How Much Does It Cost To Create An App In 2024

When it comes to developing an app, a question that arises in the minds of users is how much it costs to create an app in 2024. But there isn’t a right answer to this. It all depends on various factors that affect the mobile app development cost.   

In this blog, we will highlight the importance of app development through numbers, top apps, factors that affect the cost of developing mobile apps, and a step-by-step guide for you to estimate how much it costs to create an app.     

So, tighten your seatbelts and get ready for this ultimate guide ……

App Development Market And Growth Stats

There are around 7.2 billion smartphone users worldwide in 2024, and this is expected to increase by 7.7 billion in 2028. As you can see from the figures, the demand for smartphone users is skyrocketing steadily. Mobile phones are treated as rocket science in today’s age.  

Not only that, but an average American also checks their phone 233 times a day. That’s once every 4 minutes.   

Many apps have been developed at an increasing rate, but if not, a single user downloads it, then it’s not worth it, and your business will likely fail in the future.   

As mobile apps grow exponentially, developers have been making money with in-app purchases and app downloads. Moreover, Research studies from app sales statistics highlight that it is estimated that mobile apps could generate $935 billion in revenue by 2024.   

Research studies suggest there are approximately 3 billion smartphone users. This number will skyrocket in the coming years, which in turn will increase the demand for developing mobile apps that can make users rock the floor.   

You have probably heard the phrase – There is an app for everything. It’s true. According to Statista, the Google Play Store powers around 3.5 million mobile apps globally, whereas the App Store powers 2.2 million.  

With the increasing number of apps being produced daily, the revenue from mobile apps across various segments is expected to reach 613 billion US dollars by 2025.   

Investing in mobile app development generates good returns in the long term. So, why not think of creating a mobile app now? 

8 Factors That Define The Cost To Develop An App

1. App Platform

Before developing an app, you should be clear about the platform you would like to choose. It all depends on the target audience, and then you can develop an Android app, an iOS app, or a cross-platform app.   

Mobile app developers can develop an app for 2 platforms – Android and iOS. The development costs for developing a mobile app vary. Generally, the difference in the development cost depends on the type of programming languages chosen for creating mobile apps.   

To develop an Android app, you need to hire developers proficient in Java or Kotlin programming language. On the contrary, developing an iOS app would require developers with Swift or Objective C expertise.   

Considering the cost of hiring developers, iOS developers develop apps at a higher price than Android developers.   

You need to decide whether you want a native app that works locally and has inbuilt features and platform support or a cross-platform app that works across multiple platforms using a single codebase.   

By performance, Native apps deliver an interactive experience to the customers, and these apps cost more than hybrid apps. If user experience and performance are customers’ concerns, then developing a native app would be a profitable option for developers.   

If you have a tight budget, you can focus on creating an app for one platform. Suppose you want to cover your target audiences that are using both iOS and Android. In that case, it’s preferable for you to develop an application for iOS and Android platforms, which also increases the development cost.   

Additionally, the cost of creating an app depends on various factors, such as programming languages, tools, and resources needed for the platform.   

App platform	The average cost of creating an app
Android and iOS apps	$50,000 -$1,00,000
Hybrid apps	$10,000 -$1,00,000
Cross-platform apps	$25,000 -$60,000

2. App Features And Functionality   

An increasing number of app features and functionalities affect the cost of developing apps. Additionally, The cost of developing mobile apps increases with the number of new features.   

When you are developing an app for the first time, it’s better to concentrate on creating the basic features of an app. Instead, develop an MVP that acts like a functional app. MVP allows you to test the app against real users, get feedback, and improve the product.   

Let’s talk about the cost of developing an app based on features it has –  

If the app developer wants to create a “User Login” feature allowing users to log in through social media, and log in through email address, then the cost of developing a mobile app would range between $500 -$1000  

If the app developer wants to create a profile completion feature that allows the users to add basic information, the average cost of developing a mobile app would be around $900 -$1000.  

The average cost to create a messaging feature of an app would be $3000 -$5000.  

App Features	The average cost of creating an app
User Login	$500 -$1000
Profile Completion	$900 -$1000
Messaging Feature	$3000 -$5000

3. App Design And Animation 

Providing a good UI/UX design to customers increases the business’s conversion rate. In addition, App design and animation affect the cost of developing an app. The cost will be lower if the app does not require complex functionalities or advanced features.   

Two options are available to the developer when developing an app – Standard UI and Custom UI.   

Creating a customized user interface is difficult to design and costs more than creating a standard UI. Customized UI includes more animations and an interactive user interface that enhances customers’ experience.   

For example – Developing a gaming app costs more than creating a basic app because gaming apps contain more animated features to provide a seamless user experience. Hence, the addition of every single feature increases the cost of development.  

App design and animations	The average cost of creating an app
UX design	$2000- $8000
UI design	$10,000 -$40,000
Animations	$1,000 -$20,000

4. Mobile app complexity

The Complexity of the app plays a significant role in the development cost. Developing a more simple application will need less money and time investment. On the other hand, adding more advanced functionality will result in high costs and a long development time. Here is the break-down of cost based on app complexity:-

Simple app development cost – $16,000-$32,000
Mid-level app development cost – $30,000-$2,00,000
Complex app development cost – $75,000+

The pricing above is an average of the cost provided by a top-level software development company, which might defer a bit.

5. Code Reuse

In this, the business opts to reuse the code from an existing app, by making only branding changes. Code reuse is a great option to decrease your development time and cost by 20-30%. 
However, experts suggest reusing only common elements like login, contact us, etc and the rest to be developed from scratch. Otherwise having a separate brand identity would be difficult.

6. App Category   

The cost of developing a mobile app differs from one app category to another. Shifting from one app category to another app category might increase or decrease the cost of app development, such as how many users there are, the type of functionalities, and other security features.   

Let’s understand this with an example.   

The cost of developing e-commerce apps such as Amazon is expensive because these applications are loaded with tons of features, advanced functionalities, robust security, complex design, and loads of userbase to deal with.   

Similar is the case with developing a social media app. These apps require tons of features and other functionalities, supporting millions of users at the same time, which in turn increases the cost of development.    

Here’s the breakdown of cost depending on each app category –  

App Category	The average cost of creating an app
Social media app	$50,000 -$3,00,000
E-commerce app	$50,000 -$1,00,000
Dating app	$60,000 -$2,50,000

7. Security Cost of Applications

Implementing security measures in an app cannot be compromised as any security breaches could affect the business’s reputation.

Business owners are interested in protecting their customers’ data as it comprises sensitive information. Furthermore, Your customers would not like to use an app that someone could easily hack.

The security of an app affects the cost of developing the app. If an app requires the implementation of security measures such as encryption, 2-factor authentication, etc., then the cost of development increases.

8. App Maintenance

Businesses must update their app to the latest Android and iOS versions. When it comes to developing an app, expenses would never stop, and maintenance of an app is something that can’t be ignored.

Mobile apps require regular maintenance as and when there are app updates. Additionally, app developers need to provide technical assistance regularly for the smooth functioning of the application.

Research studies suggest the cost of maintaining an app covers 50% of the initial mobile application development cost after the app is launched. So, huge expenses are incurred in maintaining an app.

Also Read: How Much Does Website Development Cost

What’s the cost of developing an application based on development stages?

There are five stages in the development here’s the cost breakdown for each: 
1. Discovery/Strategy Stage Cost – $5,000 to $25,000 (least expensive stage)
2. Design stage cost – $10,000 to $15,000
3. Development Stage Cost – $5,000 for an app with basic features, while complex functionalities can raise the bar. 
4. Quality Assurance (QA) & Testing – $5,000-$10,000(QA can vary)
5. Deployment & Maintenance – $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the update frequency.

How can you reduce your mobile app development cost?

Here are some tips you can follow to reduce the cost of developing software:-

1. SMART Goal

Setting a SMART goal for your app is the first step for any project, regardless of the size of the app. Unclear project goals increase your app development cost. So, make sure you have clarity about the scope of the project, its roadmap, and the timeline for developing an application.

2. Consider cross-platform development

Cross-platform development is popular in mobile app development. According to a study, developing a cross-platform app can be up to 30% cheaper than 2 separate native apps. Cross-platform uses a single codebase to run the app on multiple platforms. Moreover, you don’t have to invest in 2 separate development teams that’s android and iOS. Thus, investing in cross-platform app development is a lucrative option for you as it offers a handful of benefits such as code reusability, faster time to market, cloud integration, fewer tech barriers, etc.

3. Create a Minimum Viable product

A minimum viable product (MVP) is the sure-shot way to reduce the cost and risk. By launching the MVP, you can test the viability of your app idea and turn it into a dream software. But, to give you a ballpark figure, the cost of developing a basic version of the product (MVP) starts at $5000. It’s a great way to introduce your application to the market quickly with less investment. Roughly, an MVP development cost starts from $5,000 depending on the application’s complexity.

4. Hire a dedicated team

According to Glassdoor’s estimate, the average salary of a mobile developer in the U.S. is $93T per year. If you don’t have a team of skilled engineers, Hiring one will be too costly, in that case, a dedicated team will be the best option for you. A dedicated development team is an outsourcing model where the client hires software developers remotely. If you hire full-time employees, it increases your overhead and other administration-related expenses such as salary, HR, tax, social benefits, etc.

5. Conduct app testing regularly

Testing your app is super important to ensure that your app remains bug-free and provides flawless performance. Once you identify the bugs in the early stages of the development process, you can save your maintenance expenses in the long run. An app with flawless performance gives you a competitive edge in the market.

End Notes ….

So, you get a real sense of various factors that affect the cost of developing apps. Next time, when creating an app for your project, you won’t face any issues regarding “how much does it costs to create an app.”   

Developing an app that runs smoothly and supports loads of users often takes considerable time and effort, but with the help of the right app development company, you can get it done.   

Need help in creating an app for your project? leave your queries by filling in the Contact Us form.

FAQs  

Q1. Is app development expensive?

App development can be expensive for you in some cases. However, it’s affordable if you need a simple app with basic functionalities.   
For example – the average development cost for a simple app is around $5000 -$50,000. If you need complex apps with advanced technologies and features such as AR/VR, AI, and machine learning, it will cost around $1,00,000 – 3,00,000.

Q2. Which is the best company for app development?

BigOhTech, an app development company, has expertise in custom app development services.   
Additionally, Big oh tech has expertise in launching interactive native, hybrid, and cross-platform apps using cutting-edge technologies.   
Not only that, Big Oh Tech has a dedicated team of 250+ experienced app developers who build modernized apps that run smoothly on iOS and Android.

Q3. How much does it cost to outsource app development?

This depends on the scope, complexity of the app, and experience of the outsourcing team. It also depends on the region of the outsourcing partner. Near Onshore is always expensive as compared to Offshore Development Centre in India. 
Therefore, Based on your App Scope, it may cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000.