How Much Will your Mobile App
Project Cost You?

What is the desired level of quality for your app?

Note: Typical agency prices used to estimate the cost of your app.

Agency

BuildFire

What type of app are you building?

Apple iOS is a better choice to reach to a more engaged user base. Android has a broader reach, however, particularly in emerging markets, like Asia and Africa.

• Google Android

  Operating system used by various brands (e.g. Samsung, HTC, LG)

• Apple iOS

  Operating system used by Apple products (e.g. iPhone, iPad)

• Progressive Web App (PWA)

  Web apps that are fast and reliable with very rich user experiences.

How do people login?

An email login is generally best to start with unless your app will have tight integration with services like Facebook or Twitter, in which case social login is better.

• Email

  Login will be through an email and password combination. There will be also be a reset password option to help with forgotten passwords.

• Social (Facebook, Twitter, ...etc)

  Users will be able to login using an existing social media account (e.g. Facebook, Twitter).

• Single Sign On (SSO)

  Users will be able to login using one set of login credentials that are used across multiple applications.

What information would you like to know about your users?

These are the data points you want to keep track of you users to better engage them.

• User Profile Info

  Find out details about the users in your applications (e.g. image, name, email, bio...etc)

• Segment Users

  Segment users into categories in order to have a better picture of your user base (e.g. Admins, VIP's, Employees).

• User Activity

  See what each user is doing and how they are using the app (Downloaded, Opened the app, Viewed Content, ...etc).

How would you like to engage your users?

These features allow you to communicate with your users or to facilitate user to user communication.

• Send Push Notifications

  Alert users with push notifications to let them know about new updates.

• Subscription to Newsletters

  Allow users to subscribe to newsletters that will keep them up to date with everything new that’s going on in the app (e.g Deals, Articles, News, Updates...etc).

• Allow Users to Chat

  Chat would allow users to send real-time messages to each other.

What features would you like your app to have?

These are the list of functions your app would need to perform.

• Stream Video
  

  Video streaming with simple controls, pause, play, volume control. Normal and full screen play (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo... etc).

• Stream Audio
  

  Audio streaming with simple controls, pause, play, volume control (e.g. Soundcloud).

• Events

  Include a list of events with detailed information about the time, place and event.

• E-commerce

  Ability to list items (image, description, price, etc), shopping cart feature, checkout, email confirmation, purchase history, etc) with payments included.

• Map & Location

  Simple maps that display a place, allows for pins and short descriptions and basic calculation of distance.

• Forms

  Capture information by allowing users to submit forms.

• Loyalty Points

  Reward users with points that can be used to access deals or benefits inside the app.

What device features will your app need to integrate with?

These are sensors on the device you can integrate with.

• Camera

  Take photos or upload images from the camera roll.

• Geo-Fences

  Geo-Fences allow you to create a virtual fence around an area to trigger specific actions (e.g send a notification) in the app once a user enters or exits the Geo-Fence.

• Bluetooth

  You can use Bluetooth to communicate and transfer data between devices.

• Gyroscope

  A gyroscope is a device that uses Earth’s gravity to help determine orientation.

• Accelerometer

  An accelerometer is a compact device designed to measure non-gravitational acceleration.

Will your app generate revenue?

Charging users for your app upfront is cheaper than building in-app purchases, but in-app purchase can produce higher returns if/when you have an engaged user base.

• Up-front Cost

  Users will be charged once or pay a monthly subscription fee.

• In-App Purchases

  Users will be able to purchase premium features in the app that will improve the experience.

• Free

  The app will be free for everyone to enjoy.

Will your app need to Integrate with other systems?

Connecting your app to your backend system or other third party systems.

• Public API's

  Integrate with third party API’s to send or retrieve data.

• Backend Systems

  Have your app communicate with your backend systems (e.g servers, databases)

What Infrastructure will you need?

These are backend systems that support your app.

• Database

  If you’re going to need to store any data, you will need a database.

• Security

  In this day and age security cannot be an afterthought. If your application saves any sensitive or personally identifiable information, you’ll need to make sure your app is secure.

• Fault Tolerance

  Fault Tolerance is a system’s ability to handle failures or malfunctions, which are bound to happen over the lifespan of an application. Databases and servers occasionally go down.

• Global Access

  Your application will be distributed world wide so that any user can enjoy it.

What kind of maintenance do you need on an ongoing basis?

With constant changes to iOS and Android you will need to make sure your app stays up to date and compatible. Industry averages to maintain an application are around 20-40% of the upfront cost each year.

• Andriod Maintenance

  Keep your Android App up to date with the latest updates and make enhancements to your app.

• iOS Maintenance

  Keep your iOS App up to date with the latest updates and make enhancements to your app.

• Server Maintenance

  If your app requires a server, you will need to monitor uptime and maintain redundancy.

What support will you need on an ongoing basis?

Chances are you’re not the one building and maintaining your app. You’re going to have an engineering team or freelancer maintaining your app. These are typically the support options available.

• Direct Email

  Email support 24/7.

• Direct Call

  Call support 24/7.

Custom features we didn't go over?

No App Cost Calculator will be able to account for every feature or edge case. In case we missed any features your app needs, what do you estimate in terms of man hours to finish it?

• Small Feature

  You want to develop a feature in the app that is straightforward and around 1-2 screens deep.

• Bigger Feature

  You want to develop a feature that is straightforward but is larger in size and may have some business logic that accompanies it.

• Feature With a Backend

  You want to develop a whole section of the app that will leverage a custom backend or possibly integrate with our own existing backend.

• Building a System

  You want to shoot for the moon you have big ideas that aren't limited to just an app. You are looking for a team of consultants and not just robotic developers to help you achieve your goals.

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