Android App Development Cost & Key Factors

Embarking on your dream of creating an Android app that users love? 

Hold on to your creative ideas as we examine one of the most important questions: How much does Android app development cost? 

Launching an Android app can be a smooth process with the right support from top mobile app development companies. However, without proper budgeting, it may get frustrating as you run through the mobile app development lifecycle. 

So, you might need to get a calculator, a pen, and paper as we walk you through the Android app development cost and the factors that determine the cost of Android app development. 

Are you ready? 

Top 7 Factors Affecting How Much Android App Development Costs

The cost of Android app development varies from one mobile Android app to another because no two apps are exactly alike in form, structure, functionality, and infrastructure. They do different things and, therefore, have different requirements. 

Therefore, when you’re ready to build your app, different factors determine how much it costs. So, before we start estimating costs, it is important to understand some of these considerations. The following are 7 of the most vital factors affecting how much an Android app development costs. 

1. App Type, Expected Features, and Overall Complexity 

Depending on the industry your business operates in, you may have to produce different types of Android apps ranging across the following: 

• Retail apps
• E-commerce apps
• Healthcare apps
• E-commerce apps
• Video streaming apps
• Gaming apps
• Logistics apps

Each of these categories requires different features to perform excellently, and that automatically determines how much work needs to be done in the development phase. For example, gaming apps may require high-end graphics and real-time features. As such, you should expect them to cost significantly more than utility apps, which usually have basic features. 

Furthermore, advanced features and integrations can also significantly impact your cost. Some common integrations known to raise Android app development costs include: 

• Push notifications
• Payment gateways
• Geolocation features
• AI integrations

In general, these considerations determine the complexity of the app, which in turn impacts the cost. Basic apps with minimal features are cost-effective, while high-complexity apps with advanced features are more expensive. 

2. Choice and Location of App Development Team 

The type of development team you trust to build and develop your Android app also determines the overall Android application development price. 

According to a survey by Statista, the median amount charged by mobile development teams worldwide varies by location. For instance, development teams in North America charge a median amount of USD 168/hour to build Android apps, while Australian development teams charge a little less than that at USD 110/hour. 

The average costs charged by development teams in other notable regions are presented in the table below: 

Clearly, these geographical locations impact your overall Android app development costs. However, it shouldn’t be the only factor you should fixate on. 

Deciding to choose the development team with the lowest or highest median price doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a top-notch or below-par app. In fact, the cost of living and tax obligations in these regions are more important factors affecting these varying prices than the quality of the Android app they will deliver. 

Therefore, when making a decision, you need to consider other tangible factors, such as past customer feedback and project portfolios.  

3. Maintenance Plan and Update Requirements 

Your spending doesn’t just end immediately after your Android app launches. This is because regular maintenance and updates are one of the prerequisites for Android app development. 

Most industry professionals believe the average cost of maintaining and updating an Android app to maintain optimal performance should be about 10 – 15% of the original development cost. However, the amount you would allocate for this still depends on your app’s complexity and overall development cost. 

This portion of your app development budget will be allocated to different activities such as:  

• Security updates
• Bug fixes
• Third-party API maintenance 
• Platform updates 
• UI/UX updates 
• Database management
• Licences and subscriptions
• User support and feedback 

Paying attention to these update requirements helps keep your Android app running smoothly for a longer time and meets the demands of your user base as they evolve. 

4. Platform and Device Compatibility: Native or Cross-platform 

Platform compatibility refers to the varieties of device options you want your Android app to get along with or be in sync with. Basically, which devices do you want the Android app to work on? 

These could include mobile devices, tablets, and even wearable gadgets like smart watches. Expect to pay more if you want your devices to work seamlessly with all these devices. This is because you’ll have to factor in more third-party integrations and even design adjustments, as you want your Android app interface to fit different resolutions and screen sizes. 

Furthermore, although we’re specifically evaluating Android app development costs in this piece, businesses also have to think about expanding their reach to cater to more audiences who may be on the iOS platform. This might mean having to develop different codebases for both platforms. Again, it’s all up to your team to decide what you’re going for. However, you should be aware that your choices and preferences affect how much you’ll be paying for each service. 

5. Visual Design and UI/UX Expectations

The UI/UX design of your Android app should never be overlooked. It’s an important factor that plays a vital role in determining your Android app’s appeal and overall user engagement, retention, and satisfaction. 

Some of the most engaging Android app visuals and UI/UX designs include custom animations, intuitive illustrations, crisp graphic elements, and sophisticated images. They don’t just have features there for users to get things done. Rather, they’re carefully arranged to keep users satisfied and glued to their screens, and that costs money. 

The alternative is something scrappy and randomly assembled to help the user do the bare minimum. Each option has a price, and as you may have guessed, the high-end stuff costs more. So, if you’re going for that, you need to have a budget for it. 

6. Google Play Store Deployment Costs 

And when everything about your Android app has been completely developed, you’ll still be incurring some additional expenses to allow your target audience access it. However, this shouldn’t eat so much into your pockets because most app publishing platforms like the Google Play Store only charge a one-time fee for this purpose (usually about $25). 

If you want to publish the app exclusively on your organization to avoid fraudulent duplications and confer more authenticity on your version, this price may go as high as $299. Nonetheless, it’s still not something you should break the bank for. It’s just important you know that such costs exist. 

7. Custom Android App vs White Label Options

Do you want a custom Android app built from scratch to fit the unique needs and processes of your user base and organization? Or would you prefer a pre-built white-label option that you customize and brand with your business name? 

Custom Android apps tend to cost more because the mobile app development company must conduct a comprehensive survey of your organizational goals and target audience requirements. They may also have to integrate some unconventional features and functionality that may not be available in a white-label option. 

For example, ride-hailing apps must integrate navigation or geolocation access, which typically costs about $800 and above. On the other hand, live streaming apps may need a movie database API to access movie titles, IMDB ratings, release dates, movie plots, and many other important streaming details. 

Once again, it’s about your organization’s preferences, which significantly impact the cost of Android app development. 

Having highlighted some of the most important factors that could determine your Android app development cost, it has become apparent that there may not be a fixed price for developing an Android app. Nonetheless, to prepare your mind before jumping straight into development, we can get some actual cost benchmarks for different categories of Android apps. While these benchmarks may not be exact, they’ll serve as a compass to guide your projections, as you may end up spending slightly less or more than the quoted amounts. Let’s examine this in the following section. 

What is the Actual Cost of Android App Development? 

To give you an idea of the actual costs of Android app development, we’ll present industry averages for different categories of apps, based on their complexities, app development stages, app types, and other criteria. 

Remember, we mentioned that these figures are mere ballparks to give you an idea and not fixed costs. 

Firstly, the table below represents the ballpark figures for Android app development depending on the app’s complexities: 

Android app development costs can also be evaluated based on the different app development stages to give you an idea of what goes into every step of the development process. These app development stages include the following: 

• Discovery
• Design
• Development
• Testing
• Deployment 

All Android apps go through these developmental stages, whether they are basic, medium, or complex. We’ll describe what percentage of the entire app development budget goes into each stage for each type of app and provide an estimate of the prices for each stage.

How to Reduce Android App Development Costs

Now that you have a good idea of your Android app development cost, you may be overwhelmed, especially if you have a limited budget. But don’t worry; top mobile app development companies like Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd can help you avoid some not-so-important costs and beat down the price. We’ve been in the business for quite some time now, and we know some tips and tricks for helping businesses like yours get the perfect Android app they want at a lower cost. 

The following are some of those tips: 

1. Begin with a Concise Product Requirement Document 

A product requirement document is a detailed document containing the requirements for Android app development, including its roadmap and essential details of your Android app. Everything from the technical stack and programming languages to development timelines and expected features is included in this document. 

Apart from guiding the development process, it also helps you focus on the right things to avoid wastage. You see, it is very easy to get carried away with unnecessary costs when you’re not clear about what you’re going for. However, you can avoid all that with a concise product requirement document. 

2. Scrutinize your feature selection process 

Once you have a clear idea of what you expect from your Android app, it becomes easy to know the features that are essential to its smooth functioning. Here’s a simple way to think about it: 

While a weather app might need location services (GPS integrations) to provide accurate weather forecasts, an e-book reader app doesn’t exactly need that to function. Try to focus on the important features, and you end up spending less. 

3. Get an MVP first

Building an Android app has to start with conceptualization before you start coding or go into full-blown development. Also, you must be able to establish proof of concept that your audience truly needs your Android app. More importantly, you must be sure your concept works for their specific use case before you dive in head first. 

To save yourself the stress of already starting, try to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with limited features that a section of your general users and your app developers can test before you continue with full-scale production. This can help you save a lot of costs and future headaches. 

Most importantly, 

Conclusion

That’s everything you need to know when it comes to evaluating your Android app development costs. You can now relax and let the technical geniuses at Debut Infotech Pvt Ltd handle the app development process. 

We hope this has been a valuable eye-opener for you. As you prepare to dive into full-scale development, remember to prioritize your target audience’s needs and create the appropriate budget for their needs. 

Have fun building your Android app! 

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