Cost of Creating a Mobile App in Different Countries
The mobile application market is at its peak. Nowadays, we do not have to go to the store for groceries, to the bank to withdraw cash, or ask strangers for directions. Everything you may require can be ordered online, downloaded, or viewed on a smartphone. Any company striving to grow and increase its efficiency seeks to develop a custom application. Why?
Mobile business applications allow:
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Strengthening the company's image;
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Standing out among competition;
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Providing a new level of service;
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Conducting marketing campaigns without the participation of intermediaries, establishing and tracking customer loyalty programs;
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Increasing sales;
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Providing continuous communication with the client, etc.
The mobile app market turned from a volatile investment field into a huge industry. According to Statista, mobile app revenues grew from $97,7 billion in 2014 to over $350 billion in 2018. Year by year, this number only continues to grow. So, how much does the development of such software cost? Let us review the answer in more detail.
Mobile Application Development Cost
First of all, mobile applications are categorized into simple, medium, and complex by the functionality's intricacy.
These are usually self-explanatory programs performing a single function, such as a magnetic compass, to-do list, calendar widget, or quick reminder app. One or two pages, no integrations with third-party APIs, clean and intuitive interface. It would take up to 1000 hours to create, and the price may range anywhere from $5000 to $30000.
These can have real-time messaging, customizable user interface features, voice search, different payment options, integration with some third-party APIs and services, etc. Most of the existing mobile apps fall into this category.
It takes up to 2000 hours to create such software, and the development price starts at around $50000.
Most advanced and compound programs, implementing such options as audio/video processing, multi-device sync, in-app purchases, in-app ads, access to the full range of gadgets' hardware and software capabilities, and more. It takes over 2,400 hours to create a complex application, and prices start at $80000 - $100000.
Looking for Developers
Most modern businesses do not have a dedicated software development department, as hosting in-house programmers requires a lot of resources and effort. Spending funds hiring the personnel unrelated to core processes only to develop and maintain an application or two seems unreasonable to many business owners.
What is the solution then? Actually, there is a lot of outsourcing software development services vendors on the market that specialize in programming for various platforms. Depending on the country of origin, expertise, and experience, prices for their services (typically calculated from the man-hours spent in development) may differ considerably even in the same country, not to mention across the Earth.
The cost to build an application is challenging to estimate theoretically, as there are no typical projects. Each case should be appraised separately. The price is influenced by such factors as the purpose of the future application, the number and complexity of functions, the uniqueness of the design, the country of origin and expertise of your chosen IT provider, marketing costs, quality control, etc.
According to Forrester Research, a lifecycle of a typical mobile app is three years after the release. During this timeframe, development accounts for only around 30% of the total cost. Annual maintenance costs can be up to 50% of the initial budget. That is, if you spent $300000 to develop an application, support and maintenance would cost you up to $150000 per year.
The Cost of Building a Mobile Application in Different Countries
Each region has its own economic conditions and living standards that affect the pricing policy. You should study them carefully before thinking about starting a partnership.
The most expensive region is North America (the USA and Canada), with hourly pay for Android and iOS app development ranging from $120 to $150.
In the UK, outsourcing development fees range from $100 to $140 per hour.
The Australian developers cooperate at rates ranging from $80 to $120 per hour.
The cost of developing applications in South America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, etc.) ranges from $75 to $110 per man-hour.
Mobile development services cost between $20 and $80. The two leading countries here are Ukraine and Poland, with hourly wages of $34-64 and $40-77, respectively. The development of a new application in Eastern Europe requires, on average, 7.4 times less investment than the creation of similar applications in North America! Despite the low service cost, local specialists often rate among the top globally.
The cheapest option is Southeastern Asia countries, where India charges between $10 and $65 per hour of work. Indonesian app developers charge a maximum of $20.
Conclusion
Developing a successful business application is quite a complicated task. It is necessary to determine your company's needs, set a budget, contract developers, plan, design, engineer the future app, code it, and test its operation extensively before release. Keep in mind that the process does not stop at the release. To stay relevant and attractive to customers, it must be continuously maintained and updated.