how much does it cost to make a mobile app
Mobile & App Development

How Much Does It Cost to Make an App and Should You Invest in One?

2.33/5(3)

The market for mobile applications is huge: 228.98 billion dollars in 2023.

This figure shows the interest that professionals have in the creation of a mobile application.

Indeed, we can see that more and more companies are planning to develop a mobile application.

However, as for social networks or website creation, the development of a mobile application is not free.

The question of development cost is all the more important as it depends on what a mobile application should be able to do.

Where a website is used to give visibility to an activity, the creation of a mobile application allows it to go much further in the functionalities offered to the users.

In this blog post, we present the different factors that influence the design and price of a mobile application.

What Criteria Influence the Price of a Mobile Application?

Let’s get to the heart of the matter (the price of creating a mobile app) and discuss the cost of developing a mobile application.

The cost of creating a mobile application is divided into two parts:

  • The pre-production and development of a mobile application.
  • The maintenance and updates of a mobile application.

These two parts do not require the same budget, depending on your expectations and the features of your mobile application.

Also, before investing in the development of an application, think about the alternatives to mobile applications that exist:

  • Do you really need an app?
  • Doesn’t a website, web application, eCommerce, social networking, or other online platform offer what you’re looking for at a more affordable cost?

If you have the answers to these questions and want to start creating a mobile application, several factors will influence its price, creation, and development cost.

The Type of Application

This is the most crucial criterion and feature to determine how much a mobile application costs.

Indeed, depending on the type of application and the features, the cost of creating an application can vary from several thousand dollars.

Developing a social network and creating a video game on mobile does not incur the exact development costs. We will see the different types of applications and their prices later in this article.

The type of application also determines the technical level to set up for its creation. Again, from a purely technical development point of view, social networks are much easier to create than video games.

Logically, the development cost is not the same depending on the project you want to realize.

The Technologies Used

Depending on the type of application, the development implies using more or less advanced technologies. A game will need a graphic engine, for example. No one can manipulate this engine, and requires specific skills.

The same applies to some applications that use the cloud to perform remote calculations.

If your application is complex, you must choose a service provider and hire developers capable of meeting your needs. For example, a project on iOS or Windows phone will not require the same skills because your mobile application will not be used on the same operating system.

These specialists often have an additional level of expertise that justifies higher rates.

You can find your provider and the best mobile application development agencies on Sortlist’s website.

Conversely, development costs should be lower for a simple app with few features.

Indeed, as mentioned above, making your app available on Android and/or iOS will impact the final cost because we are not talking about the same operating systems and mobile support.

The Content to Be Hosted

What function do you want to make available to your users?

Videos, photos, text, something else? What medium do you offer?

All this content must be stored somewhere, especially if many users want to access it simultaneously.

Storage is not a significant cost factor if your users are few.

If you gain popularity, you must consider larger hosting systems.

Graphic Design

Even if many applications adopt similar codes, you always have the possibility to work on the graphic design of your application so that it sticks to your visual identity.

Colors, animations, fonts, and icons are all ways to make your app unique.

If you already have these contents, you can integrate them into your application. If not, planning with a graphic designer or an ergo-designer will be an additional cost.

The User Experience

How will your users navigate in your application? For each feature, how will they be able to use it?

These issues of flow, information presentation, and navigation fluidity are grouped in the user experience category. This is a critical topic.

The two leading players in the mobile market, Apple and Google, even offer their best practices guide that all mobile application developers should know.

Naturally, the more complex and innovative your application is, the less it will fit into the mobile ergonomics standards. It will therefore be necessary to plan a cost to work on this subject.

The Available Features

The last point is the functionalities. Put more, it comes down to asking yourself what your application is for:

  • Does it allow you to communicate with other people?
  • Is it a game?
  • Does it have more than one main functionality?

The calculation is quite simple: the more features, the higher the cost. For each feature, the complexity also impacts the final price. This is something to remember when estimating the rates of the developers you will choose.

Let’s take the example of a social network.

Connecting with a friend and sending a message containing only text and emoji is cheap. Sending photos or videos via this messaging system will cost you more.

Prices According to the Type of Application

Let’s see how the prices and budgets according to the type of application you want to develop.

Of course, we give an estimate according to the type of mobile application you want to create. Ultimately, the cost of a mobile application will also depend on the provider you choose.

We can suggest to you the best mobile application development agencies.

Development of a Video Game

This is, by far, the most expensive product to produce. Technically advanced video games require extraordinarily varied and often expensive skills.

The technical part of the game, as well as its visual and audio aspects, must be planned. A standard mobile game costs between $40,000 and $80,000 in total.

Don’t compare your game project to that of a player like Supercell or Epic Games; these companies’ budgets, objectives, and spending areas are particular to their market.

eCommerce

How much does a mobile e-commerce app cost to sell your products?

You will need to budget between $20,000 and $35,000.

It all depends on the number of items sold and the logistics of managing the products offered and the customer orders.

A Progressive Web App can easily replace an application of this kind. You should look at this technology that allows you to embed a website easily in a mobile application.

It could help you decrease your project’s price and cost.

Provision of Services (Marketplace)

Amazon, Airbnb, and Alibaba are excellent examples.

You can sell new or used products as an individual or a professional. Marketplaces are legion, especially on mobile.

Be careful not to duplicate an existing service by doing a market study beforehand.

Count on a budget between $15,000 and $25,000 to carry out your project.

Event

Perhaps you need an application for a very short time. This app will allow you to accompany users during an event or to be the center of attention for a short period.

Your budget will undoubtedly be between $3,000 and $10,000 to achieve a satisfactory project and features.

Development of a Social Network

Very fashionable, too; social networks are constantly multiplying.

Creating your own is not difficult, but you must be careful not to aggregate too many features to keep costs reasonable and control your expenses.

Count between $20,000 and $35,000, depending on the complexity of your social platform.

Internal Company Development

Do you have a specific need for your company?

An application could improve the productivity and quality of work of your teams.

In this case, the project scope is different, and you will not make any profit on your application.

The benefits will be measured differently, but the interest remains high if an application can alleviate some of your problems.

How much does it cost to develop an application in this situation?

This type of project usually costs between $15,000 and $30,000.

Conclusion

In this article, we wanted to answer how much it costs to create and design an application.

The answer to creating an application is that any project can be realized with a sufficient budget and a good understanding of the factors that influence the design costs.

Take the time to study your needs, choose a project manager, and state your expectations.

Once your project is clearly defined, don’t hesitate to make an appointment to work with a mobile application development agency to complete your project.

close

Access our exclusive content!

email