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Mobile app development cost: how much does it cost to create an app?

05.01.2024

If you plan to become an Apple Developer or a creator of utilities for smartphones from other manufacturers, then you definitely need to study the financial side of the issue. Understanding how much development will cost is necessary to determine the ratio of start-up costs to results and the feasibility of becoming an Android Developer or a software developer for Apple brand gadgets. In addition to the main expenses, you need to take into account additional ones, for example, for training in programming skills (if you do all the work yourself) and paying for an Apple Account Developer. By the way, you should take care of the developer account in advance, so that later it does not turn out that you are ready to publish the application in the store, but cannot do this due to an unpaid Huawei Developer account or the creator of programs for Apple or Android devices. The fastest and easiest way to solve the problem is to purchase a ready-made profile on the Nova.Shop website, where individual and corporate accounts are sold with payment for a year.

Key factors that determine the price of an application

There are special virtual calculators that make it possible to calculate future expenses. In accordance with them, an Apps Developer (alone or with a team) must invest from 15 to 120 thousand dollars at the initial stage to create software of varying degrees of complexity. The more features the software has, the higher the starting cost, and the Apple Developer or the company that makes the website and mobile software should take this into account. However, in practice there are a number of points that can reduce the cost of development, as well as speed up monetization, without deteriorating the result. These include:

Invest early in an Apple Developer Account. Having a paid account will allow you to quickly test and immediately publish ready-made software, for downloading which you will receive money into your account. This point is especially relevant for those who register in the Apple Developer program from Russia and other countries that are subject to regional restrictions.
A serious approach to thinking through functionality. You need to decide on the number and complexity of options. An excessive desire to save money can play a cruel joke on you, because there is a lot of competition in the world of mobile software, so your development must fully satisfy the needs of the target audience, which is impossible without a sufficient number of functions, for each of which you will have to pay extra.
List of design requirements. Visuals are of great importance and often determine the degree of popularity of an application. Originality in design is great, but there shouldn’t be too many unusual elements, otherwise they will negatively affect the controls, which should be intuitive.
Operating system support. You can focus only on iOS or Android, but a cross-platform application is still better because it allows you to increase your target audience and earnings, although it is more expensive to develop.
Choosing a contractor – you can use your own resources or turn to third-party specialists (freelancers or agency employees).
The amount of time spent on programming.

For better orientation in prices, we will give examples of costs for the most popular types of programs for smartphones. An application like Uber or Airbnb will cost 40-50 and 80-100 thousand dollars, respectively, something similar to Tinder or TikTok will cost 45-70 and 100-110 thousand dollars, and to create an Amazon analogue you will have to pay at least 30 thousand dollars.

What is better: creating your own profile in the Apple Developer program or hiring third-party specialists?

Having an enterprise profile gives companies the ability to create and use internal software. This is convenient if the organization employs more than 100 people and there is a need for secure software for Apple brand devices. An individual Apple Developer profile gives you access to the academy and allows you to post your own developments in the official store and earn money. There are many benefits from accounts, but in this case all costs fall on your shoulders, as well as the technical part of the work. There is also a possibility of problems with profile creation and payment. If you don’t know how to register an Apple software developer account, it’s better to purchase a ready-made profile.

On the one hand, interacting with a digital agency or development team may seem more expensive, because you will have to pay for the services of professionals. But on the other hand, you don’t have to personally figure out what the Apple Developer Enterprise program is, adjust the software to the requirements for security and functionality, and other current issues.