How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App in 2024? New Cost Breakdown

How much does it cost to develop an app? What budget do I need for mobile app development? – questions about the cost of developing an app are the most common ones we hear from our clients.

Are you starting to plan your app development but have no idea how much it will cost? Look no further!

Our 13 years of experience as a software house have given us a wealth of knowledge to help you understand the real budget you need for your next app development project.

This article will be an excellent resource for the founders.

Continue reading this article to understand where these numbers come from, what factors influence them, and how to reduce your mobile app development cost with our battle-tested practices.

If you want to know your app development cost more precisely, we can estimate it within 72 hours – fill out a short form here.

Soon we will publish an analogous article on how much it costs to make a cross-platform app using Flutter technology. This article focuses on native mobile app development costs.

See also: 7 Steps to Your Mobile App Development Cost Estimate

From simple to complex: The average cost to develop a mobile app

If you’re going to develop a mobile app for 2 platforms (Android and iOS), you need to have an app development budget closer to $100,000 as opposed to $10,000.

In our experience, the best way to talk about the cost of mobile app development is by thinking about it in terms of complexity.

And so, our classification is:

A basic mobile app costs $50,000 – $70,000 (1 platform, native)

By “basic app”, we mean an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) app:

• having a clear vision on the set of simple features with elementary business logic,
• consisting of up to 5 screens,
• with basic UI without custom elements.

What’s more:

• The development will take ~ 7-9 weeks assuming that you have 2 devs per platform.
• These kinds of apps are usually built by start-ups looking for their market fit.

A medium-complexity app costs $50,000 – $100,000 (1 platform, native)

By “medium-complexity app”, we mean an app:

• including a few complex features with intermediate business logic,
• consisting of about 6-15 screens,
• with some custom UI elements & animations,
• with localization in up to two languages.

What’s more:

• The development will take around ~ 2-3 months assuming that you have 2 devs per platform.

A complex app costs more than $100,000 (1 platform, native)

By “complex app”, we mean an app:

• including many complex features with advanced business logic,
• consisting of more than 15 screens,
• with fully custom UI & advanced animations,
• with a large-scale user base (multilingual),
• that requires building a complicated architecture, multiple integrations, or need,
  to meet high-security demands.

What’s more:

• The development will take ~ 4 months or more assuming that you have 2 devs per platform.

This rough estimate can serve as your starting point in answering the question “how much does it cost to develop an app?”.

Please note: When planning your budget, it’s important to consider the backend development and app design costs that are not included in the above estimation. You can deliver them by yourself, or outsource them to your app development partner. At Droids On Roids, we can take care of both aspects. Read also: What is backend in mobile app development and how to choose the best one for your project?

Let’s sum up:

App type	App Cost (1 platform, native)	Time
Basic app development	$50,000 to $70,000	7-9 weeks
Medium-complexity app Development	$70,000 to $100,000	2-3 months
Complex app development	from $100,000	4+ months

If you want to know your app development cost more precisely, we can estimate it within 72 hours – fill a short form here.

How do we estimate app development cost?

Above you saw the estimations, now we want to explain, where the numbers come from.

Work-day costs per specialist

Who	Man-day
Native Developer	$480 / €440
Designer	$480 / €440
Business Analyst	$480 / €440
Scrum Master	$440 / €400
QA Engineer	$480 / €440

How much the team works

• The developers work full-time (8 hours per day, on average 21 days per month).
• Developers log their working time and, on this basis, we issue an invoice to you every month.
• The involvement of a Scrum Master depends on the complexity of the project. For very simple and short projects (about 2 weeks) a Scrum Master may not be needed. However, it is common for a Scrum Master to work part-time on most projects.
• Similar to the Scrum Master, a Business Analyst may not be needed for short projects and may sometimes be on the client side. Typically, a Business Analyst is involved on a part-time basis, but for very complex and long projects, they may be needed full-time.
• The monthly amount of payable hours of a QA Specialist depends on the complexity of your project.

If you wish to get a detailed estimation, please fill a short form here and we will get back to you.

Quality Assurance cost

Recommended for	Amount of working time	Monthly cost in €	Monthly cost in $
Basic apps	Quarter-time (0.25 FTE)	2200€	$2400
Medium-complexity apps	Halt-time (0.5 FTE)	4840€	$5280
Complex apps	Full-time (1.0 FTE)	9240€	$10080

Real-world app development costs: Examples by app type

To give you an idea, here are a few popular apps together with their funding levels to help you understand how much money is required to come up with similar applications:

• Uber received $200 million in seed funding for implementing their idea that eventually revolutionized the transportation sector.
• Tinder, the most popular dating application, raised $485,000 in seed funding back in 2012.
• The social media tool Snapchat raised $485,000 in 2012. Note: the application received total funding of over $3 billion.
• The photo-sharing application Instagram received $500,000 in seed funding to allow its further development.
• Ryanair-like mobile app – around $436,800. Check out the more detailed estimation in the article: how to create an airline app like Ryanair.

Below, we present you a few examples of mobile app development cost based on projects we’ve developed in the last few years. 

As you can see, QA and SM hours logged are not always exactly of developers’ work – it is because every project is different, unique, and has its own specification.

Example: Mobile commerce app development | iOS and Android

Mobile commerce app development for an international retail company. MVP estimation.

	MONEY SPENT
UX/UI Design	$8925
Android app	$79 560
iOS app	$66 810
QA	$47 404
SM	$22 580
Technical tasks	$21 272
SUM	$247 006
TEAM SETUP	3 Android Developers, 3 iOS Developers, 1 QA, 1Scrum Master, 1 UX/UI Designer
TIME	~ 4 months

Main features: browsing products, products filtering and sorting, cart, wishlist, finding the nearest store, checking product availability, product reservation, delivery to a chosen shop, barcode scanning, personalized product recommendations; adding loyalty cards to the app;

Technical tasks – this tab contains the cost of all technical aspects (without direct business value) like networking layer setup, Github setup, deep links configuration, or static code analysis.

Please note: we assume that the backend is provided and developed outside.

Example: Fintech app development cost | Android

A personal finance app offering loans. App development budget in this case:

	MONEY SPENT
UX/UI Design	$6120
Android app	$80 070
QA	$12 388
SM	$11 687
SUM	$110 265
TEAM SETUP	2 iOS Developers, 1 UX/UI Designer, 1 QA Engineer, 1 Scrum Master
TIME	~ 6 months

Main features: integration with a third-party platform that enables users to link with their bank account; providing pay advances, and emergency loans; sign in with email/phone number/passcode; providing loans; notifications on status change; integration with Firebase – Performance Monitoring SDK;

Read also: 8 Key IoT Security Challenges and Proven Solutions from the Field

Example: Game & education app development cost | iOS

App measuring people’s behavior through attractive games.

	MONEY SPENT
iOS app	$106 845
QA	$14 258
SM	$13 791
SUM	$134 894
TEAM SETUP	2 iOS Developers, 1 UX/UI Designer, 1 QA, 1 SM
TIME	~ 7-8 months

Main features: integration with financial institutions, implementation of dozen games with visually attractive animations

Example: MedTech app development cost | Android and iOS

App helping patients to come back to health through adjusting and monitoring health parameters. App development budget in this case:

	MONEY SPENT
UX/UI Design	$17 595
Android app	$102 765
iOS app	$78 795
QA	$26 413
SM	$27 348
SUM	$252 916
TEAM SETUP	2 iOS Developers, 2 Android Developers, 1 UX/UI Designer, 1 QA, 1 SM
TIME	~ 8 months

Main features: adjusting & saving health parameters, prescription list view, pediatric mode, contact a doctor via email, adding events to the calendar, notifications, QR code scanning, photo library, notes

Example: Uber-like app development cost | iOS and Android

You need to develop an app for drivers, an app for customers, an admin panel, and a backend.

The whole process of designing and developing an app like Uber will cost you ~ $380 000 – $530 000  (for iOS and Android), and take ~ 5 – 7 months (MVP version).

To understand where these numbers come from and what assumptions we took, read our guide: How to Develop an App like Uber and How Much Does It Cost? 

Factors that affect mobile app development cost

It’s clear that an app’s complexity, complexity and the number of features are significant factors that affect the final price of mobile app development. But they’re far from the only ones. Let’s take a closer look at the key factors that affect the cost of building a mobile app.

App features and their complexity

The number and complexity of features you’re planning to implement in your app will be the most significant cost driver in app development. We’re talking about the amount of business logic required to be translated into the software, the number of screens, buttons, and other elements like in-app purchases that require third-party integrations.

• Read this: Top 24 E-Commerce Mobile App Features

While implementing some features is relatively straightforward, others might be more challenging. Depending on their complexity, the development team might use ready-made solutions or write code from scratch.

Here are a few examples of app features you may need to include in your application and how they affect the final price of building your app.

User engagement features

Such basic features are authorization, networking, notifications, and others. Even a user authorization feature can come in many varieties that can be simple or more complex.

• Adding functionalities such as storing passwords, password recovery, attractive visual design, or logging through social networks will increase the cost of your app.
• Features such as push notifications, social sharing, or commenting and liking content via social media profiles will require some extra costs too.
• Note that they often demand integration with third-party libraries and frameworks.

In-app purchases

This range of features has to do with the ways users can purchase things in your app. Credit cards, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and PayPal are all popular forms of payment within apps. Every payment processing method will demand extra time for implementation and increase the cost of development.

Location-based services

If you want to implement innovative technologies such as geo-fencing or beacons, building such features is often time-consuming and expensive. Also, you will have to find a development team that has the right expertise on board to provide you with such services, and that might cost you time as well. Ultimately, integrating any of the more advanced location-based services will also drive up the cost of your app.

Device features

Just a few years ago, software that took advantage of device features could only use things like dialing, camera, or location information. Today, developers can integrate many other things such as near communication field (NFC) chips, payment systems, and newly emergent device features.

Note: To create an app that can access mobile device features, developers need to use platform-specific APIs. New features will require introducing new APIs in which development teams might have less experience. That’s why the development time may increase and, as a result, affect the total cost of building your app.

The geographic location of a development team (cost of app development by region)

So how much does it cost to develop an app depending on where you’re planning to hire? Here is a breakdown of the average hourly rates of app development companies and team members in different regions of the world (source: 2023 Report by Accelerance):

The price of mobile app development will vary a lot depending on where you hire your app development team from. Obviously, the hourly rates of software developers are much higher in countries like the UK, USA and Australia than in places like India, China or Eastern European countries like Poland, which are becoming popular outsourcing destinations.

Is it a good idea to hire a local team?

The team you hire for the job will have a huge impact on the final cost of development. The only serious advantage of developing an app locally is that the team is physically close to you, which can simplify communication and increase your chances of success.

It’s easier to explain your product’s unique requirements in person, hold regular meetings, and get to know the team in person before paying a lot of money to build your solution. Local development teams can be more involved in the project.

So what is the main disadvantage of hiring a local development team? In most cases, it’s going to be more expensive, and the talent pool you can choose from will be limited.

Here’s why outsourcing is a smart move

The popularity of outsourcing software development means that outsourcing vendors are well prepared to handle such collaborations

• Videoconferencing and instant messaging tools make it so much easier to communicate with an overseas team.
• Moreover, experienced providers make sure that the remote team has all the tools it needs and follows the best industry practices for a smooth development process.
• Foreign developers may come with a higher level of expertise at a reasonable cost. They can perform a lot better in comparison to the local ones.

Think about it this way: If you want to hire a development team locally, your choices are very limited. But when you consider outsourcing, you can choose from any country in the world. You can even hire a team to work while you’re asleep, so you wake up every day to see the results of their work.

The undeniable advantages of outsourcing development are:

• access to a huge talent pool,
• high level of expertise available,
• greater balance of talent and cost,
• full flexibility.

The most serious drawbacks of outsourcing are:

• time zone challenges,
• communication, and project management issues,
• less personal control over the project.

Still not sure? Here are three guides to help you prepare for an outsourcing collaboration:

• In-house vs. Outsourced Software Development
• Outsourcing Software Development – Benefits & Risks for App Owners
• 3 Popular Software Development Pricing Models

The growing popularity of nearshoring and offshoring indicates that more and more companies are willing to make their native app development cost-effective and take advantage of foreign talent.

Team setup

Your app development cost will also depend on the team structure. The size of the team should be adjusted according to your needs.

A typical development team consists of:

• 1 Product Owner (from your side),
• 1 Scrum Master,
• 1 Quality Assurance Engineer,
• 2 Android developers,
• 2 iOS developers,
• 1 Business Analyst (optional),
• 1 UX/ UI Designer (optional).

You are the one to make a decision, who will work on your project.

Read also: Agile Roles and Responsibilities – From Theory to Practice

When it comes to Business Analyst (BA), this is an optional team member. You decide if your project needs a Business Analyst’s support. BA helps you define high-quality business requirements to ensure the development team is aligned with the Product Owner’s vision.

In particular, Business Analyst:

• explains your business needs and problem context to the development team
• translates technical constraints to the business
• takes care of backlog management from the business value perspective, along with identifying dependencies, priorities, and blockers
• documents complex areas of the project scope using an integrated set of analysis and modeling techniques, such as user stories, use cases, and other business analysis deliverables.
• is responsible for change request management
• manages and prioritizes the requirements of various stakeholders

Another factor important in analyzing app development cost breakdown is on how many platforms and on which platforms your product needs to operate.

Number of platforms

Another choice that will affect the price of building your app is whether you want it to work on one or multiple platforms.

When making your decision, take into account factors like the market share of iOS and Android devices, device fragmentation, and prevalence, as well as the specificity of developing for each of these platforms. Android application development and iOS application development need different programming languages with different SDKs and tools.

If you’re developing an app for a single platform, you won’t see a significant price discrepancy between Android and iOS. However, if you want your application to support two or more platforms, the cost of development will increase.

Native or cross-platform app development

If you want to develop a mobile app for both platforms – iOS and Android – it is worth considering developing it with Kotlin Multiplatform, Flutter or with other cross-platform solutions. It can reduce your app development cost up to 40% and shorten its time-to-market.

How much does it cost to build a cross-platform app?

The cost of developing an app using a cross-platform framework such as Flutter can vary significantly depending on the complexity and scope of the project. Every app is unique, so factors such as features, design, and integrations will affect the final cost. However, the overall cost will be lower than when building two separate native apps.

Here is a general estimate based on the type of app:

• Basic app: $32,000 to $45,000
  (Simple features, minimal UI complexity)
• Moderate complexity app: $45,000 to $65,000
  (More advanced features, custom UI, integration with APIs)
• Complex app: Starting at $65,000
  (Advanced functionality, highly customized UI, multiple integrations, large scale)

Please note that these estimates do not include backend development costs, which will vary depending on the needs of your project. For a more accurate estimate, don’t hesitate to contact us.

App maintenance cost

This point is something many prospective app owners forget about. We tend to think that app development costs run only until the solution is ready. This is not true.

Consumer and market trends are constantly changing, and your product needs to address these changes to stay competitive (not adapting to market changes is one of the most common mistakes in mobile app development). That’s why maintenance and updating are such essential aspects of the mobile app development process – and they’re also a factor in its costs.

In many cases, the app maintenance cost may account for a significant chunk of the original development price (around 15% – 20%). Its price depends on the projected duration and the number of hours required for proper support.

Maintenance is a critical service even if you’re not planning to scale up your app or add new features anytime soon.

What exactly do you get in maintenance service? Services such as code optimization, improving stability and performance of your app, adding support for the latest operating system versions, developing new features, bug fixing, and supporting the latest version. 

App development is just a start. The fun begins when you gather feedback from first users, adapt your product to the market needs, and prepare the solution for a larger scale. That’s why it’s best to continue working with a development team even after your product has been completed. Software development is a continuous process, and companies like Droids On Roids offer post-release support.

How to reduce the costs of app development

Fortunately, business owners can reduce the costs of developing mobile applications by following a few industry practices and applying some clever tricks.

Prioritize features early on

You need to prioritize your app features correctly before beginning their development. Just because you’re not able to build a complete software solution right now, it doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your dream.

It’s smarter to prioritize your app’s functionalities to start driving business value as quickly as possible. This also helps create an accurate software project estimation.

Save the nice-to-have elements for the later stages of development and add them to your backlog. By starting your project with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), you get to build a successful product without investing a lot of money into a high-risk project.

The world of IT is constantly changing, and investing in an extensive system with a full range of functionalities doesn’t make sense. Smart business owners build digital products incrementally and keep a close eye on market trends.

Want to learn more about MVP development? We prepared these handy guides:

• Minimum Viable Product Definition & Business Meaning
• How to Build a Minimum Viable Product – Guide for App Owners

Involve Quality Assurance (QA) early on

Since bugs and errors may accumulate already during the mobile app design phase, you need to address them as soon as possible; otherwise, you risk that they spread out throughout your entire project.

By involving QA professionals right from the start, you will identify severe problems before the development phase begins. As a result, you will save on redesign costs that might become very high in the middle of your project.

Plan for the future

Remember that the costs of building mobile apps extend beyond the development and release phases. A complete mobile application development will still generate expenses.

The app you develop today might look completely different in the future. For example, if you release an MVP, you might get customer feedback that inspires you to change some features. Your target market might evolve in a completely new direction, forcing you to change your product as well.

That’s why it’s smart to be mindful of short-term and long-term goals in developing software. It will save you plenty of money down the road.”

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