Customers often ask us how much it costs to develop a mobile application. In order to provide a clear answer to this question, we have prepared a detailed guide. In it, you will learn about the stages of the process of creating a mobile application, the reasons for price variations and other non-obvious factors that may affect the cost of developing an application. We will also talk about the prices for mobile app development in 2024.
In this article, we will look at the "Fixed Price" pricing model. With this model, the requirements for the project are analyzed, all stages of work are determined, and fixed deadlines and a budget are set. The deadlines specified in the article are calculated in working days.
If you do not have time to familiarize yourself with the material and you want to order the development of a mobile application right now, do not hesitate to contact our managers.
Types of applications
The cost of developing a mobile application depends on its type and complexity, as well as on the amount of work required to create and publish it in the app store and Google Play.
The following factors affect:
Application structure: What will be its organization?
Development technology: Cross-platform or native?
Controls: Which interface elements are used?
Integrations: Are integrations required, and if so, which ones?
Using a server: Is a server necessary for the operation of the application?
Data storage: How will the data be stored and processed?
Animation: Complex or simple?
Each of these issues can affect the complexity and therefore the cost of a mobile application.
The amount of work is determined by the time spent by specialists on the design, development and implementation of the application. Simple applications are usually more affordable and faster to create. Complex projects require more time and, consequently, have a higher cost.
Our company distinguishes two types of mobile applications depending on their complexity of implementation.
Mid-level applications usually have from 3 to 5 basic functions, a personal account and a backend. They can support authorization via social networks, integrate with payment systems, provide a feedback function, a loyalty system with ratings and the ability to leave a review. Examples of such applications can be chatbots, promo applications and booking systems.
Complex applications include multifunctional and highly loaded projects. They can contain complex animations and integrate with various third-party services such as Public Services, which is a complex integration that affects the cost of the project.
Analytics is another example of complex integrations. For mobile applications, the data collection process is different from websites because applications have their own unique tasks. Even for basic analytics, you will need to use several services, such as Yandex AppMetrica, Google Firebase, Amplitude, AppsFlyer.
Complex applications include banking applications, corporate applications, applications for ordering food, taxis and delivery of goods, as well as mobile online stores.
Prototyping
At the stage of creating application page layouts, prototypes are developed, also known as wireframe. They represent a schematic arrangement of content on the screen and demonstrate the functionality of the application, as well as the user's path inside it.
In addition to static prototypes, there are clickable options. The clickable prototype presents a visualization of the future application, allowing users to see how it will look and interact with it. Creating clickable prototypes does not require programming.
The prototype helps to walk the user's path, evaluate the convenience of interacting with the application and identify obstacles to performing targeted actions, as well as suggest ways to eliminate them. By analyzing the functionality and the main use cases, the user can more accurately estimate the budget, development time and complexity of implementation.
For example, startups use prototypes to present their ideas to investors to complement oral explanations with an interactive mockup.
You can also present a prototype to a focus group before starting development to find out which functionality should be implemented and which needs to be recycled or removed.
Drafting technical specifications and prototyping requires about 60 hours for analytics and 40 hours for design, and the cost starts from 250,000 rubles.
Design
At this stage, work is underway on UX and UI design. The main goal is to provide convenient interaction with the application so that users can easily achieve their goals and visually enjoy the process. If UX design defines the internal structure, logic, and functionality of an application, then UI design is responsible for its appearance: color palette, fonts, images, and animations.
The design stage can have different scenarios. Sometimes the client already has a corporate identity, based on which the application design is created. Or, conversely, there is no corporate style, and it must first be developed and then used to create an application design. This, of course, affects the overall cost of the project.
If, when developing an application, it is necessary to create an identity, develop a logo and design based on it, it takes about 2 months and costs from 800,000 rubles.
If the company already has a corporate identity, and on its basis it is required to develop an application design in accordance with the guidelines of iOS and Android, it takes about 3 weeks and costs from 400,000 rubles.
Animations play an important role in the design stage. The transition between screens is also an animation. If you need to draw attention to certain application functions or add interactivity, animations will help. Their development depends on the complexity and takes about 1 week, the cost starts from 100,000 rubles.
Summing up all the listed works at this stage and focusing on the minimum prices, the cost of developing a mobile application design starts from 500,000 rubles.
Application development
The time and budget for application development depend on the choice between native and cross-platform development. A native application requires writing code in different programming languages for each of the platforms (iOS and Android), while a cross-platform application uses the same code that runs on both platforms.
In one of our articles, we looked in detail at what is best to choose depending on the goals of the business. The choice between native and cross-platform development affects the timing and budget of the project. For example, for a typical iOS and Android application, the price can range from 1 million to 3 million rubles for native development, and from 0.8 million to 2.4 million rubles when using cross-platform technologies.
The server part of the application
Sometimes creating the backend of an application requires considerable effort and time. This is especially true for messengers, social networks and other applications with a complex structure and high load.
The server part should ensure fast real-time operation and correct display of information. In addition, it stores users' personal data, so security plays a key role.
The development time of the backend is highly dependent on the tasks and features of the application and can range from 1 to 4 months. Accordingly, the cost can vary from 500 thousand to 2 million rubles.
Testing
After the development is completed, the testing phase begins, which is considered an integral part of the application creation process. Before the application gets to the end user, it needs to be tested.
Although user experience scenarios are developed when creating an application, real life can bring unexpected situations. Testers check the behavior of the application in various scenarios, trying to identify possible errors in the code and fix them before release.
At this stage, it checks how the application is displayed on the screens of various devices, its ability to withstand the load, as well as its response to external influences, such as an incoming call. Testing is aimed at ensuring that a working product enters the market without errors.
The duration of testing is usually about 3 weeks, and the cost is about 300 thousand rubles. Often, the testing phase is carried out in parallel with the development phase, which has little effect on the overall duration of the application creation.
Technical support
After the release of the application, it is important to keep its support up to date, since the iOS and Android operating systems are regularly updated. In addition, as the audience begins to use the product, there are obvious points for improvement that might not have been noticed during development.
Of course, the amount of technical support depends on the complexity of the project and its features. However, to ensure a minimum level of support, it is enough to allocate from 80,000 rubles per month.
If new functionality needs to be developed, this is considered an improvement to the application and is paid for as a separate project.
Management
In addition to all the previous stages, there is work that is not visible at the prototyping, design, or development stages of the finished application. This is the management of the project team, which includes organizational activities assigned to managers. Working on a project involves collective participation, and different team members can do their work in different ways, have different deadlines and quality levels. It depends on how effectively the process is organized, how tasks and requirements are formulated, as well as how the quality of work is controlled.
