Author: Hania Saleem, Jan 11, 2023
Blog
How much does it cost to build an app?
This is the first question that pops up in your mind when you decide to build an app or digitally transform your business.
As soon as you understand the importance of developing an app for your business, you can jump into the cost consideration factors.
The cost of developing an iOS app can be impacted by various factors; such as technology stack, feature set, and the hiring approach you choose.
This blog will walk you through a smooth cost analysis journey to build a customized app as per the trends of 2023 while significantly disrupting the market.
Let us help you break it down into a brief step-by-step guide and get you started!
How Much Does It Cost To Develop An iOS App? - Region-Based Analysis
Depending on the region, the cost of developing an iOS app varies based on a number of factors.
A typical iOS app development service cost in the Asian region is estimated to vary around $5000 to $100,000, whereas, in the UK or US, it can go up to $10,000 to $450,000.
To build the perfect app for your business, the art is to manage your development budget while hiring a highly skilled team.
As a business, you will have to hire iOS developers and designers that build the app’s visual and interactive elements.
If you want to lower your iPhone app development cost, you don't necessarily have to hire a local team on a permanent basis.
This is where you can acquire IT staff augmentation agencies that provide perfect temporary filling-in solutions to your dedicated project needs by tapping into the global talent pool.
Here’s is an estimate cost of ios app development in different regions:
Factors Affecting The Cost Of Developing An iOS App For Your Business
Now that you have grasped the region-based knowledge about the cost of developing an iOS app, it is time you look into the factors affecting your cost calculation.
The factors affecting the cost of iOS app development go hand in hand with the features you choose to embed in it.
Let us help you analyze and look into the diverse factors that majorly impact the quality and cost of iPhone app development for your business.
1. Size Of The iOS App
In general, the size of an iOS app is determined by the amount of content and features it includes. This affects the overall cost of developing an iOS app to vary depending on the type of app you are building.
Some apps are relatively small and simple, while others may be more complex and require more resources, resulting in a larger app size.
The size of iOS apps can be divided into basic, semi-complex and enterprise-level complex. This is determined by the amount of features and interactions needed to be integrated in the app.
For example, a simple, straightforward app that only performs a few basic functions may be relatively inexpensive to develop, while a more complex app with a lot of features and functionality could be more expensive. Here are how the differences in the app sizes affect the iOS App development cost and time.
2. Complexity of the Integrated Features
The complexity of the features you choose for your iOS app can significantly impact the cost of developing an iOS app.
Allow me to pin you down with the various potential levels of complexity, their feature-based breakdown,and the estimated impact they can have on the cost of your iOS app.
Low-Complexity Features Of An iOS App
-
User login and registration : This feature allows users to create an account and log in to the app using their credentials. It can also include features like password recovery and account management.
-
User profile and settings : This feature allows users to customize their experience within the app by managing their profile and settings. It can include features like adjusting notification preferences, changing the app's appearance, and managing privacy settings.
-
Data synchronization : This feature allows users to sync and access their data across multiple devices for apps that can be used on both a phone and a tablet.
-
In-app purchases : This feature allows users to purchase additional content or features within the app including one-time purchases or subscriptions.
Medium Complexity Features
-
Data visualization: This feature allows the app to display data in a visual format, such as charts or graphs. It significantly helps to make it easier for users to understand and interpret data.
-
Geolocation : This feature allows the app to track the user's location and provide relevant information or functionality based on their location.
-
Push notifications : This feature allows the app to send notifications to users even when they are not actively using the app. These notifications can be used to alert users of new content, updates, or other important information.
-
Social integration : This feature allows the app to integrate with social media platforms, such as allowing users to share content or connect with friends within the app.
High Complexity Features
-
Augmented reality : This feature allows the app to overlay digital content on top of the real world, using the phone's camera and sensors.
-
Machine learning : This feature allows the app to use algorithms and data to make predictions or recommendations based on user interactions. It allows the app to track user-centric behaviors and gather analytics to generate custom reports, advanced search and filtering capabilities,etc
-
Internet of Things (IoT) integration : This feature allows the app to connect to and control IoT devices, such as smart thermostats or smart locks.
-
Advanced Multi Factor user authentication : This feature includes securing user’s data with password Manager Solutions.
3. Hiring Approach Of iOS App Development Team
The overall cost to develop an iOS app for your project is highly dependent on the development team you hire to streamline your process step by step.
Each required individual affecting your iOS app development cost can be filtered through 3 major factors.
Depending on whether you hire remote developers or in-house developers, their expertise level, and location will change your overall cost of developing an iOS app.
Let us briefly walk you through the 3 major factors of hiring an iOS app development team that affect your app's overall budget.
Hire remote Developers Or In-House Developers
If you hire remote developers to build your iOS app, you will significantly cut down the electricity, rent, and other overheads costs.
This will bring a drastic change to the cost of your iPhone app development as you won’t need to provide them with the same level of support and resources.
Aside from the few challenges of relying on the communication tools to carry smooth operations, it is a preferred cost-effective option.
On the other hand, hiring in-house developers can be more expensive, as you will need to provide them with a salary and benefits, as well as the necessary equipment and workspace.
Despite the increase in iOS app development cost, this method can benefit you with developing efficiency, working closer with your team, attaining good communication, and collaboration.
Ultimately, the decision to hire in-house or remote developers will depend on your budget and the specific needs of your project. It will be helpful to break down your project objectives, discuss your options with the project manager and opt for the suitable method to determine the best approach.
Developers Expertise-Level
Businesses seeking to develop iOS apps need to understand that hiring a deeply vetted app developer with market-leading skills will have a huge impact on the overall cost.
In general, more experienced and skilled developers with a strong track record of successful projects may command higher rates, while less experienced developers with basic knowledge may charge lower rates.
In some cases, it may be worth paying a higher rate for more experienced developers if it means that the project will be completed more efficiently while ensuring a quality-driven output.
In contrast, if your project has a limited budget, you may need to hire less experienced developers or partner up with a development team that balances experience with cost efficiency.
Here is the estimated annual salary budget based on the region and expert-level of the developers.
4. Developer’s Location
The cost estimation of your project is highly affected by the developer's location. If you hire an iOS app developer in the US, it can cost you an average hourly rate of $20 - $100 depending upon the size and type of application.
Alternatively, a hired iOS app developer in Eastern European countries will cost you substantially lower than France or Finland. Another factor determining the hourly rates is the unique tax differences according to the developer's country of origin.
5. Cost To Develop iOS App As Per Domain Choice
A large part determining the cost of developing an iOS app is affiliated by the domain you choose.
With the evolution in technology and the growth in the user-centric demands , almost every category nowadays is gaining immense popularity in the iOS mobile app development market.
Listed below are the few domain choices which can influence your overall cost of developing an iOS app.
Gaming
The statista report indicates the Game apps have overtaken the third quarter of 2022 as the most popular category available in Apple's App Store, making up a share of 12.68 percent of all iOS apps.
From the basic snake and bounce games, technology has now taken over by delivering personalized gaming mobile applications upon the high demand.
Mobile games in their current forms are a constant work in progress that on an average cost you around $250,000 to $550,000. They are great to bring empowering return on investment with the growing number of mobile gamers.
Business
Business apps were the second-most popular category surpassing the Apple App Store, making up the share of 10.35 percent of active apps in this category.
It provides businesses a highly curated marketplace of competitive advantages by streamlining their operations and attaining productivity.
It is estimated that a business app will land you with a ballpark figure between $16,000 and $72,000, depending on the in-app features that you wish to embed.
Education
The educational sector has leveraged itself with this dependency on its users and stretched its dominance in the mobile app development market.
Education apps were the third most popular iOS app category, accounting for a total of over 9.8 percent of active apps.
Based on the number of features and complexity integrated in the app, educational apps can cost between $25,500 and $50,000.
6. Native, Hybrid Or Web Based App Development
Your overall cost to develop an iOS app will vary depending on the type of app development you choose. There are three types of app development you must configure that are best for you before you start your development journey.
Native App Development
Native app development involves building an app specifically for the iOS platform using Xcode and the iOS SDK, and is generally considered the most expensive option.
This is because native apps are built using specific programming languages that are only compatible with iOS. The all-inclusive cost of iOS app development gets increased in this approach as it requires developers who are well-versed and have extensive time.
Hybrid App Development
Hybrid app development involves building a single app that can be deployed on multiple platforms, including iOS.
These apps are developed using web technologies such as Ionic ,Xamarin, and React Native allowing them to be installed and run on a mobile device.
Despite being cheaper than native apps, hybrid apps still cost more than web-based apps since they are available on both App Store and Google Play store.
Hybrid app development can be a more cost-effective option than native app development, as it allows developers to build one app that can be deployed on multiple platforms.
Hybrid apps, however, require extensive development effort, have limited user experiences, and may not perform as well as native apps.
Web-Based App Development
Web-based app development involves building an app that runs in a web browser, rather than being installed on a device.
In general, web-based applications are the most affordable to develop since they are widely available and well understood by many developers.
However, web-based apps may not have the same level of functionality or performance as native or hybrid apps, and they may not be able to access all of the features of a device (such as the camera or GPS).
7. Cost To Develop iOS App With Custom API Integrations
The API(Application Programming Interface) integration is an automated feature in an online iOS app that enables it to interact with other applications in a secure manner.
API (Application Programming Interface) integration refers to the process of connecting two or more software systems or applications through APIs.
API links enable software components to interact, exchange data, and deliver requested actions through the apps. They can be found in different types delivering unique in-app features.
Let us talk about the 2 major API integrations and the effect it has on the cost to develop an iOS app.
7.1 Payment API Integration
If you are looking to build an eCommerce iOS app, a Payment API must be integrated to let users enhance their payment solutions.
This empowers a gateway allowing businesses to connect their checkout functionality to their payment system, reducing accounting errors and offering better in-app payment portal security.
A payment API integration can add a significant amount of development time and fees to the development process of an iOS app, depending on the level of complexity involved and the fees charged by the payment provider.
Allow me to pin you down with the most popular and commonly used payment API integration.
7.2 Third-Party API
iOS developers integrate APIs provided by third parties allowing companies such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google to incorporate functional access in your app.
For example, if you are building an iOS app and you want to incorporate maps into your site, you might use the Google Maps API, a third-party API provided by Google. Moreover, if you want to add payment processing functionality to your app, you might use a third-party payment API such as Stripe or PayPal.
Third-party APIs can be a useful way to add additional functionality without having to build it from scratch while allowing you to take advantage of the expertise and resources of other companies or organizations.
While they offer a better experience to your users, Third-party APIs can have a huge impact in increasing your cost of ios app development.
Let's look into a few running third-party APIs that are commonly acquired by various iOS leading applications.
Key Takeaways
Your cost consideration while developing your iOS application is significant to identify the target audience, underline your business objectives and set your smooth plan for action.
However, it is important to keep in mind that cost should not be the only consideration when hiring developers. It is also important to consider the quality.
In the competitive realm of the iOS mobile app market, you must ensure to provide highly-responsive, modern, and robust apps in order to embark on solid grounds for your brand.
Going for an app development company to build your desired app can be a fairly expensive process for those on a tight budget. Whereas, hiring iOS developers dedicated to fill-in in your projects’ unique needs is hands down a smart and cost-effective solution.
Incorporate the above-mentioned points to attain a breakdown of the required cost to develop an iOS app and kickstart your digital journey on ground-breaking terms.
FAQS
How much does it cost to develop an iOS app in 2023?
The cost of developing an iOS app can vary widely depending on a number of factors, such as the complexity of the app, the number of features and functionalities it includes, and the resources required to build it. For a simple app, the cost of development can be a few thousand dollars, but for more complex apps, it can be hundreds of thousands dollars.
Are there any factors that can affect the cost of developing an iOS app?
There are a number of factors that can affect the price: the complexity of the app, the features and functionalities it contains, the resources required to build it (e.g., developers, designers, and project managers), and any additional costs such as testing.
Is it more expensive to develop an iOS app or an Android app?
It is generally not more expensive to develop an iOS app versus an Android app, or vice versa. Regardless of the platform for which the app is being developed, the cost will depend on its specific requirements and complexity.
Is it possible to estimate the cost of developing an iOS app before starting the project?
Before beginning a project, it is generally possible to estimate how much an iOS app will cost, but the actual cost will vary depending on any changes or additional requirements encountered during development. An experienced app development team should be able to provide a rough estimate of the cost based on the specific requirements of the app.