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Originally Posted On: https://www.musttechnews.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-someone-to-build-an-app-15/
The question, “How much does it cost to hire someone to build an app?” is one that entrepreneurs and startup companies must face if they hope to get their businesses off the ground.
At least, that’s how consumers see them. There were more than 204 billion mobile app downloads being made as recently as 2019 with annual revenues hitting $462 billion that same year.
In the following article, we’ll explore the true costs of making an impact in this market. We’ll be ignoring the free, template-based apps and focusing on an application designed from the ground-up that allows you the highest level of control. Here are the major cost factors.
1. Coding
The costs of creating an app start with coding. Yes, there are blank templates that you can manipulate on your own for cheap (or free), but greater customization is not possible without specific coding knowledge.
That can be expensive and time-consuming to get on your own. The average coder makes just north of $63,000 per year, or $30 hourly.
One week of coding at that rate could run around $1,200, but that’s not where it ends. You’ll also need to find a good tester, which we’ll talk about in the next section.
2. Testing
Getting closer to answering the question of how much does it cost to make an app requires you to look at testing costs. You often need multiple eyeballs on your app to catch mistakes that are too hard to find on your own.
A reputable app design and development company will usually break this pricing out separately from the coding portion. It can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 or more depending on the complexity of the app.
3. Updates
Unfortunately, one of the recurring factors you’ve got to look at when figuring out how much does it cost to make an app for your business is updating. Apple, Android, and other app stores are having to beef up security and functionality all the time and your app has to keep pace. Sometimes those changes are minor while other times they are quite cumbersome.
You never know what might “break” your app, or how severely. Make sure the people in charge of fixing it know what they’re doing.
4. Marketing Help
Another factor to consider regarding the question of app cost: promoting it to customers. These are the individuals who will drive ad revenue and spend their own money to support you. Don’t leave finding them to chance.
5. Content Support and Production
Applications with dynamic content require investment to produce and distribute that content. Consider this when calculating how much it costs to build an app. After all, an app actually has to have a purpose and to say something to its audience if it’s to be functional.
6. Ad Network Integration and Payment Processing
The last thing is to consider how or if you will monetize your app. Whether that means ad-supported “free” apps or payment-driven, it’ll cost something to implement a system for installation and management.
So How Much Does It Cost to Hire Someone to Build an App?
The aggravating answer to the question: “How much does it cost to hire someone to build an app?” is that it varies wildly from five-figures to six to even millions of dollars. The important thing is that you know what you want, what you’re paying for, and where to find the best help.
Best of luck in your search! For more tech tips and guidance, check out some of our additional posts.