On average, people spend around 4.2 hours a day using apps on their smartphones and this number is increasing every year (for example, in 2019 it was reported that people spend around 3 hours a day using apps). That is why app development is an effective marketing tool that can help your business by enabling you to increase customer loyalty and create an additional channel of communication with existing and potential customers.
It is natural that you, as a startup, want to reduce the cost of application development. Users don’t care how you created the app and how much money you spent on it – they just want a quality product. Otherwise, they will not be willing to pay for it. Some founders try to reduce costs by rejecting the discovery phase of the project, reducing the development team, etc. But all this can affect the quality of the project and lead it to total failure. In this article, we will show that a limited budget does not necessarily mean a low-quality app.
How to calculate the cost of application development
The calculation of the necessary costs for the development of the application begins with a consultation. The development team then collects and analyzes the requirements and defines the specifications.
If you want to calculate yourself the approximate budget needed to create an app, the best way to do it is using the following formula:
Project complexity x hourly rate = application development cost.
Recommendations on how to reduce the cost of developing custom applications
Define the limits of your budget
If you want to approach an application development company, start negotiations by defining your maximum budget. If you start by saying what you want to see in your app, the final price may be a nasty surprise for you. Knowing the budget, the experts of the development company will be able to offer you the best model/prototype of the application without crossing borders.
Get started with MVP
If you decide to develop an MVP, it will allow you to launch your product with minimal costs. You must first determine the purpose of the application and define who your potential users are. Next, prioritize the features you want to have in your app, dividing them by:
- features without which the app cannot function
- features without which the app can function
- features that won’t add too much value to the app
Creating an MVP will allow you to focus on the features that your target audience needs the most. Also, when analyzing the market, you can exclude features that will not be useful for your application.
Clarify technical requirements to developers.
Before the development process begins, try to create as detailed a list of requirements as possible. This way you will avoid risks. If an app element is vaguely described, developers can implement it according to their vision, which often doesn’t have to be yours. In this case, you will need additional resources to rebuild certain parts of the application.
Don’t ignore the test phase
The testing phase is important for all applications, without exception. Fixing bugs immediately after they occur is much cheaper than when the application is up and running. That’s why you need to make sure everything works perfectly before your app is available to users. To do this, hire a quality control expert.
Implement a standard layout
If your app doesn’t necessarily need a fancy design, build your first version with a simple and intuitive design. Fortunately, both iOS and Android have their own design guidelines that you can use to save time and money designing your app. By following them, your UX/UI designers can create great designs using fewer resources. If you want your application to have a non-standard design with many elements created especially for you, the design part of your project may cost even more than the functional part.
Do not limit yourself in terms of time
Be realistic about your project deadlines. Don’t pressure your team to complete the application faster. Working under pressure, developers are likely to make mistakes that are costly to fix.
Hire a team that has experience developing a similar app
Such a team can help you avoid pitfalls and pitfalls that may arise during the development process. It can also tell you how to streamline the development process, allowing you to lower your budget. You will not have to include additional risks in the price. Also, with an already established team, the development process will be faster.
Factors Affecting Custom Application Development Costs
There are 6 main aspects that affect the cost of application development:
Development team
When it comes to choosing an app development team, there are 3 main options to choose from:
internal team. This is one of the more expensive options that is suitable for people whose resources are not limited. Having an in-house team working on your project means you’ll need to pay each team member a fixed salary on a regular basis, even if they don’t have much work during certain periods. You will also need to provide your in-house engineering team with the necessary workstation, equipment, and software for development.
External collaborators. This is the most effective option to get good value for money. You can choose a development team from anywhere in the world where development salaries are significantly lower than in your country.
Freelancer. Hiring a freelancer is the cheapest option. However, it has advantages and disadvantages. Despite the profitable option, hiring freelancers is unreliable. In addition, you will always have to be involved in the process. You will need to recruit and manage a team, supervise the work process, etc.
Keep in mind that you will need at least one highly qualified app developer to work on your app. Entrusting the entire project to low-salary start-ups is attractive, but it’s a bad idea: they may not be able to handle various problems.
Platform
Ideally, you should run your app on all existing platforms. However, this will require more resources than most startups have. This way you will have to choose a platform. According to Statista, the Android operating system has 87% of the global market share. The iOS operating system only has a 13% market share. Another survey shows that iOS owns the vast majority of the US market. Also, iOS users are more likely to spend money on apps than Android users. However, as you might guess, by releasing the first version of your app for the Android operating system, you can expand it to a larger audience.
If you still want to create an app for both Android and iOS, you can turn to hybrid app development. It gives the possibility to run the application on both platforms with a minimal investment. However, keep in mind that the native app will always be technically superior to the hybrid app. Also, you won’t lose much if you wait a while and launch your app on another platform when it starts generating revenue.
functions
The number of features you want to implement and their complexity directly affect development cost. The more features an app has, the higher the development cost.
Background
The backend is another factor that determines the price of the application. In fact, this is what is behind the user interface and layout, the internal part of the application that is managed by the webmaster. An application that contains large amounts of information must be able to support a back-end server with a complex structure, built on multiple programming languages.
The more complex the application, the more important it is to get a background. Simple applications may not require it at all.
Costs after issuance
Launching a high-quality app is just the beginning of your journey. Now your main task is to keep it active. This means that you will have to spend money on promotion and effective marketing strategies. Regular updates, bug fixes, server maintenance, and customer support are also included in post-launch costs. These costs are usually calculated separately, but are still part of the app development.
Application security level
A high level of protection is one of the main requirements of every application. Access to personal data, money and the user’s location must be reliably protected from hacking, viruses, etc. Therefore, the development of a secure mobile application that can detect suspicious activities, weaknesses, etc. requires large financial investments.
Conclusion
Mobile app development is a complex process with many factors affecting the end result. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep prices down: create an MVP, use a standard and simple design, etc. Don’t forget that additional features and updates, as well as integration with other platforms, can be added when you are sure. your app is what the market needs.
Categories: How to
Source: HIS Education