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How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Small Business Mobile App?

With free apps being widely available in the stores, it is obvious for people to assume that it takes little time (lesser cost and planning involved) to create them. The real picture is completely different as there is a battlefield set out there where developers and investors fight it out to bring out apps. The cost is determined by several factors involved in the entire process of app development which are hours, number of people involved, types of resources used, payment rates and the span of time in which the app is created and published. Considering the present day’s statistics and surveys mobile app is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are numerous players competing with each other to reach the top spot. It takes a lot of time to develop and publish an app. Costs vary from one company to another. According to a survey carried out by Clutch.co, the median cost range has been reportedly found to remain between $37,913 and $171,450, but could climb up to $500,000 or higher. There are no exact figures as cost components and their values tend to change with each passing phase.

How to Get a Good Developer?

A company’s credentials speak more than the promises (which are often full of promotional statements to attract audiences). Costs of engaging a good team will always be high as quality comes with a price tag. The main question that arises out here is how to get a good developer or a pool of decent developers? There are a few things you must consider before choosing:

1. If you have planned a bulk app that requires heavy coding or programming processes then you must avoid selecting an agency experienced only in developing simple apps.
2. You can often question yourself whether to start developing an app all by yourself since the ideas, concepts and design are with you. However a solid plan often fails due to wrong implementations. DYI is not good for certain areas as you must understand the strict territories of app development. Professionalism clubbed with creativity and high level of project management skills go on to complete an app.
3. There are too many pitfalls in referrals. You must judge and select your team (agency, etc) considering the fact that they must be able to finish the app and get it released. (You may have already suffered from delays as you started your project with someone but realized that they made empty promises and failed to deliver.)
4. A highly skilled team will introduce expertise and finesse in development and quality of the product.

When Approving a Budget for Your App you Choose to Hire a Team that Comprises of:

• A seasoned designer who establishes stunning visual content that is incorporated into codes in the app.

• An account manager who coordinates with you and acts as the intermediate body between you and the team involved in completing the tasks involved in app development.

• Developer/developers play significant roles as they bring out the concepts and artworks into the apps. Everything from planning to delivery depends greatly on the developer.

• A project manager who assesses and inspects the functions of an app. He/she is the person behind commission the roles of team members and executing plans in the development process.

What is The Cost to Develop an Average App?

According to Aaron Cohen, a highly-respected top representative at Fueled, “…you’re going to find that you’re going to need at least $150,000 to build the first version of your product.” Fueled has reportedly built version one products at a roughly estimated cost of $150,000. However this agency has also taken up project requirements of clients who had ‘more extensive requirements for their minimum viable product (MVP)–costing them as much as $500,000 for their first version app.’ As we can see from the huge gap in costs, which determine the fact that there are no set costs that can be written down as the exact figures required to build an app.

Difference Between Hiring an Individual and an Agency

You can reduce costs by hiring freelancer/s but your risks will surely increase. Work habits, professionalism, communication standards, quality and work ethics differ a lot in an agency and a freelancer. You can receive your end product developed by a freelancer but there might be times when you will remain largely unsatisfied.

If you are up for a world-changing mobile app then you must take into account the power, time and excellence required in developing your blockbuster product. An agency will have the experience and the resources to deliver your desired dimensions.

Given below are a few tables and charts gathered from clutch.co representing cost components involved in mobile app development:

Stage	Component	Median Low (Hours)	Median High (Hours)	Maximum High (Hours)
Planning	Research and discovery	8	40	200
	Scope definition	9	27	160
Design	Wireframe design – seven screens	14	56	140
	Visual Design – seven screens	14	87.5	210
	User experience design	7.125	28	200
Features	Native device features	4	29	100
	User engagement, such as SMS, Email, Push, Social	5.5	30	150
	User login	4.5	28	70
	Use of location data	5	24	150
	Payments	12	40	200
	Sync across devices	16	62.5	200
Infrastructure	Initial setup/Basic controls	5	20	50
	Data storage	6.5	40	200
	Third-party API integration	8	50	120
	Access to enterprise data	22	100	400
	Data encryption	10	40	80
	Scalability/Large number of users	24	130	800
App Administration	Infrastructure for performance management and analytics	8	20	80
	Web portal or CMS to manage application	35	120	1,000
Testing	Internal, user, and deployment testing	30	160	300
Deployment	Liscensing, packaging, etc.	5.125	11	40
Total Hours		252.75	1,143	4,850
x $100/hour		$25,275.00	$114,300.00	$485,000.00
x $150/hour		$37,912.50	$171,450.00	$727,500.00

Detailed Breakdown of Each App Development Stage.

Success of your app will largely depend on your goal setting, expectations, high-end testing, professional development efforts, real-time user reviews and industry related expert views and help. The shelf life of an app depends on its growing popularity which is determined by excellent promotional activities and marketing strategies. Costs to develop a good app will always be higher than set patterns and budget plans.

Read Also: Top 10 Platforms for Building High-Quality Apps