iOS app and Android app development cost

Key Summary

This article outlines the costs and considerations for developing a chat app for iOS and Android, focusing on the competitive chat app market and InApps Technology’s cost-effective solutions. It details team composition, cost factors, and post-release expenses, emphasizing features that make a chat app successful. Key points include:

• Chat App Market Overview:
  • Chat apps meet the growing demand for communication in social and business contexts, with established players like WhatsApp, Viber, and Messenger dominating.
  • The market is competitive, driving businesses to innovate with new features.
• Cost Estimates from Leading Companies:
  • Hyperlink Infosystem: $6,000–$30,000
  • WillowTree: $90,000–$200,000
  • Exygy: $100,000–$250,000
  • Ticketmaster Mobile Studio: $80,000–$150,000
  • Distillery: $100,000–$200,000
  • InApps Technology: Offers similar quality at ~50% of these costs, providing a cost-effective alternative.
• Chat App Development Team:
  • Typical team (based on InApps data for a basic chat app):
    • 1 Project Manager
    • 1 UI/UX Designer
    • 2 Developers
    • 1 Quality Assurance
  • Team size may vary (5–6 members) depending on project requirements.
• Cost Factors:
  • Technical Complexity: Integration of third-party services (e.g., Braintree, Stripe) increases costs.
  • Backend Development: APIs facilitate data exchange between the app and database.
  • In-App Purchases: Virtual goods, premium features, or additional functionalities add complexity.
  • Device and OS Compatibility:
    • iOS: Supports versions like iPhone 5S, 5C, 6, 6S Plus, etc.
    • Android: Considers screen sizes and OS versions.
    • Testing on current, widely-used devices optimizes cost and time.
  • Custom Designs/Animations: Complex designs increase expenses due to implementation difficulty.
• Post-Release Expenses:
  • Include app updates, server/backend management, customer support, and cloud maintenance.
  • Essential features for a successful chat app:
    • Event management and calendar synchronization
    • VoIP phone calls and video chats
    • Group calls (including video)
    • Encrypted chats and self-destructing messages
    • Geolocation integration
    • Cloud service synchronization
    • Support for diverse data formats (text, video, audio, emoticons, pictures, stickers)
• InApps Technology’s Value Proposition:
  • Based in Vietnam, ranked #1 in Vietnam and #5 in Southeast Asia for app development.
  • Offers cost-efficient development (50% of competitors’ costs) with high-quality output.
  • Contact: sales@new.inapps.net for assistance in developing chat apps or other solutions.
• InApps Insight:
  • The chat app market is lucrative but competitive, requiring innovative features and cost-effective development.
  • InApps Technology provides affordable, high-quality iOS and Android chat app development, leveraging experienced teams to deliver robust solutions with essential features like encryption and multimedia support.

1. App Development Cost For Chat App Overview

Communication is the basic demand of human being, modern social requires people to connect and networking for both emotion and business purpose. Therefore, many chat apps have been developed lately, this market is a competitive corner. Business persons are developing chat app for people with new fabulous ideas. Whatsapp, Viber, Messenger and many others big brothers successfully established their products to the world. List of app development companies with cost estimation.

Here is the list of lead app development companies with chat app development cost estimation.

Hyperlink Infosystem: $6,000 to $30,000
WillowTree: $90,000 to $200,000
Exygy: $100,000 to $250,000
Ticketmaster Mobile Studio: $80,000 to $150,000
Distillery: $100,000 to $200,000

At InApps Technology, it costs about 50% of above price with the same app quality

2. Chat app development team

To make a chat app we need to have an Application Development Teams. The app development team might be 5 or 6 members base on the project requirement. For basic chat app, team members include:

• 1 Project Manager
• 1 UI/ UX designer
• 2 Developers
• 1 Quality Assurance

(This developer quantity bases on InApps Technology Data)

3. Chat App Development cost

To costing and give a quotation to clients, this project base on below factors:

•  Technical complexity: There are some features that can be third party integration like Braintree, Stripe etc .
•  Backend development: The API is developed to interchange data between mobile app and with the database.
•  In-App purchases: From virtual goods or bucks to some extra functionality there are numerous types of In-app Purchases that the developer can implement.
• The number of device and OS:
  • iOS app: versions of iPhone 5S, 5C, 6, 6S Plus and so on.
  • Android app following factors are considered: Screen size, Os versions

As more device consumes more time it would be wise if you test on the most current running device in the market.

• Custom designs and Animations: As customized designs are pretty hard to apply, it will incur more expense.

4. Post-release expense

It includes expenses related to app updates, server management, backend management, customer support, cloud maintenance and much more. Below are some features that the successful chat-app should have:

• Event management & calendar synchronization
• VoIP phone calls
• Video chats
• Group calls covering group video also
• Encrypted chats
• Self-destructing messages
• Geolocation combination
• Cloud services synchronization
• Support for various data formats like text, video, audio, emoticons, pictures, photographs, stickers

I hope this information is valuable to you. If you want to work with us contact sales@new.inapps.net for assistance.

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