It is the first question for people planning to have a website. Wondering with the soared app development charges and budget is your constraint, Then you have landed on the right page.
Most startup & SMB owners these days trying to find answers to these questions- How much does it cost to build an app and How to minimize app development costs without compromising quality?
If you decided to create a mobile app in-house, you can certainly decrease mobile app development costs, at least initially, because over time, when getting hands-on fixing bugs, lack of experience and expertise may cause you to struggle. It would cost you even more than the price quotes you get from an app development company.
This post will help you find information about the factors that collectively influence a final app development cost figure. We aim to help you with low-cost app development practices and get the final job done under your budget.
App Development Cost Benchmarks
An app development cost dramatically depends on the type of application. We have gathered average quotes on the basis of recent research conducted on mobile app development costs, to help you get a clear view of app development cost spending.
- Low Complexity – Simple App Development Cost – $40,000 to $55,000
- Medium complexity- App Development Cost – $55,000 to $140,000
- Complex App Development Cost – from $150,000 to $300,000 & beyond
Moving on to the next part, let’s get an eye on the factors that play a vital role in deciding your app development costs.
Factors Affecting App Development Cost
Well, there are many factors that influence the a mobile App development cost, depending on the complexity of the project & relative factors
- Type of Application
- The complexity of the design
- Number of screens (Size of the app);
- Techstack is preferred for the development process;
- Quality assurance phase;
- Number of functions and features;
- Number & complexity of features;
- Size & complexity of the database ;
- Required 3rd party integrations;
- Implementation of security protocols;
- Size and expertise of the development team.
Moving forward we are going to help you with the best practices to cut down your app development cost.
Best Practices to Cut Down App Development Cost
Be Clear On Your Requirements
Once you are clear with your budget, you got to set clear goals. Make sure that you have defined-
- The purpose of your project
- What section of the audience do you want to target?
- What are market standards?
- What are customer pain points?
- What your competitors are failing to deliver?
Answers to these questions will help you understand, your target audience and the competition, exact project requirements, essential features, and unique functionalities you need to add to your project.
Go With the Right Pricing Model
Since you’ve got a limited budget, choosing the right pricing model will help you get visibility on your app development costs. For app development services either you can go for a fixed pricing model or pay hourly rates. But considering your budget constraint fixed pricing model would be the better option for you to go with. Your development partner will mull over your project requirements and budget constraints and provide you with the best possible solution under your budget.
Choose The Right Mobile Platform
Perform a competitive analysis to identify which platform has your target audiences. It will help you decide whether to build your mobile app for Android phones or iPhone Users or if you are willing to target both users. Getting clarity on this will help you plan on the required resources considering your budget.
List & Prioritize Required Features
Deciding on features and functionality is more dependent on project requirements. For example, if you want an eCommerce application, incorporating a payment system is a must. Some features and app functionalities need more time and budget to implement.
So, you need to prioritize the app features and functionalities based on development cost and project requirements. This will get your Mobile app development costs under your budget.
Leverage Minimum viable product (MVP)
Using MVP would be a great option if you wish to incorporate essential features in your mobile app while minimizing the budget.
MVP allows you to collect valuable data and feedback to validate your idea and analyze the market needs. This will save time and money while reducing the risk of high investment and set your project up for success.
Partner With Agile Team
Developing a custom mobile app takes a lot of time, the right effort, expertise, and energy. Mobile app development companies know the best practices and have ample expertise to implement cost-effective solutions meeting your project needs. They will get you the best application under your budget only.
Let’s get to the most exciting part, the pro tips that can for sure cut down your app development cost.
Pro Tips To Cut Down Your Mobile App Development Cost
Here are some proven pro tips that not only cut down your app development cost but also save your development time to get your business application development done faster-
Invest In Native Apps
Hybrid apps are much cheaper and faster to develop and would sound like a better alternative to MVP. Initially, it may cost you low but it’s not a viable option in the longer run. Hybrid apps would bind you with limited features & restricted functionalities and incur more maintenance costs. With a hybrid app, you won’t be able to take your business too far in long run. So from a business perspective, it’s good to go with native apps rather than hybrid apps.
Go With Cloud-Based Apps
Cloud-based applications would help you avoid large data center costs. Since app development and testing are done on the cloud, it would not only prevent you from high investment in data center hardware and costly software. Cloud-based applications ensure great scalability and maximum uptime for business applications.
Adopt Agile Development Methodology –
Agile methodology has a great ability to find problems and create solutions quickly and efficiently. The flexibility of the agile method ensures smooth movement of the project development process and allows project teams to respond quickly and constantly at any point in time. This method ensures the final product meets all the defined project requirements and also reduces the risk of app failure to a large extent, thereby saving your app development costs.
Use Virtual Databases
Business app development costs can be reduced by using virtualized databases. Not only in terms of cost, but it also improves data assessability, but also reduces the overall load on your project. In long run, it can automate the deployment of new system instances and resources when needed.
Use Prototyping
It is the method where a rough layout is presented for the end-user to experiment and get feedback. Based on the feedback a new prototype is designed with the objective that the end application fulfills the desired business needs. Prototyping helps in getting the clear specifications and requirements of the project, ensuring heavy cost savings and the ability to dodge significant delays.
Virtual Operating System
Virtual operating systems are used by mobile app developers to reduce incompatibility issues. It automates the process by verifying the changes; thereby reducing the chances of human errors caused during manual verification and thus contributing to reducing the overall app development cost.
Following these best app developing practices will surely help you cut down a major portion of your app development cost. Down the post, we are going to help you with some popular tools that provide a single environment that has all of the tools developers need to create software applications and meet your budget line as well.
Read More: Mobile App Development Process? In 6 Simple Steps
Tools To Reduce Your App Development Cost
Here is a list of some popular application development platforms that give developers a single environment that has all of the tools developers need to create software applications and cut down on overall app development costs
- Visual Studio
- Bizness Apps
- OutSystems
- PhoneGap
- ServiceNow App Engine
- Xcode
- EachScape
- Android Studio
- firebase
- Quixy
- Caspio
All these tools will provide a software development kit with additional tools for actions such as collaboration, debugging, or code analysis. Leveraging these tools, no doubt you can save a huge chunk of development costs. But again over time, you might need the expertise to handle possible bugs and it could cost you project failure.
So, if your in-house team is not that technically sound with development practices it’s better to consult with a trusted software development service.
Read More: 5 Key Approaches to App Development: When & Why to Choose
Final Words on How to Reduce App Development Cost!
Hope, we help you know how much does it cost to build an app and the best practices to reduce your app development cost. Looking for mobile app development services? Binary Informatics can help you take your business to the global arena with a wide array and expertise of in custom mobile app development.
We as a leading mobile app development company in USA, are known for delivering out-of-the-box solutions backed by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), IoT, and blockchain and best practices.
We have huge experience in working with startups to Fortune 500 companies to build custom web and mobile apps, all under a defined budget.
If you want to discuss your project, looking for app development services, get in touch with us.
