How Much Does an App Development Cost in 2024? [Your Guide]

Do you want to build a mobile application for your business? The very first question you would have is – how much does it cost to develop an app from scratch?

The cost of mobile apps depends on several factors. Here is a quick answer on application development costs based on their complexity.

• Simple Mobile App -$10,000 to $15,000
• Mid-size Mobile App -$20,000 to $30,000
• Large-size Mobile App -$40,000 to $50,000
• Complex Mobile App -$75,000 to $90,000
• Enterprise-level Mobile App – Starts from $90,000

As the market of mobile apps is increasing, being an appreneur, you want to leverage this opportunity. A report by BusinessInsider estimates that the mobile application market size will reach $366.34 billion by 2027.

If you are looking for a complete mobile app development cost breakdown, read this article to get answers to your questions.

By the end of this blog, you will get to know the factors affecting the custom app development cost. Also, you will learn about how much it costs to create an app, especially mobile apps like social media, game apps, and on-demand apps. Let’s get started.

App Development Cost: The Metrics

As the mobile app adoption has increased rapidly so does the increase of tech startups. Billions of people use smartphone apps that make it easy and quick to do a portion of their everyday tasks.

Let’s look at the Clutch industry surveys on mobile application development by timeline and average cost of app development.

• The average cost to make an app is around $37,912 to $171,450 at a standard rate of $150/hour.
• This can increase to $727,500 for complex enterprise apps based on the functionality to be implemented.
• The minimum budget size for app development starts from $5,000 to $10,000 per app, although the actual cost of creating an app is likely to be more than that.

There are no perfect mobile application cost calculators, but you can still calculate it by using a simple formula (refer it as an app development cost calculator), which is as follows:

However, the above-mentioned quotations are also provided based on the three main cost factors that impact the cost range. These factors will determine the final price range of your app development project. Here’re the factors.

• The objective of your mobile app
• Gathering business requirements
• Functional and features requirements

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How Much Does an App Development Cost? [Quick Answer]

The cost of app development ranges from $10,000 to $2,10,000 and also depends on the application complexity. Check the following table to know more.

Let’s now bifurcate the app building cost by stages and calculate the average cost of an app development project.

How Much Does Each Phase of App Development Cost?

Here is a table that includes phase-wide app development costs and timelines. The given information in the following table is tentative. Check the following table.

As you have got a basic idea of cost, let’s now learn in detail about each phase of cost and timeline. Here you will learn information about each phase of the app development process.

1. Research and Analysis

   • Cost: $3,000 – $10,000
   • Timeline: 2 – 4 weeks

   Business research (also known as the discovery phase) is a critical stage for any type of custom mobile app development project. Whether you are working with an outsourcing mobile app development company or hiring freelance developers, you must conduct an analysis of your project.

   The business analysis team helps to come up with specifications for technologies and proper guidelines for your app development project. Here are points to help you understand the necessity of this stage.

   Why is the Discovery Stage Important in the App Development Process?
   Here are the five core reasons why the discovery stage is so important.

   • Reduces app development time and cost by properly defining clear and proper requirements for your application idea.
   • Following the standard process for validating your requirements so you get your final product as per your requirements.
   • Creating goal-based architecture to get your application aligned with your vision and objective.
   • Reduces project risks by identifying the potential risks and challenges prior to development.
   • Tailored solution to your requirements as you are involved in the development of your applications.

   Check the hourly rate of professionals for the discovery phase to calculate app development costs in the following table. The following table is the bifurcation of the app development timeline and the cost involved in the discovery stage.

   Location	Approx Timeline	Approx Apps Cost
   Canada	2-4 weeks	$40 -$80/hour
   United States	2-3 weeks	$45 – $90/hour
   Latin America	1-3 weeks	$30 – $80/hour
   Eastern Europe	1-3 weeks	$35 – $90/hour
   Asia	1-3 weeks	$30 – $50/hour

   In particular, it takes about two weeks to research and plan and may last up to 3-5 months in the case of large-scale projects.

2. UI/UX Design

   • Cost: $5,000-$20,000
   • Timeline: 4 – 8 weeks

   UI design has always been about interaction with customers. Where UX is just all about the user experience and how users feel on a platform. Ultimately, it helps users to get:

   • Effective onboarding
   • User-friendly customer interaction/user experience
   • Fascinating design of the product that eases the usage of the app

   So, what are the hourly rates of application designers across the globe to design an application? Let’s find.

   Location	Approx Hours	Approx Apps Cost
   Canada	120 – 200	$60 – $100/hour
   United States	120 – 180	$60- $110/hour
   Latin America	100 – 170	$45 – $55/hour
   Eastern Europe	100 – 170	$35 – $60/hour
   Asia	100 – 150	$30 – $45/hour

   In comparison to Android app development, the iOS UI and UX design take more time to develop. For example, designers need up to 120 hours for iOS versions and 100 hours for Android if you’re developing an app like Uber for both platforms.

3. App Development

   • Cost: Stars from $30,000
   • Timeline: Depends on the complexity of app

   This stage of programming a mobile application majorly influences the expense of developing mobile apps.

   To develop the backend functionalities of an app, you will need to employ one or a few iOS developers for building iOS apps and a few Android developers for building Android applications. Hiring professional app developers for both or a single platform depends on the platform you choose to release the application.

   The developer’s job is to develop and deploy the app on app stores after ensuring that the app matches the app publishing guidelines and is developed as per the standard mobile app development process.

   So, how much does it cost for app development?

   App Developer	Approx Hours	Approx Apps Cost
   Front-end	160 – 170	$80-100/hour
   Back-end	200 – 220	$60-90/hour

   The total developers’ cost also depends on their qualifications and experience. Therefore, if you want to know how much does an application cost, then a quick answer is the app cost also varies depending on the developers you hire.

4. Testing

   • Cost: $5,000 – $20,000
   • Timeline: 2 – 4 weeks

   The QA engineer and QA team start testing it once app developers complete development. They verify the reliability of the system by running regression, load, smoke, and other test forms.

   Testing is done simultaneously with the production, and it can not be skipped. QA tests each functionality of the product in the development phase. In fact, without the final approval of the quality assurance team, an app is not released into the market.

   So, how much does QA charge per hour across various regions?

   Locations	Approx Hours	Approx Apps Cost
   Canada	28-42	$60 – $90/hour
   United States	40-50	$70 – $90/hour
   Latin America	30-35	$35 – $50/hour
   Eastern Europe	30-40	$30 – $55/hour
   Asia	25-20	$25 – $35/hour

   You might be wondering how much does it cost to build an app? Logically, the cost of creating an app is closely related to the functionality of the app. App testing takes up about 30 percent of the costs of the application expended on customer-side (front-end) deployment in production.

5. Maintenance

   • Cost: $1,000 – $5000/month
   • Timeline: Life-long

   You have seen a phase-by-phase mobile app development process and app making cost, but who manages all these app development stages?

   The answer is project managers.

   There will be a price to pay to the project management team members because they manage the whole app development process. Here’re some of the responsibilities of managers.

   • Coordinate with developers or service providers
   • Delegate projects
   • Be responsible for the production
   • Solve issues
   • Report to owners

   Managing a project is very much a time-consuming operation. Some businesses charge an hourly rate, while others set fixed prices to pay and business structures for this service. Let’s look at the details below.

   Locations	Approx Hours	Approx Apps Cost
   Canada	200-440	$60 – $100/hour
   United States	200 – 350	$70 – $120/hour
   Latin America	150 – 300	$70 – $90/hour
   Eastern Europe	150 – 250	$40 – $50/hour
   Asia	200 – 220	$35 – $50/hour

   The key price difference derives from the level of complexity. So, these were all answers to a question – how much does it cost to make an app. Not only this, mobile app costs will have complete dependence on your project requirements as well.

   Moving forward, along with different phases, there are various kinds of business app categories, which results in an entirely different pricing structure.

   Note: There is no straightforward answer to your question – how much does an app cost? The below-given app development costs analysis given is for your common understanding.

App Development Cost Estimation By Business Categories

Each mobile application project is unique since many clients have different business concepts, requirements, technologies, and development teams.

Let’s get an idea of the initial development cost of mobile applications based on different categories in the following table.

1. 1. Basic App Development Cost

      • App Cost: Starts from $5,000
      • Duration: Four weeks to six weeks
      • Examples of the Project: Calculator, Camera, Local games, SMS apps, Local audio/ video players

      The above examples are of simple apps that you develop with five to six app screens and simple functionalities. These apps probably don’t require a network connection.

      To build a application for your business, you must be clear with your objective. So, it becomes easy to collaborate with the app development team to create an app from scratch.

   2. Data-Based Application Development Cost

      • App Cost: Starts $15,000
      • Duration: 4- 6 weeks
      • Examples of the Project: Calendar, Weather, Stocks, Maps

      These types of apps are entirely created on a particular domain. Like the Today Weather app that uses third-party API integration to deliver accurate weather information.

      You can create data-based apps and make them advanced applications by adding new features. As data-based apps require some back-end development work, these apps are more expensive than basic apps.

   3. Authentication Application Development Cost

      • App Cost: Starts from $50,000 and can be more
      • Duration: 3-5 months
      • Examples of the Projects: McDonald’s Loyalty App and Google Drive

      Authentication apps can be quite expensive because these apps require the integration of multiple features.

      In these kinds of apps, the user will have an account to access the information of the app; once the user types in the login details, it will be synchronized among devices with user data encryption. Also, to manage app users, you need to create an admin panel for a content management system and user management. These apps will require a user to log in to have access to the full app functionality.

      To ease the login or signup process for your authentication apps, allow users to register through social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter. This is a method that benefits the client and the user. Because most users always find it stressful to type in their names and details. If your users have an account on any of the popular social platforms, it makes the signup or login process easier in your app.

   4. Social Media App Development Cost

      • App Cost: App Cost: Starts from $50,000 – $240,000 and even be more
      • Duration: The time duration could range from 5 to 9 months
      • Examples of the Project: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yummi

      Social networking apps basically mean social user engagement, discussions, information, and file-sharing (send media files). So, keep in mind that you are going to process a lot of data while designing the back-end architecture.

      If you are planning to create a social media app by cloning Facebook or Instagram, then it will be of no use because your users might already use such apps. Then, why do they want to move to your application? So, make your social media application unique from your competitors and make it more interactive for your users.

   5. eCommerce App Development Cost

      • App Cost: Starting from $50,000 to $240,000 and more
      • Duration: 90 days to 6 months to more than 9 months for an ongoing project
      • Examples of the Project: Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, ASOS

      eCommerce applications come with all the functions like user registration, user account, and social features.

      eCommerce apps are built with features like comprehensive product catalogs, a specific page for each product, and a check-out system with an online payment system feature like Google Pay, credit cards, debit cards, etc. For the payment processing feature, some of the reliable ones are Braintree and Stripe.

      Developing an eCommerce application can be quite complicated because it requires extensive back-end support with a committed admin panel. The admin panel manages users, orders, catalog pages, payments, and inventory.

   6. On-Demand App Development Cost

      • App Cost: Starts $70,000 to $80,000 and more per app, per platform
      • Duration: 5 to 7 months or more
      • Examples of the Project: Uber, Uber Eats, Postmates, Nimber, Melabiz

      The on-demand app development specifically came into existence to meet the demands of users. The most popular worldwide example of an on-demand app is Uber. The Uber app project received an investment of $1,300,000, mainly during the seed round.

      On-demand and social apps have similar functionality, including login and interaction-based features like chats, calls, and more. And similar to eCommerce apps, in-app ordering, delivery, and payment features are integrated to buy goods and third-party services.

      These services also come in two different formats, making their functionality different. For example, the Uber app of a client is different from that of the rider.

      It is always vital to have two separate applications with a balanced list of features, especially if you want the app to work on multiple platforms such as Android and iOS.

1. Marketplace App Development Cost

   • App Cost: $240,000 or more (web platform)
   • Duration: 9 months or more
   • Examples of the Project: TripAdvisor, Booking.com

   These types of apps combine the basic features of eCommerce and on-demand because they work together. The objective and the concept of a marketplace app should be well stated because it involves two sides of an economy-demand and supply. The pre-development stage of an eCommerce app takes a lot of time, so the average cost of building an application is always higher.

   For example, Uber (an on-demand app) is specifically about transportation services. In contrast, a B2C service providing an app like TripAdvisor covers hotels, restaurants, airline tickets, and many other services with the help of a website and native iOS apps and Android apps.

2. IoT & Hardware Application Development Cost

   • App Cost: Starts from $50,000 and can be more
   • Duration: From 3 to 5 months
   • Examples of the Project: Amazon Dash Buttons, Beacons, and BELI Printing Service

   Internet-of-Things apps, also known as IoT apps, interconnect specific hardware products or equipment to technology. Once devices are connected with technology, then the physical object is called ‘smart.’ These physical items can be any object that enhances productivity or improves the way we live.

   Examples of these smart items are medical tools, pet collars, and appliances for home assistance.

   You need to connect the smart tools to another mobile device through WiFi or Bluetooth technology. The tools will use any connectivity options to send requests and receive data and help in data storage.

   For the successful development of your app, you will need to have a device (that will serve as the platform) and detailed documentation of the device. The documentation should cover all the aspects of the app, and once you have that, you will get to know the answer to your question – how much does apps cost for iOS and Android devices?

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an iPhone Application from Scratch?

The average iPhone mobile app development costs range from $25,000 to $2,00,000.

The cost of creating an iPhone app depends on multiple factors which include features, functionalities, size of the app, app category, third-party integration, size of your iPhone app development team, development time, and last but not least complexity of the iOS app.

Here is an example of a simple and complex iPhone application.

• Simple App: Note-taking App
  Imagine a straightforward note-taking app. This app is your digital notebook, letting you jot down thoughts, save them, and keep them organized. You can make different folders for your notes, format your text, and even search your notes. Creating such a simple app could take between 2 to 4 months. The price could range between $10,000 to $25,000.
• Complex App: An Inclusive Health and Fitness App Now, let’s consider a more intricate app – an advanced health and fitness app. This app is like your personal health coach. This health and fitness app provides personalized workout routines and meal plans and even syncs with your wearable devices.

  Moreover, tracks your sleep, helps manage stress, and provides a community platform for sharing progress and motivation. Advanced features like AI-based personal coaching could also be part of the package. Developing a health or fitness app could take around 12 months, and cost you up to $100,000.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an Android Application from Scratch?

The average Android mobile app development costs range from $15,000 to $1,00,000.

Certainly, the cost of Android apps depends on the multiple factors of the complexity, type and category of the app, app design and animation, and app deployment on the Google Play Store, app development team, hourly rates of developers, location of developers, and timeline to develop your Android application.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Cross-platform Application from Scratch?

The cost of creating a cross-platform application starts from $20,000 and goes beyond $1,00,000.

Similar to Android and iPhone app development, certain factors directly influence the cost of building a cross-platform app. Factors like code-reusability, application framework, app development team size, hourly rates of developers, app complexity, UI/UX design, and location of your team.

To get an exact cost estimation, you need to contact an app development company. The company will analyze your requirements and provide you with a complete roadmap for development.

So far, you have learned about the cost of making an app by stages and different business categories. So let’s explore how much it costs to create an app depending on various factors.

Factors Affecting the Cost of App Development

As said previously, there are factors that affect the outsource app development cost. Let’s understand each of the essential factors that influence the cost of developing an app in detail. So, it helps you to create your mobile app development budget accordingly.

1. Type of App: Native vs Hybrid App

   

   Native apps are built only for a specific platform. That means developing a native app either for the Android or iOS platform. Also, native applications are handled independently.

   How native applications will affect costs?

   • The number of platforms – You need to decide on which platforms you want your mobile application to work on. The more app platforms, the more it will cost as you need more versions of the app to distribute on the app store.
   • Type of app platform – if you are developing Android apps, you use Java and Kotlin, and if you are developing native iOS apps, then you use Objective-C or Swift, which means a high mobile app development price.

   Hybrid or cross-platform apps support multiple operating systems. Using a single codebase, you can build a hybrid application for multiple operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

   How hybrid applications will affect costs?

   • The cross-platform app means cutting the developing cost in two.
   • Single code for all operating systems means less app maintenance costs.

   What is the result? Let’s understand it better with the given table.

   Variables	Native apps	Hybrid apps
   Cost	Basic App – $5000-$6000	Basic App – $5000-$7000
   Performance	Faster response	Slow response
   Coding maintenance	High	Moderate
   Programming language used	Objective-C, iOS SDK, Java, Android SDK	HTML, CSS, Javascript
   Development time	3-4 months	2-3 months
   Works best	With high-performance requirements	With low-performance requirements
   Code Compatibility	For single platform	Enables code porting to multiple platforms

   Expert opinion: Native applications are more technologically superior and offer a better user experience than hybrid apps; because of this, a lot of businesses prefer native apps.

2. Platform: Android vs iOS App

   

   It is necessary to adopt a stair-step path for app development, where a long, effective journey starts with a single and easier step. No doubt, at the same time, the perfect solution appears to establish an application on all systems, but it turns out to be a costly and dangerous tactic.

   For instance, well-known Instagram, first launched on iOS in 2010, became available for Android users in the Google Play Store only four years later i.e., in 2014.

   So, which platform will you choose for native app development? iOS or Android? What does the iOS application development cost? What is the cost of developing a mobile application for Android? Let’s compare them.

   Variables	Android App	iOS App
   Market share	70.0%	25.0%
   Programming language used	Java, Kotlin	Swift, Objective- C
   Development time	3-4 months	2-3 months
   Costs	Starts from $5,000 (basic)	Starts from $4,500 (basic)
   Platforms	Multiple choices (variety of smartphones and tablets)	Limited choices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod)

   Remember, mobile apps are essential to an organization, and selecting a channel is based on the app’s primary feature set and the target audience. Therefore, to be effective with your application, the first parameter must be a good marketing plan. Even we have given answers to your below questions:

   • How much does it cost to build an iOS app?
   • How much does it cost to create an Android app?

3. App Features

   With the inclusion of advanced functionality and features like push notifications and third-party integration, the base price for the app will increase.

   There is almost no limit on what a business can achieve with smartphone apps. There is also no definitive price figure; it can vary anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few million. The cost of developing an app totally depends on your custom requirements.

   To provide detailed knowledge of the cost of features and services involved in your app, we have shared a detailed table that will allow you to make the calculation. To calculate the cost, consider the developer’s hourly rate between $35 to $60.

   Understand the following table to know a detailed mobile application development cost breakdown based on functionalities.

   Features	Functionality	Approx Hours	Approx Cost
   User Login	Adding a login feature that allows users to validate username/password combination to get access to the app	15-20	$700-$1200
   In-App Messages	Adding in-app chat so users can chat and interact with each other without any hassle	80-100	$2800-$3500
   In-App Purchases	Refer to the number of products, subscription costs, premium features, or product/service list	20-40	$700-$1400
   Multi-Language Support	Data management and UI updates, device readjustments of various programming languages and instructions are the main activities	15-40	$500-$1400

   This app development cost breakdown is only for the popular features like push notifications and social media integration used to build an app for daily use.

   In deciding the functionality and the cost of creating an app, other factors also influence your app development cost. For example, whether your application will require a web app or not, internet connectivity or not, and necessary back-end. All these factors play an important role in calculating the average app development cost.

4. UI/UX Design

   User interfaces and app designs drive the entire mobile app production process. The more complicated the concept, the higher the cost per hour of developing your smartphone app.

   The basic app architecture of the user interface design consists primarily of standardized and platform-specific components that are simple to develop and incorporate. However, including customized components makes sense to turn the whole procedure dynamic and leads to data server costs in development.

   Depending on the program, to give you an example, it takes about 20 to 220+ hours to create an interactive UI user interface that contributes $1,500 – $15,000 to the average development cost of an app.

5. Development Team

   Another factor that affects the app development cost estimate is the development team. The size of the staff should be tailored according to your specifications are

   • 1 software owner
   • 1 scrum master
   • 1 quality assurance engineer
   • Android developers/software engineers
   • 2 iOS developers
   • 1 market and business analyst
   • UX designer

   The costs of each professional would vary depending on the mobile app development company you hire or the freelance mobile app professionals you hire. It can be said that the development cost is directly related to app development companies’ hourly rates. So, this was all about the app development cost factors, which you should be aware of before developing your own mobile application.

Mobile App Development Cost in 2024

Just like we mentioned earlier, recent studies have shown that the answer to the question, “what is the average cost to develop an application? or how much does an Android app development cost? or how much does an iPhone app development cost?” can be as low as $5000 and as high as $500,000 based on the app types that you want to develop and the current industry standard.

With the research on how much does it cost to start an app, the conclusion is that developing an application with a major set of features may cost around $50,000 and maybe more while creating a high-end complex enterprise app costs nothing less than $240,000 and more.

Let’s now learn about the app maintenance cost in the next section.

How Much Does It Cost to Maintain an App?

Application maintenance costs refer to fixing bugs, improving performance, updating security measures, and updating your app with current technology to stay relevant in the market.

For example, if you have developed an app that costs you around $20,000, then its app maintenance costs based on the above formula would range from $3000 to $4000 yearly.

Here are the multiple factors that impact the application maintenance costs.

• The number of platform versions like Android, iOS, or hybrid
• The number of features and functionalities you want to update
• Updating the technology of your mobile application
• Improving the quality of your mobile application code
• Integration or updating third-party dependencies
• The type of maintenance agreement you sign
• The hosting service of your mobile application

If you want to know in detail about the app maintenance cost you can read our guide on how much does it cost to maintain an app?

Next, let’s know the tips to reduce app development costs in the next section.

How to Reduce App Development Price

If you want to build an application within your budget, you must be looking for tips that help you reduce overall mobile application development costs. Well, then only you are able to develop an app within your decided app development budget. Based on research, here’re some of the tips to help you.

1. Come Up With Detailed Project Specifications

   For custom mobile app development, you either need to contact mobile app development services providing company or you can use different platforms to hire mobile app developer. You have an idea on which you want to develop a mobile app. Then you need a mobile app development partner to convert your idea into reality. Also, after collaborating with an app development partner, you need to provide detailed project details.

   If you are not clear with your project requirements in detail, then your development team needs to conduct research and prepare an outline of your idea. This app development stage is market research. What if you provide the details to your hired app development agency? It reduces the work of your app developers, and the execution of your task will be carried out faster. So, when you want to build a mobile app, provide detailed requirements on your functionalities.

2. Develop Your App With Minimum Errors and Rework

   Ask your mobile development team to take mobile app testing parallel. If errors are found after the complete development of your mobile app, it will result in higher development costs; the developers will need to rework your mobile app.

   The more hours developers spend to create your mobile, the more it would cost you to build an app. So, while hiring a mobile applications development company, ensure that the company performs testing of your mobile app parallel with development.

   Are you wondering if it is even possible to test before a product gets developed? Let’s clear it up.

   Testing of any software or application can be conducted parallelly with development. This is possible because developers complete the development of a particular feature or section of the app. Then that functionality is tested.

3. Make a Hybrid Mobile App

   So if your app budget is limited, and you want to create an application for both platforms, go for hybrid mobile application development. Instead of creating a native mobile application, you can opt for a hybrid mobile app.

   By developing a hybrid mobile application, you easily target a wider audience. Although, if you create an app that majorly deals with hardware of mobile, then hybrid is not a good option. Choose hybrid app development only when your app doesn’t need to deal with hardware functionalities. Likewise, you would be able to save the cost of mobile app development without compromising the quality of your application.

Get Your Personalized Cost for Creating an App

To draw the final line, the costs of building an app per platform are around $5,000 to $240,000 and can be more than that. If you are wondering, what does it cost to develop an application for my business then mentioning the exact app development costs is quite difficult to answer. However, you can use app development cost calculator to know the price range of developing an app on your idea.

The final cost for developing an app is based on the following factors:

• App development service
• Number of features
• Complexity of your app
• Application UI design
• Development concept

However, you can conveniently reduce the expense if you opt for a minimum viable product. Want to know what MVP is? Check out a guide on what MVP stands for in software development. Then, upgrade your mobile app gradually after getting users’ feedback.

If you are looking for mobile app development company around Toronto, connect with us to get an exact app cost estimation for your project idea. As one of the best app development companies in Toronto, we will provide you with the best custom web and app solutions within your estimated budget.