With 6.5 million smartphone users and 8.9 million mobile apps, the need for mobile applications is rising. This is creating an enormous demand for mobile app developers. Now businesses are using applications as a marketing tool to get more customers and to get ahead of the competition.
Today, from small cafes to multinational companies, every industry needs mobile-based applications. Mobile apps have a huge potential to attract customers and generate revenue, so businesses are now hiring mobile app developers to create desired apps for their businesses.
You might also be thinking about hiring an app developer for your business and ask questions regarding the cost of the developer.
Let me tell you that, You have come to the right place to get your answers.
The answer to hiring a mobile app developer can be complicated because there are many factors that you might take into consideration. Multiple factors such as a platform for apps, complexity of apps, experience of developers and more affect the cost of hiring a mobile app developer.
But we are here to answer your questions, so let’s understand the various factors that impact the cost of an app developer.
Factors determine the cost of hiring a mobile app developer.
Multiple factors influence the cost of hiring the mobile app developer. As different businesses have different requirements related to the app, cost also varies depending upon their needs.
Some enterprises want iOS-based apps, some want Android-based, some want apps with more features, and some want apps with fewer features. The requirement of mobile apps changes from business to business.
Let’s learn some of the most vital factors that impact developers’ costs.
1) Choose a mobile platform – native, cross-platform, or hybrid
Choosing a mobile platform becomes crucial because it helps businesses to determine the cost of hiring an app developer. Different platforms offer different features with different price ranges, whether you create an app for iOS, Android or Windows.
The native platform allows developers to create a highly interactive, and intuitive application with utmost performance. Native platforms allow developers’ to code for a specific platform only.
In the native platform, you can not use the same codes again for a different platform. It increases the developer’s work and time.
Hybrid app development is a mixture of native and web solutions. It allows apps to run on different platforms using a single set codebase. As hybrid apps work on various platforms, it improves the user experience and saves time and money for the developer.
Cross-platform apps are safe, robust and easy to maintain. It is similar to hybrid app development as you can use codebase on different platforms. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to develop, and it can save some money for the business.
Moreover, hybrid and cross-platform use similar technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript that most developers know.
A native app can be costlier but provides the best quality and user experience. On the other hand, Hybrid and cross-platforms allow apps to work on multiple devices. So the cost of developers varies depending on the platform business chooses.
2) Project Complexity
Project complexity is one of the factors that a business should consider. The project’s complexity can be of its concept, design, elements, functionality, or integration.
Every app development project comes with different sets of requirements and challenges. The challenges can be frontend development or, it can be backend.
The cost of the developer varies from simple to complex projects. The cost gradually increases with the increase in the complexity of an application.
The total app development cost varies based on the type of application you need.
Simple app (with basic functionalities) development costs ranges between $40k to $60k, Average app (more than basic functionalities) development costs ranges between $60k to $150k, and the complex app development costs (with advanced functionalities) ranges around $300k.
The complex projects require a lot of time, skills and brainstorming and the basis of that developers decides their cost of development.
3) Location of development
Location is one of the critical factors when it comes to the cost of the developer. Today many countries are offering outsourcing app development services at different price ranges.
It helps businesses with choosing the right developers at an efficient price.
Developing an app from countries with a lower cost of living can save a lot of money for your business. Countries like India, China, the Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, and Vietnam provide high-quality applications at a lower cost.
Average developer cost in countries with a lower cost of living:
● Poland: $35/hour
● The Philippines: $30/hour
● China: $30/hour
● Vietnam: $20/hour
● India: $20/hour
Hiring dedicated mobile app developers in India, China, or Vietnam can help your business create a standard application at a lower cost.
On the other hand, developing an app becomes costlier in countries like the USA, Canada, and the UK, where the cost of living is high.
The average developer cost in countries with a higher cost of living:
● The UK: $40/hour.
● The USA: $47/hour
● Canada: $40/hour
Geographic location and cost of living can cause a big difference in the price of the developer. So businesses should consider location as a major aspect of the cost of an app developer.
4) Type of app development
The application can be a social media app like Instagram and Facebook, a data-based app like a weather app or a business app like Zomato and Uber.
Every business has different needs and purposes regarding an application, so the cost of hiring a dedicated developer can vary depending on the type of app.
Different apps follow distinct processes, languages, platforms and frameworks for development, which is one of the crucial reasons for varying the cost of an app developer.
Average time to develop an app:
● Basic Apps: 120+ hours
● Data-based apps: 170+ hours
● Chat-based apps: 385+ hours
● Business Apps: 280+ hours
● Social media Apps: 360+ hours
5) Experience and proficiency
Experience comes with maturity, self-understanding, independence and confidence. Hiring an app developer with years of experience can help businesses provide quality applications.
Developers with years of experience and proficiency know which technologies, frameworks, tools and programming languages are the right fit while developing an app.
The previous projects that developers have worked on provide them with an edge in managing and comprehending the details of a project.
The average rate of mobile developers based on the experience:
- Cost of a trainee: $15 per/hour
- Cost of a Junior developer with experience of 1-3 years: $18 per/hour
- Cost of a Mid-level developer with experience of 3-5 Years: $25 per/hour
- Cost of a Senior developer with experience of 5-10 Years: $30 per/hour
- Cost of a Architect with experience of 10+ Years: $40 per/hour
Type of mobile developers hourly rates:
● Intermediate level iOS developer: $45-75/hour
● Intermediate level Android developer: 35-60/hour
● XAMARIN developer: 20-50/hour
● Phonegap developer: 16-55/hour
An experienced developer with proficiency in software development charges more than the average but, because of their understanding and knowledge they will help you create a top-level application.
Determining the overall cost of hiring an App Developer.
There are many aspects to consider while determining the cost of the developers. The cost of a developer varies depending on the company’s needs and requirements for the applications.
Businesses should be mindful of the below-mentioned aspects to determine the overall developer’s cost before hiring Mobile App Developer.
● Platform: The price range of all the app-creating platforms varies from another, whether it is native, hybrid or cross-platform.
● Complexity: The developer’s cost depends on the complexity of the mobile app. The higher the complexity, the higher the cost of development.
● Experience: An experienced developer charges more than usual as he understands the technology and complexity of the application better.
● Country: The average cost of developers per hour varies from country to country. A country like India charges less to create an app while countries like The USA and the UK charge high.
● Type of app: Developers charge different apps at different prices. It depends on the type of application to create.
Conclusion
Every company wants to hire a developer who can create the best quality app at low prices, so finding the right developer becomes critical.
The cost of hiring a developer varies as per the requirement of the applications. But to determine the cost of the developer, a business should consider multiple factors. Factors such as app platform, experience, complexity, and the type of application.
Read more: 7 Things you Must Absolutely do Before Writing an iOS app
