What are the factors that affect the mobile app development budget?

To be precise, the mobile app development cost is one of the most common questions you'll come across while developing the application. Thus, there's no particular estimation for it. Because app development can vary depending on multiple factors. 

Development is just the tip of the iceberg, the price is further followed by maintenance, deployment, and other development required.

Today in this blog, we're going to discuss some of the hidden costs that can overprice the budget of a business or a mobile app development company. 

Before, digging in it is important for you to understand the mobile architecture, especially when you are looking out for a mobile app development company or a vendor for developing your application.

Furthermore, for traditional application solutions majority of services are purchased and assembled separately. They are subcategorized into four:

· Functional services- Push Notifications, SMS, etc.

· Administrative services -to make updates to your app, manage users, etc.

· Infrastructure services -servers, CDN, etc.

· IT support services -updates to your app, bug fixes, etc.

#FUNCTIONAL SERVICES

Functional services are the ones that enhance the functionalities and features of your application. While a mobile app development company may offer certain functionality, but it won't run unless you subscribe to a service that will render a delivery mechanism. 

Moreover, these services may cost thousands of dollars per month and are a constant need after app development.

EXAMPLES:

Push notifications: Hardly there's any phone that doesn't utilize Push notifications. They not only increase users’ engagement with the app but also encourage the purchase.  

Estimated annual cost: $2,400

Social and chat: This is will be the supreme service you will be asking to a mobile app development company. Social and chat services enable users to share and upvote their content through social media. 

Social interaction in apps requires a subscription to a service like a bot integration, one-to-one chat, and group chat.

Estimates annual cost: $1,200

#ADMINISTRITIVE SERVICES

As a creative professional, you would like to have full control over your app and avoid calling the mobile app development company every time for accessing data or update content.

These costs are the most difficult to predict as they mainly depend and differ based on an individual app. 

The traditional application development solution doesn’t offer a way to save on these costs. Not including these in your app management isn’t an option as it would take away control over the users, content, and data.

EXAMPLES:

-CONTENT MANAGEMENT

-DASHBOARD EMULATOR

-DYNAMIC UPDATES

-USER PROFILES

#INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

It includes infrastructural components like where the app is stored, hosted, and how the data is delivered. All of these also require repetitions and load balancers for security servers and backups, which add both complexities and cost.

EXAMPLES:

-SERVERS

-CDN

-DATA STORAGE

-IMAGE DATA

-DEVELOPMENT TOOLS 

However, after understanding the structure of mobile app development the budget of app development is influenced by some of the below factors: 

· Mobile app development company type and location.

· The number of apps featured by the company and its complexity.

· Connected APIs and Back-end infrastructure.

· The complexity of UX/UI design

· Additional advanced visual elements

· Development approach -mobile web, hybrid, native, etc.

· The number of platforms to be developed for Android, iOS, web, etc.

#The formula of App Cost Estimation?

The formula used to calculate the development cost of the application is as follows:

TOTAL DEPLOYMENT TIME * HOURLY RATE= COST

Companies estimate app development cost using:

· Concepts — present a sum of features 

· Stories — list all the necessary features to make a concept

· Story Points — introducing the app development complexity and pace

#CONCLUSION

The cost of mobile app development may vary year to year or month to month but the core of charging the cost will remain the same. The app needs, features, additions, add a bar of silver to the development cost each time.  

However, with a proper sketch of the mobile app, you can handle the pre- and post-budget. 

#ADVICE: Your budget should never make app development and interface compromise because a good interface with the proper idea thrives in the market. Investment should be done with a strong core.