How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Mobile App in 2023?

There are a lot of people who want to know the cost to develop a mobile app.

Well, with the rise of technology and smartphones to be specific, mobile apps have become a mega trend. Today, there are over millions of mobile apps and more than 7 billion smartphone users.

In addition to this, more than 100,000 new apps are released on Google Play every month, and over 30,000 on the Apple App Store. Most of these apps are absolutely free to download and use.

Despite this, the app development market will reach $ 407.31 billion by 2026. In addition, mobile app revenue across the industry hit $581.9 Billion in 2020. By the end of 2023, it will hit the 1 trillion dollar mark.

The amazing growth of mobile apps and the market, in general, is due to the love people show this technology. It is no secret that every one of us keeps a mobile phone attached to us all the time.

As per statistics, people spend over 90% of their device usage time on apps. In other words, an average user uses the phone for 4 hours a day and 90% of this time is on apps.

This clearly shows the avid use of mobile apps and how much potential the industry has. This is one of the reasons why everyone wants to build a mobile app.

but the real question is, how much does it cost to develop a mobile app?

Well, this is a question that isn’t all that easy to answer. After all, you have already tried to Google it, and it only brought you here. So, what is the cost?

Well, we shall be answering these questions and all related ones in this blog. Therefore, buckle up, and let’s get right into it, starting with:

How Much Does It Cost To Build a Mobile App? Average App Development Cost

Mobile apps are popular, to say the least. After all, we spend all of our time on the phone going from one app to another. This can be anything from a video streaming platform like YouTube to an eCommerce store like Amazon or even a social media app like Instagram.

The point is, mobile apps have changed the way the world works as they have become the new front of the business. With smartphones as capable as they are today, mobile apps have covered almost all aspects of our lives.

This is one of the reasons why everyone wants to invest in it. And this brings us to the cost.

What does the Average App Development Cost?

Well, the average app development cost isn’t all that easy to predict. But in any case, the cost to build a mobile app can range from $15,000 to $450,000.

There are various factors involved in the app development process which highly affect the total app development cost. Therefore, to get a better cost estimation, you have to contact a mobile app development company that will give you better insight.

But this brings us to another question:

Why is Mobile App Development Cost Hard to Estimate?

Well, Doing just a simple Google Search something that can get you everything today, can’t get you an accurate cost to develop a mobile app, but why?

There is a good reason behind it. You see, mobile app development projects are very complex. There are a lot of things that go into building mobile apps and this gives rise to a range of factors.

Therefore, the total development cost of a mobile app is often a combination of these factors. For that reason, it is not possible to predict accurate development costs without learning about the specifications of the project.

But in any case, in this blog, we shall be discussing these factors in detail in the section below.

Factors That Affect App Development Cost

So, what are the different factors which can affect the basic app development cost? Well, from platform to tech stack, there are a lot of different factors involved here.

To get a better idea about the same, we have to browse through these factors and understand how they work, in this section of the blog, that’s exactly what we will be doing. Therefore, with this being said, let’s get right into these factors, they are, as mentioned below:

App Development Platform

When you are planning to develop a mobile app, you need to choose a platform. As such, there are two major types of platforms that we use today.

These are, namely:

• Native app development platform
• Hybrid app development platform

Hybrid App as we know them doesn’t mind the boundaries of platforms and runs on multiple devices as well as operating systems.

The cost to develop a hybrid app ranges from $90,000 to $ 250,000. While it might seem expensive, it is actually quite a basic cost.

Moving to native apps, these mobile applications only run on their native platforms. Therefore, they are two types of native apps, android, and iOS.

Cost related to the same is, as mentioned below:

• iOS app development cost – $40,000 – $300,000
• Android App Development Cost – $60,000 – $350,000

While iOS is the platform known for being premium the cost is lower than android. For more details on the same, feel free to contact any android or custom iPhone app development company.

With this out of the way, let’s discuss another major factor that can highly determine the total development cost of the mobile app.

Type of App

Mobile app development is an umbrella term. In the industry there are a number of different niches, ranging from eCommerce app development to online grocery delivery stores. Therefore, based on the app and niche you are developing, the cost to build an app can be different.

The reason behind it is very simple, basic app development cost to build let’s say an on demand app is usually higher than cost to build a video streaming app.

This is a reason why mobile app development idea you choose can affect the cost.

In any case, let’s look at some of the popular app types as well as the cost related to them. These are mentioned in the table below:

Regardless of whether you contact a custom android application development company or iOS app, type of app still remains a factor that affects that cost.

Complexity

Well, this is yet another top factor that affects total app development cost. So, how does complexity affect app development cost?

It’s a simple rule of thumb, the more complex an app is, the more expensive it gets. And on the flip side, a basic app is cheaper to develop.

The reason behind this is clear: complex apps with more features and high end design required longer time and more effort. And on the flip side, simpler apps are much easier to develop.

In any case, cost to develop a mobile app of varying complexity is, as mentioned below:

Simple mobile app – 75,000 $

Medium mobile app – 175,000 $

Complex mobile app – 350,000 $

Again, this is just an estimation and not accurate cost prediction. Nevertheless, let’s look at the cost to hire a mobile app developer in the next section.

Mode To Hire Dedicated Developers

To develop a mobile app, you need to hire dedicated developers.

You see, without a development partner, it’s next to impossible to make an app for your business. After all, they are the professionals.

But how much does it cost to hire developers? Well, the cost to hire developer actually depends on a few factors and the one we shall be discussing in this section of the blog is, the mode of hiring.

There are various ways to hire app developers and the one you choose can affect the total cost. To get a better idea about the same, let’s discuss them below:

1. Hire freelancers | $9/Hr to $90/Hr

Well, the first thing that comes to mind when someone speaks of hiring developers is freelancers. And there is a good reason behind it. You see, this is a major option that is being used around the world for some time now.

It is both easily accessible and readily available. This is the reason behind its widespread use. As far as cost is concerned, it can range from $10 per hour to $90 per hour.

2. Outsource To App Development Company | $9/Hr to $90/Hr or $ 40,000 to $ 390,000

Well, this is yet another popular option.

Outsourcing refers to when a company handover an entire department or a particular project to another company. The coming doing the work charges fees. This option is viable because the cost to outsource is usually lower and the overall value is greater than when a company does it itself.

This is one of the best way to hire mobile app and web development company today. And the cost can range from $ 40,000 to $ 390,000, based on the project.

3. Assemble in-house Team | 100,000 per year/developer

This is by far the most expensive method on the list.

As the name suggests, here what you have to do is hire developers as an employee to work on your in-house team. They will be working there full time as you will provide them with the resources as well as all the infrastructure.

Since mobile app developers make around 100,000 dollars per year and you will require more than one developer, the total cost can rise very high.

Nevertheless, this is a viable option for larger companies.

These are some methods to hire developers as well as the cost associated with them. As one can see, this highly affects the total mobile app development price.

4. Developer’s Experience

Required-less of which field you are in, experience matters.

The more experience a professional has, the more valuable they are, and the more expensive their services are. And the same goes for developers.

While hiring new and beginner developers is fairly cheap, a vetted developer, on the other hand, can cost a fortune.

As such, the more experienced developer you will hire, the more expensive the entire solution will get. This is something that you should keep in mind when you calculate the total app development cost.

However, there is a certain benefit you get with higher cost as there are some things that you can only learn with experience. And the more experienced developers bring a lot to the table.

5. Features of App

Features are one of the most important parts of a mobile app. With the right feature set, an app can become successful in the market and with the wrong features, it can become another addition to the number.

But how do features affect basic app development?

Well, features can either be simple or advanced. And since they are nothing but lines of code arranged in a very specific way, the more complex feature grows the more expensive they become.

6. Developer’s Location

Developers’ or development companies’ location is a top factor that affects total app development cost.

Well, we know that choice between iOS and android application development services can affect the cost, the type of app can, and so can experience developer, but what about location?

Let us explain how location affects the cost:

In the United States of America, the dollar currency is strong, average wages are higher when compared to Asian countries, finding skilled labor is more difficult, competition is high, demand for developers is also high, and companies are experts in their work.

This is why the cost to develop a mobile app in the USA is higher than compared to other parts, let’s see Asia.

When it comes to Asia, the currency is weaker than the US dollar, there are plenty of skilled laborers, and demand for the developer is high but so supplies. Plus, the average wage is also low. Therefore, the total cost to hire a developer is actually less.

Let’s look at the cost to develop app in different part of the world.

Conclusion

Mobile app development cost depends on a lot of different factors. And this highly affects the average cost.

Now, if you are someone who wants to develop a mobile app or want to learn more about the cost, it is highly recommended that you consult mobile app development company in North Carolina.

Yashshree Purohit

Yashshree Purohit is a Technical Content Writer for We AppIt LLC, with over 5+ years of experience in delivering excellent content for different domains. She has the dedication and passion to write dull & boring lines into eye-captivating content for the audience.

www.weappitright.com/