Why Does App Development Cost So Much?
This seems to be the golden question that businesses want to know up front. Generally, the cost of app development services can range anywhere from $10,000 to $250,000. This is an extremely broad range and still might not answer the actual question for most. Whether you’re looking for someone to build an app for you or looking to build the app yourself, the cost of app development relies on a variety of factors.
Functionality
The needs of every website and business are different in terms of functionality. For example, an app requiring ecommerce functionality is going to require different attention compared to one that provides news articles. As a business owner, you must assess what capabilities and functionality you are looking to implement into your app development project.
Complexity
Is there a template created to build the app or does a custom UI/AX service need to be initiated? The cost of app development is determined by the number of working hours spent and the hourly rates of the team working on the project. If the app is considered to be more complex, it will require more hours spent which increases the app development total cost.
Hiring Options
The expenses can differ depending on who is hired to do the app development and the knowledge required. Typically, business owners make the decision to either build with an outsourcing company, build the app in-house, or build through freelance developers. These decisions look different based on people’s levels of technological expertise and budget. Most businesses choose to outsource or go to freelance developers because of the time value of money and future maintenance with bugs/errors.
Web Application Development Breakdown
Basic apps include simple functions, landing pages, and store capabilities with little interactive elements. The app development can take up to a month to complete for simple apps with these requirements. Apps requiring medium level functionality are a little more complex involving interactive pages and a ton more content. API & third-party integration can drive the app development time frame up to 3-4 months. Finally, the most complex app development projects involve larger companies and detailed CMS layouts taking up to 6 months of labor. Overall, the functionality, complexity, and who you hire to build your app are all going to influence the total cost of your app development project.
| Basic | Medium | Complex |
| Info Pages | Info Pages | Info Pages |
| User account System | User account System | |
| Admin Panel | Admin Panel | |
| Payments | Payments | |
| API & 3rd Party Integrations | API & 3rd Party Integrations | |
| High User Load | ||
| Custom Statistics | ||
| $5,000 - $15,000 | $15,000 - $60,000 | $60,000 - $250,000+ |
Web Application Building Experience with Clever Coding
Building an app can be an overwhelming and complex journey for most people, especially for those who feel they have an inadequate knowledge of coding and app development. With the cost of app development increasing quickly based on labor rates, our goal is to diminish your fear of app development making it more affordable and less time consuming. The financial scale of app development is typically where the most money and time is invested for a company.
That’s why we have developed the perfect way to cut costs and time in the app development process with our Platform Starter Kit. Getting started can be the most tedious part as there are so many functionalities and extraneous complexities to app development. The Platform Starter Kit is a ready built platform that provides many common features that new projects can be built on top of. It provides the essential base template for those looking to develop their very first app or expand on their collection of apps.