From Entrepreneurs to enterprise C-suite, the question about the cost of application development is always top of the line. It’s a very complicated question because the cost of application development depends on several factors.

These factors include the complexity and size of the project itself to the choice of Application developer partner. In this article, we will try to elaborate on all the components that together form the total cost of Application Development.

Looking at the price range approximates is not enough as this is not accurate. Several factors determine the cost of Application and Project scope is a major factor here. Other factors include Difficulty, complexity, and timeframe. The most significant of these factors are discussed below.

The Complexity of Design 

The design process can be said to be the most extensive and all developers would warn you against cutting costs on user experience. If people get a bad experience or there are design or usability issues then they will get frustrated. Such users will also give a bad impression of you to others and would never recommend you.

The best of the development firms will always give you a layout of the entire design of the product, this can be costly but will benefit you in the long run. This can range from $15,000 to $25,000.

Type of Vendor

There are three types of vendors, independent small development shops, Specialist Application Development firms, and the Large Consultation firms. Small development shops are independent freelancers and this is the cheapest option. Specialist Application Development firms are cheaper than large consultation firms and their focus is on building mobile solutions for businesses.

Large Consultation firms are the branches of multinationals with an array of business lines. The got the best and the strongest development capabilities and technical expertise. 

Vendor Location:

The location of the vendor also affects the cost. North America and Canada are the most expensive while India and Indonesia are the cheaper options. Communication barriers should be considered in this regard. The hourly rates in India for iOS developers are US$15 to US$ 25 per hour, whereas for Android developers it is US$12 to US$22 per hour.

Other factors that need to be considered here are:

• The Quality of work done.
• Design and Technological Standards.
• IP protection and other security factors.
• Responsiveness.
• The Ability to Deliver.

The Complexity of Application:

The size and complexity of every app are different. Features, functions, and user flow depends on the actions that users will take and the technologies required to facilitate this. Applications with a wide line of features are more complex to develop and so, are more costly. Choosing the best features possible for an app is not easy at all.

This is because with each new feature, comes a whole lot of requirements. Hence it is best to launch a minimum viable version of the app based on the market research and then add more features in phases.

The product designing and development strategizing cost varies from US$5000 to US$25000 in India.

 Choice of Platform:

You need to choose the platforms for your application. Like for mobile platforms, iOS and Android are the most used platforms. There is no such thing that makes one more expensive than the other but if you want to develop for both, then be ready to spend a lot of money. Device Support can affect the cost in two ways:

• Device Generations:

If you try to support old devices running older operating systems, the costs will increase

• Types of Devices:

Tablets, Desktops, Phones, Smartwatches, TVs, etc.

Support and Maintenance:

The development process does not come to an end when the App is initially released. There is a need to fix glitches and bugs which require recurring maintenance, additions, and feature updates. The feature updates are required because you need to continuously deliver value to the customer.

As the market is highly saturated, he or she can easily switch to a better option. Application development firms would assign a team to your application and this team would be responsible for bug fixes and version updates.

Also check: Web application development cost in India | Mobile app development cost in India