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###### The question about the price of creating an app is one of the most frequently asked in the internet space. “How much does it cost to make an app? To build an application? Or How much to create an app?” - All these questions have caught our attention and we decided to turn to it.

We are proficient in providing app development services and regarding our experience, we can say that the price of the end product is never the same. The price for developing an app will vary depending on your goal and needs.

![phone-in-hand.png](https://public.amsterdamstandard.com/phone_in_hand_47b453f3ef.png)

Here is an app development cost breakdown.

- Prepackaged or custom mobile app

- Native or Web app

- The level of design preparation/ the readiness of design

- The platform where an app should run on 

- The size of an app

- The number of backend connections

- Who is making the app

We can provide the price estimation for your upcoming or ongoing projects taking into account the additional information that you share. This information can include descriptions, briefings, mockups, etc. Contact us for the price estimation.

For each of the factors, you should make a choice of which option fits you the best. We will look at each of them in more detail. 

#### A Prepackaged or Custom app
This is the first thing you should decide when thinking of creating an app that influences the app cost.  Both of these options have pros and cons. It all depends on your current needs. 

The prepackaged or off-the-shelf app comes as finalized sets of functions that customers can start using instantly. With prepackaged ready solutions, you can relatively fast and easily build your own app. But often they don’t fulfill all the requirements of a given project and have a low customization level. Prices for these solutions are fixed and they are written on the vendor’s websites.

The custom app represents the most personalized development approach. It is also known as bespoke soft, tailored, or tailor-made app. For Custom-made apps prices are fully quote-based, as all the features are made specifically according to the client’s requirements. These requirements are the other factors we have mentioned at the beginning of the article. The main difference in custom-made apps from off-the-shelf ones is that it’s focused on features. With customized tools, you can get almost anything you want in terms of functional modules. 

#### Native or Web app
Would you like your app to be native or web? This is the second important question to decide. 

A native app is an app that is installed directly onto the smartphone.  Depending on the nature of the app, it can possibly work without an internet connection. 

Native mobile apps are developed to be “native” to a specific platform: Apple or Android.

The main disadvantage is that if you plan to build and launch an app on more than one platform, you need to start almost from the beginning in both the design and development tasks for each platform. That’s why if you plan an app to be presented on both iOS and Android, the cost of development almost doubles. 

Web apps are not real applications; they are websites that look and feel like native applications. But there are not implemented as such, as they run by a browser and typically written in HTML. Web apps require internet access. Their operation speeds are dependent on the quality of internet connection you are connected to. Web mobile applications are much easier and cheaper to develop. 

#### Design
You should understand at which stage you are in the application creation process. It all starts with the idea. Then you should have a clear understanding of the look&feel of the app and the features which need to be developed to pursue the idea. The look&feel can be described in one word—design. The user experience design determines the success of the application. As interactive and engaging the app is as higher the chances for a user to stick to it. 

![dashboard.png](https://public.amsterdamstandard.com/dashboard_de77a99e01.png)

#### The platform where an app should run on
We have slightly touched the platform topic in the Native or Web app section. While web applications run on various platforms, native applications are platform-dependent and can only run on a particular platform. Building an app, the decision to go for an iOS or Android platform can be one of the most difficult to make.

Android devices have the [greatest global market share](https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/16/14634656/android-ios-market-share-blackberry-2016). However, [Apple dominates the App Store ](https://9to5mac.com/2017/03/29/app-store-android-app-market-in-revenue/)for customer spending.

Consider your [target audience’s geographic](https://medium.com/@the_manifest/android-vs-ios-which-platform-to-build-your-app-for-first-22ea8996abe1) and demographic characteristics when deciding on which platform to develop first.

In most cases, It’s faster and easier to develop for iOS, thanks to Swift and Objective-C.  Spending fewer developers' hours brings to saving the costs on development. 

However, sometimes iOS developers have higher hourly rates in comparison with Android developers. [The Apple App Store](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/) has stricter rules and quality expectations and a longer review process for the app to be approved and accepted. You should choose an experienced company or developers (such as Amsterdam Standard) to make sure your app will not be rejected. Because it should fit Apple’s or Android’s standards.

#### The size of an app
The size of an app depends on the purpose of it. If you are e-commerce there is a chance your app will be bigger than an app for a certain festival for example. The number of templates, pages, and the types of them determines the size of an app. As bigger and more complicated the app is, as higher will be the price of development. 

#### The number of backend connections
After you have decided on the platform and the complexity of your application, it is time to choose the features which you want to integrate into your application. There are hundreds of features that you can add to your mobile app. However, make sure to choose features that are suitable for your business and the purpose of your application. As well as each feature has a dedicated role. Features impact the usefulness and usability of your app. Including too many of them might confuse the users. The questions about the app’s center purpose and is it really what they currently need can arise. At the same time, keep in mind that for every added feature, you have to spend extra. 

![phone-macbook.png](https://public.amsterdamstandard.com/phone_macbook_32c5ee9916.png)

Here are some of the commonly used features:

- Filtering/ Searching

- Log in

- Push notifications

- Geolocation

- Mobile Payment

- Social Media Interaction

- Google Maps Integration

- Chat/Messaging

- Third-Party App Integration

- Database connectivity

#### Who is making the app
The last thing from our list of factors that affect the cost of app development is the person or company that is responsible for the development. In today's world, there are plenty of options available. From the specializing companies in app development to digital agencies to freelancers and dedicated teams in your city/ country or anywhere in the world. Remember your decision will not only affect the app development cost but its success rate as well. We recommend you to have a look at a nearshoring development solution, as it's proved to be the best one. 

![man-with-phone.png](https://public.amsterdamstandard.com/man_with_phone_0fe8a4fd8d.png)





There is no one price to build an app as it fully depends on personal requirements. When you have a quite clear understanding of how your app should look, where it should be hosted, and which features it may have it’s much easier to make a price estimation. We are always happy to help you with it. Please feel free to contact Amsterdam Standard to get more insights or to request your mobile app development with us. 

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