How Much Does It Cost to build a Progressive Web App? 

Major premier brands such as Twitter, Pinterest, Alibaba, and Washington Post created progressive web apps and saw significant spikes in their conversion rates, user satisfaction, and enhanced user experience. 

Seeing the massive growth of these companies, other businesses and startup owners want to create a similar app that behaves like a mobile app and web page. 

More importantly, PWA requires lower development expenses as it uses a single code base. So, it’s a lucrative choice for mid-size startups and small-scale businesses struggling with budget constraints. 

Although building a successful PWA requires investment, it’s still less than what a native app would cost. If you adopt strategic planning, then every dollar you invest in gives you significant rewards. 

But the cost of PWA development can’t be the same all the time as multiple factors are responsible for it such as features, complexity of application, how engaging the user interface is, and what sort of customizations you need. 

In this blog, we’ll talk about the exact cost of developing a PWA that fits your budget and meets your business goals along with a few cost optimization strategies that help you reduce your development costs. 

What is the cost of developing progressive web applications? 

Creating a PWA is an economical option for businesses compared to native applications. Unlike native applications, PWAs can support cross-platform compatibility which means you can run these web apps across any device and platform. 

These are cost-effective apps by nature as you don’t need to hire a separate set of developers skilled for iOS and Android apps. These apps require a single codebase, less development time and effort. Thus, lower development expenses are involved. 

Studies state that the cost of developing PWA is 3-4 times less expensive than native applications. To give you a rough estimate, the PWA development cost ranges between $35,000 -$45,000. 

While if you go for building a basic PWA version, then the cost would be less but if you want to develop a complex web app for your business with advanced features and functionalities like offline support or sending push notifications to users, then the cost may go above $100,000. 

The cost varies depending on various factors given below – 

• Time and expertise required to create a web app. 
• The level of customization you need in the app.  
• Type of features and functionalities. 
• Quality of design. 
• Technology stack used.  
• Long-term maintenance support or not.  

What factors affect the cost of developing a PWA? 

The cost of developing a PWA isn’t UNIVERSAL as different factors affect its development cost such as requirements of the project, type of project complexity, and customizations required or not. 

The more features and functionalities you add to PWA, the higher the development cost, and vice versa. 

Let’s briefly discuss these factors that are responsible for creating a successful web app. 

1. Type of project requirements 

The cost of PWA development depends on how complex or simple your project requirements are. 

Supposedly you want to develop an online store for your business, then the cost would differ while if you create a customized e-commerce application, then the development cost might go up or down. 

Furthermore, a retail app is different from an e-commerce app, and it would not consume the same amount of resources, and hence the cost would differ. 

2. How many hours are required for project completion? 

The timeline required for the project affects the web app development cost. If your project has a short timeline, then the technology vendor you partner with requires more development resources. Eventually, more resources add to the overall cost of developing a web app. 

The timeframe required for project completion highly depends on the scope and type of project. If you create a PWA for an enterprise, then it can go as long as up to several weeks to a few years. While developing a mid-sized application requires fewer hours to complete. 

3. Where are the developers based? 

The cost of developing PWA also depends on the location of the development team, their expertise, and the hourly rates that prevail in that country.  

The hourly rate of developers in regions such as North America and Europe is comparatively higher than ones that reside in Asian countries. 

The table gives you a breakdown of hourly costs for PWA developers. 

Location of PWA developers	Rates (hourly basis)
Asia	$25-$45
Europe	$50-$120
US and Canada	$70 -$145
South America	$35 -$65

4. Type of pricing model (Fixed cost or time & material) 

Another factor that affects your PWA development cost is the type of pricing model you choose. You have 2 options – either to work with a freelancer or hire a PWA development agency. 

Working with a freelancer sounds like a lucrative option for you because it doesn’t cost you more bucks, but you may struggle with the project quality and subsequent delays. 

Alternatively, if you hire an app development agency, they provide you with access to technical resources who have hands-on experience on such projects. They may charge you more, but they end up meeting your expectations. 

Generally, there are different pricing models that a development agency or a technology vendor can charge you as given below-  

a. Fixed price model  

A fixed price engagement model means when the client is sure of their requirements, has a clear scope of the project, and clarity about expected outcomes.  

The vendor will charge a fixed amount for the project and if the project requirements change, then the client will bear additional costs. 

There will be strict deadlines and as everything is defined in advance, the service provider will tell the exact budget for that. Such a type of model is suited for medium to large-scale projects.  

b. Hourly rate model  

Here, the PWA developers charge on an hourly basis from the client, and this model should be preferable when the client is unsure of their project requirements and what they want.  

This type of project outsourcing works in smaller iterations, the developer completes a part of the project, and the client then shares the feedback. 

There isn’t a fixed budget, the client pays the technology vendor depending on the total hours they put in. 

c. Mixed price model  

It’s midway between fixed cost and hourly model. This type of model is suited for projects that are of medium size preferably.   

Here, requirements are also clear, and the developer specifies the final price for the project, but the addition of an additional task/ project requirement requires extra billing on an hourly basis. 

5. Web app complexity and functionalities 

If you create an app with interactive features and elements (offline access, push notifications, custom animations, or AI-driven personalization) then it requires more man-hours, more resources, and hence more costs. 

Additionally, going for more third-party integrations such as payment gateways, and CRMs, adds to your development budget. 

6. User interface and experience  

Creating an engaging user interface is vital especially when you’re developing customer-facing PWAs. A PWA that’s responsive, has an engaging interface and ensures seamless navigation makes your brand shine. 

Adding unnecessary elements in your PWA lowers user engagement. If elements take up too much space, it affects the user experience. 

Your overall development cost might increase if you invest in custom designing and need responsive web apps that provide a consistent experience across all devices. Although it increases user satisfaction, it requires additional resources.  

7. Ongoing maintenance and support  

Creating a PWA isn’t a ONE and DONE task, it requires continuous updates and maintenance. Once the web app is launched in the market, then you need to ensure that your app works functionally well, is up-to-date, and is free from errors. 

But that requires long-term maintenance expenses which further increases the progressive app development cost. 

Need long term support and maintenance services? 

What are the cost-saving strategies for PWA development? 

When creating a fully functional PWA, you need to create a balance between features and an app design. At the same time, you need to create a web app that provides value to users but equates to higher expenses. 

Here are some development tips to help you reduce the cost of PWAs-  

1. Be clear about your project requirements  

While creating a PWA, you need to have a thorough understanding of the project requirements. Keep a note of client requirements during meetings such as what features and functionalities they need so you end up creating a GREAT product in the end. 

In a nutshell, when you’re clear on the project scope and necessary features, you can keep the project on a budget, avoid unnecessary spending, and create a solid web app. 

2. Build a minimum viable product (MVP)  

The next way to optimize your PWA development cost is to build your MVP. Include the core features in your product, take feedback from users, and then fine-tune the product.  

In a nutshell, planning out essential features is important before adding “NICE TO HAVE” features. This way, you can launch sooner, get feedback, and improve over time.  

3. Outsource your PWA project to developers in Asian countries  

One of the cost-effective strategies is to outsource your project to developers living in countries with lower labor costs. By hiring web developers from Asian countries, you get access to skilled expertise at competitive rates while still ensuring quality. 

4. Reduce hidden costs  

When you partner with a web development agency or work with a freelancer, ask them about the hidden costs (administration and support services) upfront. Ignoring such costs results in higher development expenses in the long run.  

5. Usage of low code/no code tools  

To speed up the development process and reduce your development expenses, you can use open-source frameworks and low code/no code tools or prebuilt templates. 

Make sure to reuse the code across different platforms. This saves time and money versus building everything from scratch. 

Thus, you can build successful PWA at cost-effective rates.  

Wrapping up 

The above blog has given an idea of what factors affect the cost of creating PWAs and the cost-saving measures you can adopt to create an app on the budget.  

To sum up, the cost of PWA development is influenced by following factors- 

• Project requirements  
• The technology vendor you choose  
• Your design requirements  
• Timeline to complete the project and  
• Expertise and location of vendor  

So, be specific about your project requirements in advance so you don’t have to incur additional costs in the long run.  

As a progressive web development agency, we have 15+ years of technical expertise in mobile and web development, so we know how to create an impeccable PWA that delivers a native-like experience to users. 

Our dedicated team of web app specialists are well versed in creating cross-platform PWAs that increase your global reach across various devices and platforms.  

Your business should invest in PWA development services to get a lighter app for your users that doesn’t take up too much storage space and can work in areas of less connectivity. 

Now, it’s your TURN to step into the world of PWAs and enhance your user experience.