App Development Cost: How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App?

4 min readApr 17, 2020

What is app development cost? How much does it cost to make an app? In fact, the cost of app development depends on what you are trying to accomplish. You get what you pay for.

You can barely look forward to building an amazing app for just few dollars. However, spending tons of app dev cost doesn’t guarantee you success. So, here’s what you need to know!

how much does it cost to build app agiletech

No software outsourcing company can exactly estimate your app development cost without knowing functionality you want to implement. The number of functions and technical issues such as business logic, development team location, etc. will have an effect on the average cost of app development.

With the result, we will help you understand budget to build an powerful app. Our dedicated team has analyzed 5 keys budget factors to effectively to calculate app development cost. Therefore, you will be able to reduce app pricing and pay attention to mobile app cost drivers upfront.

App development cost: Major factors

Below we have gathered a table of 5 factors to help you understand the app development cost with the estimated number of hours. So that, you will have a clear picture of how much time and money it would take!

Platform (iOS vs. Android)

Is there any difference in app development cost based on different platforms? Sure. They are based on different programming language, SDKs and tools. For example, Swift and Objective-C for iOS, Java and Kotlin for Android. But if you want to build both, the total app development cost will higher.

Actually, there is no big price discrepancy in app dev cost. To build an app like Uber, developers need about:

iOS: ~ 408 hours
Android: ~ 432 hours

Native app, Hybrid app and Flutter

These different types of apps are not priced equally. If you want to develop a native app, you’ll have to make another decision on iOS or Android. For a hybrid platform, you can launch both Apple and Android apps, which is much easier and less expensive for you.

And Flutter? By using a Flutter project, you can comparatively reduce the cost of creating up to 60%. In other words, Flutter can cut the average cost of an app without affecting its quality.

Let’s take a look at Netflix app to see more:

iOS: ~ 440 hours
Android: ~ 435 hours
Flutter: ~ 530 hours

Complexity of Features

Our dedicated team finds that estimates cost also based widely on app features, design complexity, and software development stages.

As a result, there is a difference in app development cost between core features and complex features:

Basic messaging app: ~ 160 hours
Complex messaging app: ~ 360 hours

UI/UX Design

The app market is competitive. Whether your app is, the first impression counts. Graphic design is important and user experience is everything. Great app designers can make your app look so good from 20–200+ hours, which depends on the app.

Software Outsourcing Company

Finally, your tech partner’s location also affects mobile app development costs. Outsourcing in emerging Asian countries like Vietnam will save your budget more, while the quality is still the same.

How to define app development costs

After understanding all these factors, next question is how to calculate cost to develop an app? How is the pricing structure of app development? Let’s have a look with us!

Mobile app cost calculator

There are many handy cost calculator tool for app development cost. You just need to select the app features, platform, describe your app idea.

Then, this tool will get back to you with the timelines and answer how much does it cost to make an app. Here’s the simple cost calculating formula that you can use figure out the cost of mobile applications for your business:

Define the right price models

After calculating these costs, you should think about how to reduce your average app development cost. Dive in tips to reduce your app development budget.

In IT outsourcing, there are 3 common types of price models. Understand them does not only help your business, but also be helpful to decrease the cost of the overall app.

Fixed Price

Perfect solution for short-term projects
Consumer and vendor agree on a steady ‘fixed price’ for the service
The price is estimated by outsourcing company based on the well-defined scopes
However, there is little flexibility under this contract

Time & Materials

Ideal for long-term cooperation
The customer pays the outsourcing partner for work time and used materials
On the other hand, it allows a great level of flexibility in development

Dedicated Team Development

Usually used for long-term projects with changeable conditions and scale
The whole team is in one place, no delays to begin, no misunderstanding and cost savings
Being highly motivated, offshore developers quickly react to any issues and changes

The list goes on. Let’s take a look at full article to know more!