Everyone with access to the internet uses a web app in one way or another. It can prove an oblivious experience or with someone’s complete understanding of its existence. To most people who understand and keenly follow the web application development process, the first question always centers on how to estimate web app development costs/prices.
Therefore, it follows that you have to comprehend the entire process of web application development to appreciate the cost of developing different web applications. Such an approach will also enable you to believe the charges software companies impose on their services. So what constitutes the entire process of web application development?
Pricing of the Web Application Development
It proves wise to understand the cost of developing a web application, especially when you want one but lacks the technical know-how of coming up with one. It can prove crucial and convenient to comprehend every penny required to realize your concept. The costing will also allow you to plan and manage funds.
However, most developers or app developing companies cannot offer a definitive quote when approached for their services. It emanates from the fact that web application development entails a multi-stage procedure that requires plenty of effort and time.
Every project entails a distinct undertaking with various tools, approaches, and composition of the development team. As a result, it contains variables that make the process difficult to do an exact costing. It will also provide an excellent idea of paying less, devoid of sacrificing the product’s quality.
The Web Application Development Process
If you have to develop a web-based app, it can prove wise to take a moment and figure what the whole process entails and the reasons for paying for each activity. The method also proves labor-intensive, regardless of the methodology employed. Additionally, the stages require effort from diverse and qualified specialists.
The go-to-strategy often encompasses five stages, and these require collection or analysis, design, prototyping, development, and testing, besides unveiling or market launch.
- Requirements collection/analysis. The stage encompasses a company’s analysis department, which conducts numerous interviews with clients. Such a department asks numerous questions concerning the desired features, the client’s vision, goals, etc. Business analysts always play the role of mediators between the development crew and the stakeholders during the project. The stage sees the production of a prototype besides building wireframes, writing user stories, and using cases. Additionally, the scope and functionality documentation also gets preparing.
- Design- Also referred to as the magic phase, where designers develop the app’s feel and look. It involves the development of the user interface, visual elements, and experience. The developers aim to enhance the user experience with the product app to make it memorable in this phase. Developers also aim at making the app reflect the spirit and soul of their brand.
- It proves the most apparent stage and involves bringing the app to life. It entails both the back-end and front-end parts of the app. The development team proceeds to code besides running unit tests to ensure every small testable code functions correctly.
- The QA engineers do the functional UX/IX besides another testing in this phase. The stage also sees manual and automated tests run from the QA department. The final stage of the phase entails the UAT, which involves the intended app users.
- App maintenance and launch. The final stage entails the launching of the product. Here, you can perform the load testing to determine the app’s behavior under peak and normal load conditions. The development crew prepares the server and domain before running the last system test. It then follows that the completion of the test results into its release.
The stages require different experts with various tools to bring everything to fruition. Therefore, you cannot cost the entire process easier as each step has a unique challenge. It canvasses more than the original, design, UX, project, or development dollars.
Factors Influencing the App Development Costs
- The latitude of the work. It encompasses features that will prove crucial in the web app development or the level and amount of effort required in developing the app. Implementing every desirable attribute at once can prove counterproductive as it will lengthen and increase the development process and initial costs, respectively. Additionally, concentrating on a limited number of details will reduce the cost required upfront as you will implement extra features through updates. Programmers only have to code the crucial attributes, and consequently, make the engineers involved with QA to have less code regarding testing. What it means entails having every extra feature requiring more dedication of time from experts and who get paid by the hour
- Business niche. Getting a broad domain implies getting more individuals to transform your concept into reality. Further, a large contractor candidate pool means the costing and price factor getting checked by the competition. You have to remember that any ordinary person can develop an app, but the problem lies with their incompetence or unaccomplished nature.
- The project’s technical complexity. Different features require diverse skills because of the various difficulty levels. Therefore, it follows that you will find some features requiring standard operation in their implementation, and thus, cost less. Conversely, other features like third-party integrations can prove more complicated because of the API usage, etc., and will cost more.
- UX/UI design. The desire to have custom designs can prove costly. It will involve expert designers and programmers who will work tirelessly to make your design unique and functional, ensuring that your philosophy and identity shine through the brand. Further, CSS/HTML coders have to develop the app’s custom markup. Additionally, breathtaking animations and effects, company logos, and the like take extra time and cost more. Some specific client’s design requirements can also incur additional costs.
- The web application development process can cost differently when you factor in the timelines required to produce an app. A job needed urgently will cost you more because the developer’s team will have to incorporate more resources into the app development process. It also comes with elevated risks and an extra need for effective management.
- Non-functional requirements. All software products have functional requirements. It can encompass a listing of the functionality of the app. However, all the rest can get grouped into non-functional requirements. The category entails distinct and diverse features that describe the functionality of the app. It can include security, scalability, reliability, usability, and performance, among others. The significance of these features influences the user experience with the app system.
One crucial non-functional requirement encompasses the capacity of the system to handle requests for every time unit. Most of the time, high-load systems will cost extra money for diverse reasons compared to low-load systems.
The reasons prove diverse and include the following.
- The architecture varies from standard apps. If your system has to cater to millions of users, you have to ensure that it proves more secure, reliable, and devoid of downtime.
- Creating high-load systems can require you to draw in extra specialists with experience in creating the products. Additionally, the necessary server-equipment in running high-load apps proves more experience than machines used for standard web applications.
- Developer choice. The type of company you pick for your web application development proves a crucial variable that influences development costs. A developer’s price will depend on their experience level, geographical location, size, reputation, and expertise. For instance, developers residing in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia prove more expensive than their counterparts in other regions, such as South America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
- Engagement model. Most, if not all, software development firms use a variety of engagement models. Every model has drawbacks and benefits, and this can influence the development costs of the app. The most utilized models entail the non-fixed and fixed price models.
Conclusion
Estimation of the web application development cost can prove arduous, and at times, an impossible task. However, by considering the outlined tips, you will find it simpler the next time you want your app developed by a professional.
Hope you’ve understood the web app development costs/prices, if you are looking to develop a web app then feel free to contact us today.
Also check: progressive web app development cost | website development cost in india