The Blueprint for Finding the Actual Cost of iOS App Development

Want to know about those factors and know how much it costs to make an iOS App? Go through our blog where we all talk about every cost component and potential hidden cost that you might miss otherwise. 

Stage 1: Know All the Cost Components of an iOS App 

Not one or two, there are a total of 8 different but important cost components that you should carefully consider. Refer to the table for a quick breakdown of mobile app development cost.

Stage 2- Ask These Questions to Find Out the Actual Cost of iOS App Development 

1. What’s the Size of Your iOS Application? 

The bigger the application, the more complex it will be. For example, a mobile app with basic login features and push notifications would cost you less than a complex app with features like real-time synchronization or custom animation. So, carefully think of what features you are going to add to the application.  

2. What Type of Application Do You Want?

The answer depends on your target audience. Are you launching an iOS app for gamers or does your application solve the specific problem of the B2B industry? Whosoever your audience is, just be sure that the application category makes the real difference in your budget.

3. What Type of Design Your iOS Application Will Have?

App design affects the experience your users would have with your iOS application. In short, it can make or break the engagement and conversion rate. How? Too many animations or custom elements will make the app less interesting for users and also increase the iOS app development cost. Whereas a simple app design won’t be captive enough to make them stay. So, discuss thoroughly with the iOS app developers and UI/UX designers and finalize the design before the actual development. 

4. What Will Be the Size of an iOS App Development Team?

Is your app development team one-man army or a full-scale team with iOS app developers, project managers, QA, UI/UX designers, or business analysts? The size of your team can upscale or downscale your budget. But don’t unnecessarily cut the team size to save money or else the impact would be reflected in development time. The bigger the team is, the faster the development is. So, choose wisely who and how many members will be in the development team. You can either hire a freelancer or outsource iOS app developers from a reputed company. 

5. Where is Your Team Located? 

In case you are outsourcing developers for your iOS application, considering the developers’ location is important too. For example, if you hire someone from the United States, the cost of hiring would be between $80-$170/hour. An Indian developer would cost less, around $20-$40/Hour. This is just a tentative range, and the actual hiring cost can vary depending on the years of experience they have.

6. What Hiring Model Did You Prefer? 

Are you relying on your in-house team of iOS app developers or outsourcing? The choice you make when making your team will have a major impact on the overall budget. Here’s how.

7. How Many App Integrations Would Be There? 

No doubt, third-party features, and APIs make your app function-rich and smooth for users. But they also increase the average cost to develop an iPhone app. For example, if you are developing an online appointment booking for iOS device users, then it must allow payments through multiple payment applications. This type of functionality would cost you between $2500-$5000 as it requires integration with a gateway like PayPal, Stripe, or Apply Pay. Here’s a detailed breakdown of different types of integration and their tentative cost range.

8. Is the App Native or Cross-Platform? 

Are you sure that your app would only be beneficial for iOS device users? Restricting your mobile app for specific platform users does not always prove to be cost-effective. A native iOS mobile app would cost you approximately $100,000 whereas cross-platform app development costs $15,000-$20,000 or more. But cost is not the only factor. There’s more reason to wisely choose the development approach.

Stage 3: Evaluate the Average Cost to Develop an iPhone App 

Finally, it’s time to figure out how much it costs to make an iOS app. After carefully considering the above factors, your budget can reach somewhere around $10,000 to $1,00,000. 

However, keep some margin because the app would require annual updates and maintenance. And then there’s a launch fee for releasing the iOS app on the Apple store. 

With time, you may also want to scale up or down the application features as per market demands. All these factors increase the total cost of the iOS app. 

Conclusion

You might have a rough budget estimation for your iOS app development in your mind. But remember each feature you add, the number of developers you hire, and the type of iOS app development frameworks and tools you choose will fluctuate the budget. 

Therefore, break down each cost involved in the iOS app development such as application complexity level, team size, etc. This breakdown will help you accurately evaluate the cost and also let you see clearly whether your app idea aligns with your budget or not.