How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Mobile Application?

With the growing interest in mobile applications, the discussion of their price has also become more lively. To properly assess the cost of producing this type of product, you must consider numerous factors. We go out of our way to help our clients - so that they can plan their budget and decide consciously about both the size of the project and the features that the final product should contain.

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The cost of a mobile app - discover more

How much does it cost to develop a mobile application? In today's market conditions, this topic is becoming more relevant by the day. Studies indicate that the average smartphone user has eighty apps installed. So it is understandable that more and more companies want to take advantage of the potential of this type of product - so that they can reach out to their potential customers through this medium as well.

Interested in a different type of application? See how we approach pricing for various types of software:

valuation of web applications

website pricing

With more than a decade of market experience with Polish and foreign clients, we are free to speak up in this discourse and identify the most vital factors that influence how much it costs to develop a mobile app in 2024. With this approach, we can accurately analyze our business decisions and correctly estimate the profitability of the overall project. So let's not hesitate and delve into this topic to find out what mobile app costs we can expect.

Developing a mobile application is quite a business venture. For more than 11 years, we have been implementing similar projects in the Polish and European markets. You can see the result of our work here:

nuumi.pl a fashion application at a palm of your hand

So, How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Mobile App in 2024?

Providing a clear answer to this question is not an easy task. The number of factors to consider is matched only by the number of business ideas of our clients. Therefore, do not hesitate - write to us. We will price your project according to current market conditions.

What valuation methods do we use? You will find out in the article available on our blog:

The impact of the type of mobile app on pricing

A not insignificant influence on mobile app development pricing is its type. Depending on the functions you require to fulfill its purpose, the entire project value can increase by tens or even hundreds of thousands of zlotys! Keep this in mind during initial discussions - as it often turns out that - with a limited budget - to fulfill the most business-critical options, you can freely limit their number at the beginning.

Below, you will learn about the types of applications that our clients most often reach for:

Basic applications

These are, for example, lists or software with audio or recording inclusion

Data-driven applications

Applications with access to databases to present them in the form of readable reports.

Authentication applications

Programs designed to verify a user's identity. These include a loyalty application.

Social networking applications

Software that allows users to create and interact with other users. The most common examples are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

E-Commerce applications

A program that allows you to shop from your phone without turning on your browser. An example is our application nuumi.pl.

On-demand applications

A system that allows you to send an instant request for a service. A suitable example of this type of software is DoorDash or Uber Eats.

Marketplace applications

One group of users can offer services or products to another, such as booking.com and similar apps.

IoT (Internet of Things) applications

These are systems acting as a bridge between devices and electronic appliances, exemplified by applications for smart homes or controlling electronic devices such as coffee makers, door locks, and smart vacuums.

We determine these parameters with our clients during Discovery workshops - in-depth discussions to determine the business goals of the application and methods of implementing vital features for the project. Find out what they consist of and how we can help you plan your business strategy.

What Does it Take to Develop a Mobile App?

We should make one thing clear at the beginning: each mobile application project is a response to the individual problems of each business. Therefore, answering the question "How much does it cost to create a mobile application" is an impossible task. The parameter of the type of application is substantial in the course of pricing. However, it is not the only determinant of how much it costs to create an application.

This problem should be considered from a multifactorial perspective, taking into account each stage of the complex and lengthy software development process. Among the most common stages of application development, we spotlight:

Discovery Workshops

Software prototyping

Writing the application

Testing

Application release

Software support

Discovery Workshops

During product workshops, we determine which software features work best for your business. We also estimate the cost and time frame for developing your solution.

Mobile application - price vs. team of specialists

As you can see, the application development cycle is a substantial undertaking. It requires the involvement of specialists who will devote several weeks - sometimes months - of their commitment. The price of a mobile application will necessarily increase according to how time-consuming your project turns out to be.

What kind of people are necessary for such a team? Among the most key silhouettes are:

Business analysts - people who, taking into account the needs of your business, select and propose the features that your app will feature,
UX/UI designers - people who prototype and create software interfaces,
Project managers - business specialists who are responsible for the smooth and timely progress of work,
QA specialists - professionals who are necessary for complex application quality testing,
IT system administrators - experts in the security and quality of data architecture.

Mobile App Design Pricing - UX/UI of Your Solution

When discussing pricing the value of your app, we can begin with a simple affirmation: your customers will value an app that is convenient to use and appealing to them visually. With such a task, we rely on user experience designers, also called UX designers. Their work is so important from the point of view of software creation that they often land into the spotlight of application development-centered discussions.

After all, a lot depends on properly thought-out user paths. By choosing convenient components, we both deliver the right services to our customers and select solutions right in terms of price and quality. For this reason, many consider the initial stages of projects the most demanding and crucial for further development.

How Much Does a Custom Mobile Application Cost?

When ordering an app, our clients often want it to stand out. While such an action may be desirable due to the high level of competition, one should be on guard. That is because it can adversely affect the final cost of your investment.

That follows indirectly from the previous points. The more your application deviates from the accepted market norms, the greater the involvement of specialists it requires. Inevitably, they spend more time introducing patches, testing their compatibility, and implementing the changes so that the software's performance remains at its best. In short - a "custom-made" application is an additional cost of money and time.

Cross-platform or Native Software? Application Platform and its Impact on Pricing

From a business owner’s perspective, the choice of platform is another decision that requires thorough consideration. Although it may seem paradoxical, a large audience does not equal the most benefits for your company. What is the reason for this?

Android platform brings together a smaller number of more engaged users.
Although the majority of smartphone owners use Android, they have a greater tendency to uninstall systems.

The decision to write an application native to a particular platform can create a vast difference in the usability of your software. It's also a factor that will weigh heavily on the final price. Since they are more demanding from a design point of view, we can expect their development cost to be correspondingly higher.

Hybrid applications, which you can read about on our blog, are an appealing alternative. They can support more platforms, allowing you to reach multiple users. Software of this type is also written in a unified programming language, allowing you to make changes to both versions of the system virtually seamlessly. Among the drawbacks of this system, however, is its scalability - a hybrid application can have stability and optimization issues.

Grants for Universities - Mobile Application Development

Throughout the years, we have created numerous solutions for mobile devices for universities. Such investments would be much more difficult to make if it were not for subsidies that allow us to fully or partially cover the costs of this type of project. Academic and private institutions have several grants and subsidies under the European Union's proposals at their disposal.

Many Polish universities reach out to the funding of the Polish Academic Exchange Agency (NAWA). In 2021, the “Welcome to Poland” program has covered the costs of over 130 projects. Among them are mobile applications aimed at both domestic and international students.

You can find examples of mobile app implementations for universities here:

Investment in Security - How will the Price of an Application Increase?

Protecting data and digital resources in today's market conditions is a standard among IT service providers. The security of your customers' information and your brand's reputation are at stake. That's why providing the most secure data collection and processing solutions is an expense you shouldn't spare.

There is one fact to realize. This type of expense will only increase over time. After all, unsecured software of this type poses a substantial risk that you should avoid. That applies to the whole application security - from researching and diagnosing potential dangers to neutralizing threats and anticipating future ones.

What procedures do we implement to provide the application with a higher level of security? Among the most popular ones are:

encryption of sensitive data,
authorization of user sessions,
control over communication standards within the application,
creating procedures for collecting and handling personal data.

Billing Model vs. Final Cost of Mobile App Development

Our software house uses two billing models common in the Polish market. These include the "Fixed Price" model and the "Time and Material" model. Let's discuss them briefly to know how the type of pricing can affect the final cost of a mobile app project.

Applying the "Fixed Price" model means you get precisely defined services for a predetermined price. This solution is ideal if the project is concise and does not require advanced management knowledge. It is a model commonly used by clients who have clearly defined goals to achieve within their application
The Time and Material model is more flexible and allows you to seamlessly adapt to market requirements. In this model, you only pay for the product you receive, and payment is based on an hourly rate.

This is an elaborate topic you should spend more time and attention on. You can learn more about billing models and how they affect the cost of your application here:

It's time for collaboration!

With us you can count on a high level of communication, timeliness in the execution of tasks and support over the application after its publication. Share your idea and take a journey into the unknown with your business!

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