How Much Does it Cost to Develop an iOS App for Your Business?

There comes a time in every entrepreneur's life when they think of expanding their domain and reach.

Since mobile applications are all the hype of recent times, where younger demographic is perpetually glued to their iPhones, payments are going digital, healthcare along with other industries is being disrupted by technologies, it only makes sense for businesses to keep up with the trends, right?

Every day, many businesses go bankrupt simply because they fail to offer the need of the hour. Any guesses what is it? Of course, mobile apps. Another reason for them failing is that they lag behind in the cut-throat competition. To the dismay of your competitors, you do not have to share the same fate, fortunately.

If you keep up with the market demand, you can weather the tough competition to emerge as a leader of your domain - this is where mobile app development comes into play.

And when talking about mobile application development, one platform that has been becoming the first choice of all is - Apple. A reason behind this is that this platform, where around 2.2 Million apps reside and more than 2,540 applications join on a daily basis, offers endless opportunities and benefits to businesspeople. A few of which are covered in the next section of the article.

Advantages of Making Your Brand Presence on Apple Platform

1. More revenue
   Apple, unlike Android platforms, is favorite of entrepreneurs and those living in developed nations. These people are ready to spend more on getting sophisticated and timeless services. Because of this, anyone who enters the Apple market earns more money than ever recorded when launching an app for Google Play Store.
   
   In fact, it has been found that Apple revenue generation recorded in Q1 2020 is $91.8 Bn.


2. Enhanced user experience
   As you might be familiar with, Apple is a closed ecosystem. It has set certain rules and regulations which iOS app development companies have to follow for submitting their app on the platform. This prevents developers from over-experimenting with the app layout and features and introducing low-quality third-party options into the development plan, which further makes it possible to deliver the same user experience across multiple options.
   
   
3. Improved customer loyalty
   In the case of Google Play Store, the targeted audience is more into getting free services even if that means struggling with multiple advertisements. They keep on experimenting with different applications to relish requisite services under the trial period.
   
   However, it is not the case with the Apple user base. They are financially sound and look ahead to continue with the same application if receiving exceptional services. They are also eager to pay extra for getting quicker, reliable, and effective services. Which implies, they will remain hooked to your brand application, even if you demand some subscription fee. All you need to do is to keep a focus on delivering high-end services.
   
   What's more, people consider Apple apps as synonyms for quality, comfort, and sophistication. Which again means it is easier to bring people on your app page and drive downloads.


4. Ease of testing
   Another reason that makes Entrepreneurs and mobile app developers prefer iOS over Android is that the platform is confined to a particular set of devices and OS versions only. Aka, there's no scenario of platform defragmentation. This gives them an opportunity to plan around the limited features and test the iOS application easily and effortlessly.


5. Superb Scalability
   Being the platform preferred by most of the enterprises, the iPhone application development agencies focus upon app scalability during the development process. They look forth to devising a mobile application plan that lets them integrate additional features to meet the growing user's demands in the future.


6. Higher security
   Last but not least, the Apple market has gained a reputation for delivering a highly secure experience. There's no way to make your application launch on the platform without meeting their security guidelines and testing the app on numerous devices. Something that makes a huge difference in users' choice especially since cases like that of Facebook Cambridge Analytica and Uber data breach has come into the limelight.

Factors to Consider While Estimating iOS App Development Cost

1. Market Research
   To make any application rule the marketplace, it is necessary for entrepreneurs and app developers to be familiar with what's happening in the market. This is why it is necessary to invest your efforts and time into the market research process.
   
   Now, since this is a boring and tiresome process, it often involves more time and effort than expected, which later stimulates the overall development cost of an iPhone application.


2. Defining User Personas
   When it comes to making an application that touches the hearts of users, it is necessary to know who will be your target audience. This is so because not everyone comes with the same set of needs and expectations.
   
   So, it is imperative that you collect demographic data of users across the globe in terms of age, gender and occupation and determine who would be your core audience. Now, since this process involves ample hours of investment for data gathering and analyzing, it also adds to the price value related to developing a mobile app for Apple platform.


3. App Complexity
   The cost to make an iPhone mobile application can also be determined by the level of app complexity. That includes checking for the number of app screens, the app size, picking between white label app development and coding from scratch, and much more.
   
   In general, there are three levels of app complexity considered while developing an iOS mobile application -
   • Simple Apps - These apps come up with a single or two screens and simple layout and features. Eg: Alarm clock, calculator.
   
   
   • Mid-level Apps - The mid-level mobile apps involve 3-5 screens and customized UI screens that make them easier to work with. Eg: Messaging application.
   
   
   • Complex Apps - The set of applications that integrates the power of media processing, custom animation, real-time sync, complex backend including numerous database relationships comes under this category. Eg: Social media platforms, Enterprise apps, On-demand apps.
   
   
4. App Category
   Depending on what domain your application will rely on and what service they will offer, also makes a difference in the iPhone mobile application development cost. So, it is again necessary to check which app category your business application comes under.
   
   When talking about the same, standalone applications are much cheaper than Social networking, enterprise, On-demand, and hardware-dependent applications.


5. Features and Tech Stack
   It has been found that every feature and technology you introduce into your iOS mobile application comes with a price tag. They come with different challenges and opportunities which demands more time and efforts invested in the process, which increases the app development cost.
   
   So, it is advised to all to choose the right mobile app technology stack and features to enjoy cost-effective benefits.


6. Design and Animation of iOS apps
   Another factor that contributes to the final cost of iPhone mobile app development is the design of the app and the animations added to it. This includes -
   
   • Wireframing - It refers to the basic prototype of the features and other elements you wish to add to your iPhone mobile application. When talking about creating a wireframe, the process demands devoting ample hours and use of different tools such as Balsamiq, MARVEL, and Photoshop which often comes with a fee.
   
   
   • UI Design - The way one introduces the concept of Flat design while crafting mobile application screens also enhances the app cost.
   
   
   • Animation - As stated earlier, the level of animation you introduce in your application also increases the final cost of app development. This is because designing animated elements is a time-consuming and complicated process. In fact, you might have to hire an expert individually for adding animations to your mobile application only.
   
   
7. Team Size
   Another factor that acts as a catalyst for changing the cost of iPhone mobile app development is team size.
   
   When you hire a freelancer for a startup company with 5 to 10 people only, they charge less for building your iOS mobile application. This is so because they focus on building a portfolio rather than on gaining monetary profits.
   
   Whereas, when you hire an organization with hundreds of employees who have worked on multiple projects so far, you have to pay more. However, even this is not a bad deal since you would be able to employ their experience to cope up with hidden challenges and derive better results.


8. Location of Hired Team
   It might be a new thing for you, but it's true. The hourly charges of developers are varied in different places. While a developer demands more bucks in Western countries, another developer sitting somewhere in Eastern nations can provide the same services at much cheaper rates.
   
   So, the location of the mobile application development team you hire also makes a significant difference in the budget you require.


9. App Launch
   Since no application gets approved on submission to the App Store unless all the guidelines are considered and followed thoroughly, developers and business people focus on going through the complete checklist and ticking them all. This again involves a heavy investment of time and effort, which adds to the cost of building an iPhone mobile application.
   
   Besides, Apple rejects an application more often than what is observed in the case of Play Store if any of the rules is not followed. So, one has to devote more time to rechecking all the rules and submitting the app to the App Store again.
   
   In addition to this, one has to pay $99 per year as the charges to submit an application on the App Store.


10. App Maintenance and Update
    Launching an application is not the last phase of the development process, and so is the associated cost. Meaning, the cost required for app maintenance and update also adds to the overall cost.
    
    [Note: As per reputed iPhone mobile application development companies, cost of app maintenance is nearly 20-30% of the overall app cost.]
    
    Now, when talking about the same, it involves different processes and associated price values, which include -
    
    • Troubleshooting bugs and errors - Over time, no matter how perfectly the app was developed, it may develop some issues which should be addressed with immediate effect. So, the cost value associated with testing your iPhone mobile application and making them bug-free comes under this category.
    
    
    • Adding/Eliminating an app feature - Since technology is always improving, your app also needs to be up to date with trends. You have to introduce some new features and functionalities into your application or remove the existing ones to make your app ready for delivering a better experience.
    
    
    • Revamping app design - With time, users are expecting an update not only in terms of the functioning of an app but in the way they look and feel too. In such a scenario, the cost associated with redesigning your application or making smart changes in the existing design with the help of cutting-edge technologies like AI and voice recognition technology also comes under the complete iOS application development cost.