Is It Worth Hiring a Third Party to Help with Your Mobile App Development?
So, you’re brimming with ideas about an app that has the potential to become the best mobile application ever known to man. You bet your bottom dollar that it will be the next big hit, and you’re itching to breathe life into it.
The only problem is how to make it happen. It may be that you don’t have an in-house Information Technology (IT) team or you don’t know anything about mobile application development.
Should you hire a freelancer or a reputable app-building agency like December Labs? Can you afford the services of a third-party app developer? Is it worth every penny?
Who Are the Third-Party Application Developers?
If you’re brave and motivated enough to do it yourself, you may do so, what with the available platforms online which promise to teach you to develop an app even if you don’t know how to code.
However, if you want to ensure your project’s success within a specific time frame, it is best to hire either of the following:
- Freelancer: You can hire one person to develop your mobile app, which to some, may sound like a gamble. But if you know and trust the integrity of the person, why not? If you’re on a tight budget, a freelancer offers the least expensive option although the risks of failure may be higher, too.
- Application developing agencies: As in any business, app developing agencies differ in size. You may choose among small, medium-sized, to large app development corporations. Of course, the cost of mobile app development will increase as you avail the services of a larger team.
To give a rough estimate of the costs, a small app development entity with up to three people can charge from $50,000 to $100,000. A medium-sized agency will likely bill you from $150,000 to $450,000, while a large app development corporation will charge from $500,00 to a whopping $1 million, to build the app for you.
The Advantages of Outsourcing an App Development Project
If you’re itching to build your app but not sure how to proceed, check out this guide for building successful mobile apps.
- Saves Costs: It may be discouraging to see how much developing an app costs but in reality, hiring third-party developers helps you save more on costs. If you decide that the best route is setting up your IT app developing team, you may need to spend twice or thrice the cost of outsourcing, simply because you need to invest in the necessary IT infrastructure and software to get it going.
- Saves Time: An app-developing firm will have a pool of experienced developers who can finish the tasks within the agreed time frame, or perhaps even earlier. Since they are specialists, they know what they are doing, and don’t need time to learn new technologies, or don’t need to engage in trial and error until they’ve finished the prototype or demo version.
- Assures Quality of Work: Established mobile app developers have the skills and experience to deliver what you need but that’s just the beginning. Tech companies have reputations to uphold so they do their best in every project to ensure good feedback and customer loyalty. All of these factors, when combined, motivate companies to deliver high-quality work.
- Lessons Risks: An app development company typically assumes all the risks involved in mobile app creation. There is less worry about the leakage of confidential information and all property rights to the app, as this will be included in a legally- binding agreement. Just make sure that you have or own all intellectual property, admin access to code, App Store access and certificates, or any relevant and essential information. It is imperative to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with an outsourced app development company. A client may also terminate the agreement if things don’t go as planned.
The Risks of Outsourcing Your Mobile App Development
Failed Expectations
Even with enough knowledge, expertise, and the discipline to finish projects on time, outsourcing firms may not quite meet clients’ expectations. This may be mitigated by constant communication and leveling of expectations even before initiating the project.
Possible Data Handling Issues
While outsourcing can lessen the risk of sensitive information leakage, the threat is not eliminated. Mobile app developers may need to have access to sensitive information about your business procedures and even those of your clients, making this process very risky.
Factors That Affect the Costs of Mobile App Development
Perhaps the question you want answered right away is, how much does it cost to develop a mobile app? It is a complex question that raises a complicated explanation. So instead of providing a definitive answer, let’s discuss the factors that impact the cost of mobile app development.
- Complexity. Industry estimates reveal that a simple app can cost as little as $10,000 to as high as $40,000, and it may take up to 2 months, on average, to build one. A moderately complex mobile app may take up to 4 months to take shape and will make you up to $80,000 poorer (or many times richer, if your app is a success!). Lastly, a highly complex app may cost up to $150K, and building it could last up to 8 months.
- Server and data hosting location. An app that has a back-end server is more expensive to develop and host because it adds quite a few functionalities. The app runs on a server that listens for requests, retrieves information from the database, and sends a response to the user.
- Operating system. Native apps that run exclusively either on iOS or Android systems, and need to be installed on the mobile device, are more expensive to make. On the other hand, hybrid apps are cheaper to develop. They have the elements of native apps but do not need to be installed. Instead, it can be accessed through a browser.
- Type of app. The functions and the type of app that you want to be developed, for instance, if it needs connection, or provides real-time results, would be more costly to make.
What to Do Before Creating a Mobile App
You just don’t go about developing a mobile app without first doing a few things, and this will entail additional costs, such as:
- Conduct a market research. As every entrepreneur knows, you cannot just proceed to a specific venture without getting valuable insights about the market: what it needs, how it behaves, and where you can position your product or service. Performing industry research will provide you with information on the key players, your potential competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, and what makes them tick. Capitalize on these and see how you can create a unique solution to the market needs. If you own a retail business and you’re on the fence about jumping into the mobile app bandwagon, we advise you to read this article.
- Identify your target audience. You’re flying blind if you don’t include this in your pre-mobile app development stage. With so many apps available to almost 8 billion mobile phones worldwide, you’ll get trumped by the competition even before you can start.
- Check the cost of mobile app development. There are a lot of factors that influence the cost of mobile app development, and you’ll learn more about it later. Generally speaking, mobile app developers charge different rates based on geographical location. This may impact the overall cost of your venture.
- Draft your marketing campaign. In your eyes, you may have the best mobile app in the world but if people do not know that you’re launching it soon, it not going to work.
- Consider App Store optimization. Like a good SEO, app store optimization allows your mobile app to be visible in organic or non-paid searches. You may also use keywords in brainstorming for your app’s name. Think of a catchy, easy-to-remember, and short-named app (30-character limit for Android and 50 for iOS) that describes the main purpose or the problem that your app intends to resolve. You get the idea.
Conclusion
If you think you have a brilliant mobile app idea that could help your business or the general public, the best way forward is to seek a business loan, or look for investors or venture capitalists to fund your endeavor because it is not in any way cheap.
