8 factors that influence custom mobile app development cost

 
What affects the cost of mobile applications development?

Perhaps, one of the most frequent questions we face in our work. The price is the issue of high concern for our customers as the final result largely depends on their budget.

How many features will the app have? Which ones will be implemented in the first version? Will it be cross-platform application development or native mobile app development? iOS, Android or both?

Which development team is required for the project meaning the number and members themselves: software engineers, project managers, quality analysts, designers, and so on? So, all these factors affect the cost of mobile app development. And not only these ones.

Mobile applications development cost varies widely depending on the customer’s requirements, project complexity, hourly rates of employees, and more.

The list is very long and includes the total efforts of the team: planning and management activities, marketing research, design customization… However, which are the most important drivers of the mobile applications development cost?
 

So, there are a lot of factors that influence it, but the main ones are:
 
1. Project complexity – app functionality
2. Type and number of platforms
3. Backend infrastructure & API
4. Application security
5. QA & Stabilization
6. Number of specialists involved
7. Hourly rates
8. Number of hours
 

Now take a closer look at these points.

 
1. Project complexity – app features
 
Custom mobile app development cost largely depends on project complexity. How many features will be implemented in the product? How many screens, buttons, fields it will have? Which is the amount of logic required?

App functionality plays a major role in the total cost of mobile app development, generally from 60 to 80%. So, to build a successful application it’s necessary to understand the business flow, define how the future product will streamline workflow as well as the goals it must meet.

Also, you should conduct competitors research and identify the very peculiarities of the application that will allow you to stand out among your rivals. This important stage enables to easily and correctly define the app features.

However, not all of them are equal. Probably, the most complex and expensive are those that involve utilizing new technologies. What’s more, such functions as payment processing require a lot of efforts to build them.

 
2. Type and number of platforms
 
The second key point you should pay attention to is the type and number of platforms. Would you choose cross-platform application development or a native one? If it’s native mobile app development, for which platform you should create your product: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc.?

The decision depends on various factors including app functionality, the audience you want to reach (type and size), the budget you have, and more.

So, it implies the target audience analysis: if most customers use Android, you should choose Android app development and the same with iOS.

If the percentage is equal (or something like 60/40) and you have great budget possibilities, native mobile app development for both platforms will be the most efficient solution for you.

In the case when you wish to reach the maximum possible audience but have not enough money to build native apps, you should consider cross-platform application development.

Usually, native mobile app development for two operating systems is more costly than cross-platform one, as a cross-platform solution requires only one team for both products and implies writing one code for both platforms.

Thus, it enables to save time and money. Nevertheless, native apps generally have a higher quality, so to stand out among competitors and provide customers with better services you should choose native app development.

However, nowadays cross-platform mobile applications development tools and technologies are actively modifying, and opportunities to build a successful quality product are growing.

 
3. Backend infrastructure & API   
 
A component that plays a significant role in the total cost of custom mobile app development. The implementation of a third-party service to enable a certain product feature can increase its price.

An application often pulls data from web-based APIs or interacts with them. For instance, a PayPal payment within the app will be interacting with the PayPal APIs to verify the payment so that the user doesn’t have to leave the app.

In the case when there is no clear documentation on technical specification, it can become rather time-consuming and expensive to define the right path to implement certain information in the app.

Also, maintaining the backend of any APIs is a complicated and costly procedure as well as pushing new content and managing multiple app users.

 
4. Application security
 
A high-security level is one of the main requirements for our clients and just must-have for enterprise apps. Access to company information that includes a plenty of documents, financial transactions records, both structured and unstructured data stored within the device, user information and location, and so on. And all of this needs protection from hackers.

So, building a secure application that identifies suspicious activities and vulnerabilities requires the monetary investment that influences the entire mobile app development cost.

 
5. QA & Stabilization
 
One of the other drivers of custom mobile app development cost is testing the application for any bags. QA is a very important part of the entire development process that requires great efforts. After bags are found the stabilization is carried out and then goes product launch.

To keep the app running it’s also necessary from time to time conduct QA activities, measure user feedback, and make enhancements. This stage has great significance for project success and affects the cost of mobile applications development.

 
6. Others – the number of specialists and hours, hourly rates
 
There are factors that also have a great impact on the cost of mobile applications development. They include the number of employees involved in the project (not only software engineers, but also project managers, testers, designers, business analysts, marketing managers), their hourly rates, and the number of hours the project took.

These cost drivers you should consider while seeking for custom mobile app development company. The first step is to choose one that offers suitable hourly rates, understands your goals and requirements, and makes efficient products.

Certainly, a real challenge is to find the golden mean between price and quality. After you’ve made it and all requirements are processed, the project team is created.

However, to determine the number of hours prior to the development process is practically impossible as it’s necessary to consider and calculate each feature, each small task, each activity, be it marketing, development, testing, or something else.

Thus, custom mobile app development asks for huge monetary investment. However, building a successful product that solves your challenges and meets your goals leads to company business growth and revenue increase.