Is it hard to develop an app?

While introducing new businesses, mobile phones have brought old businesses into a new era. Websites and social platforms are not the only way to sell products and increase brand equity. All companies have realized the power of mobile applications and their profit-making capacity. You probably still depend on your website to achieve your business goals. Maybe the financial and time cost of making the program has discouraged you from doing this. But the basic question here is, how much is the cost of building a custom mobile application that has stopped you from building it? Or how hard could it be to develop a mobile app?

It cannot precisely determine the cost of making an app, but it depends on many factors. The application platform (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc.) is important; Program complexity is important; The level of expertise of the programmers is important, and many other factors are involved in determining the cost of developing the program. In this article, we will examine the factors and variables that affect the cost of making an application so that you know about them if you plan to make a mobile application.

What is a custom mobile application?

Without going into technical details, mobile applications are a category of software designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. We have three types of mobile applications, each of which has advantages and disadvantages:

- Web

The Web App is a mobile-friendly version of the site that is displayed according to the small size of mobile devices. The mobile version of the site has become a standard for a long time, and Google has gradually introduced such a version as an important factor in improving the site's SEO. This has made most businesses (if not all) have a web application. But statistics show that mobile applications are much more popular than web applications.

- Native

Native App refers to apps made for a specific operating system (for example, iOS or Android) and is usually provided to users for download through markets. These types of programs bring a better experience to the customer, especially for complex programs with many elements. But their main disadvantage is the need to create a separate version of the program not only for different platforms (iOS and Android, etc.), but even different versions to be compatible with different devices of a specific platform.

- Hybrid

Hybrid apps are less complicated to build. These programs are written with only one programming language, which can be implemented on different platforms, and their performance is the same as native programs. Naturally, these programs are favored more than the previous two types due to their easier development and maintenance; regardless of whether the application is made natively or hybrid, we are sure of one thing: the change in your business environment through your application make.

Why does your business need to build a mobile application?

You have probably seen or heard enough about the success of mobile applications and their advantages. To remind and inform those who do not know, we introduce several benefits: 1- Mobile application increases the value of your business to customers Being mobile-friendly is an undeniable issue and is essential to provide a better experience to users. The most important advantage of mobile applications is increasing users' access and, as a result expanding your target market. Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone, and almost 2 hours and 51 minutes of people's daily time is spent working with mobile phones.

Mobile apps allow users to meet their needs anywhere and anytime, they do not have to open their laptops or power on their computer systems, and with only some simple touches, they can do their jobs. Thus, you will have a good opportunity to provide more services to your audience, including:

- Offering discounts and special offers

- Providing information about products or services

- Providing free or paid information

- A suitable platform for support and faster feedback from customers

Such benefits strengthen the relationship with the customer and cultivate their loyalty to your brand. Finally, mobile apps will increase customer value (or CLV customer lifetime value), which is one of the important indicators of business growth. Almost 90% of businesses agree that customer experience has a key impact on loyalty and retention. 2- Mobile applications increase customer engagement One of the biggest advantages of mobile applications is to provide a suitable platform to increase live communication, strengthen two-way relationships and guide customers in the sales cycle. The speed, accessibility, and convenience of working with the application is a good opportunity to attract customers and work on their purchase decisions. 3- Mobile App increases brand recognition Brand recognition means that when you see a company's logo, you remember that you have seen it somewhere before. It is not important to remember the business theme of that brand. As soon as the logo is familiar to your eyes, you have recognized the brand. Mobile advertising exposes your brand more to users' eyes, which increases the probability of purchase. When your brand logo is permanently displayed in the corner of the application, in the notifications that appear, and in other parts, over time, your name will be on the tongue and will remain in people's minds. When thousands of users download your app, your brand recognition will be strengthened.

Factors affecting the cost of making the program

Mobile apps come in various sizes, shapes, colors, and features, each having a world of variables influencing costs. In summary, the primary factors affecting development costs are:

1- Business model

2- Platform

3- Performance and capabilities

4- Designing

5- Developer

Of course, there are other hidden costs in the middle, which is a separate story, but these five items are the main part of the development costs. In the following, we will examine each of these items in more detail so you can have a complete view of them.

Business model

The effort to build a program begins with planning its business model. The business model talks about the revenue generation and profitability of the App and is the most important factor in determining the costs required to build the App. When writing a business plan, keep the following in mind:

- Where do your target customers spend their time?

- What platforms and devices do they use?

- How much money will you earn from the program? - Do you offer the App for free or for sale? - Do you want to sell the program at a fixed price?

- Or do you want to earn money from in-app payments?

- Does your app use in-app ads or other advertising methods? Advertising for your products or others?

- Do your users care about the graphical appearance of the application or its functionality?

- Are you looking for a unique user experience?

The answer to each of these questions (and many other questions) will determine exactly the direction and purpose of the program. It will directly impact other factors, i.e., platform, performance, design, and development.

Platform

The idea of the program, its capabilities, audience, and revenue model have been defined. Now it's time to choose the app platform. Android, iOS, Windows Phone, web, or all of them. Which platform do you want to run your App on? Depending on the platform chosen, the price of the program can vary. When it comes to native apps, the common choice is between Android and Apple.

As you know, it's a tough choice. Android and Apple users are completely different from each other. Now, why not make the App for both platforms? If you have the money, why not? Be sure to do this!

Performance and capabilities

After choosing the platform, it's time to build the App. The type of program and its technical features alone are important factors in determining costs. Mobile apps are becoming more dynamic, and there's almost no limit to what they can create.

Designing

The graphical interface of the program is one of its most important parts. At first sight, the program attracts users to its visual appearance.

Development

Everything we have discussed so far comes back to the program itself and the decisions you make before building it. The business model on which your decision is based, the chosen platform, and the required functions and capabilities all require paying costs that are not really in your control.