How Much Does It Cost to Make an App?

Modern societies are driven by technology and the role of mobile apps cannot be overstated. These apps solve complex problems and help users perform numerous tasks in a blink of an eye. Therefore, the demand for mobile apps is ever-rising and creating new business opportunities. 

As a matter of fact, there are over 7 million apps today that will only follow the growth trajectory with the increasing number of users that could exceed 7.8 billion by 2028 as per the current trends. 

Entrepreneurs see a huge opportunity in mobile app development dealing with the burning question – how much budget do I need to develop a mobile application? You often hear that the cost to make an app varies a lot. But why does the app development cost vary so much? This is because every business is different from others so do their needs.  

Moreover, there is a range based on different requirements to answer how much it cost to make an app. Let’s check this out. 

As per Clutch, the average starting cost of developing an app is between $5,000 to $10,000 which is for the discovery phase. However, the cost of a complete app development project is $171,000 and more depending on complexity and requirements. 

Here are the possible costs based on different complexity levels. 

• A basic app with rudimentary functionalities can cost $5,000 – $20,000
• The app development cost for simple apps with more features: $20,000 – $50,000
• Cost to develop an app with more advanced features: $50,000 – $100,000
• Cost of mobile app development for complex apps: $100,000 and more.

However, the app development cost can rise sharply as you go higher and higher for features. Why does it cost so much to make an app? Because there is no fixed price for developing an app due to various project needs and complexities. 

One common factor to drive the cost is the developer rates. Moreover, if you want to know how much an app costs to make, you should check the below section on how to calculate it. 

How Can You Calculate the Cost to Make an App?

Now that you know the cost of developing a mobile app can vary in different scenarios, you would like to calculate it in your case. There are numerous factors that impact the cost to build a mobile app including features, app types, platforms, and more. An analysis of different factors can help you find an estimate for app development costs. Let’s check these factors one by one. 

Developer Rates 

The rates charged by developers determine the cost of a mobile app and different developers charge different rates. For example, if your project requires 500 developer hours and the developer rate is $60 per hour, the cost would be $30,000.

However, predicting developer hours isn’t easy because it varies with project complexity and features. Hence, you need precise information about the project to get the actual cost. Moreover, the developer rates depend on their expertise, expertise, and contract.

In hiring app developers, price and experience are directly related. So, the higher the experience you want, the more the price you will pay. If you want to develop a mobile app like Amazon, Uber, or Tinder, you need to choose the right mix of developers to create your team. 

Here are the developer rates based on the level of experience.

Experience Level	Proficiency	Price
Beginners	Entry-level developers. They can offer app maintenance, simple features, debugging, etc.	$30
Intermediate	They have the expertise to complete various app design projects that are not of an advanced level.	$60
Seniors	These developers can handle any level of complexity and are capable of implementing any feature requests.	$120

Apart from the experience, the development rates also vary with the expertise of the developers. The expertise decides the type of technologies a developer is proficient in. In essence, these are the different mobile platforms like Android and iOS. Developers are required to be proficient in Android or iOS technologies to develop specific applications. Here you can find how much it cost to make an Android app or iOS app. 

Expertise	Skills	Rates
Android	Besides Android Studio, Android SDK, Java, and Kotlin, Android developers can also be proficient in app development frameworks. The developers should also be familiar with tools like GitHub, Jira, Gradle, etc.	$25 – $80+
iOS	iOS developers should have expertise in different tools and languages like Swift/Objective-C, Xcode IDE, APIs, frameworks, CocoaPods, GitHub, Bugzilla, etc.	$40 – $90
React Native	React Native is based on JavaScript and allows you to build cross-platform applications using web technologies.	$25 – $75
Flutter	Flutter app UI development toolkit that allows you to create native or cross-platform apps.	$30 – $80
Xamarin	This is another app development framework based on the .NET platform and uses C# language to develop cross-platform applications.	$25 – $55+

 

Type of App Development Technology

Another very important factor to decide how much an app costs to make is the type of app technology being used. Your mobile app can be a native Android app or an iOS app. 

In that situation, you will have to find out how much it cost to make an iOS app or Android app. However, you can also build a cross-platform app to avoid the huge expense of making separate native apps for Android and iOS devices. 

Apart from native and cross-platform apps, there are web apps and hybrid apps. All in all, depending on which type of app technology you choose will also affect the overall cost of application development. 

Here is the average cost to make an app based on app type. 

App Type	Feature	Cost
Native Apps	Platform-dependent	$10,000 – $100,000
Web Apps	Platform-independent	$5,000 – $30,000
Cross-platform	Platform-independent	$25,000 to $60,000
Hybrid Apps	Platform-independent	$15,000 – $50,000

Native App

Native apps are those apps that are built using technologies native to a particular platform. For example, a native Android app is one that is built using Java or Kotlin along with other tools and technologies of Android. The advantage of native apps is that they are high-performance and can easily access all features on a device. However, a native app is only supported on specific platforms Android or iOS which is their key disadvantage. As a result, these apps are very costly because you will need to develop apps exclusively for each platform. 

Web App 

Web apps aren’t technically mobile applications, but a website with responsive designs. This type of website is designed in a way to ensure a smooth user experience across multiple devices. This is an inexpensive option for small businesses and can be developed at a much faster speed. 

Cross-platform App

Cross-platform applications are developed using frameworks like React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, PhoneGap, etc. These mobile apps are supported on every platform because of a single codebase. A cross-platform mobile app can function on Android and iOS without requiring writing separate code for each of them.  

Hybrid App

Another type of app that combines the features of a native app and a web app is a hybrid app. These apps are created with web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and provide a native-like experience. They are websites embodied in app shells using webview. Hybrid apps provide a single codebase that works on various platforms for mobile apps. These apps are cheaper than cross-platform apps. 

Features of Mobile App

When it comes to developing a mobile app, the features you choose to add to it will increase its complexity and cost. So, never forget to consider all the functionalities you intend to include in your application when finding an answer to: how much money does it cost to make an app?

Let’s check the key features of apps.

User Registration or Login

You need a way to allow users to create an account on your app and log in to use the app. User registration/login/sign-in feature requires 15-20 or more hours of developer time. It can vary based on the complexity of your application. 

Here are the estimated hours for different types of login methods.

Type of Login	Hours
Email Login	20
Social Media Login	15
Single Sign On	60
No Login	0

Although every app doesn’t need login functionality creating a user profile is beneficial for apps. These benefits include personalized experience, access to user data, and better authentication and security. For these reasons, providing at least social login in their apps is beneficial for businesses. 

Core Features of the App

Besides login functionality, your application needs core features that will allow users to perform actions whether buy something, book a hotel room, or anything your app offers. For an answer to how much would it cost to make an app, you need to analyze your feature requirements and estimate the price. 

Here is the cost of mobile app features and the possible hours required to build those features. 

Core Functionality	Development Time
Product Catalog (for eCommerce apps)	200 hours
Forms	15 hours
Map/Navigation Services	100 hours
Vendor Portal	250
Booking Events	100 hours
Push Notifications	10 hours

Let’s see the app development cost breakdown based on some common features.

Features	Estimated Cost
Push Notifications	$800 – $1000
User Login	$300 – $800
Maps	$4000 – $5000
Messaging	$3000 – $4000
Payment	$2000 – $3500

There are also additional charges for HIPAA and GDPR compliance and third-party integration. It may go from $500 – $5000. 

Apart from these features, applications also need payment gateway integration and other third-party APIs and features. Your app also need hardware features like Bluetooth and Camera that will allow your app to perform numerous tasks. 

These are the hardware functionalities your app may require. 

• Camera
• Bluetooth
• Gyroscope
• Pedometer
• Accelerometer
• Altitude
• Geofencing

The additional features, you integrate into your app will make the cost rise and it can vary based on the type of functionality you want to integrate. The more complex the functionality is, the more cost there will be in developing an app. 

Advanced Features in App Development

Nowadays apps are becoming smarter with advanced and innovative techs like Artificial Intelligence (AI), AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), Chatbot, etc. If you wish to integrate any of the technologies or develop a mobile app based on the concept of these techs like an AR app, the cost will vary with the required functionality.

You can leverage AR to develop an app like Snapchat for your business. If you ask how much does it cost to make an app? So, the cost of an AR-based app can go from $20,000 – $600,000 0r more based on features and complexity. 

Moreover, these days most apps add AI for numerous uses like data analysis, recommendations, better customer experience, personalization, etc. Now what is the average cost to make an app with AI and Machine Learning? The cost of developing an application based on Artificial Intelligence can be between $40,000 – $100,000. 

Similarly, the cost to develop chatbots and VR apps will vary. Here is the table showing the VR app development cost along with the cost for other features. 

Feature	Cost
AR	$20,000 – $600,000+
AI	$40,000 – $100,000
Chatbot	$5,0000 – $150,000
VR	$15,000 – $150,000+

These costs are just estimates and the actual cost can vary based on your project needs and specifications. 

Additional Team Members

In addition to developers, your app project requires other professionals who will perform different tasks like UI/UX design, testing, project management, etc. Hence there will be these factors as well besides developers, app type, and features in the cost to build your app. The following table shows these professionals with their roles.

Professional	Role	Rate per hour
UI/UX Designer	Responsible to create the user interface and design the user experience for your app.	$30 – $70+
QA Engineer	Performs testing and make sure your app is bug-free and working well.	$30 – $70
Backend Developer	Responsible for working with databases, servers, and other backend functionality.	$40 – $170+
Project Manager	Keeps track of the project and works as a communication point between clients and the team.	$60 – $120+

So, you can see the cost to create your app depends on various factors and you can calculate it by counting the possible development hours with the average rates of different professionals working on the project. However, this is not always feasible to hire app development professionals exclusively for various requirements. So, most businesses hire app development companies to accomplish their projects and they have all the professionals under one roof. 

Cost to Make an App Based on Category

How much it costs to make an app also depends on the category of the app. There are different app categories available to fulfill different user requirements. For example, there is an app to buy something online, stream online videos, take selfies with filters, book hotels, and so on.

The cost to build a mobile application heavily depends on the app category because of diversified requirements. For example, you cannot create a Snapchat-like app without the use of AR because it’s the core functionality of this app. Also, if you are looking to build a learning app, you will find the answer to how much does it cost to make an educational app here. 

Let’s see different app categories and possible costs.

App Category	Estimated Cost	Possible Time (hours)
eCommerce App	$50,000 – $250,000	1,600
Dating App	$60,000 – $350,000	1,400
On-Demand App	$35000 – $200,000	1,000
Healthcare App	$50,000 – $320,000	1,300
Education App	$55,000 – $200,000	1,000
Video Streaming App	$75,000 – $300,000	1,500
Taxi App	$60,000 – $400,000	1,700

Cost to Develop an App Based on Developer Region

There are lots of app developers out there both locally and internationally. It is another crucial factor to consider when it comes to deciding how much it costs to make an app. Interestingly, different developers will charge based on their expertise and experience, but developers in different regions can charge lower or higher with similar expertise and experience. 

Indeed, you can get the same level of experience and expertise for say iOS development but at a much lower cost in a different region. This is the benefit that you get to look for developers beyond your local area. There are many talented app developers globally and you can save cost by hiring any of them. Most businesses hire mobile app developers from locations like Asia where the development cost is excessively cheaper than any in Europe, Australia, and the USA.

Here is the table showing the hiring rates for developers in different regions. 

Region	Rates/hour
Australia	$60 – $200
United States	$80 – $150
Europe	$50 – $80
Asia	$25 – $40

What if you want to hire developers from India? How much it costs to make an in India? The developer’s rates are low in India $20 – $40 per hour. So, you can reduce your cost a lot by developing an app with developers hired from India. 

App Development Components Affecting the Cost to Build an App

There are other things you can consider to determine how much it will cost to make an app. Here is a complete breakdown of the cost to build an application based on the different stages of developing an app. 

App Development Stage	Explanation	Estimated Cost
UI/UX Design	It involves creating mockups, prototypes, and user interface design.	$5,000 – $30,000+
Front-end Coding	Developers code the front end or user interface.	$10,000 – $60,000+
Backend Development	Database, APIs, server	$15,000 – $150,000+
Quality Assurance	Testing and debugging	$5,000 – $25,000
Maintenance	Fixing bugs, updating, and adding features.	$5000 – $50,000

Cost of Developing an App: In-House vs Outsourcing 

The cost to develop an app also depends on who’s creating the app. Indeed, the development team you choose for your project has a significant impact on the cost of developing a mobile app. How? Because the size, nature, and location are factors behind its impact on the cost. Let’s figure out how it happens with different types of teams.

In-house Team

You can set up an in-house team for developing your app but it will cost a fortune. There are lots of expenses related to hiring, training, staff salaries, rent, and more. Hence, an in-house team isn’t an ideal choice, especially for small and mid-size businesses. 

Offshore Hiring

What if you can outsource your project to a reliable tech partner or hire a mobile app development team remotely? For most businesses, it will be prudent because it saves a lot of resources. In this case, you can simply pay for what you receive in return. Unlike an in-house team, your liabilities are limited to the services you obtain. 

Outsourcing can be onshore or offshore. Instead of looking for a development partner within your country, you can choose a company where the app development cost is quite low. Thus, hiring an offshore mobile app development company can be beneficial. 

Cost of Popular Mobile Apps

You might be interested to know the cost to make an app like Uber, Tinder, Airbnb, etc. Here is a quick overview of the cost of these applications. 

Tinder

It is a popular online dating app with numerous features like user profile, authentication and authorization, login form, location, search filters, in-app messaging, push notifications, and more. 

The cost to create a dating app like Tinder is around $100,000. 

Uber

World’s popular ride-hailing app, Uber is known to almost everyone. There are amazing features like location tracking, in-app payment, route optimization, push notifications, user profile, authentication and authorization, and more. 

Now if you ask how much it cost to make an app like Uber, the average cost is about $80,000. 

Airbnb

This is another world’s popular application that allows people to rent apartments and rooms in hotels on the go. This app provides an easy and quick way to find accommodations or provide accommodations. There are many complex features in this app besides sign up, search filters, in-app chat, calendars, listings, reviews and ratings, and more. 

The cost to build a mobile app like Airbnb can cost more than $100,000.

Twitter

Twitter needs no introduction as most of us already use it in our daily lives. As a leading social media app, it offers lots of amazing features. It has features like pop-up notifications, timeline, poll, publish posts, add, remove, or block friends, audio streaming, etc. 

It will cost around $500,000 to own an app like Twitter. 

To Wrap Up

After understanding all the factors that impact the cost of developing a mobile app, it can be convenient to get an idea of the cost. However, the following table summarizes the possible costs briefly.  

Mobile App	Cost for Single Platform	Time Required	Example
Basic App	$5,000 to $50,000	2-3 Months	Calculators, notepads, to-do list
Simple App	$50,000 to $150,000	3-6 Months	Starbucks App, Uber, Instagram
Complex App	$150,000 or more	9 months and above	Twitter

 

The above table shows the possible range of costs that usually takes to create such kind of app considering different features and functionalities. If you are looking for a mobile app development company, look further than MobileCoderz, we are a top-rated app development company with a strong crew of app designers and developers. 

We can help you develop complex apps based on precise specifications. Contact us to get a free quote for your app development project. We can tell you the actual cost based on your requirements. 

FAQs

How much will it cost to make an Android app?

Although the average cost of developing an Android application is between $10,000 – $200,000, the actual depends on the requirements and complexity. You can contact us for the actual cost.

How much time does it take to build a mobile app?

The average time to make an app can take anywhere between three months to nine months. However, the actual time can vary based on the app’s complexity and requirements.

What affects the cost to make an app?

Many factors contribute to the cost of developing an application including app functionality, complexity, third-party integration, design, and more. There are also some hidden charges like app store fees. So, there are several factors that have to be considered to find out how much cost to make an app has to be borne. 

How much will it cost to make an on average?

To determine the average cost of making a mobile app, we can divide them in three categories, simple apps, medium complex apps, and complex apps. Simple apps can cost you around $5,000 – $50,000, apps with medium-level complexity can cost between $50,000 – $150,000, and highly complex apps can cost you above $150k. 

What is the cost to maintain a mobile app?

The cost of app maintenance will be high one year after the launch which could be about 50% of the initial cost. However, the cost will be lower in subsequent years and can be between 15 – 20% of the initial cost.