How Much Does App Development Cost?
Dmytro Sikorskyi, Owner, CEO, 13 September 2023
In this video, we will tell you how you can understand how much it will cost to develop your application, how to get approximate and exact estimates, as well as how you can very, very tentatively estimate your project right now using our statistics. It should be added that these statistics are valid for projects of the same level as those posted on our site, and only when using Flutter, which allows you to develop an application for different platforms — Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and the web. If you choose other technologies, you may have to evaluate and develop applications for each platform separately.
Here is more detailed information about the technologies we work with:
https://ubrainians.com/en/technologies-we-use
Statistics on the cost of one hour of development:
https://dev.to/fireartd/offshore-software-development-rates-by-country-in-2022-5b6h
Accurate Estimation
You see, without proper technical documentation, it’s nearly impossible to provide an accurate estimate, unless your task is a standard one with a readily available template solution. Why? Because in order to precisely calculate the project’s cost and create a timeline that can later be included in the software development contract, you must have a deep understanding of every intricate detail that constitutes the project and the specific requirements for each of them. Achieving this requires meticulous planning, which is the most challenging and critical aspect of the project, as it essentially shapes its future destiny. In our company, the development of project documentation stands as a distinct and independent project, marking the starting point of our collaboration with the client.
This documentation can include an interactive prototype of the application, allowing you to perceive it from the perspective of future users. You can navigate through the screens, ensuring everything flows logically and that no crucial elements have been overlooked. Also, it’s essential to outline error handling procedures (such as how the application behaves when there’s no internet connection, whether users can access previously downloaded information) and what scale of content and users you expect. This planning is crucial because it not only influences development costs but also ongoing monthly expenses (like hosting fees).
Therefore, it’s worth noting that selecting a developer solely based on price, without comprehensive documentation, is impractical. Such an approach doesn’t prioritize affordability but rather favors those who might deliver less.
Rough Estimation
For a rough estimation, my recommendation is to consider a few companies that you find appealing. Arrange meetings with them, discuss your project, and request them to provide you with an approximate cost estimate. Why should you contact multiple companies? Well, different companies bring different levels of experience to the table. Moreover, someone may perceive your project as more or less complex than you do, and even a person’s mood on a particular day can influence their assessment. So, it’s quite likely that you’ll receive quite divergent quotes, possibly differing significantly. Don’t be alarmed; this is perfectly normal. However, it will give you a ballpark figure to work with. Simultaneously, this process allows you to gauge how each company operates, who keeps their promises, who doesn’t, and who is easy to communicate with. Typically, this approach can yield you a preliminary estimate within a few days.
A Very Rough Estimate
As promised, let me share a very, very tentative way to ballpark the cost of your project right now. Here’s how it goes: We took a few of our past projects, calculated their total time from start to finish (which includes everything like development, testing, release etc.), and then divided that by the number of unique screens in each project. These projects varied in size, ranging from under 20 screens to nearly 100. The results fell between 28 and 56 working hours per screen.
So, to get a rough idea of your project’s cost, you can count how many unique screens your project involves. Then, multiply that number by the estimated development time for one screen. Finally, multiply the total time by the hourly development rate.
To identify the exact screens your application comprises, I recommend envisioning the user’s journey. Walk through the entire process, from downloading and launching the app for the first time to performing all the actions it’s meant to support.
Let’s consider an example, like a food delivery app from a restaurant. What’s the typical user journey here? A person opens the app, browses the menu, maybe looks at detailed info about specific items, adds items to their cart, places an order, and makes a payment. They might also leave a review, view their order history, or update their profile. So, in all likelihood, you’d need screens like a loading screen, a login screen, a registration screen, a main screen with menu items organized by category, a specific item view, a cart, a checkout, a payment screen, a feedback screen, an order history screen, and a user profile screen.
Since you might overlook some screens (like the password recovery or order completion messages), it’s a good idea to add around 25-50 percent more screens to be safe.
As for the cost per hour of development, I’ll include some links in the video description where you can find statistics for different countries, including Ukraine, to help you figure that out.
So, once again, you can count the screens (let’s say you end up with 15, with a buffer), multiply that by 56 (for example, that’s 840 hours), and then multiply it by the hourly development rate. This should give you a rough estimate.
That’s it! I hope this explanation has been useful. If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to reach out to us. We’re here to assist you.