REVEALING THE HIDDEN MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT COST

Currently, the majority of businesses get into mobile app development. However, many of them lack understanding of the actual mobile app development cost behind it.

No surprise, mobile app revolution has ushered in an exciting era for businesses. Mobile app development is now the new way to build brand equity and generate sales. Statistically, in 2016, there have been 197 billion app downloads and expected to increase in following years.

However, companies that jump into mobile app development for the first time usually make a big mistake when it comes to understanding the cost to build a mobile app, which causes a severe budget crunch. Many businesses believe that the cost of making an app starts and ends with the app development companies. In fact, there are a number of factors behind that play an important role in application development cost. From the cost in prototyping steps to testing progress usually increases from 10% to 20% of average cost to develop an app.

In this article, we highlight the hidden cost of mobile app development that should be anticipated before establishing a software development project.

 The hidden cost of mobile app development

 It is important that businesses should identify different hidden costs behind to avoid surprises when developing a mobile application. Let’s drill deeper into hidden cost of mobile app development to watch out:

Multi-platform development cost 

Undoubtedly, businesses face many hurdles while establishing an app at first due to the lack of experience or unawareness of certain facts. Many new app publishers make the mistake of building an app on multiple platforms. As different mobile platforms need different sets of programming languages, such as apps designed for IOS is useless for Android. Then app developers have to craft a separate Android version of the mobile app, which eventually increases the cost of developing an app.

Installation and maintenance expenses

Indeed, the development of a mobile app is a long-term process. Many companies fall into the trap of considering the mobile app development process as a one-off project. But even though the app development process is completed, there are still many works after adopting the changing environment. Once the app is published, in order to make the mobile app work efficiently over time, following maintenance would be considered such as features improvements, security updates, users support links and further user's requirement. The maintenance costs can far exceed the average cost to develop an app.

Marketing and advertising cost

Marketing and advertising are two critical factors that drive the success of the mobile app. These factors would notice users and encourage them to download and install the mobile app, making the mobile app at the top and beat its competitors. Hence, a perfect marketing strategy is essential before jumping into mobile app development. However, making mistakes when spending on marketing and advertising would drain the app development budget but still not achieving any impacts.

 Releasing to the app stores

In fact, the cost of releasing the mobile app to the app store isn't that significant. The two biggest app stores currently are Apple and Google Play which only cost the business $99 per year in Apple Store and $25 in Google Play for a one-time charge. Creating a copyright and privacy policy to meet the app stores' approval process usually takes time, and the legal services are expensive when businesses are new to the industry. Some mobile app development companies will provide package services to help businesses until the app is approved in app stores.  

In addition, each store will charge a transaction fee for app services such as product sales, in-app purchases, or subscriptions. 

 Strengthen mobile app security expenses

Currently, cybercrimes are always a significant threat to the operation of mobile apps. In fact, due to the advancement of technology, cybersecurity threats are becoming direr such as data breaches, crypto-jacking, and flaws in microchips. To protect customers from those attacks, app publishers should have a dedicated development team to develop an efficient security plan. Undoubtedly, these security activities in the development process could increase the average cost to develop an app

 Cost to design UI for mobile app

Some companies ignore the importance of UI design and suggest that the mobile app developer should do the design as well. However, developers handling the UI design might cause a poorly designed and confusing interface, making users uninstall the app. Therefore, this step is essential in the mobile app development process, and the mobile app development cost relies upon the project complexity. The more time to make the designs, the more cost of making an app when hiring a UI designer.

 Manage the hidden mobile application development cost

 1. Test project assumptions

By utilizing simple interactive prototypes, the business can mimic the mobile app's overview and functionality without building it all out. The prototypes are much faster, easier, and less expensive to estimate the mistakes, the usage behavior before releasing the app. Therefore, it helps app developers to focus on the primary part and cut down the excess costs when developing mobile applications.

 2. Create a product roadmap with priorities

Definitely, it is vital to implement a product roadmap and prioritize features before developing a mobile app. Creating a product roadmap will help the business deeply understand the price of each step, which one is essential, and which one isn't to help app publishers manage the cash flow in the short and long-term to avoid unexpected mobile app development cost and waste of valuable resources. 

 3. Avoid ineffective third-party tools

Businesses usually purchase unnecessary third-party services or subscribe to SaaS platforms in order to enhance the functionality of the applications. However, businesses are not aware of these services before implementing them in their application. These third-party tools require a certain amount of planning, programming, and testing, which increases the application development cost dramatically but still does not ensure the effectiveness. 

 4. Find a top-quality mobile development team

Outsourcing to a software development agency is an easy way to cut cost leakages. They are very economical and also have more experience in developing successful mobile applications. Hiring a dedicated mobile app development company will help the business get the vision, deliver successful outcomes which fits the business budget for mobile app development.  

 In conclusion, building a mobile app can be a daunting task and expensive, whether it is the designing, installing, marketing or testing phase. Improper mobile application development plan may cause businesses to exceed mobile app cost estimation. But here at Adamo Digital, an outsourcing software development company, we will help businesses to develop a successful application plan without the fear of additional cost of making an app for changes and updates.