How Much Should I Pay for App Development?

App development projects can be expensive. It’s all too easy to spend more than what your budget permits if you go about yours with little strategy. Get your frequently asked questions about app development costs to reduce your expenses and make the most out of your money. 

How Much Should I Pay for App Development? 

The amount you should pay for app development depends on many factors. The app technology you choose, your project’s complexity, where you want to publish your app, the experience and size of the team you hire, and where you want to source your talents are major determiners of your cost. 

The expertise and tools needed to develop native vs hybrid vs cross-platform vs progressive web apps are different and can affect your total bill. The same goes with your mobile app’s feature set extensiveness. You may also need to budget for infrastructure and system integrations. Catering to iPhone and iPad owners may cost you more than targeting Android users, too. 

Furthermore, you should also budget for maintenance. Every app development project is a work in progress. All software needs debugging, patching, and updating to adapt to technical changes and to remain safe and functional. 

How Much Does the Average App Design Cost? 

In the United States, the average app design cost can range from $40,000 to $100,000. If you want to stay near the lower end of this estimate, you’ll need to limit your mobile application’s functionality to core features — such as navigation and forms. Aspiring for more sophisticated hardware integrations, like an augmented reality social media filter, will drive up your expenses. 

How Much Does an App Developer Cost Per Hour? 

An app developer costs around $50 per hour in the developed world. An experienced talent may want more money but can guarantee quality work, whereas a beginner may accept less with no assurance of excellence. 

Moreover, region dictates the hourly rate of an app developer. Wages in the US, the UK, and Australia are the most expensive. Those in the Western and Eastern Europe are lower, but the salaries of developers in Southeast Asia are the most competitive. 

Logic dictates you should hire where labor is cheapest to get more bang for your buck. You’ll get more than what you pay for because Southeast Asian mobile app developers are just as proficient as their Western peers. 

An app development team is more than just developers, though. A typical one also includes a user interface or user experience designer, a quality assurance specialist, and a project manager. 

How Long Does It Take to Develop an App? 

The average app takes four to six months to develop. A project with simpler requirements may take less time to finish, but a demand one can last nine months or more. 

Ultimately, your chosen features determine how many development hours the team needs to spend to ready your mobile app for publication. For example, login will add 15 to 20 hours of work. Hardware integrations like camera, Bluetooth and geofencing need a build time of anywhere between 20 and 40 hours. 

Why Is App Development So Expensive? 

App development is so expensive because of the wide skills gap. The world has yet to produce enough software developers to fill the number of tech roles across different industries, resulting in an imbalance between supply and demand. 

Despite this, app development can be economical. App builders let you create your own in exchange for a subscription fee of tens or more than a hundred dollars per month. The problem with them is that they only churn out cookie-cutter designs with minimal functionality. You can hire freelance developers to build your mobile app from scratch, but they’re less efficient and will unlikely deliver on schedule. 

Your safest bet is a credentialed app development agency in Southeast Asia that can assign a dedicated team to your project. 

Let a Filipino Team Handle Your Project 

SDev Technologies is a member of the Philippine Software Industry Association. We specialize in native, hybrid, cross-platform, and progressive web app development. Regardless of your budget, you’ll find our rate affordable and bring down your total cost to roughly $2,700 to $27,000. Contact us today to discuss your vision for your app and we’ll give you a quote!