How much does it cost to Create and Maintain a Business App in 2021

Last year so many new entrepreneurial ventures that started and flourished from within the confines of home. Now, 2021 is the year to take these ventures forward. A lot of them are banking on creating business apps to further themselves. The first question that pops into a businessman’s mind is the cost of creating and maintaining any such apps. There are many mobile application development companies in Dubai that can help you with this.

Estimating the exact cost of creating a business app is difficult. A lot of factors come into play when creating such an app. It will depend on the type of business venture, features of the app, type of app, platform, UI/UX and much more. The cost also depends on the complexity of the app, the developer that you approach and even your geographical location.

The cost can vary anywhere between $40,000 for a very basic app to more than $240,000 for a complex one.

Before approaching a mobile app creator, you first should have an idea of what you want your app to be. Simply going to a mobile app service in Dubai won’t do you any good. You ought to have a framework of what exactly your app should be. A business app keeps you organized and connects you to your customers instantaneously. A dedicated app focuses the attention of your customer to a single platform.

The main features that affect the cost of creating an app are:

Features of the app:

All apps have some common features such as the user login, search features, monetisation factors, in-app messaging options, etc. You can decide which of all these features you want to have. You can add others that are unique to your app. But keep in mind, the more the features, the greater your costs.

Platform:

Another major decision is whether to have an android or iOS app or both. Currently, there are more android users in the world than iOS. The users’ division is spread across the world unevenly with some countries having more iOS users and vice versa. Therefore, customers’ geographical location plays a role in the selection of the platform.

Fragmentation also plays a role in deciding the platform. Devices using android come in different shapes and sizes and not all of these devices use the same version of operating system. However, most Apple devices run on the latest version of iOS. Therefore when developing an app for android, it has to work on all different versions of the operating system. You can approach an android app development company in the UAE to get it done the right way. This complication does not arise for iOS.

The cost of publishing the app on both of these platforms matters. On the Google Play Console, you just have to pay a one-time fee of $25. After that you can publish as many apps as you want, anytime. To publish in the Apple app store, there is an annual fee of $99 on a subscription basis. Companies that specialize in iOS app development in Dubai can help you with this.

App development agency:

There are two types of agencies you can approach for app development. They are freelancers and app development companies.

Freelancers are mostly individuals or small groups who you can hire off the internet. They are much cheaper than an app development company. You can have constant communication with the developer and therefore the product can be more personalised.

An app development company usually costs more. Always keep in mind that you only get what you paid for. With a freelancer, you will get a good product but the quality might not be as great as one done by an established company. Hiring a company will make the process go more smoothly as there are teams to take care of every single step.

Location of app development agency:

The location of the app development agency plays a vital role in determining the cost.

The US is one of the most costly places to get an app developed. Their hourly charges can amount up to $150 an hour. One of the cheapest places to develop an app is India where the hourly rate is around $25 depending on the platform. It will cost around $110 per hour for android app development in Dubai. The costs are similar for iOS apps in the UAE as well.

App maintenance:

Your app will be the main platform through which people reach out to you. Therefore your job is not done once the app is published. It has to be updated constantly with the latest OS versions so that functionality is not affected. Updates have to be made based on customer feedback to retain their loyalty. Roughly, maintenance will cost at least 20% of the original app cost. But it has to be done to keep your business going.

For app development, companies charge either on an hourly basis or individually according to the rates of each person in the team (the developers, UI/UX designers, business analyst, project manager, etc). Rates can also vary according to the complexity of the app. A simple app with basic features can cost around $40,000 – $60,000. A medium app with additional features like payment and shopping cart can cost around $120,000 or more. A complex app that is connected to a third party API or has data encryption will cost more than $240,000. As the complexity of the app increases, the time period to create the app and the costs will increase.

You get what you pay for. Even if the cost is on the higher side, you will be able to provide a better customer experience and in turn, increase the size of your business. You have to approach mobile app services in Dubai that have the right skills set and experience to flesh out your ideas into the best possible app. Developing an app, though a costly affair, ultimately benefits your business.