How much Does it Cost to Create an App in 2024? A Detailed Guide

You might have heard the phrase, “There is an app for everything.” Then why not for your idea? According to Statista, Mobile apps are projected to generate more than 613 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025, with mobile games making up the biggest revenue share among all app categories. You can also be one of the beneficiaries of the revenue mobile apps expect to reach in the near future. But for that, you must have a killer idea & an intuitive application.

Done With Brainstorming The Ideas?

The first thing to look for is “What will be the mobile app development cost?” As it will play a significant role in bringing life to your notion. With over 3.5 million apps alone on Google Play Store and 2.2 million on the Apple app store, making your app stand out is quite challenging. To surpass others, the thought behind the application, striking features, their implementation & great user experience play a primary role.

Creating a seamless and visually alluring application is an exciting yet daunting task, especially if you are new to this process and cannot even assume “how much it cost to make an app.” Well, the bitter reality is no one can give you an exact number without knowing the details of your project. However, the price point may vary according to the geographic location in which you have outsourced the project, freelance developers’ skills, application type, and more.

In this blog post, we will help you gain a brief insight into the “average cost of app development” around the world. The article will also enlighten various factors contributing to the increase & decrease of the development cost. But before digging into that, you might understand what the mobile app development process is?

What is App Development Process?

To summarize, app development is a pre-defined set of steps through which software is created. It can be for any platform, idea, and operating system. From design to implementation to testing to maintenance, app developers handle everything and help you get a flawless application.

One can outsource the project or hire a dedicated team of developers for in-house application development, be it native, web, or hybrid.

Average Mobile App Development Cost- A Brief Overview

Curating an idea is not an end of your journey. Making it live is the actual task. On the road to converting your aims to real-life products, you have to be handy about budgets. While calculating the cost of developing an application, design & development may seem important to you, but various hidden expenses can impact your overall budget.

scroll down to learn what factors significantly affect the mobile app development cost when you need custom software.

Key Contributors: Influencing Mobile App Development Cost

Remember, everything from the complexity of the design to the number and complexity of the features to the time devoted to the development and testing the quality of the application, Every other factor influences your application’s overall expenditure.

Simple or A Complex App? A Key Difference-Making Fact

To save yourself from last-minute issues, meticulously consider what type of application you want for your business. It can be a simple camera application or a complex system developed for your organization’s internal task handling. To figure out your application’s cost, it’s important to consider its type.

For instance, when creating a native iOS app, the cost will be less than a hybrid app developed for mobiles. Similarly, a mobile hybrid app will cost less than creating native apps for both iOS & Android, and the list goes on.

How Complexity Of The Application Effects Development Cost?

The complexity of the application is determined by analyzing the requirements of the user & the time they will take to implement properly. The simple formula is:

The more extensive your requirements, the greater the number of development hours you will require and the associated cost.

Apps are usually divided into three levels, including Simple or Basic Apps, Medium Apps, & Complex or High-level Apps. The table below will highlight the average cost to develop all three levels of applications around the world.

On average, the per-hour rate for mobile app developers worldwide is 40$ per hour. These values might differ when comparing the USA, Western Europe, Asia, etc.

Other than that few important questions that can be asked by the developer or the mobile app development firm will be:

Targeted Platforms & Application Budget

Getting started with the mobile app development process? First, choose a platform that matches your target audience. You can opt for any platform from iOS, Android, web, or cross-platform applications. As a startup with a limited budget, it’s better to choose one platform at first, then switch to multiple platforms after getting some pace.

In developing a mobile application for a specific platform, besides having specialized developers, it also needs a special budget. Here are the three main types of applications you can create while being platform specific.

Primarily built for iPhone devices, the application can easily work with operating systems & other device components.

Considering the USA & UK hourly rates, the average cost to develop an iOS application lies between $10K-$450K.

Mobile applications that are designed for Google’s operating system, Android. If you want an optimum experience for your customers, get a cutting-edge android application for them.

We are an award-winning mobile application company providing top-notch iOS, Android & Hybrid Application development services. If you need a ballpark value for developing an Android mobile application, it will be somewhere around $70K to $500K.

If you have budget constraints and still dream of staying ahead of your competitors, Hybrid apps are for you. Using a single codebase, you can create an efficient app that can work both on Android & iOS platforms.

The tentative average cost of creating cross-platform mobile applications is between $90,000 and $700,000.

Cost As Per Category Of The Application

There is a great deal of variation in the cost of making an app, depending on the category. Different categories have varying user numbers, functionalities, security criteria, etc., ultimately resulting in varying development costs.

E-commerce Apps

A major reason for the popularity of e-commerce applications is that these applications offer tons of attractive features, such as the ability to handle millions of users at once and robust security. The average cost estimate that we provide for a small e-commerce application is $50,000 – $150,000.

If you have an idea for your application, consult our experts to get an intuitive e-commerce application to grow your business.

Social Networking Apps

There are many social network apps – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. In addition to handling millions of interactions and chats, they also allow users to share information with each other.

For all of this to work, there must be a solid backend infrastructure and a large investment. Can you guess how much it costs to make an app for social networking? Typically it costs around $60,000 – $300,000.

On-demand Applications

Despite the simplicity of the on-demand solutions model, there are three versions available-one for users, one for individuals who offer services, and one for businesses.

The ballpark value of developing an on-demand application from our developers is $80K – $150K.

Meanwhile, if you are struggling with ideas, probe this article to select the best on-demand startup ideas.

Other than that, various application categories are present, including gaming, video streaming, data-driven apps, marketplace apps, learning apps, etc.

Here’s a quick overview of the top categories of mobile app development & their cost.

Other key factors that affect the price estimates of mobile application development includes app design & animation, maintenance, size, and location of the development team.

Cost Of Mobile Application Development In Various Regions In 2023

It’s crucial to consider the location of the app developers when determining the overall pricing for app development. As outsourcing your project means hiring a development agency or freelance developers that might affect your expenses. The price point might seem high to you, but it can also help you manage your budget by cutting down additional costs of office space, maintenance, etc.

Nevertheless, high prices do not always indicate a high-quality product. It only shows the salary variations of programmers in different countries.

Let’s compare the hourly rates of programmers in different regions:

Mobile App Development Cost in North America

Main Regions are USA & Canada.

Hiring app developers costs between $40 and $70 (without any other fees) in the United States, with an average of $47/hour.

The cost of hiring mobile app developers in Canada (without additional charges) ranges from C$30 to C$58, with an average of C$40/hour.

Cost to Hire App Developers in Latin America

The main regions include Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico.

Mobile App Development Cost in Western Europe

The main regions include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Cost to Hire App Developer’s in North Europe

Key Regions Include Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.

Mobile App Development Cost in Southern Europe

Key Regions Include Spain, Portugal, and Italy

Note: Hiring a mobile app developer from southern Europe is significant but lower than in western & Northern European countries.

Cost to Hire App Developers in Central Europe

Key Regions Include Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, and Serbia.

Cost to Hire App Developers in Eastern Europe

Key Regions Include Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia

Mobile App Development Cost In Africa

Key Regions Include Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Note: Mobile app developers’ prices in Africa are lower than in Europe.

Mobile App Development Cost In the Middle East

Key Regions Include Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

Note: The mobile app development cost in UAE is higher than in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. While the other two countries are on an equal level.

Cost of Hiring Mobile App Developers In Southeast Asia

Key Regions Include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore

Note: The development cost in Southeast Asia is the lowest globally, but developers from these nations are highly skilled & have hand on experience with market-leading technologies.

Mobile App Development Cost in Eastern Asia

Key Regions Include China, Japan, and South Korea.

Note: Hiring app developers from Eastern Asia will need more budget than hiring from the southern side.

Average Cost to Hire an App Developer in Oceania

Note: Hiring Mobile app developers in Australia and New Zealand will impact equally on your budget.

In addition to considering all these factors, ensure that the developers you hire have specific expertise and experience. After all, you need a flawless application for enhanced user experience.

Wrapping Up

“If you’re going to build something, you should do it right.”

Mobile application development is a complicated process & there are so many factors that go into the cost of an application & without a trustworthy partner, you might get lost and overwhelmed when building an application for your users.

To accomplish your business goals and bring your company to a new level of success, we are here to guide you through the process. Contact us to know how much an app costs!

Backed by years of experience in mobile application development, our team provides top-quality services in Android, iOS, & hybrid applications. Explore this article to make a list of factors you must consider before jumping into the actual development phase.