You probably know that a web app will give your business an edge with a strong digital presence, better functionality, speed, and versatility—compared to a website. But you can’t help wondering how much it costs to develop a web application and if it’s something you can afford in 2023.
While web apps are continuing to grow—with modern business operations like sales, billing, and inventory heavily relying on them, the web app development costs, fortunately, remain attainable.
According to Good Firms, the cost of designing and maintaining a visually appealing and interactive web app typically ranges from $10 and $400 per hour and an average rate of $122 per hour. However, there are variables that combine to determine the exact prices.
In this article, we’ll explore the cost to develop a web app today, including factors that influence the specific rate. We’ll also look at the cost of maintenance and hosting, as well as the potential return on investment. Ready to get started? Let’s dive in!
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Factors That Influence App Development Costs
Building an attractive and consistently functional website with high traffic generation, as well as visitor retention and conversion rate, requires a range of skills, including smart coding, user experience design, SEO integration, and engaging graphical communication. All these points, including the factors highlighted below, will determine the cost of developing a web app in 2023. Let’s dive deeper.
Features and Complexities
The more complex your project may be, the higher the cost of building it. For example, an e-commerce program with a wide range of products, multiple payment gateways, order history, and other customizations would be more expensive than an EHR system which has limited features.
UI/UX Design
User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) involve creating an intuitive and visually appealing app interface that improves the overall experience of the customer. The designing processes can be time-consuming and can influence the costs of the web app development—depending on the complexity of the design, the number of features, and the time and resources spent integrating them.
Development Team
The level of expertise and skill of your software development team can have a considerable influence on rates. Generally, a team of experienced developers will provide better quality work with fewer bugs, improved user experience, and a faster turnaround rate compared to a less experienced team. However, the more experienced the developers, the costlier they are.
For example, hiring a junior web developer in the US costs $40-60/hour. A middle specialist will charge $60-80/hour, while a senior developer with 5+ experience costs $75-115/hour.
Regardless, if you have a flexible budget or more resources at your disposal, you should hire additional developers or a software development outsourcing company that can work faster and deliver better results than an inexperienced in-house team.
Targeted Mobile OS
Typically, mobile app development for iOS or iPhones requires more time and effort to ensure that they meet Apple’s stringent design and performance requirements, so it often costs more. On the other hand, the cost of creating a web app on the Android platform is usually less expensive and less time-consuming, as the Android platform is more open and flexible.
Timescale
The longer the project takes, the more resources are required and the higher the cost. For example, if the development team is working on a tight deadline, they may need to hire additional personnel to meet the project timeline, which can add to the overall cost. Similarly, if the development team is working on a longer project, they may be able to spread out the resources more evenly, resulting in a lower cost.
Web App Development Costs Breakdown
Based on GoodFirm’s extensive survey, we will have the following picture if we try to summarize
a typical web app building cost.
| FEATURES SUMMARY | ESTIMATED HOURS | AVERAGE COST | |
| SIMPLE APP | Minimum Viable Features | Up to 400 Hours | $25,000 to $59,000 |
| COMPLEX APP | Popular Consumer Features | Up to 500 Hours | $36,000 to $85,000 |
| ADVANCED APP | State-of-the-Art Features | Up to 800 Hours | $59,000 to $137,000 |
If you’d like a more detailed breakdown of the cost of building a web application, please get in touch with our development team at Scimus.
Is There Anything Else You Need After Your App is Created?
After your web software is developed, there are certain additional costs that you may need to consider. These could include:
- Hosting fees — necessary to keep your program running on the internet.
- Maintenance — necessary to keep your program up-to-date and running smoothly.
- You may also want add-on features such as analytics, user accounts, or payment processing to your program.
Need Help Creating Your Custom Web App?
Building a custom web app can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not familiar with coding or design. That’s why Scimus is here to help. Our team of experienced developers and designers can create a custom web project tailored to your exact specifications.
We use the latest technology and best practices to ensure that you get the highest quality product with high functionality, fast loading time, great user experience, visual appeal, and responsiveness on smartphones — all at some of the most competitive rates in the industry.
