultimately, it also helps decide how much it costs to develop a mobile app. The goal is to make the application easy to use for the end-user. Creating that kind of experience, understanding the market, the user, your goals, and objectives is Tamil Nadutial. The cost of launching a mobile app will fluctuate on the engagement levels and intricate design.

Examples:

• Button Placement
• Colour Psychology
• Following the user’s eye pattern

Point 2. User Interface and Visuals

There are a lot of the ins and outs of application design. However, it begins from UI or how the application will look to the viewer. Depending on the use of different visual elements, you can estimate the cost. In fact, it influences the cost of MVP design as well. Better design not only means a better outlook. Designing an application follows creating the mockups that allow getting a visual hint of the solution. Here too, the design will depend on your goals.

What do you require from your enterprise app?

• Engagement
• Sales
• Information

Furthermore, what kind of application you are developing will also play a role in app development costs.

• Basic app
• Authentication
• Social networking
• On-demand
• E-commerce
• Marketplace
• IoTВ

Different types of applications require different design solutions. At omninos, we put an equal emphasis on the design and development to find the optimal cost to develop an app.

Examples:

• Layout
• Screen
• Colors
• Typography
• Shapes
• Elements
• Items

Point 3. Branding

What does come into your mind when you think of:

• Apple
• Nike
• Reebok
• Volkswagen
• McDonald
• Dominos

All organisations have a brand value. Their icons and their names stand out from a crowd of thousands of similar brands. Why? Because they have invested in branding. Now when you are developing a mobile app, you may not care to market your brand because of how much it costs. Branding is a part of your business model. So, there is no doubt about whether or not to include branding in the application development process. However, the final cost you need to build an app will depend on branding; that is why you must keep it nominal in the beginning. After capturing the market to some extent, you can think about scaling branding efforts.

Examples:

• Creating an Icon
• Marketing Efforts

Point 4. UX Writing

When you develop an app for a user, add copywriting to the total cost. A creative copy must compel users to engage and interact more with your solution. The fusion of good copy and impactful design is vital for an app’s success. However, when it comes to the cost, you cannot ignore that a good copy needs good money. To know how much does it cost to have an app made, ask your developer to choose a copywriter first. Or, if you want to hire one by yourself, include the price into the final tally. Here too, you can select from a huge pool of writers globally. Choose a writer that shows nativity and cost-effectiveness. In comparison, selecting a writer from a native English-speaking country will cost more.

Examples are texts in:

• Landing Page
• Emails
• Newsletters

Factor 3. The Platform on Which the App Will Run

After knowing how much it costs to develop the app by considering complexity and design, we move on to the platform.

You need to decide between two things:

Option 1. Develop Hybrid or Cross-Platform App

Hybrid here implies that the application will either run on Android or iOS devices. In the discovery phase, which we adhere to at omninos for deciding how much an app costs, this question is primary. Before boiling down to one platform, take three things into considerations:

• Market Share
• Device Fragmentation
• Prevalence

All these depend on the market you are going to target initially. It is helpful to find out the cost of iOS app development by knowing the market. You need to know where iOS is more prevalent than Android, The same theory relates to Android devices. The development process for both platforms is different, but not how much it will cost you to develop an app. Cross-platform applications get the benefit of easy-fit, smooth operation, and they can use the platform-specific features. This helps create a better experience and lowers the “how much cost” answer of an app. The cost to develop a native app is more than the hybrid one. And this is for obvious reasons. You require double human resources and effort to build two apps at the same time.

Option 2. Develop a Native App

In contrast to a hybrid app, a native application runs only on a single platform: Android or iOS. Thus, if you want to build an app for both Android and iOS using native frameworks, you’ll need to hire 2 particular development teams. One to create an Android version, and another one to create an iOS version. You get the idea, right? Since you will need to employ different people for different platforms, the cost will certainly double. The question that you might ask is how much an iPhone or an Android app costs. The answer is that the cost is the same to build an app on iOS and Android. Although the technologies, SDK, databases, frameworks, and quality assessment systems are different for both, the price is the same. Another integral part of the guide on how much an app will cost is a hidden cost.

Hidden App Development Costs You Need to Know

A few additional costs add to the final answer of how much it costs to develop an effective app:

• Functional costs as fees for third-party integrations. For example, SMS or push notifications, geolocation, or payment gateways.
• Admin or management costs. For example, content manager salary.
• Infrastructural costs. The payment for server, CDN, and integrations like Redis.
• Support charges. Additional costs to update an application, fix bugs, or make future improvements.

Let’s look at the details. For example, it cost $75,000 to develop the app

• Depending on the number and load of integrations, they can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 per year.
• Maintaining the application would cost 20% per year of the original development cost, i.e. $15,000

App marketing would cost 50%-100% per year of the original development cost, i.e. $75,000-$150,000.

Your Options When It Comes to App Development

The final point to consider in how much does it cost to make an app is a team you choose. The assumption that the kind of development one chooses does not matter is not valid one. On the contrary, choosing the right team has several benefits. One of them is lower costs and higher quality. As a startup, your budget is low, but the need for a unique product is imperative. So, if you want to get the best bang for your bucks, choose the team wisely. Here’s some expert guidance that will help you decide how much an app costs. The choice of a team will significantly influence how much it does cost to make an app. Pro Tip: Always keep three things in mind when you are hiring developers for your solution: