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Resources Articles How Much Does it Cost to Build a Mobile App?

How Much Does it Cost

to Build a Mobile App?
Yoshitaka Shiotsu
Apr 2, 2021
|
12 Min Read

Development & IT

Article
Mobile apps help businesses build stronger customer relationships through
personalized user experiences and tighter analytics feedback loops.  
With the benefits of having a mobile app , it’s no wonder why so many
businesses want to port their services to the devices where their customers
spend most of their time. So how much does it cost to build a mobile app?
A Clutch survey found the average minimum app development project cost to be
between $5,000 to $10,000 , but is quick to establish that these starter projects
only cover the discovery phase. The actual costs are much higher with a median
total app development cost of $171,450.
GoodFirms  places a basic app between $40,000 to $60,000, a medium
complexity app between $61,000 to $69,000, and a feature-rich app between
$70,000 to $100,000.
While it would be nice if there were a simple number, the truth is the cost of a
mobile app can vary greatly depending on a number of factors. In this article,
we’ll take a look at the various cost factors that go into building a mobile app.

How to calculate mobile app

development costs
Generally speaking, the cost of developing a mobile app can be calculated
directly from the rates charged by your developers. So for a project that takes
500 developer hours at a rate of $50/hour, that app would cost $25,000.
But predicting how much time it will take a business to develop an app is easier
said than done. It varies widely on the types of features and complexity of your
app. Here’s how to calculate the cost of developing a mobile app:

1. App developer rates, experience, and expertise

2. iOS vs. Android
3. Mobile app development technologies
4. Mobile app features
5. Additional talent needs

1. App developer rates, experience,

and expertise
When it comes to hiring mobile app developers , price and experience usually go
hand in hand. If you’re looking to build the next Uber or Whatsapp, your startup
may need to find the optimal mix of experience when building a development
team:

 Beginner developers: In the $30 per hour range, entry-level developers

can help with debugging, app maintenance, code documentation, and
simple feature requests provided you are willing to provide some
training on the job.
 Intermediate developers: Charging around $60 per hour, intermediate
developers have the general expertise needed to complete most app
design projects and new feature requests.  
 Senior developers: With average costs ranging in the $120 per hour
range, senior developers can lead your app development projects or
implement advanced app features.

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Typical rates charged by mobile developers
In addition to experience, rates are also dependent on expertise: the specific
technologies an app developer is proficient in.
The breakdown below should give you an idea of the rates of mobile developers
on Upwork:
iOS developer: hourly rate $45-75
Beyond fundamentals like Objective C and/or Swift, and the Xcode IDE,  iOS
developers  are also skilled in one or more frameworks and APIs like Foundation,
UIKit, and Cocoa.  Skills may include familiarity with bug tracking systems like
Bugzilla, dependency management tools like CocoaPods, and version control
with GitHub—technologies that indicate experience working on project teams.
Android developer: hourly rate $25-85+
Beyond fundamentals like Java, Android SDK, and the Android Studio
IDE, Android developers  may also be skilled with one or more frameworks like
Ionic, Corona, and Material Foundation. Familiarity with bug tracking systems
like Jira, dependency management tools like Gradle, and version control with
GitHub—technologies typically learned while working on project teams.
React Native developer: hourly rate $25-70
React Native is a JavaScript framework for cross platform development of
mobile applications using web technologies: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.  React
Native developers  can help you build native-performing, modular UI components
that work on both iOS and Android, slashing development time and integrating
seamlessly with existing iOS and Android projects.
Xamarin developer: hourly rate $25-50+
Xamarin is a free cross-platform, open-source app platform for building mobile
apps. Xamarin developers  build apps for both iOS and Android using Xamarin,
C# programming language, and the .NET framework. If your technology stack
relies heavily on Microsoft ecosystem and .NET technologies, a Xamarin
developer can help you bring your app to life.
Notice that rates charged by developers also vary slightly between target
platform and specific technical skills needed to build your app. Which brings us
to our next important cost factor…

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2. Platform costs: Pros and cons?
Are you building an app for Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android? There’s no
question that you’ll benefit from both markets, but there’s no shame in starting
out with the platform that best suits your needs, and expanding your customer
base after you’ve made a return on your initial investment. To help you make
that choice, here’s a brief breakdown of the pros and cons of each platform. ‍
Android platform
Android is an open-source Linux-based operating system developed by Google
for mobile devices. Examples of Android devices include Samsung Galaxy,
Google Pixel, and the OnePlus.
Android app development ecosystem
 Android SDK
 Java
 Google Play Store submission requirements
Pros of Android app development
 Wider market penetration and reach with a larger overall number of
users for every category, especially in emerging markets in developing
areas .
 Large open-source community with access to Android mods like the
famous CyanogenMod (which has been succeeded by LineageOS )
or Paranoid Android .
 Deeper access to Android’s operating system with more freedom to
innovate.
Cons of Android app development
 Android users spend less and have lower media engagement diversity
on average.
  Android developers must deal with more backwards compatibility
issues, multiple versions, and a larger variety of phone architectures
and screen sizes, which can translate to higher development costs.
iOS platform
iOS is an operating system developed by Apple exclusively for its product line of
mobile devices including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

iOS app development ecosystem

 iOS SDK
 Swift (Objective-C for legacy apps)
 Apple App Store submission requirements
Pros of iOS app development
 iOS users spend more and have higher media engagement diversity on
average , including greater participation in M-Commerce (mobile
shopping).
 Stricter guidelines and higher quality control tends to translate to a
higher quality app with better security.
 Apple’s steady release cycles and tightly controlled device ecosystem
ensure most users are running the latest versions of iOS, allowing
developers to focus on building for the latest APIs. There are also fewer
different phone models and screen sizes for developers to contend with.
Cons of iOS app development
 The usual cons of a closed-source development environment—less
freedom to innovate, less access to the operating system, and more
stringent rules and regulations to contend with.
 Apple’s frequent updates are a double-edged sword that can add to
ongoing maintenance costs.
It is important to note that a capable mobile app developer or team can
overcome most of the technical cons of picking one platform over the other. Far
more important is the platform that most of your customers prefer to use. The
Android versus iOS debate is very much a cultural one, especially in the United
States. Market research should be performed to determine which platform best
fits your customer demographic.

3. Type of mobile app development

technologies
The technology tree you choose as the base for your mobile app development
project will ultimately determine who you hire to build the app. Naturally this
choice will have a major impact on the overall cost of your app.

Web app
Not technically a mobile app, but rather a mobile-friendly website that uses
responsive design to ensure a smooth user experience across a variety of
screen sizes from tablets to smartphones. This is by far the cheapest option for
most small businesses.
Native app
An app is considered native if it is built with a language native to the operating
system of a given platform or device. That means using Swift or Objective-C for
iOS, and Java or Kotlin for Android. The primary advantage of native apps is
better performance. The major con is that if you want your app to work across
multiple platforms, you’ll need to develop the app exclusively for each operating
system. This duplication of effort naturally leads to higher development costs.
Hybrid app
The healthy compromise between performance and programmer productivity
(i.e. lower development costs), is the hybrid app , which speeds up development
times by allowing you to build your mobile app with the big three basic web
technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, using frameworks like Ionic and
Cordova. They are essentially websites embedded in a mobile app shell via a
webview (a browser bundled inside a mobile app). The framework provides
rudimentary access to the operating system and device features.
Cross-platform app
Cross-platform app development frameworks like Xamarin and Phonegap, allow
you to build your app in one language, creating a single source of code, that can
be compiled into native code across multiple platforms as needed. While a
cross-platform app will not perform as well as it could if it were developed
natively, the advantage of a unified codebase across multiple platforms is worth
it for many projects.

Next-gen components-oriented JavaScript

frameworks
It’s also worth mentioning that there is a new class of apps using components-
oriented JavaScript frameworks (like React Native) with near-native
performance, that have the same cross platform benefits as traditional cross
platform and hybrid apps. While these apps are built in JavaScript, they render
native views (no webview required). Near-native performance is possible thanks
to the components oriented nature of these new frameworks and performance
optimizations like the virtual DOM.

4. Core mobile app features

While we’re on the subject of mobile app technologies, the features you choose
to include in your app will add to the complexity of your project and impact your
overall cost. Here are some common questions to consider when designing your
app:

App login & sign-on

How do people sign into your app? Adding functionality to accommodate user
profiles can add 15-20 hours or more to your project depending on the
complexity of said user accounts. Here’s a brief breakdown of how many
development hours are needed to allow your users to sign on to your app:

Sign-In Type Developer Hours

Social Login (Facebook, Twitter, Google, 15

etc.)

Email Login 20

Single Sign On (SSO) 60

No Login 0

Not all apps require a login, but user profiles come with major benefits:

 Ability to deliver personalized user experiences to your customers

 Access to high quality user data provided directly from your customers
 Enhanced security and authentication options
It’s for these reasons that most apps provide at least a social login option for
their end users.
Tip:  For those in need of extra security, SSO (single sign on) may be worth the
investment. It’s an authentication method that uses tokens to enable users to
securely access multiple sites and applications with one set of credentials.
In-app features
What do you want your app to be able to do? Will they be buying clothes from
an ecommerce shop or booking a hotel room online? Actions like these can be
generalized as features with build times:
 Feature Developer Hours

Events (e.g., calendar booking features) 100

Product catalog (e.g., e-commerce 200

marketplace)

Vendor portal (e.g., business view) 250

Map, location, and navigation 100

Forms (e.g., log-in, surveys) 15

Push notifications 10

Loyalty system 150

Streaming video/audio 25

Payment gateways, in-app purchases, and microtransactions need to be

seamless and secure. Think 10-20 hours of development time.

‍
Tip: Ratings and user-reviews are especially important for online stores. While
typically quick to integrate, anything custom could add 10 hours or more to
development time.
App hardware integrations
What hardware features will your mobile app need to integrate with?  Developing
an augmented reality (AR) filter app for social media? You’ll need to integrate
with the target device’s camera. Adding voice-to-chat functionality to a
messenger app? You’ll have to interface with your target platform’s mic.
Here’s a list of build times for common hardware integrations:

Feature Developer Hours

Camera 20

Geofencing 40

Bluetooth 30

Gyroscope 40
 Feature Developer Hours

Acceleromete 40
r

Pedometer 40

Altitude 20

Additional mobile app budget considerations

Beyond features and hardware integrations, here are a few questions you can
ask yourself to help estimate your app development costs:

 Will your app need to integrate with other systems? APIs (application

programming interfaces) allow your app to participate in the API
economy. Whether you’re integrating with private APIs or public 3rd-
party APIs, expect an impact on your development costs.
 What infrastructure will you need? Back-end considerations like
databases, cloud storage, and network security will all have a direct
impact on development costs.
 Will you need maintenance on an ongoing basis? Mobile apps are never
technically finished. It’s important to factor in maintenance like security
updates, regular patches, and debugging.

5. Additional team members to build

a mobile app
Developers aren’t the only talent needed to carry an app through the
development process. A typical mobile app development team might look
something like this:

Role Description Hourly

Rate

Project Tracks deliverables and deadlines. Serves as the communication $60-120+

Manager liaison between the entire team.

UI/UX Designs the look and feel of an application. $30-70+

Designer

Mobile Translates the wireframes, mockups, and storyboards of the $35-120+

Developer UI/UX designer into front-end code.

Back-end Builds the data layer managing interactions between the $35-120+
Developer application, its database, and the server.
 Role Description Hourly
Rate

Quality Manages code and design quality by checking the end-product $30-70+
Assurance against project requirements. Tests build before deployment.

As you can see, while developer hours may account for the bulk of the cost of
building an app, it’s important to also factor in QA testing and project
management costs into your budget.

6. The cost of outsourcing mobile

app development: agencies vs.
freelance developers
Much has been written about the cost of mobile app development. The
cheapest, quickest option on the market today is probably an app builder site
like Buildfire or Apps Builder. If all you need is a simple layout with minimum
functionality, app makers can be very economical with tiered subscription plans
ranging from $10-150 per month. However, if you want full customizability, and
are serious about incorporating a mobile app into your business, you’re going to
want a developer. The table below provides a small sampling of the estimates of
app development companies.‍

Mobile App Development Companies

Savvy $100,000 to $1,000,000

Apps

Applico $100,000 to $300,000

Fueled $150,000 to $500,000

From our own data-based rates charged by freelancers on Upwork, assuming a

6-month development time for a solid, full-featured v.1.0 app:

Type of Mobile Developer Average Hourly 6 Months

Rate

Native Apps $35-150+ $33,600 -

 Type of Mobile Developer Average Hourly 6 Months
Rate

iOS or Android App Developer 144,000

Cross Platform Apps Xamarin/PhoneGap $16-55+ $15,360 - 52,800

Developer

React Native Developer $20-150+ $19,200 -

144,000

These numbers are only estimates and your project costs may vary. In reality,
hourly contracts will likely fluctuate by week depending on your project’s needs
and your freelancers’ other clients’ needs. How many hours devoted per week
can affect the duration of the project, and savings can be gained from leveraging
location differences.
The flexibility of hiring freelancers  gives you the freedom to build your own team
and adjust the overall cost for your project, making it a good fit for small
businesses on a budget. You also get access to a global talent pool. The key is
to make sure your organization is prepared to properly handle the unique
challenges that come with managing this enhanced flexibility.
Ready to build your own mobile app? Check out freelance mobile app
developers  on Upwork today!
‍
Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or
services discussed in this section. These tools and services are provided only
as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed
to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit
their specific needs and situation.
‍

Author Spotlight
Yoshitaka Shiotsu
Technical Copywriter & SEO Consultant
Yoshitaka Shiotsu is a project engineer turned technical copywriter and SEO
consultant who regularly contributes to the Upwork Resource Center. He
specializes in helping tech companies, startups, and entrepreneurs set
themselves up as voices of authority within their target industries.
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