Determining the cost of building an iOS application may seem simple enough. After all, everything comes with a price tag, and mobile applications aren’t anything more than “merchandise.” The only difference is that a product is something you can touch and feel.
Mobile apps are digital products, and you can’t “touch” them. Nonetheless, you have to pay a tangible iOS app development cost to your developer team. The “how much” of it, however, depends on what you want from the solution.
An important question
In 2019, market researchers found that the mobile-focused businesses spread throughout the world had a combined value of $544 billion. It’s about 6.5 times higher than the business firms that didn’t prioritize mobile devices or mobile users. Also, in 2019, commoners spent around 3 hours and 40 minutes per day using their phones and tablets. This value was about 35% higher than what it used to be 2 years ago. Most of the time dedicated by people went to mobile applications. These things prove the importance of the question – how much will it cost to create an app?
Not easy to answer
Despite being a mission-critical question for businesses, answering it isn’t easy at all. There isn’t a universal price list for you to turn to when it comes to app development. A legitimate, experienced, and recognized app development agency won’t quote an exact project value. Of course, the story is entirely different with app development firms simply trying to earn money. However, the right agency will offer an estimated price. It’ll depend on the amount of time spent on developing and implementing your requirements and the specs you want.
Factors affecting development
The cost to develop an iOS application primarily depends on the concept of your application. While estimating the expenses can be tricky, a few factors will always remain constant. These factors will dictate the costs. Here they are.
Platforms
You wish to create an app for iOS-powered devices, but should you also build one for Android? When selecting the platform, you must take a look at the market share of iOS and Android. It’ll help you make the right choice. Just don’t forget about your budget and its constraints. You can build an app for iOS devices by paying almost the same as Android. However, the moment you choose to build apps for both platforms, your expenses will increase. You can dial down the costs by hiring an agency specializing in cross-platform development.
Features
The structure of the app and its features play crucial roles. They determine whether the solution will be simple, complex, or something in between. For instance, an app created for two platforms may include several features. Such apps will possess complex systems. However, a straightforward app with only a few primary characteristics will be a basic product. The functionality of an app, combined with the number of features and their complexity, will dictate your expenses.
Design and UI
As mentioned above, you can estimate the cost of your iOS application if you can measure its complexity. It depends on a few detailed specifications. These include the number of screens, native vs. custom design, and more. The design phase of an app’s UI is as essential as everything mentioned above. For the app’s interface, you can opt for a native design that comes with readymade templates and UI elements. On the other hand, custom design will need an exclusive architecture for every element. Specific apps require custom design more than others. Your developers will help you decide what you should go with.
The infrastructure of the backend
The backend of an app comprises a piece of software that’ll run on a server. It’ll allow the app to communicate with an external data source. If your app possesses features you need to sync with the web, you’ll need a backend. Some of the features include tracking the progress of an account, user account management, uploading things like images, etc. Of course, there are alternatives to building the backend and maintaining the server. However, they suffer from capability limitations. They also tend to be more expensive.
The development team
The last bit is as mission-critical as the others, and it involves the people working on your project. The iOS development prices depend on the number of members overseeing your mobile application development. Some of these people play crucial roles you can’t neglect. Without their input, your application will remain incomplete. For instance, you can’t cut the mobile app engineer or QA engineer out of the equation. If you hire an outsourcing firm, business analysts and project managers will join the crew. They’ll plan and execute the phases of development.
Final considerations
So, where do you start? How will you determine the expenses of iOS development? It’s best to start with the architecture as it’ll help you contemplate the process from the beginning to the end. After that, you should move on to the task of selecting an app development agency. From a strategic viewpoint, it’s the best choice. If you need more help, you should start contacting reputable agencies. The representatives attending your calls or emails will tell you what you need to know.
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