What Is the Cost to Build an App, Based on Development Stages?

How much does it cost to create an app based on development stages? What is the ideal process of app development that consists of these stages? I am sure questions like these often turn up in your mind while thinking about mobile app development costs.

There are various stages of app development when it comes to talking about the technical aspect and the lifecycle of app development. Thus, it becomes crucial to look at the different phases to aptly answer the question:  'how much does it cost to build a mobile app?'

It is necessary to look at the different phases in terms of mobile app development cost and the amount that needs to be disbursed at each state. Having a ballpark estimate of how many different app development stages may cost allows companies to allocate proper capital to each stage. 

Following the full-cycle development services, the mobile app development process has several stages: planning, designing, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

Cost to Build an App, Depending on Development Stages

Depending on the requirements for any specific project, the development stage may include implementing features, customized app infrastructure, and app administration mechanisms. Let's check out the average timeshare estimate of each development stage.

The majority of software development vendors start a project with a pre-research/discovery stage. This step allows the team to clarify all the app’s ins and outs from both technical and business perspectives.

The Discovery stage provides the following benefits:

• Time and cost savings
• Requirements validation
• Goal-based design solution
• Risk coverage
• Synchronization of the Product Owner (client) with the team
• App project task prioritization

An accurate app development budget and delivery date are calculated based on user stories presented in the product backlog. Thus, the discovery stage gives an exact answer to the question: 'how much does it cost to make an app?' 

Once the discovery stage starts, a cross-functional team is allocated to the project. The team may consist of a Business Analyst, Software Architecture, Designers, and others.

Some possible Discovery Stage deliverables are:

• Finalized project concept
• UX/UI design
• Product backlog
• Project architecture plan
• Market & Competitor analysis (optional)

It is often said that the average cost of the discovery stage ranges from $10,000 to $15,000, with a timeline of 2-4 weeks. The prices and timeline relate to an average app project lasting 3-5 months. However, when it comes to talking about conducting a pre-research stage, the figures vary from company to company. Let’s have a look!

Cost Breakdown as Per the Mobile App Development Stages

Discovery/Pre-Research Stage

As per Clutch (B2B analytics company) research, 51% of company representatives said it costs up to $5,000 to come with an initial concept and do research. 22% go above the $5k threshold and spend up to $10k, and 14% spend anywhere from $10 to $25k. 

Hence, the discovery app price corresponds to ~30% of the total app cost. Clearly, compared with other stages, discovery is the inexpensive one.

UI/UX Design Stage

Surveys summarize that the UI/UX designing costs around $5,000 for an average of 11-20 app screens. However, the price will vary depending on the number of screens, design complexity, and other considerable elements. 

As per Clutch, when app development teams proceed to the design stage, only 32% spend less than $5,000, but only 9% venture to spend over $50,000 on app design. The majority (around 60%) stays within $5-$50K.

Development Stage

The number of features and their complexity, and the app concept and type influence a mobile app’s cost during the development stage. The price of a simple app, moderate app, and complex app will vary. Thus the more functionality added to the app, the higher the price will be.

Development is arguably the most significant part of the whole mobile app development process, as it's about actually coding every feature that the app is supposed to have. Clutch says, for only 9% of respondents, the sum they spend on developing an app's code was below $5,000, while 33% spend between $5K-$10K.

Testing and Deployment Stage

The app testing stage ensures proper app function and quality. The cost of app testing is directly connected to the app functionality; it totally depends on the type of app (with features and functionalities) you have opted to develop. 

The Clutch survey says, for 32% of respondents, it takes less than $5,000 of their budget to perform an app testing and actually deploy it on the market. However, another 31% stays within the $5-10K range, and the rest go above $10K of their budget.

App Maintenance

Businesses often think that the job is done once the app is developed, tested, and launched in the requisite app stores. However, this is not the case; once your app is out in the market, it's your responsibility to keep it bug-free, feature-packed, updated with the latest OS, and more. 

How would you do that? Investing in app maintenance. It typically costs between 15-20% of the original app development cost annually.

Key Takeaway - In short, a different type of app has a different development cost associated with it; this difference originates from the level of an app's complexity. 

Have anything in mind related to app development cost? Feel free to share your thoughts with us!