Hidden Costs of Developing an App
In today’s dynamic, businesses realized the fact that app development is a booming market, and everyone is leveraging from the app development process.
Businesses constantly plan their budget to develop a mobile app to serve their customers better.
But unfortunately, like other things that we use, the app development process also has some hidden cost.
Worry not, because we will not let you feel the pain of unexpected bills and to help you here we are presenting the biggest hidden costs that you might face after getting the ready-made app.
- App Store Fees
- Update and Maintenance Cost
- Unexpected Development Changes
- Cost of Multi platform Accessibility
- Back-end Data Management
- App’s Visibility Cost
- App Security
- Cost Associated With Poorly Designed Apps
- App’s Testing Cost
- Software License Costs
After bearing a substantial app development cost, the next big investment would be the app store fees. Everyone, who build an app wants to make it available on all the major platforms, including Google Play, App Store, and Amazon App Store.
You are required to pay the publication fees for the app publication. The cost of publication is not so high; however, it is not free either.
If you want to publish your app on the Apple app store then per year cost for app distribution will be $99.
This cost will enable you to access all the vital tools, beta releases, and the right to publish on iOS, watchOS, and MacOS.
Update and Maintenance Cost
Designing an app is not enough in today’s dynamic; the constant transformation of the app is also required.
The app market is highly competitive, and therefore, technology updates and app customization is vital.
New devices, operating systems, and novel platforms are emerging incessantly that push companies to meet market needs.
Hence, we can say that mobile app development is not a one-time investment. Staying competitive on edge requires investment for the app’s maintenance cost.
Unexpected Development Changes
Most of the time, companies blindly follow the mobile app development cost structure that is provided by the development team. In most cases, developers give an accurate estimate. However, the app complexities, technical requirements, and added features can augment the actual app development cost.
Every alteration involved in the app development process requires more money and time. Therefore, the estimated cost of the app derails and cost a bit more than expected.
It’s better to prepare an app development budget while having some unexpected changes back in mind.
Cost of Multi platform Accessibility
A lot of organizations have no idea about multi platform accessibility. When you want your app to run on both Android and iOS platforms, then you need different programming languages to work. To solve this problem, companies have to seek services from specialized engineers and designers who are expert in both platforms. The whole process cost you a few more additional bucks.
Back-end Data Management
Back-end development is not necessary for all mobile apps. The features need extra maintenance, and therefore, you have to pay for it. If you are making a normal app, then this cost does not apply to you.
But, if you are planning to develop a data-driven application, then you have to store data on the cloud, and it will cost you more. The cost will vary every month, depending on the quantity of data stored.
App’s Visibility Cost
Often you make a mistake while designing your app development budget. You add all the cost but, forget about the marketing cost that you need to invest in order to promote your app to the users.
It’s not possible to directly approach the audience. You need efficient marketers to promote your app. So people start to know what your app is all about, and you eventually receive downloads. The process of marketing involves several stages, including ASO, social media, and more. The app marketing process also incurs an unexpected cost for the companies.
App Security
App budget teams often overlook the cost of app security features. As soon as your app receives a bit of fame, you are in the danger zone surrounded by various notorious hackers.
Such hackers can misuse user information and exploit the app’s crucial trade secrets. Also, hackers are a threat to your app functionality and may destroy it.
In case if your app starts facing such problems, later on, you have to invest some extra money as the consultation fee. Sometimes companies are required to hire a developer to resolve such severe issues.
Cost Associated With Poorly Designed Apps
App development is a long process, and if you are not hiring industry experts, then you may have serious issues in the future.
If you are not technically qualified, then it’s difficult to identify the app issues, and those issues are identified by the user base experts, and later on, your app may be removed. In this case, you are required to start the app development from the start with a new team which ultimately doubles up the entire app development cost.
App’s Testing Cost
App testing is quite diverse issues and often get overlooked by the companies. A lot of businesses have no idea about how much testing is required for the app. Mobile testing is required to ensure that the app is working on different devices, platforms, and screen sizes. Such factors are crucial to determine the app’s overall look and feel, therefore, while making your app development budget, don’t forget to add the app’s testing costs.
Software License Costs
Majority of the SDKs and libraries are free that enable developers to run, function, and implement certain features. Since these libraries and SDKs are open sources, therefore they offer limited functionalities. In case if you need something extra, then there is a cost for that.
