How Much Does It Cost to Create an App in 2024? A Detailed Guide

You must have heard, “there’s an app for everything?” It is true. According to BusinessofApps, a record 3.3 million Android apps were hosted on the Google Play Store, while approximately 2.2 million apps in the Apple App Store.

A report by Grand View Research projects that the revenues for the mobile application market across different segments will touch approximately 567.19 billion dollars by the year 2030.

With such huge popularity of mobile applications, it’s no surprise that digital businesses are eager to invest in mobile application development. Still, here goes the most common question: how much does mobile app development cost?

The comprehensive answer to that question, alongside insights into factors affecting the app development costs, monetization models, the process of app development, and some tips on saving money while building a mobile app, are covered in this guide.

Overview of the Average Cost of Mobile App Development

The average cost for developing a mobile app ranges from $10,000 to $100,000, though some customized and complex apps can cost more than $200,000. These varying estimates are due to many different factors that take concern for the app in terms of complexity, features, and approach towards development.

But don’t bother-we will detail all key factors driving the cost of developing a mobile application.

Once these factors are understood, you can estimate the cost of your app by the standard calculation formula; it’s simply a formula that calculates the number of hours required for each development process and multiplies it by the hourly rate of the development team.

So now, let’s look at some popular app development costs.

Most Popular Global Apps and Cost of Development

Following are a few well-known mobile applications, which altered customer experiences and are currently ruling the App Market. Knowing the cost breakdowns of such applications will help understand “How much does it cost to develop an app? “.

• Uber: It is one of the car-ride-sharing applications connecting drivers and passengers globally. It allows users using this application to instantly book or schedule his ride. This type of Uber-like app would cost in the development cycle from $30,000 – $100,000.
• Snapchat: It is used by more than 300 million active users every day. It was Snapchat that introduced the world to a gift called augmented reality filters. The approximate development cost at which an app like Snapchat can be developed on one platform ranges between $45,000 and $100,000. This can go up to $200,000 in case the development takes place on both platforms.
• WhatsApp: This is primarily an application that assists in the sending and receiving of messages over a virtual network. It allows for a number of services including instant messaging, video calling, audio calls, and sharing of media amongst others. Such applications, like WhatsApp, are believed to cost between 30,000 to 70,000 dollars in development.
• TikTok: The most famous app when it comes to video sharing. This customer is going to make a video and share it using filters and different effects. The development cost estimation of TikTok-like apps is about 60,000-100,000 dollars for one platform; in the case of hybrid development, this figure increases up to 150,000 dollars.
• Coursera: This is a learning application, filled with huge variety in courses and even degrees. The estimated development cost in an application like Coursera is $ 60,000 – $ 120,000.
• Netflix: This is a pretty well-known media streaming application. An application similar to Netflix starts from $25,000 to $ 200,000.
• Holafly: It may be cited as an example of such applications of eSIM, which provide connectivity to the voyager in the most comfortable way. To develop such an application like Holafly, quotation for development cost may range from $30,000 to $300,000 and above, depending on the features and their complexities.

Some Popular Apps and Their Development Estimated Costs:

• Uber: $30,000 – $80,000
• Netflix: $25,000 – $200,000
• WhatsApp: $20,000 – $50,000
• Snapchat: $35,000 – $90,000
• TikTok: $50 ,000 – $90 ,000
• Coursera: $40 ,000 – $100 ,000

Now, let me take you through some of the most vital factors that amply help in estimating the total cost of mobile app development.

Top 8 Factors That Impact Mobile App Development Costs

Several factors are associated with the cost involved in developing a mobile application. These shall be quite helpful to know that these are to be chosen while making cost-effective decisions to increase return on investment and also remaining within your budget estimate.

Major factors that will help in estimating the cost of mobile app development are as follows:

1. Complexity of a Mobile App

• Simple Apps: Less complicated simple apps that have fewer features, for example, login, user profile, and dashboard applications, may begin at about $5,000-$50,000.
• Medium Complexity Apps: These would integrate social media, payment gateways, and media streaming. The cost estimation lies in the range of $50,000-$120,000.
• Complex Applications: Advanced technologies include AR/VR, AI, etc., prices for which start at anywhere in the range from 100,000-300,000 dollars or more.

2. App Features and Functionalities

The features you choose to include will greatly influence development costs. Adding advanced functionalities will increase the overall price.

Developing the MVP keeps the cost lower and allows you to gather user feedback before you continue with more advanced features.

3. App Category

Different app categories come with varying levels of complexity, user base, and security requirements, leading to different development costs.

App Category Breakdown:

By understanding these essential factors and categories, you can make informed decisions about the cost of developing your app in 2024.

4. App Design & Animation

The design of an application is another critical parameter that contributes a great deal to the application development cost. A well-crafted design helps ensure that users will spend time on your app, which is one reason app design plays such an important role.

When considering app design, you typically have two choices: Custom UI and Standard UI. Custom UI is more challenging to design and implement than Standard UI, making it a more expensive option.

Other important components of mobile app design include wireframing and animation:

• Wireframing: Developers use wireframes to create effective user experience features and layout maps. Tools like Marvel, Balsamiq, and Photoshop are often used for this process.
• Animation: Animation has become a popular way to make certain aspects of an app engaging and intuitive. Social media and gaming apps often rely heavily on animations.

5. App Platform

To begin development, the selection of the platform should be made. One can opt for iOS, Android, web apps, or cross-platform applications, depending on their target audience. Quite often, for any startup, it is economical to start with one and then expand to the others.

Following are several popular mobile application development platforms.

• Native App Platform: iOS applications are built using Swift or Objective C and their applications for Android in Java or Kotlin.
• Web App Platform: Primarily, the development cost of the web application, say Progressive Web Apps, is much lower. The cost of development lies between $ 15,000 and $ 50,000.
• Cross-platform: Most of the people now trend towards developing iOS and Android apps simultaneously, which saves money. Among all the cross-platform development frameworks, Flutter and React Native are the leading software.
• Hybrid Apps: Hybrid apps merge the native and web app technologies. While installation is carried out just like native apps, they run inside a webview component.

6. App Maintenance

The expenses for an app don’t end once development is complete. To stay up-to-date with market trends and new device/OS versions, businesses must continually update their apps, which incurs additional costs. What expenses can you expect post-development?

• App Bug Fixes: No app is completely bug-free. Bugs often surface once the app is live, so you’ll need to address them as they arise.
• Design Updates: Application design gets outdated with time, and that needs to be updated for better engagement of the users.

Maintenance cost is usually measured yearly and said to be approximately 20% of the total development cost of an app.

7. Code Reuse

Code reuse is one way to reduce mobile app development costs. By reusing existing code and updating branding elements, businesses can save significantly. However, experts at Appinventors suggest reusing only common elements, like login screens and contact forms, while building the rest from scratch to maintain a unique brand identity.

Apps that reuse existing code can reduce development costs by 20–30% compared to apps developed from scratch.

8. Size and Location of Development Team

The total cost of mobile app development also depends on the team you choose. Options range from a custom app development company to a local or in-house team, or even freelance developers. An experienced mobile app development company can significantly enhance the quality of your app.

While all of the above factors determine the overall cost of app development, there are plenty of cases in which hidden factors may ultimately make a difference. It is, therefore, always very important to take these extra costs into consideration during the mobile app development process.

Hidden Factors Affecting Mobile App Development Cost

Identification of some of the common hidden costs associated with a mobile application development project: The understanding of these factors will lead to mitigating risks and saving both time and money. Let’s understand each of them in some detail.

Quality Assurance

The size and complexity of your application may demand hiring a quality assurance person and even a project manager. Business analysts can also be deployed to ensure that the development costs remain within your budget while getting the quality assured.

Infrastructure Costs

Infrastructure costs refer to expenses related to data storage, data delivery, and app hosting. These costs add to both the complexity and overall expense of the project. Typical infrastructure costs include servers, data storage solutions, and development tools or libraries.

IT Support Costs

High-quality apps require ongoing IT support and technical maintenance, which can add to long-term expenses. Over time, support costs may increase as updates, bug fixes, and API maintenance are needed to keep the app running smoothly.

App Publishing Cost

Speaking of stores, a developer has to take into consideration some fees when publishing apps. For example, uploading an Android application to the Google Play Store requires one-time registration and requires a single payment of $25. Apple, on the other hand, requires $99 per year from every developer wanting the App Store.

 If you want to distribute your app only to people within your enterprise or organization, the cost via the Apple Developer Enterprise Program is $299 annually.

App Security

Security is one of the major, most important factors in the development of a mobile app. It is something that users should feel comfortable with while sharing their personal information; thus, the onus lies with the developers to be prepared for security. A proper security approach will save you from higher costs later on, such as possible financial and reputational damages.

Step-by-Step Mobile App Development Process

The following steps serve as a general guideline to building a successful application for your business. You can proceed with the following steps one by one:

1. Target Market Research

Correct market research will help you understand how your target audience interacts with brands, what competitors are doing, and which market trends are appropriate. Such knowledge is highly important for creating a product that fits users’ expectations.

2. Choose the Right Platform

You can build your application for Android, iOS, or both. It depends on the audience that needs to be targeted and your budget. It would be wise to choose one platform in the initial stages to save on resources and costs. You can expand your development to other platforms later if necessary.

3. Engage an App Development Firm

Now, hiring an app development company would ensure that your app would engage recent features and be timely delivered. The companies provide superb value to their customers since they give significant insight into the industry and make the latest technologies available to them.

4. Create an MVP

You may develop an MVP by including only the most important features in your application. This way, you will be able to receive feedback from early users and enhance the product with data from the real world.

5. Test Your App

Testing forms a very important part of development. From performance testing through usability assessments, knowing the app works perfectly prevents costly mistakes and satisfies the users.

6. Publishing of Application to Stores

Publish your application after testing in the Play Store or Apple App Store by following their requirements. Make sure your monetization methodology meets the requirement of the platform.

7. Launch and Performance Monitoring

Once terminated, keep tracking the performance of the app using in-app analytics. Regular updates will not only engage users more but will also lead to the betterment of issues that are suggested by the users.

Cost of App Development at Each Stage

To plan effectively, one must understand the cost structure related to app development. Here’s a breakdown of the costs involved in each stage of the development process:

How Do Apps Make Money?

There are tens of ways a mobile app can make money. One of the most popular revenue models involves the following:

Advertising

In-app advertising allows you to advertise third-party products and services within your app while you earn money back.

Freemium

The model allows users to use free basic features but requires paying for advanced features. This model also opens up additional revenue streams, such as in-app advertising.

Subscription

Premium features are available only for a recurring charge levied from the users monthly, yearly, or on a per-use basis. The subscriptions can be managed through stores.

Sponsorship

In this model, the app owner partners with a sponsor relevant to the app niche and offers to give brand placement or promote the products in their app. The app owner gets paid in return.

How to Reduce Mobile App Development Cost

Business owners can reduce development cost by implementing a few strategic habits during the development process:

Prioritize Features Early

Focus on the main features that bring the most value for your users. In return, building the MVP will ease your way to faster launching and saving money with your app.

Involve Quality Assurance Early

Introducing QA professionals at the start of development can help detect bugs early on, preventing costly fixes later in the project.

Plan for Future Enhancements

App development is an ongoing process. Plan ahead for future updates and feature changes based on user feedback to ensure scalability.

Outsource Development

The outsourced development of apps enables you to outsource the same work at lower prices from a talent pool spread all over the world. This saves money related to office space, office equipment, and other accessories.

Opt for Cross-Platform Development

Making a cross-platform app means that it can target both Android and iOS platforms at the same time, and the cost for creating one is also relatively less as compared to native apps. Some of the technologies used in cross-platform app creation are Flutter and React Native.

How Can Appinventors Help With Mobile App Development?

Therefore, the cost for building an app is how much? As you have seen, it depends on many factors. You might still doubt the actual cost of the development of a mobile application. You are at liberty to make inquiries from a reliable company like Appinventors.

Appinventors specializes in innovative app development that is scalable, featuring next-generation features. Whether you want to get your new app launched or an estimation of the cost, their experts are ready to help anyone bring his dream app into reality. Reach Appinventors to begin your journey of mobile application development.