Many theories have nothing to do with reality about making up a mobile app quickly and without professional help. Other gossips say you can do it nearly for free.

But there’s one rule in the global market that proves that quality needs investment. You’ll never make a useful application for your business using only DIY advice and watching short instruction videos on YouTube.

On the contrary, many smaller companies are more than sure that the prices are so high that they can even dream about having one. So, to get rid of all the stereotypes, let’ let’s analyze the current prices.

In 2020 the cost of a mobile application can start from $7000 and go up to 500,000$. The prices may vary significantly depending on many features.

And, of course, every company doesn’t need the app for half a million dollars. If you plan to get an app for your business or reengage the clients who abandoned your previous one, let’ let’s see a couple of main features that the price of application development depends on.

1. The type of application

The clients should understand what type of application they need to cover the main aims of their business. The more interactive the app is, the more it will cost you to order its development.

And that’s quite obvious that for a game application, the quality of animation, the general design, and the number of functions will differ from a simple client support application based on the sign-in process.

The choice between web, native, and hybrid apps also will affect the cost of the project. Educational apps may need quiz, test, and exercise page development, or a customized dictionary that will undoubtedly affect the final price. Applications for the same or similar purposes will also differ in the means of their options.

If to compare two diet applications, may be different in price and functionality, as they offer different levels of client engagement. Some may contain static pages with recipes and pieces of advice.

Others may include weight balance and food calorie calculation. Activity tracking and synchronization with different gadgets to collect the client’s data is also quite an expensive feature for the future app.

2. The number of pages and the types of users

As in all types of design, the project volume matters while the cost estimation. Functional derivation of the pages and their overall number will also affect the price.

Besides, depending on the types of users and their needs, the future application will be built, focusing on who will use it and under what circumstances. Some companies may need to have an active chat with a voice or video call function.

Privacy settings also matter when we talk about the apps operating the clusters of personal data and financial information of the client. Here, many precautions should be taken into account, starting from different privacy check levels to app development choices.

3. Developers

Different developers offer their services for different prices. There are geographical factors we are taking into account and the developer’s proficiency level. Application development companies and agencies can be a better choice for more sophisticated apps.

As a freelancer working alone on the whole project will need more time to finish it. Besides, complex functionality will require the engagement of professionals from different development fields, like graphic designers, UI/UX professionals, and so on. Your readiness to provide a strategic plan for app development also matters.

If you need supervision for initiating a scope and can hardly imagine what you want to get in the end, there’s a great possibility of failure. In such a situation, you may also need consultations and help in the pre-development stage. Here, companies will be more efficient, but cooperation with them will cost more.

Freelance can be chosen when you exactly know what you want and can explain the core strategy of the future project. In this case,’ you’ll pay less. Cooperating with an application and blockchain development agency can give you more control over the process, as you see the scope of the timelines and can usually see what you have paid for it.

Freelancers are effective on less sophisticated projects, and the lack of skills and poor time management are among the most widespread risks you can face working with them.

4. Payment integration | cost to make an app

Payment functions within the app need more security and, of course, integration with other apps. Security levels may include password and fingerprint identification, which depends on the telephone type and is quite a complex function to develop.

If you want to offer your clients in-application purchase options, then the possibility to integrate your app with banking applications is a plus, if not a must.

To develop the payment system development team may spend from 50 to 100 hours, so if you pay hourly, the cost of this option will be relatively high.

5. Customizing and extra features | cost to make an app

If your company works globally or in a significant region, you might need a multilingual app. In most cases, the means of task volume can be compared to several app developments instead of one. For example, right-to-left customizing will be high in cost and will take more time to be developed.

Push notifications and ads that will make your app more interactive also affect the final price. Maps and location identification are critical features for the delivery of passenger transportation and e-commerce services, including product delivery.

The same is about the applications that estimate air quality and might need more indicators to collect and process it. Before ordering app development, it sits well to analyze whether you need offline options or your application will be online-based.

If we talk about the features of storing the information, especially those that have high volume, the gallery or storage functions with saving and updating capabilities must also be added to the scope of work.

In general, to optimize the future application cost, you need the same tools, as in any other marketing operation: the self, audience, and market analysis. So, you want to know precisely what you want, what your clients expect, and your industry’s modern demands.