If you’re considering building an app, you probably want to get an idea of how much it will cost. Unfortunately, there’s no single figure that you can identify as the definitive cost of app development. However, by taking several factors into account, you can get an idea of the amount you need to budget.
Who Will Create Your App?
Many people assume that building an app themselves is the cheapest option. While you can develop your own app in-house if you have the right skills, many people realize during the app development that they don’t have the skills to deliver a polished and fully-functional app. They then turn to professional app developers to rescue the project, which results in costs that can be just as high as using a professional developer in the first place.
Another option is to hire a freelance developer to create the app. While this is often cheaper than working with an iPhone development agency, it also presents risks. Your freelancer may be busy with other clients or simply not have the skills or motivation to deliver your project on time and on budget.
For these reasons, many people choose what is at first glance the most expensive option: working with an agency to create their app. When you choose this option, you have a team of app developers working on your project. These include a designer who creates the visual content for your app, a product manager who oversees the whole project, and an account manager who keeps you up to date with the app’s progress. These people work together to create your app quickly, avoiding the opportunity costs associated with delays.
How Much Does the Average App Cost?
A good rule of thumb is that creating the initial version of an app often costs around £150,000. If you later want to update your app, you’ll also face ongoing development costs. The best apps often change substantially after their first release, as their creators respond to user feedback and incorporate new features into the design.
Sophisticated e-commerce apps, which require advanced back-end systems to handle customer payments and shopping carts, can cost much more, perhaps as much as $500,000. Many companies raise the funds they need to develop a prototype of the app and use that proof-of-concept to ask investors for more money.
How Much Will Your App Cost?
The best way to find out how much your app will cost is to ask professional Android or iPhone developers for an estimate. Experienced app developers can reliably predict how much it costs to develop a particular type of app from the initial concept to a polished product that is ready to upload to the App Store. They can also let you know how long the development process is likely to take, so you can plan your marketing campaigns around the predicted launch date.
If you’d like to know more about the costs of building an app, get in touch with us today. We can arrange a time to discuss your app ideas and get to work on creating a plan that takes into account all the costs you are likely to face in the first round of development. Let us know your budget and we’ll advise you about the kind of app we can help you create.
