As a programmer outsourcing company, the question of “how much is it to develop a software?” is a question we get and expect very often, but more than often too that the question is hard to answer.
One of the important factors is because there are hidden costs people are not expecting, and these hidden costs could compromise the project if not discovered and planned carefully since the beginning.
Average Mobile App Development Cost
The average cost of mobile app development varies greatly depending on the size and complexity of your project. It’s a common misconception that all apps are created equal and can be built using the same process. In reality, mobile apps are usually built for different purposes and have different goals in mind.
If you’re planning on building an app for business purposes, you’ll want to consider multiple factors before making a decision about what platform you should use. As an app for iOS will cost different compared to Android, even more so if you want to develop for both platforms.
Generally the cost of mobile app development affected by these four factors:
-
Functionality
What do you want the app to do, the fewer functions the app has the less manpower it needs.
-
Complexity
How complex the features are. The app can have a few functions/features but if those are complex, the cost will add up.
-
Platform/devices support
Other than what we mentioned before, you have to also consider the question “do you want the app to support specific devices?”, like the newest iPhone, big tablet, or even foldable phone.
-
Type of team
What we meant is what kind of kind will work on the project. Do you have a full team to do all the work? Or do you outsource some (or all) the work to other companies like us? Because one of them is cheaper.
If we were to throw in numbers, the range of average mobile app development cost could vary from $1000 – $200.000, in other words it is hard to predict at the beginning.
Average Website Development Cost
Similar approaches, considerations, and the numbers can also apply to a web development project.
In predicting website development project cost there is one other important factor to consider which is “how do you want to develop the website?”, is it using a template-based website like WordPress or Joomla, or you want to develop a custom made website?.
Between those two, the latter will usually cost more as it will involve more people to the project.
How To Estimate Project Cost
So, how do we get a better estimation than $1000 – $300.000? Generally speaking, here are the five steps to start it:
- Draw up a list of features and requirements for each feature.
- Write down the details for each requirement (e.g., design work).
- Estimate how much time each item will take to complete based on your team’s experience with similar projects and tasks (i.e., if you want two weeks of design work, multiply that by 2 people and average out their hourly rate).
- Add up all the costs associated with each item on the list. Then add 10% or 15% so that there’s room for error (and don’t forget taxes!).
- Compare this total cost against your budget and see if a smaller version of what you envisioned would fit within your budget constraints! If not, you either need to adjust your vision or adjust your budget accordingly
Hidden Costs of App Development
The cost of website or mobile app development can be a major investment, but it’s often the last thing you think about when launching a new business. If you’re launching a new small business, there are many hidden costs that come with developing your website or mobile app.
Here are some of the most overlooked things in software development that can come as an extra costs:
Testing and quality assurance:
It’s important to have a team of testers look over your finished product before launch. This ensures that everything works properly and nothing has been missed during development.
Marketing
Even if your site doesn’t require much marketing before launch, it can still take time for users to find and engage with it — especially if they don’t know about it yet. Marketing strategies like search engine optimization (SEO) can help generate traffic long after launch day.
Quality content
Website content defines the purpose, goals and objectives of your business. If you want to attract customers and grow your business, then you need quality content on your website. Professionals will write it for you at an additional cost.
User experience (UX)
UX refers to how easy it is for users to interact with your website or mobile app? If the UX isn’t good enough, then users will leave your site within seconds of landing on it! Professionals will make sure that users don’t face any issues while browsing through the content.
Closing
Turns out the hidden cost of website & app development is not very difficult to find, most of them are things we interact with daily in other software but just don’t realize that they are also parts of the development cost.
The next question is how can you get an accurate project cost estimation? Or how do you want your website or apps to be developed? If you’re facing this kind of problem let’s discuss it with us!
