How Much Does a Mobile App Cost?

Nearly everyone who decides to make a mobile app goes into it thinking their idea is going to turn into the next Snapchat or Angry Birds and they might just be right. What they aren’t thinking, though, is how much time and money goes into mobile app development. The conceptualization is the easiest part but also the best part. It’s the idea that could end up paying for your future Lamborghini or your giant party house. Your ideas are the most valuable part in beginning the process of developing an app. You just have to be able to successfully plan and budget your app in order to turn them into something real. You may want to start practicing your fake tears because you might need them when you start asking your parents for loans or your boss for a raise.

 Don’t break out the waterworks just yet..

Before you bust out your out the tears, you’re going to need at least a rough idea of what an app will cost to make. To put it simply, the cost of making an app for a single platform generally starts around $50,000 to $75,000. To make an app compatible with both Android and iOS, development costs can be upwards of $150,000 and even into seven figures depending on the complexity, what kind of app you’re making, how many devices you want it to be compatible with, or how many functions it’s going to have. In other words, it could cost you a shit load of money. But don’t worry just yet. If you plan and execute well, that shit load of money could end up being pocket change to you later on.

Building an app is like building a house

Now let’s try to put this into perspective. Asking how much it costs to make an app is similar to asking how much it costs to build a house. It depends on the size of the house just like it depends on the scope of the app. How many square feet will the house have and how large of a reach do you want this app to have? You wouldn’t expect a mansion with tile floors and granite counter tops to be cheap, so the same goes for an app. Unless you want your app to be like the deserted (and probably haunted) house with the broken windows and inch-thick layer of dust everywhere that you and all your neighborhood friends avoided as kids, then you’re going to have to be willing to dish out some cash for it to function properly and look nice.

The cost of an app also varies depending on its purpose as well as its bells and whistles. If it’s geared toward a small niche, it’ll cost less than an app geared toward a worldwide audience. If you want your app to have several functions and fancy graphics and animation, it will cost more just like a house with an intercom system and beautiful architecture. It all depends on whether you’re just looking for a place to sleep at night (a simple app with one function) or a beautiful mansion where you can jump to the pool from the balcony and then wash off in your walk in shower with ten shower heads (an app with several functions and a complex design).

You’re not done yet

 Even when all these different factors have been decided upon and budgeted for, there’s still more to keep in mind. After an app has been launched, you need to have a plan for updating the app, adding new features or functions, or fixing any glitches or issues that users have with it. You have to be able to keep your app up to date or face falling behind the technological times right alongside your grandparents who still can’t figure out a touch screen

Making an app is not cheap or easy, but keep in mind what you’re actually paying for is not just an app to push out for mobile users to download. You’re paying for the expertise of app engineers and app designers who can create your vision exactly as you pictured. You’re investing in a dream that could end up paying for your grandchildren’s college tuition and, of course, your Lamborghini.