Introduction

You think apps are crazy expensive, or you just want to know the cost of making an app.

In this article, the 5 core phases of making an app are highlighted and estimated by cost: concept definition, designs, development, marketing and other costs. For every phase, a heading is created to improve readability and to give you a better overview.

1.    Concept definition: €0 – €300

Defining the USP’s, revenue models & core functionalities is essential for starting a project and determining the amount of work and complexity. If you already defined the concept in enough detail, it would cost you €0. Else, find a developer who would love to brainstorm with you and help you improve your idea.

2.    Designs: €0 – €2500

To validate the needs and visualise the outcome, designs can be created before development starts. Creating designs will vary based on the project complexity.

You can also decide to start the project without a design to boost the time to market and go straight to developing. A good front-end developer will be able to adjust changes on request during development, as long as the app is an MVP, thus minimal. Starting without a design will result in a cost of €0.

3.    Development: €1000 – €5000

Developing the app, displaying an UI, connecting API’s, testing on real devices and simulators and sharing versions with the client during development will be the main tasks.

The cost of development varies based on complexity and adjustments/revisions. If you feel like the concept is complex, creating a design before development is recommended to reduce the number of revisions.

4.    Marketing: €0 – €5000

Marketing is essential for launching a mobile app. Only ASO is not going to give you the results you hope for. ASO is a very important, but app marketing done right need to excel in multiple ways. Usually, the marketing stages are split up in 3 phases: pre-launch, launch and post-launch.

5.    Other costs: €0 – €100 monthly

There may be other costs, like a developer license for Apple and a Google Play developer account. But these costs can also be reduced If you don’t mind listing the app under the developer in the app store. This way, there is no annual cost of the Apple license and the one-time cost of the Play Store developer account. Furthermore, hosting is not needed if your app can fully function offline.

Conclusion

The cost for making an app can be as low as €1.000. MVP’s vary between €1.000 and €13.000. The cost varies based on complexity of the 5 core stages of making an app: concept definition, designs, development, marketing and other costs.

Creating an MVP helps reducing the complexity, lower the cost and improve the development time. And most important: it will help you validate the concept as soon as possible with real users. Contact me to schedule a free 1-hour consult.

An example of a minimalistic MVP is To Do Swipe. An app like this can be created and launched within a month and will cost around €1.500 without further digital marketing activities (such as app store optimisation, a landing page, e.g.).