How Long Does It Take To Develop A Mobile App?

We randomly surveyed most of our mobile app development projects at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd. and discovered that the average mobile app development time for most projects is between 3 months and 8 months or above.

But hold on a minute. 

There are so many factors that determine your mobile app development time if you were to launch your mobile app idea today.  

So, exactly how long does it take to build an app? 

This article helps you make an educated guess by giving you the average mobile app development time of different app categories based on their complexity. Additionally, the article also breaks down this timeline into different app development stages and itemizes the average mobile app development time for each stage. 

Ready to find out how long it will take to build your app? 

Keep reading!

Typical Development Timelines for Different Types of Mobile Apps by Complexity

How long do apps take to develop? 

How long it takes you to develop a mobile app depends on a lot of factors. 

However, regardless of these factors, our mobile app development experts at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd have combined their years of industry experience to categorise projects into three different categories depending on their complexity. 

The table below highlights these three different categories and the corresponding time it takes to develop apps in each category. 

S/N	Types of mobile apps by complexity	Typical development timelines	Key characteristics	Typical examples of apps
1.	Simple apps	3 – 5 months	Basic functionalities  Few screens (maximum of 4 – 5)  Minimal backend requirements  No complex integrations	To-do list apps  Business card apps Budget tracker app Calculator app
2.	Medium-complexity apps	5 – 8 months	More polished design Moderate number of features  Device-dependent features like GPS and camera usage Cloud syncing	Fitness tracker app Social networking apps E-commerce apps AI-powered productivity apps
3.	Complex apps	8 months and above	Integration with multiple tools and workplaces Real-time synchronizations Chat support/callback functions Complex backend Advanced security features	Social media platforms  Mobile banking apps Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP systems)  Financial modelling applications

Let’s do a deeper breakdown of what developing an app in each of these categories entails. 

1. Simple mobile apps (3 – 5 months)

Simple mobile apps are a category of apps with basic functionalities and an uncomplicated user interface. Their development is usually template-based and often requires minimal coding. 

Furthermore, these applications usually do not have an Application Programming Interface (API). Therefore, all their functions and data storage requirements are on the same device. They do not send or receive messages from other applications or cloud locations, which is why their development is relatively easy and straightforward. 

Key features 

• Limited number of screened (up to 5)
• Limited or no extensive backend support 
• No integration with external services 
• Basic CRUD operations
• Local data storage

2. Medium complexity mobile apps (5 – 8 months) 

The development of medium-complexity mobile apps takes slightly longer than simple apps (about 5 – 8 months) because this category of apps features a moderate number of interactive elements, integrations, backend elements, and device hardware access compared to simple ones. Compared to the five screens of simple apps, medium-complexity apps feature about 10 screens. 

Furthermore, they often require backend development to manage data and user accounts. 

Key features

• Custom interactive user interfaces 
• Complex data management and storage
• Payment gateways
• Offline functionality
• API integrations 

3. Complex mobile apps 

Complex mobile apps can perform high-level operations that cut across using cloud services, third-party tools, and external gadgets. They are feature-rich and capable of performing real-time processing activities and performing multi-user roles. Consequently, they integrate with multiple systems and synchronize with cloud services, and all these activities require robust backend systems. This is why their development timelines range from 8 months to as long as possible, depending on each app’s complexity. 

Key features

• Robust backend systems 
• Real-time processing and synchronization
• Multi-user support 
• Third-party integrations
• High-level security requirements 

While we have been able to provide overall rough estimates for these different app categories, it is important to understand how these rough estimates are derived. 

Developing a mobile app involves various stages, and all these stages take some time. 

In the next section, we’ll discuss the different stages of mobile app development and how long it takes our experts to complete each stage. 

Let’s go! 

Development Timeframes for Different App Development Stages 

At Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd, we follow a structured mobile app development lifecycle to create scalable, innovative, and user-centric solutions to ensure that the final product aligns with the business’s objectives and business needs. 

The table below gives a rough overview of the different mobile app development stages and the corresponding amount of time for each stage. 

Development Stage	Simple Apps (2-4 months total)	Medium Apps (4-7 months total)	Complex Apps (7- 12+ months total)
Requirement Analysis & Planning	1–2 weeks	2–3 weeks	3–4 weeks
UI/UX Planning	3–4 weeks	5–7 weeks	6–8 weeks
App Development	5–8 weeks	8–14 weeks	14–24+ weeks
Quality Assurance & Testing	2–3 weeks	3–5 weeks	4–6+ weeks
Deployment & Integration	1–2 weeks	2–3 weeks	3–4 weeks
Post-launch Support & Maintenance	Ongoing	Ongoing	Ongoing

1. Requirement analysis and planning 

At Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd, requirement analysis and planning take 1 – 4 weeks, depending on the complexity of your idea. By default, more complex ideas require deeper research, detailed compliance checks, and extensive feature prioritization, which lengthens the planning phase. 

More specifically, requirement analysis and planning roughly takes the following amount of time for different mobile app categories: 

• Simple mobile apps: 1 – 2 weeks
• Medium-complexity mobile apps: 2 – 3 weeks
• Complex apps: 3 – 4 weeks

The first thing we do when you want to develop a mobile app using our expertise at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd is to understand your business goals, target audience, and feature requirements. 

We are not just interested in the technical side of things. 

In fact, we understand that ‘tech’ is just a means to solve business problems, so we ensure that we see the whole business landscape surrounding your idea. 

Doing this helps us to develop a roadmap that guarantees your app’s success. 

2. UI/UX planning

The UI/UX planning stage takes 3 – 8 weeks, depending on the complexity of the mobile app. 

More specifically, UI/UX planning roughly takes the following amount of time based on different app categories: 

• Simple apps: 3 – 4 weeks 
• Medium-complexity apps: 4 –  6 weeks 
• Complex apps: 6 – 8 weeks

UI/UX planning is the process of designing intuitive and engaging user interfaces to ensure that your final mobile app delivers exceptional user experiences to your users after launch while also reflecting your brand identity. 

So, what do we do during UI/UX planning? 

Our UI/UX experts: 

• Create wireframes that outline the layout of your app
• Design the user interfaces based on the wireframes 
• Develop interactive prototypes for early user feedback 
• Adjust the designs based on the feedback received

These activities lay the foundation for the development team that later develops the core app functionalities based on the prototypes and wireframes created. 

3. App development 

Depending on the number of features, complexity of the backend logic, and API integrations required, a mobile app can take anywhere between 5 and 24 weeks to build. Obviously, this is the stage where mobile app developers create high-performance, secure, and scalable applications tailored for iOS, Android, or cross-platform environments. 

Our mobile app developers at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd specifically carry out the following activities at the app development stage: 

• Implementing UI, navigation, and animations as part of the frontend development phase
• Setting up databases, server-side logic, and API integrations as part of the backend development
• Integrating third-party services and integrations
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Development or Deployment (CI/CD) with code reviews

All these different activities take varying amounts of time, depending on the app’s complexity. 

More specifically, the actual app development phase takes the following amount of time for the different app categories: 

• Simple apps: 5 – 8 weeks 
• Medium complexity apps: 8 – 14 weeks 
• Complex apps: 14 – 24+ weeks 

Regardless of the timelines, our expert developers at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd leverage cutting-edge technologies at this app development stage to ensure that they get the best results.

4. Quality assurance and testing 

It takes about 3 – 7+ weeks to test a newly built app. 

Once developers have completed building out an app’s core functionalities, we then put the first product through a series of rigorous tests to ensure that it doesn’t contain any bugs. More importantly, the quality assurance and testing process ensures that the app performs excellently and delivers a flawless experience across all devices, platforms, and use cases.

The following are some specific actions and activities that occur during quality assurance and testing: 

• Developers ensure all features work as intended by conducting functional tests
• Developers conduct performance and load tests 
• Developers conduct compatibility tests across the specified devices (Android, Windows, iOS, or iMac)
• Gathering feedback from user segments 
• Security testing and bug fixing

However, complex apps require more thorough testing cycles because they have more features, third-party API integrations, cloud synchronizations, and security requirements. Therefore, more specifically, quality assurance and testing take the following amount of time for the different app categories: 

• Simple apps: 2 – 3 weeks 
• Medium complexity apps: 3 – 5 weeks 
• Complex apps: 4 – 6 weeks 

5. Deployment and integration

Deployment and integration include all activities involved in launching the app in the app stores (Apple Store and Google Play Store). 

Once the developed app has been tested to be functional and complete enough for the end-user to use, our mobile app developers not only make them available in the stores but also ensure the apps integrate seamlessly with other existing systems for optimal functionality. 

Depending on the app’s complexity, deployment and integration generally take about 1 – 4 weeks. 

More specifically, the different app categories can be deployed and integrated in the following timeframes: 

• Simple apps: 1 – 2 weeks 
• Medium complexity apps: 2 – 3 weeks 
• Complex apps: 3 – 4 weeks 

During this timeframe, our mobile app developers do the following: 

• Prepare the app store assets such as the application files, app descriptions, images, and icons. 
• Submit the assets to the appropriate app stores.
• Wait for approval and upload to the app
• Monitor the app performance, and identify and fix post-launch bugs
• Integrate with existing systems where necessary.

6. Post-launch support and maintenance 

Post-launch support and maintenance refer to the series of activities that come after launching the app on the app stores and ensuring it continuously performs excellently for as long as it remains there. 

These activities include: 

• Providing ongoing updates and regular bug fixes 
• Updating the app for OS compatibility and security patches 
• Updating app features based on user feedback and team decisions
• Scaling mobile app infrastructures as the app’s user base grows

Now, these activities aren’t fixed because they depend heavily on user feedback, growth, and project changes. 

As such, this phase is an ongoing stage that doesn’t have a specific timeframe as it continues indefinitely. 

How to Accelerate the Mobile App Development Time

Now you know how long it takes to develop a mobile app and the time it takes to go through all the different app development stages. 

But what if you wanted to fast-track the process? 

Take a leaf out of our book at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd by following the tips listed below: 

1. Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and focus on building core components 

Building an MVP is the smart choice if you want to develop a quality mobile app and launch it as soon as possible. This means focusing on building and launching a version of your mobile app idea that contains only the core features. You don’t have to worry about the customizations and complex irrelevant features for now. 

Instead, when you launch the MVP, you can gather enough user feedback and update the product accordingly. This way, you can be sure that you’re building and investing resources in a product that users truly want. 

2. Prioritize a transparent communication model 

A transparent communication model involves sharing both good and bad information upwards, downwards, and laterally to ensure all parties involved in the development process are aware of all vital details. 

Doing this accurately involves first setting designated contact persons and stakeholders. It is also advisable to keep this team of stakeholders very lean to avoid a crowded communication channel. This way, information flows faster, and consequently, the development can be completed in less time. 

3. Use an agile development approach 

An agile development approach prioritizes flexibility and iterations over getting it right all at once. Once you’ve decided to build an MVP first, you’re already on the right path. 

It involves short sprints (say, two weeks) where developers and designers work on designated tasks, complete them, and adjust them as time goes on based on feedback. It’s fast, lean, and efficient. 

4. Use cloud-based tools and processes 

Cloud-based tools and processes facilitate real-time processing and scalable storage solutions. These are very important because they allow developers to work from diverse locations without missing a beat. Furthermore, the entire project can be easily integrated with existing systems and APIs without waiting on device dependencies. 

5. Automate the testing processes

As you might have noticed, the testing process takes up quite a chunk of the mobile app development time. 

Automation is one efficient way of cutting down this time. 

When repetitive testing is automated, developers can receive valuable feedback in real time and detect bugs at the early stages. Consequently, the chances of running into sudden issues that greatly slow down development are very low. 

Conclusion 

Knowing the average mobile app development time is crucial to your planning and execution when launching a mobile app. 

It allows you to prepare your resources and plan your marketing efforts accordingly. 

By now, we’ve seen each stage—from initial planning and UI/UX design to development, quality assurance, and deployment—has its own set of activities and unique timeframes. More so, you now see that all stages take different times based on the complexity of your idea. What might take a few weeks for a simple utility app could extend to months, or even a year, for a sophisticated platform.

However, regardless of the app’s complexity, you can reduce development time by focusing on an MVP, using an agile approach, maintaining transparent communication, and automating the testing process. 

The most important thing when doing this is to have clear, realistic expectations and never compromise quality for speed. 

And that’s what we do at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd. 

Our expertise ensures that your project stays on track, aligning with both your business objectives and anticipated timelines.

Ready to bring your mobile app idea to life? Let’s discuss your project and tailor a development plan that fits your specific needs. 

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