How much does a mobile app cost? This is, by far, the number one question that any of our potential clients ask. While the question may seem to be fairly cut and dry, the answer is not.
Asking how much an app is, is a lot like asking "How much does a car cost?". On one end of the spectrum I have a ten year old Toyota Corolla with 170k miles, No AC and a tape deck that i could sell you for 5,000 dollars and on the other end, I have a 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S hard top convertible, with 400 horse power and basically every bell and whistle for just a smidgen 100k. The same fluctuation occurs with mobile applications and in a similar manner.
Basically, the more extravagant you would like your app to be, the more extravagant the price tag is going to be. I know to some that price tag may seem pretty high. But if you look at the fact that most developers in the US charge between $100-$125 dollars an hour, and multiply that by the amount of hours it takes to develop even the simplest of apps and you can quickly see how an application gets so expensive.
Are there ways to alleviate that large price tag? Of course. One thing that we have done to alleviate the cost for our customers is do the project in phases, where phase one would be to create the application bare-bones, allowing the most simple functions to be developed into the app, keeping the price low. Then later in phase 2, or sometimes phase 3, we add functionality that the client really wanted, but couldn't afford right off the bat. This allows our clients to spread the cost over a longer period of time and still get the outcome that they were looking for.
Another way to lower the cost of your application is to find a developer offshore. While this will definitely lower your costs, you must remember the old saying "you get what you pay for". We have had several clients come to us asking us to fix broken code that they had developed offshore. While it may have sounded like a good idea at the time, your going to be paying for it in the back-end of the project when you have to fix all of your code because it isn't working properly. You also may not get the type of project management, quality assurance and future support using this type of development.
The only way you can be sure of how much your application is going to cost is by contacting a developer (like AndPlus) and give them an accurate description of the application. An experienced developer will then take this information and formulate a proposal, breaking down the hours it will take to develop your app and put a price tag on it for you. One thing to always remember; if the idea for an app is something you would like to keep confidential so no one steals your idea, make sure you sign an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). It will protect your ideas.
If you would like to get a quote on your next mobile,custom software or web development project, feel free to contact AndPlus at 508-425-7533 or by filling out our contact page.
