Even with the prevalence of strong arguments that in-house mobile app development projects can offer more control and insight, many entrepreneurs have decided to outsource software development to an experienced ios or Android app development company.
According to Statista, some of the most well-known companies like Google, Slack, and Skype have been effectively using outsourcing for years.
But why? Businesses love it for many reasons – focused attention on their mobile app, access to specialized expertise, guaranteed outcomes, and cost savings which come from the lower hourly rate when compared to in-house developers.
On average a mobile app development company charges around $50/hour for both iOS and Android mobile apps which makes outsourced mobile app development quite affordable considering the returns on investment make it more viable.
It turns out that the main argument in favor of outsourcing is cost efficiency. We will tell you how much it costs and what affects the final cost.
Average app development cost
It is very difficult to single out any average prices for application development since a lot depends on their complexity.
For example, the simplest application, which is built on the basis of a standard template and requires only 10-20 man hours, can be created within a few thousand dollars.
However, things are usually much more complicated.
Approximate cost of developing mobile applications depending on the complexity of the project:
- Relatively simple applications will cost between $20,000 and $100,000.
- Applications of medium complexity that require the participation of developers for 2-3 months will cost from $100,000 to $200,000.
- Complex applications that require a high level of skill and lengthy development typically cost between $200,000 and $300,000 but can cost more.
What affects the price of an application?
Application pricing is a complex subject, one that depends on many factors ranging from the app development process to the app monetization strategy.
The app development process itself can be expensive depending on how much time and expertise is required to make it function properly, which can affect the app’s overall price.
Additionally, app monetization strategies such as the style of advertising utilized or in-app purchases play a significant role in the price of an app. You can read more about this below.
Features and complexity
The development of a project is influenced by the complexity and features it contains.
Thus, the more features included in a project, the longer it will take to implement them and consequently increase the cost of the project due to outsourcing mobile app development.
An example is Netflix’s home page which on average takes around 15 hours to complete if unregistered users are considered.
However, if additional features such as tracking user IP addresses and displaying popular movies within the user’s country are added, this time spent on implementation can jump up to 50 hours with an obvious increase in cost.
Ultimately, it all comes down to neatly weighing out what features should be included without sacrificing quality or budget.
The composition of the development team
In fact, quite a lot of people are working on the project, if it provides for the need. Most likely you will need:
- A business analyst helps form an MVP and determine the number of functions, the price of work, etc.
- UI/UX designers. They are responsible for making the application convenient to use, as well as its visual design. Their experience is essential to building a successful application.
- Project manager. Assumes all responsibilities for the management and maintenance of the project.
- QA engineers. They guarantee the high quality of the finished product and the absence of vulnerabilities and bugs.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg, in which we did not indicate the obvious members of the team, such as the developers themselves, there may be many more other project participants.
Everything depends on the tasks. All listed employees receive $ 80,000-120,000 per year salary, this applies to the United States.
There is a way to save money by outsourcing a project to another country, where the rate can be several times lower.
Jatapp.co offers mobile application development services at reasonable prices with respect to deadlines, excellent quality of the finished product, and constant technical support.
Are you wondering how to outsource app development? More info is at the link.
How much does mobile app development cost? Examples
The easiest way to calculate the cost of a finished application is using the company’s fixed rate. Many outsourcing companies have their own fixed rate, such as $50 per hour. If you know how long it will take to complete the work, you can get a fairly accurate cost for the project.
Here are examples of how much mobile app development costs:
- An app for watching movies like Netflix. A turnkey ready-made application will require about 3,000 hours of work, that is, $150,000. If you develop an application for only one platform, Android or iOS, the price will be half that.
- The classic e-commerce app. Approximately 2,500 hours of active teamwork will be required, that is, the cost will be about $125,000.
- Taxi aggregator app (similar to Uber). To create a fully functional application, you need to devote about 2300 hours to the project. The budget for app development for iOS and Android will be around $115,000. If you need an app for only one platform, the cost will be around $60,000.
Conclusion
To ensure an accurate estimation of cost, it is important to consult with your software production team and take into full consideration all aspects that may be beneficial or detrimental to the potential effectiveness of the generated app.
Furthermore, budgeting for app development is fairly straightforward; simply multiply the estimated time for a successful development by the average rate of the selected developer/software company you have chosen.
Subsequently, this should provide you with a more in-depth insight into associated costs and provide clarity around your project timeline when conducting research into suitable app developers.