Four Factors that Influence the Cost of Developing Your Mobile App

If you are considering having a mobile app developed for your company or next big startup idea, one important factor in this decision is the cost of development. Unfortunately, there is not one simple price for a “mobile app” because mobile apps vary greatly in their complexity and, consequently, in the development hours required to build them.

The price of developing a mobile app can be as low as USD $10,000 or as high as USD $1,000,000. Considering this wide price range, it is important to determine where your mobile app idea falls on this spectrum. In order to better pinpoint the cost of developing your mobile app, it is important to consider the following four components: Ideation, App Actions, Connectivity, and Design.

Ideation

Clients often require help in defining the exact features that should be included in their mobile app. In such cases, development agencies often serve as ideation partners rather than simply as software developers. During this ideation stage, development agencies must spend billable hours performing market research on user needs, wireframing initial user pathways, and A/B testing different user experiences with the app’s target audience. You can find more information on the the ideation stage as well as other stages of app development here.

App Actions

It is important to consider the actions that you want users to be able to perform within your app. The simplest mobile app simply displays information, however few mobile apps are this simple. Does your app require users to be able to build their own profiles, rate or review experiences, send or receive money, or share their location? Each added feature will increase the development hours and costs associated with building your app.

Connectivity

It is important to consider if your mobile app will need to share data with your website or with other websites. This added connectivity requires the development of a “backend” as well as the use of API integrations. Also, does your mobile app need to be available on both iOS and Android devices? These added cross-platform connectivity and availability features take time to develop and will influence the cost of developing your mobile app.

Design

Does your app require custom, professional design and branding? Does your app require custom graphics and animations? The success of a mobile app can often depend on the mobile app’s user interface design. Mobile app development agencies are often tasked with this design work from scratch, and this important design work will increase the total development cost.

Hopefully this article has helped you consider some important details of your mobile app that will impact development costs. To get started on your mobile app, the best next step is to consult a mobile app development agency regarding your app’s requirements. The mobile app development agency can then provide a more precise price and timeline for the development of your mobile app.

At 100grams, we provide consultation calls and quotes for mobile app development at no cost. To book your free consultation call and get a quote for the development of your mobile app, simply click here.