How Much Does an App Cost?
Contributor Phil Robinson. Partner, Founder + CE
How much does an app cost you ask? This is a very important question you should definitely be asking. More importantly, you should be asking what type of app do I need? If you’re not sure perhaps you could ask what types of Apps are there? All of these questions are important as you start determining your app design and development cost.
Many factors influence the price, and the pricing structure can vary tremendously for each app development company or freelancer. Below are ballpark prices (NZD, excluding GST) on how much is an app may cost. They are not set in stone and a full scope and breakdown of any project are recommended before deciding how to proceed.
A Simple Web App Cost – $8,000 to $10,000
A Simple PWA – Progressive Web App Cost – $10,000 to $20,000
Average PWA Development Cost – $60,000 to $150,000
Average Native Development Cost – $80,000 to $150,000
Complex Native App Cost – $250,000 +
What Factors influence App Cost?
The cost of building an app ranges from $8,000 to $300,000 and depends on numerous factors such as
- Type of App
- The complexity of the design and the number of screens that need to be visualised (designed)
- User Journey
- Development process;
- Quality assurance phase; How much testing
- Number of functions and features;
- The intricacy of those functions and features;
- The complexity of the database;
- Number of and complexity of 3rd party integrations;
- Implementation of security protocols like HIPAA or GDPR;
- Size and level of the development team
- Location of the development team
Where should I start?
When it comes to making a start in building an app, you (as mentioned above) need to understand what type of app you need. To do that, you must first understand what your app will do. What problem will it solve and how will it do that? These two factors will determine not on the cost of building the app, but the scope of the functionality you may need if you can create it in stages and what the ongoing costs are likely to be.
Your best bet is to brainstorm your ideas, write up a wishlist of features and talk to a few app or web development companies about the project. And like choosing the right marketing agency, the same goes for web or app development. You need to know they understand what you are trying to achieve. You want them to be honest about the best way to bring your idea to life. The last thing you want or need is to commit 100k or more on something that could cost 20k.
