How Mobile App Development Cost is calculated?
There is no answer to the question – How much does a mobile application costs? Just like you can’t answer the question of how much a car does costs, because it depends on a lot of factors, the engine which the car has, the material used, the use of convenient technologies, the fuel on which the car runs on, the transmission which the car uses, how many people can it carry, what all terrains can it run on and the list goes on and on.
The cost of a mobile application depends on a lot of factors such as the complexity of the design, specifications, and functionality, security infrastructure used, whether the app is an MVP or a full-fledged product and so on and so forth.
The factors influencing mobile app development cost
The cost of developing a mobile app depends on a lot of factors. From the business point of view, the factors which influence the cost of mobile apps can be broadly divided into two categories-
1. Internal factors
Project scope
If you wish to go for a Minimum Viable Product which just tests the application of the app in the market without focussing much on the UI/UX and other sub-goals of having a custom app such as increase in sales prospect and penetrating deep into the market, the cost tends to be lower in comparison to a full-blown product.
After an MVP is proved to be working, the business always has the option of enhancing the application and adding various other features to it.
In the case of MVP, costing will be lower when contrasted with a fully-viable product.
In-house know-how
Even if the mobile application development were to be outsourced, there is a lot of technical support which in-house devs can give. The knowledge of the market you are operating in, the business model which the business operates on, the objective of getting a custom app built – the human labour which it is expected to remove and support and feedback throughout the software development lifecycle.
The more expert techies you hire, the more they cost but they are likely to finish the job with precision at first instance.
Provided material
Do you wish to outsource the whole app development process or are willing to contribute some part of its specification, in-app copy and designs? You can use in-house resources to finish some part of the project and collaborate with the external consultants.
Budgeting
How much budget is feasible for you and how is it spread/divided across various stages of the software development life-cycle (Planning and Development, Maintenance, Scaling and Promotion).
Deadlines
How hastily do you want the app delivered? This influences the developmental cost. Quick deliveries always add up to the cost.
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2. External factors
Market price
The pricing of the app will depend on the market and also on the choices that you make such as near-shoring vs. off-shoring.
Contractor’s size
To which star are you attaching your wagon to? The biggies or tech giants will cost you higher but their expertise and experiences will steer you clear of all troubles.
Working with established companies always pays off in the sense that there is little risk involved, they comprehend your goals well and design the product of your dreams with no discrepancies.
Frequency of meetings
The ubiquity of the internet has made it possible to outsource any function of the organization to the remotest corner of the globe. In the case of an in-house team, the cost of collaboration vis coordination amongst the devs and the management is lower. In the case of offshoring, flying to the client’s site to enhance coordination might cost a penny.
Contractor’s know-how
The collaborators with a reputation might charge you higher and rightly so. It’s because they are the ones who execute their codes with precision, debug easily and don’t commit errors so that the app doesn’t need to be rewired.
It’s really the opportunity cost that you need to consider, a small developing agency may drive your project to the finish line, but you may also have to experience a few potholes along the road.
Emerging technologies
If you want to use emerging technologies as APIs in your project, the cost will be higher because only the seasoned developers can run such high-end projects.
AppsChopper is a mobile apps development company which has a deck of talent on-board. The techies there can drive your project successfully and collaborate often to ensure that your project goals and their developmental endeavours are in sync with each other.
