Mobile App Development Cost for 2024: Simple to Complex Apps

Quick Summary: Building a mobile app for your business is a common yet profitable decision. Accordingly, many newbie founders need help to calculate mobile app development costs. It seems higher and harder to build apps that fit the tight budget constraints. Although, there are ways you can calculate the app development cost and also reduce it. 

Every sector in the market tries various tactics for the growth and development of their businesses. The prevalence of IT and technologies has indeed taken the first bench in this regard. The most usual way you can get technical exposure is mobile app development. It is so popular that it should be no surprise that every digital business invests in it. 

However, the cost of developing a mobile app is one of the most important concerns. It is indeed the most frequent question in mobile development that is asked at the beginning of the process. Everybody wants to know how much it costs to develop a mobile app. It is a relevant question and the answer varies based on multiple factors. 

If you want to start a new app, you need to know how much money to spend. Hence, it is a problem to begin your app development project. The article will showcase the factors you need to take into account and ways to minimize your costs. Firstly, start with a brief overview of the popular apps in recent times. 

Mobile App Development Cost of the Best Real-life Apps

The main aim of making the cost evaluation is to give an idea of the approximate value. You might have got the app idea, but you have to understand the funds you need on hand. So, the below listing will help you in analyzing your app development cost. 

Klarna

The trending buy now pay later app solution, Klarna is also the best instance to consider. It is the leading fintech application in the USA. You can also create a BNPL app like Klarna within the range of $15,000 to $30,000. Hence, you can also make your strategy accordingly for fintech applications. 

Uber

Who doesn’t know about Uber today? Emerged as the best cab booking app solution, Uber has captured the globe. It started with minimal investment and worked hard to build a brand. Accordingly, if you have your transportation services you can also build a taxi booking app like Uber. It will cost around $25,000 to $150,000. However, the app will expand your business presence and make you earn big bucks. 

Zocdoc

The renowned doctors’ booking app Zocdoc is another example. It has brought a revolution in the healthcare sector by offering remote medical facilities. You can also develop healthcare apps like Zocdoc for under $15,000 to $60,000 with basic to mid-level features.

Zillow

The other real estate app example is Zillow. It has property listing, map integration, a chatbot, and so on. You can also make a real estate app like Zillow for your real estate agency. It will also make your business entity revamped as an app at the price range of $20,000 to $40,000. 

Chime

The next one is the banking and financial services app of the USA. Chime has gained popularity rapidly and is a Neobank app. It has extensive security measures and offers the best banking solutions to users. For developing a mobile banking app like Chime, you need to have funds of approximately $20,000 to $25,000. Because it has some advanced features, its cost is also higher than basic apps. 

Blinkit

For ordering groceries, veggies, and other daily essentials, you can easily use the Blinkit app. It is an in-app convenience store that delivers products to your doorstep. Thus, you can also transform your business and make an app like Blinkit. It will help to take your business to the next level. 

GoodRx

One of the categories of healthcare applications is telemedicine apps. It gives access to discounts on your purchase of medication. The app monitors your prescription and offers the facility to order medicines. So, your pharmacy can also turn into an app. Learn how to build an app like GoodRx with the cost of app development. 

Considering the examples of these industry-driven apps, let’s also invade on the common app types and their feature set.

App Type	Specification	Average Price Range $
eCommerce App	Online shopping of items from various merchants, browsing products, making wish lists, and easy payment gateways	$10,000 to 70,000
iPhone App	Access from all Apple devices such as macOS, tvOS, watchOS, iPad, etc.	$10,000 to 140,000
Android App	Operates on Android devices like ChromeOS, Wear OS, Android TV, and so on.	$8000 to 90,000
Banking & Finance App	Account management, encrypted wallet payments, card management, online money transfer and push notifications on updates	$20,000 to 240,000
Healthcare App	Book doctor’s appointments, Instant virtual checkups, e-prescriptions, HIPAA compliance, and end-to-end data security	$15,000 to 150,000
Beauty & Salon App	Oversee the salon’s nearby location, and beauty app for online orders, and Connect with makeup and hair stylists	$10,000 to 220,000
Hotel Booking App	Check the hotel availability, book trips, and resorts, and analyze reviews and ratings of hotels	$9000 to 80,000
Cab Booking App	Use GPS to check for drivers, check customer ratings on rides, track cabs, in-app payments, and share location with relatives	$15,000 to 150,000
Real Estate App	Search for property listings as per budget limits, virtual tours, EMI calculators, contact details of real estate agents, etc.	$10,000 to 130,000
Food Delivery App	Search for nearby food courts or restaurants, check menus, place orders, online/offline payment, and order tracking	$8,000 to 60,000
Music Streaming App	Provides a list of songs, albums, artists, podcasts, etc. along with quick music search and personalized playlist options	$8,000 to 30,000
Augmented Reality App	Rich-Widgets, Smooth Virtual Navigation, 3D identification of objects, and image recognition	$10,000 to 400,000
Green Energy Saver App	Keeps users updated with the real-time track of energy consumption, recommend strategies to save energy, and solar energy management	$10,000 to 140,000

Apart from these types, several significant factors influence the cost of developing a mobile app. To make the most cost-effective decisions, you must be aware of these cost-affecting factors. 

Additionally, it will assist you in remaining within your budget. So, let’s get into the main factors that affect the overall mobile app development cost.

What Major Factors affect the Cost of Mobile App Development?

Various factors influence your mobile application development cost. You can make more cost-effective decisions and give the best return on your investment if you understand these cost-affecting factors. Moreover, it will also help you stay within your spending limits. Let’s now examine the main factors influencing the overall cost of developing a mobile app.

1) Complexity Level

The cost of developing a mobile app majorly depends on the complexity level. When your app has a dashboard, user profile facility, and limited administration are basic useful features of a simple application. 

Whereas, a mid-complex app’s cost increases with increased features. These kinds of apps include numerous features for app monetization and user engagement. 

Highly complex apps include a payment gateway, user privacy controls, social media integrations, video/audio streaming, and basic features. Depending on your desired features, the cost rises for your aesthetic and competitive app.

In addition to that, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Virtual Reality (AR/VR) are recent technologies integrated into mobile apps. Thus, it enhances the unique features and functionality of the app. Learn the cost with the tabular breakdown below.

Complexity Level	Description	Duration	Budget Range
Basic App	Simple UI/UX, MVP-like capabilities	2-4 Months	$8,000 to $50,000
Mid-Level App	User-friendly Features, API integration, etc.	5-10 Months	$50,000 to $120,000
Advanced App	Custom-made functionalities, Multi-platforms, etc.	10-12+ Months	$100,000 to $300,000+

2) App Features Set

The set of features of your apps also determines how much it will cost to develop. Your initial cost of developing a mobile app increases when new features are added. Accordingly, it’s better to consider the main features of the app’s initial version. It will assist you in providing an excellent customer experience at a reasonable cost.

Developing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the best solution. It has also become essential to make MVP with a basic set of features. Thus, a minimum variable product can save time and money, which will also help you get useful user feedback.

3) App Category

The cost of building a mobile app varies greatly from category to category. When you choose different categories it also differs the number of users, the features, the security criteria, etc. Thus, your app category ultimately results in varying app development costs. Let’s take a quick look at the most important categories:

M-commerce apps/ E-commerce: Due to their extensive feature sets, which enable real-time performance, millions of concurrent users, and robust security. Thus, e-commerce and mobile commerce apps like Amazon, Nykaa Fashion, Flipkart, and Myntra have gained popularity.

Social media apps: Third-party integrations are used to build apps using hardware features like cameras and audio recorders. They can simultaneously accommodate millions of users, making them highly scalable. Because they require more time and effort to develop, social media apps frequently cost more than simpler mobile apps.

On-demand apps: There are three versions of on-demand apps such as one for users, one for service providers, and one for businesses. It is developed to meet the demands of a vast targeted audience. Such apps build instant interaction with their customers and deliver services efficiently.

Hardware-dependent apps: Apps that rely heavily on hardware devices to function properly are known as hardware-dependent apps. These devices are like sensors and controllers to extract data or send commands. Currently, IoT-based applications present this app category efficiently. 

4) App Design

We have already mentioned design as one of the most important factors. It affects the cost for mobile app development. The more screens and features you add, the higher the mobile app development cost will become. Hence, consider the following aspects of the designing procedure:

User experience (UX): The process by which users navigate through your app is the responsibility of user experience design, also known as UX design. The primary objective of user experience design is to assist users in carrying out the desired action with the least amount of time and effort. 

Additionally, the app’s cost will be based on user engagement and design complexity. Your development costs will be influenced, for instance, by the placement of buttons, the size of elements, the user flow, and the use of templates.

User interface (UI): The user interface is here to make the app look good and easy to understand. Every one of the visual components counts here:

Moreover, layout, icons, color palette, fonts, button shapes, animations, and many more. If your app is visually appealing, users will have a better time using it and spend more time there. Plus, an accurately picked variety of topics and a recognizable logo will assist you with making major areas of strength for a character.

5) App Platform

When choosing a platform for your mobile app development processes, there are a few things to consider. These matters are the target audience and whether you want to build an Android App, iOS App, cross-platform App, or web app. It’s best to start with one platform if you’re a startup with a small budget. Later on, you can always switch between different platforms. You can select from the following popular app development platforms:

Native App Platform (Android & iOS): The platform for native apps (Android and iOS): iOS app development uses Swift and Objective C, whereas Android app development uses Java and Kotlin. 

Web Application Stage: Web app platforms like Progressive Web Apps outperform native apps cost-effectively. Web apps typically have much lower development costs. You can build PWAs using Flutter at an extremely considerable cost. 

Cross-Platform: The new trend that saves money is developing apps simultaneously for the iOS and Android platforms. The platform offers several advantages, including using a single code and reduced development time. Generally, the cross-platform industry is split between Flutter and React Native.

Hybrid App Platform: Hybrid applications combine web and native applications. It runs in a web view component even though it is installed like a native app.

App Types	Platform
Native Apps	Android and iOS
Cross-Platform	Flutter, React Native, and .Net MAUI
Web Apps	PHP, Laravel, VueJS, NodeJS, CodeIgniter, ReactJS
Hybrid Apps	React Native, Ionic

6) Maintenance & Support

Certainly, costs continue beyond the completion of the development process for mobile applications. You need to keep up the pace with the ever-evolving market trends. Accordingly, it’s essential to update operating system versions and other updates that increase the cost. Furthermore, the app maintenance will cost you in the following ways;

Bug fixes for the app: It’s critical to update your app with the most recent design updates and bug fixes. Changes to the app’s design can help keep it looking fresh and inviting to users, but bug fixes are essential to running your app smoothly. Hence, make sure your app is always in top shape by keeping an eye out for both!

Modifying UI/UX design: An outdated app design is one of the main reasons users abandon the app. It is essential to regularly update your app’s design to keep users engaged and make your app visually appealing.

However, your total mobile app development cost will include about 10-15% of the app maintenance cost. 

7) App Security & hosting

The issue of cybersecurity is more critical than ever. Every day, the count of cyber attacks is increasing. Businesses of all sizes should pay attention to how they can protect their users’ data. 

A competent app hosting will manage data collection, storage, and security. The most widely recognized instances of safety efforts are end-to-end encryption and SSL. Hence, it will calculate the overall cost for mobile application development.

8) Development Team’s Location 

The cost of developing a mobile application is heavily influenced by the developer you choose. A competent app development company, a local team, an internal team, or a freelance mobile app developer are all options. As a result, a factor in determining the overall cost for app development is the location of the developers. The country of the mobile app development company you choose plays an important role. 

Here’s a list of counties and mobile app developer costs on a per-hour basis. This will help in making the most cost-effective choice.

Country	Hourly Rate
USA	$80-150
UK	$70-120
Western Europe	$75-90
Australia	$55-65
Eastern Europe	$40-60
India	$25-35

Additional Factors Affect the Cost of Developing a Mobile App

The most common hidden costs of mobile app development projects we will be discussing now in this section. Knowing these will help you save time and money while also lowering risks. Let’s get into the specifics of each one:

• Quality assurance

Depending on the size of your app, you may also need to hire a project manager or quality assurance agent. Business analysts might also be needed to help you keep your app development costs low and within your budget. However, if you hire a dedicated development team for your project, it will have a professional team working on it.

• Costs of Infrastructure

Data storage, data delivery, and app hosting are some infrastructure costs. A project’s cost and complexity are both increased by all of this. Servers, data storage, and development tools and libraries are examples of infrastructure cost items. 

• IT support costs

You can only make an excellent application with IT support. It adds on as the persistent specialized skill to develop the app. However, over time, support costs may rise. Services like updating iOS and Android, fixing bugs, and maintaining APIs are examples of IT support services. Such requirements are the technology stack for your application. So, you need to choose the popular tech stack for mobile app development wisely. 

• App publishing cost

When creating apps, developers keep in mind the requirements of the app store. The app store fees are insignificant. You must pay a one-time $25 fee when introducing an Android app to the Play Store. In contrast, Apple charges $99 per year. If you join the Apple Developer Enterprise Program and distribute your app through the App Store it will cost you $299 per year. 

On that note, you have an understanding of all the factors that impact the cost of developing a mobile app. Now, you should also know the mobile app development process. Because without proper planning your execution might increase the determined budget. So, let’s dive into the steps.

How to Develop a Mobile App – Steps for Cost-Effective Development

• Determine the App Requirements

As you get the app idea, you have to begin the planning and research part. It is important to decide and set your business targets. You need to validate your app idea by performing market research. It gives you a clear understanding of your app needs. So, you can jot down what actually you need and how to allocate funds for the same. 

Moreover, you can also analyze the competition in the market and future trends. All these aspects are important in defining your project goal ultimately.

• Select the Platform

The next step is ascertaining your app platform. If you want to target iOS users only, you can choose iOS. Similarly, this goes for Android, however, you can make it compatible with both. Using cross-platform compatibility, you can make a native-like app within your budget. 

For making stunning apps, the Flutter framework is the ideal tech stack. Flutter helps different industry applications with high-end performance. Thus, Flutter is a win-win solution for building apps compatible with various OS systems.

• Hire a Dedicated Development Team

No sooner do you get to know your app vision, you have to hire app developers from a recognized company. It is a vital stage in making the right choice that will benefit the development process. You can choose IT outsourcing to an app development company. It is a reduced-cost strategy that will deliver high-quality services within your defined timeframe. So, you just simply need to keep track of the process. It will let you focus on other bigger concerns for your business. 

Quick Tip: Outsourcing your mobile app development company from India. The developers will make apps with a competitive advantage. So, you can get a world-class product at the hourly rate of $25-$35. Thus, you can hire dedicated developers who will fall within the budget limit of small businesses.

• Create a Prototype of the app

For any project’s success, developing a prototype i.e., MVP is essential to validate your idea. MVP gives the early customers to use and review your app. Accordingly, you can collect genuine feedback on your app and modify its functionality. 

After that, you can start with the actual development process for your project. The development cycle of your app will smoothly process with your outsourcing partner. Moreover, you can manage the remote team with regular reporting on the progress updates. 

• Test and launch your app

Although testing is part of the development process, you need to perform comprehensive testing after the completion as well. Immediately after the app testing, you need to submit the app to the respective app stores. This also takes a while and you need to undertake the guidelines of app stores. Hence, will get released on the app store and ready to showcase your business identity.  

Now, you just need to keep a closer eye on the performance of your app. Also, evaluate the app analytics tool and metrics. It will assist in building marketing strategies to enhance income accordingly. Additionally, you should also learn the major sources of money for the app. 

How does the Mobile App Generate Income? 

There are various revenue streams you can earn from your business app. You can choose which sources you want to make money. So without any further let’s dig into this;

In-app Advertising

The advertising option in the mobile app is quite popular out there. It is about promoting the products or services of third-party businesses on your app. So, you will get paid for advertising other businesses’ products.

Subscription

Subscription plans are another important source of income for apps. However, it usually benefits service-based apps like Netflix where you can’t access service without a subscription. Although apps offer different subscription plans from basic to advanced. The subscription fees also differ according to the plans you select.

In-app Purchases

Your app is built with the primary goal of selling your business’s goods and services to the audience. Whenever the customer makes the payment, you will earn revenue. It’s a simple yet critical monetary source for your business. Accordingly, you can create your sales report and implement new tactics to increase the in-app purchases of customers.

Freemium

In the freemium model, your app offers minimal features and free access to users. However, users can unlock advanced features by becoming premium members. To do so, users need to pay a certain premium amount. E.g., Amazon Prime offers broad facilities for their prime members only. 

Effective Measures to Reduce Mobile App Development Costs 

After the factors and monetary sources, let’s look into the measures to reduce the cost. It will help in making the mobile application development cost remain under your budget.

• Prioritize your project needs instead of advanced tech solutions
• Ensure that quality testing is side-by-side with development
• Consider outsourcing developers over other models
• Select mobile app developers from India or other Asian countries with low hourly rates

These are some of the ways you can reduce the development cost of your project. It will help startups and small businesses to manage their needs with tight funding.

Get our Cost-Saving Mobile App Development Solution 

Hopefully,  you got the answer to your query on how much does it cost to develop an app. Depending on the factors mentioned above such as the complexity, features, app category, visual design, platform, maintenance, security, hosting, back-end infrastructure, quality assurance, IT support, app publishing, size, and hosting of the app, the cost may rise or fall.

The most important takeaway is that the final budget is always contingent. You should keep in mind that the mobile app development cost depends on your industry, your project’s scope, your team’s composition, and the mobile app development services company you choose. 

There are also chances of out-of-the-blue events that can increase additional costs. However, you can get an accurate estimation of your app project right away. Connect with us and discuss your project from scratch, our experienced developers will help you with the exact needs and cost breakdown. So, your hassle of higher mobile application development costs will make it within your budget. 

FAQs

How Much Money Can You Make from an App?

Although there is no specified amount range of earnings from the app, you can make the most as per your efforts and strategies. But an app assists you in making good ROI on your cost. Thus, it will be a favorable choice for businesses. 

Which Business Type Must Have A Mobile App Today? 

The article already has signified the list of different industrial apps. However, the new tech trends and IT developments also imply the significance of apps is necessary in every sector. So, there are no such businesses left that can manage without the app. 

Which Country Provides App Developers at a Lower Hourly Rate?

The country with the lowest hourly rate of developers for hire is India. You can get highly skilled and experienced mobile app developers that fit your project budget. So, you can benefit from custom app development services by hiring developers from India. 

Flutter for MVP Development: A Handy Guide to Develop Your Robust Application How to Build a Language Learning Mobile App Like Duolingo?