How Much Does Mobile App Development Cost?

Mobile Apps are the backbone of every business these days. For the end users of a business product or service, mobile applications are the lifeline. Especially after the pandemic and its resultant lifestyle changes, today 90% of the world is heavily dependent upon mobile apps. As a result, the mobile app development cost is rising day by day owing to such high demands.

On an estimate, mobile app development can cost between £4500 and £250,000 depending upon various factors. In this blog, we shall discuss the Cost for Development A Mobile App in general for different types of apps developed with different technologies. Also, we are providing some tips to optimize the development cost. So, let’s scroll down and take the discussion forward. 

Factors That Decide Mobile App Development Cost UK

Cost to Develop a Mobile App depends upon various factors. However, the major factors revolve around the app complexity, features, UI/UX Design, Tech Stack, and chosen Mobile App Development Company and its brand image. So, let us first discuss these factors in detail and see how they affect the mobile app development cost in UK. 

Mobile App Complexity 

The complexity of a Mobile App is an umbrella term that includes the front-end development, backend development, number of app features, functionalities, and User Interface designs. The more functional and fancy the application, the higher the cost for developing a mobile app. 

However, majorly, the app complexity depends upon the backend development and front-end development. Using simple yet latest coding techniques can reduce the app's complexity to a great extent. In the later sections, we will share some tips to reduce the app's complexity and optimize cost. 

Number of Mobile App Features 

The number of features in a mobile app also affects the mobile app development cost. The more features and functions a mobile app demonstrates, the higher the development costs get. Say, for example, consider the following features and functions and their costs: 

Mobile App Development Cost Calculator (Approximate Values): 

• Login-Feature: £75-£80
• Profile Creation: £450-£500
• Keep Me Signed-In £450
• In-App Messaging: £1000
• Push Notifications: £1000
• Online Payment (Through API): £2500
• Map Integration: £5000
• Social Media Integration: £6000
• Voice Calling Feature: £9000
• Video Calling Feature:£18000
• Sort & Filter: £15000
• AI Chatbots: £20,000

Now, it totally depends upon your mobile application development project requirements and how much does it cost to create a mobile app. The price list provided above will give you a general estimate of the development cost. Just pick the features and add their costs to the estimate. 

Mobile App UI/UX Design 

Likewise, the mobile app UI/UX design, that is, user interface and user experience design also affect the mobile app development cost to a great extent. The fancier the UI is the higher the mobile app development cost. There are different types of UI/UX Features and they have the following costs:

• Menu-Driven UI/UX: A simple Menu-Driven UI/UX is the most ideal and common type of UI design. Some examples of Menu-Driven UI include the UI of ATM Machines, E-Commerce Apps, mobile phone settings, and many more. This is the smartest choice of UI/UX design and is budget-friendly too. A Menu-Driven UI/UX for a mobile app can cost around £15000.
• Touch Screen UI/UX: Touch Screen is another common UI/UX design. Nowadays, it comes in handy with the Menu-Driven UI/UX. So, there is no need to choose it individually. However, individually, it costs £18000 approximately. But, it is best to discuss it with the mobile app development company about how much they charge for menu-driven mobile app UI/UX with touch screen enabled feature.
• Voice Control UI/UX: Voice commands are an important UI/UX feature in the present-day scenario. In fact, voice control features make the UI/UX design universal and user-friendly specifically for the visually impaired and individuals suffering from hand deformities. Additionally, voice-command UI/UX also helps individuals lacking computer literacy. This feature costs around £30,000.
• Gesture-Based UI/UX: Usually used in game development, Gesture-based UI/UX helps the user to perform tasks without even touching the screen. Say, for example, Temple Run allows a user to change the path just by tilting the smartphone device. Gesture-based UI/UX design is the latest sensation in the Mobile app UI/UX design industry. And it costs around £40,000.

Tech-Stack Used for Mobile App Development 

Now, another factor that affects the mobile app development cost is the chosen tech stack. Today, there are many mobile app development tools and frameworks that have simplified the development process. For example, open-source development frameworks, code libraries, content management systems, and many more. 

However, if the tech stack is not correct and makes the mobile app development process hectic for the developer, then the cost of development increases. Therefore, tech stack is an important factor in deciding the cost to developing a mobile app. 

Mobile App Target Platform

The platform on which you are about to launch the mobile app will also affect the cost of building a mobile app. If you are making a native mobile app, then the costs are lower. However, the cost of iOS App Development is usually higher than the cost of Android app development owing to the stronger encryption required in the former. 

However, today, technologies like cross-platform app development and hybrid app development have made it possible to use a single codebase on different platforms. Eventually, at the cost and effort of a single mobile app development, the client gets mobile apps functioning seamlessly on multiple platforms. The mobile app development cost for different platform 

• Mobile App Development for Android

If you need a native mobile app for the Android Operating System that you would like to launch on the Play Store, then the minimum cost for mobile app development for Android will be £4,500. However, the maximum cost to Android App Development can go up to £200,000. 

• Mobile App Development for iOS 

Another popular native mobile app development is for the iOS operating system. If you wish to launch the mobile app exclusively on the App Store, then the minimum cost of mobile app development will be £12,000. Whereas, the maximum cost can be £300,000 and more. 

• Cross-Platform Mobile App Development 

These days, people wish to go for a cross-platform mobile app. A cross-platform mobile app is a technology for mobile app development in which the mobile app developers prepare a single app (or codebase) that runs equally efficiently on either Operating Systems Android or iOS. 

Cross-platform app development helps the client get a single-time coded mobile app at the cost and time of a single app. A cross-platform app development cost can range between  £25,000 and  £250,000.

• Hybrid Mobile App Development

Hybrid Mobile App Development is one step ahead of cross-platform mobile app development. In the case of hybrid mobile app development, the client gets a mobile application that runs on 3 platforms including the web, iOS, and Android. A hybrid App costs between  £35,000 and  £300,000 again depending upon the app's complexities, features, and functions.

Chosen Mobile App Development Company 

The choice of mobile app development company also affects the mobile app development cost in the UK. If you choose a company with a higher brand name, you will incur higher costs for mobile app development. However, choosing a medium-sized company or a smaller brand will incur lower costs. It is because the brand image of the company also affects the charges for their services. 

Mobile App Development Cost Breakdown 

Now, in general, let’s discuss the mobile app development cost breakdown, to sum up what we have learnt today through this blog. Check the following table to get a rough idea of the development cost. 

Table: 1.1 Mobile App Development Cost Breakdown

Please note, that the table above provides a cost breakdown for the basic and minimum costs of mobile app development. If you add more features that we have discussed in the section above, you will incur higher costs accordingly. 

Some Tips to Optimize Mobile App Development Cost 

Now let us discuss some tips to optimize the mobile app development cost. However, there is no quick-fix solution to reduce the mobile app development costs anyhow. But, you can adjust the cost as per your budget by following some simple tips. So, here are some valuable tips that can save you from paying unnecessary charges: 

Simplifying App Complexity

To optimize the cost of mobile app development, the primary step is to reduce the app complexities. In order to reduce the app complexities, keeping the backend and front end simple will do. Here are some must-follow tips-

• Using mobile app development tools and frameworks for coding faster and simpler ways will help a lot.
• These days, the mobile app development is more API integration-driven. In place of going for complete coding, it is best to choose API integration-driven mobile app development. 
•  Additionally, the app must be thoroughly tested. Therefore always keep a budget for the testing procedures.
• Keep the animations simple.
• Avoid uploading large-size videos and images on the app.

Limiting the Mobile App Features 

There are many mobile app features that may or may not be necessary for your business. However, everyone yearns to launch a high-quality app in the market. But still, if you feel that your target audience does not require a certain type of feature, it is best to avoid it and optimize the cost. Say, for example-

• If your Target Group is specifically an Android or iOS user, then there is no need to go for cross-platform or hybrid app development services. 
• If your business model does not need features like push notifications, calling, or in-app messaging, you can avoid them as well. 

Keeping the Mobile App UI/UX Design Simple

Another important tip is to avoid unnecessary animations and fancy UI/UX design in the mobile app development process.  Always choose a simple menu-driven UI/UX design with a basic touch and voice command features. 

If Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are not important elements, avoid them. All these fancy features will increase the cost of mobile app development. Therefore, always avoid the temptation to add fancy elements to the mobile app.

Choosing the Right Tech Stack for Mobile App Development 

You must focus on the right tech stack for mobile app development in order to optimize the cost. Today there are many ready-to-use mobile app development frameworks that have simplified the coding process to a great extent. Say, for example-

• Xamarin and Android Studio for Android App Development 
• SwiftUI and Xcode for iOS App Development
• Mobile App Development with Flutter or React Native for Cross-platform app development
• Ionic and Apache for Hybrid App Development 

Choosing a suitable mobile app development framework reduces the time and cost of mobile app development by 10 times. 

Choosing Cross-Platform or Hybrid App Development over Native App Development 

Furthermore, if you have a target audience which is diverse in the choice of their operating systems. Then, it is best to go for Cross-Platform or Hybrid App Development options. It is a comprehensive way to optimize the mobile app development cost. If you choose native app development, then you will either have to lose a considerably large section of the target audience. Or you will decide to create another app after a few months or years of operations to unlock a larger business reach, and then you will incur double costs.  

Final Thoughts 

So, to sum up, we can say, that mobile app development cost UK can vary from  ￡4,500 to  ￡250,000 depending upon various factors. The more complex mobile app with more features and animations will cost high. However, a simple mobile app will cost much lower. All you have to do is make app ideation judiciously and choose the features that are important to represent your business and perform your business processes seamlessly. So, ideate wisely and optimize the cost! We will see you in another blog with some more exciting information.