Factors to consider while estimating the Cost of an App

Are you willing to create a mobile application? Are you going to hire mobile app developers? Or are you going to hire a mobile app development company? What things are you considering before starting development of your mobile app? What is the need of having a mobile application? What all things you want to include in the mobile app?
All these questions are extremely important before starting development of mobile applications. To develop an app, a lot of factors need the spotlight. Android app development is completely different than iOS app development. Android application developers do not require to follow strict guidelines as compared to iOS app developers. On the other hand, cross-platform app developers are in more demand as they develop apps that suit both the famous operating systems.
Any individual or company will think what will be the cost of mobile app development. Anything that is done for the sake of good business requires investments. Mobile apps are a kind of investment. Not necessarily every organization or individual creates an app to earn money directly from it. Many organizations develop an app to facilitate the end users and prospects.

What are the reasons organizations tend to develop mobile applications?

Direct marketing-

Mobile apps work as a medium of marketing. These apps directly promote the product or service and tell the user about it in detail. Also, it displays the pros of the product or service in detail so that prospects will feel the desire of buying the product/service.

Branding-

Any new brand needs time for establishment. But if you want people to recognize your brand in a shorter span of time, go for unique techniques like apps. Many brands are made famous by the apps and not with the websites.

To offer complete access to the information-

Customers need to see their own data at any time of the day. This should be made available by the company. Also, the information about the product or service should be made available in real time. This all can be done with the help of mobile apps.

What are the benefits of having a mobile app:

  • Brand recognition
  • Uniqueness
  • Increase in customer loyalty
  • Socially active
  • Increased customer engagement
  • More value to the customer
  • More visibility

Here are some interesting facts about mobile apps:

  • Mobile app industry will generate a revenue of around 189 billion US dollars. Source Statista.
  • At present, there are 3.2 million Android apps in the Google play store and 2.2 million apps in Apple’s app store.
  • There are millions of Android application developers and iOS app developers in the market. Also, the demand for cross-platform app developers is increasing at a faster pace.
  • Around 197 billion mobile apps were downloaded in the year 2017 by the users from all over the globe. Source: Statista.
  • A smartphone user uses 9 apps daily on an average and 30 apps monthly. Source: TechCrunch.
  • It is estimated that the total number of mobile apps download will reach 352 billion by the year 2021.
  • Online advertising will focus more on mobile app marketing with a share of 70% of the total budget. Source.
  • According to a report, 42% of small businesses in the United States of America are having their own mobile app.
  • 90% of mobile users use their phones to make purchase-related decisions. Source.
  • As per a report generated by Salesforce, 68 percent of companies have already integrated mobile marketing in the overall marketing strategy.
  • 83 percent of marketers have a strong opinion that mobile apps are important for content marketing.
With all these points, it is clear that developing a mobile is very essential and a must thing in today’s world. But the question arises that how much does it cost to build a mobile app? The answer depends on various factors. We will now see what these factors are?

Factors for Cost to Create an App?

Native apps:

    If the mobile app is natively built, it is clear that it has heavy features increasing the cost. iOS app developers or Android app developers will need to work independently on the app platform. This will add to the cost.
    If you want your mobile app to be on more app platforms, the number of developers and designers will increase. Also, the functionalities added will influence the native app’s cost. On an average, the cost of android app ranges from 15 US dollars to 40 US dollars.

Hybrid Cross-Platform apps:

    These apps can reach a larger number of global audience in less time and less money too. As we all know, hybrid apps or cross-platform apps need no different coding for different app platforms. There are plenty of HTML5, CSS, JavaScript developers or experts in the market. Also, the single code runs across multiple app platforms. So the efforts and time required are reduced by 80%.
    Read More: Everything About Cross-Platform Apps – Infographic

The Technology used:

    This is an important factor in deciding the cost estimation for a mobile app. Any emerging technology requires specific expertise and high-level tools. Augmented reality apps and virtual reality apps are technically sound and require real-time synchronizations, custom animations, difficult backend, third-party services integration, utilization of hardware/firmware, etc.
    High definition visuals, graphics, sounds, etc. are involved in these apps. On the other hand, apps that deal with artificial intelligence is like a dream. Just concept strategy costs a lot. AI apps require AI experts, latest and expensive tools, a skilled team of developers, machine learning, etc. All these things cannot be done in-house. Hiring these expert resources will put a big hole into the company’s pocket.

Testing:

    Any app developed, requires thorough testing. Testing can be done manually and also can be done with the help of automation. Automation requires more money compared to manual. But it gives faster and accurate results.

In-house vs outsourcing:

    Many companies require apps for a small purpose like branding. Some apps might not need constant updates, customer interaction, real-time services, etc. These type of apps are made once and then no need to look at them for a long period of time. Developing such apps in-house is a bad idea.
    Since in-house app development requires hiring an expert and experienced resources, tools, technologies, time and efforts. What are these resources going to do after development? Hence, in such cases outsourcing is the best option.

    Besides, outsourcing mobile app development brings a lot of benefits such as:







  • 60% less turnaround time
  • 70% time saved
  • 60% cost reduction
  • Access to highly skilled resources
  • Experienced team
  • High-quality apps
  • Timely updates
  • Good customer service
  • Timely maintenance

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