How Much Does It Cost To Design An App In 2022?

 

How much app design cost? Generally, this is the very first question that app development companies and developers need to know the answer to, whenever they launch any app development project.

The app development cost is fundamental yet the most important component of a budget for any mobile application development project. 

And you will see, the company owners most often try to give answers to questions like- how much does a mobile app design cost through hiring an app development company vs. how much app design cost if developed internally.

These are the two common approaches, and in this article, we will discuss the development costs of these two approaches.

If you are already in the mobile app design sector, every effort you make in your application, whether innovative or ground-breaking in the end, all depends on its design. There are a lot of things entangled with the term “mobile app design.” It can alone decide whether your team's long efforts will result in a profitable solution or not.

In today’s article, we have decided to discuss the topic of how much app design costs.

Let’s see!

Mobile App Design Cost: Influential Factors

There are some major components that determine the overall app design cost. Some of these components are as follows:

• The type of design
• App Complexity
• The type of development team

The Type Of Design

There are generally two kinds of designs that can be implemented. And the mobile app development cost for both design services is different.

• Custom Design

With custom design in mobile application development, you have to create a UI and user experience from the very start instead of using ready-to-use libraries.

It is much more productive as compared to the native design and so the cost will be more than the native design, but at the same time, custom design is recognized as too tricky.

With custom design, you can ensure branding as the app design and cost will greatly reflect the vision and mission of your organization. Customization can be a healthy representation of your business profile.

Almost every app on smartphones these days makes use of a custom design. Because a customized design can bring great results if you do everything perfectly.

But, there’s also an alternative to custom design, that is, Native design.

• Native Design

Native design simply means platform-specific design guidelines and placements.

For example, iOS, Android, and other mobile devices always have a “Go Back” button on the top left corner of the mobile screen as they follow the same set of criteria.

Thus, with native design, there will be fewer application design costs in comparison to the custom one. However, this also means that there will be minimum experimentation and limited design solutions.

Native designs ensure quick development, as by using templates a lot of time and cost are saved. In addition to this, the native designs are easy to implement as they all work with overfamiliar systems. Therefore, the total mobile app design cost is also less.

App Complexity

In relation to design, the complexity of the application is another crucial feature. Let’s breakdown the complexity feature:

• Number of roles

The very first thing you will have to decide is the roles of your team members. Depending on the number of features you want to incorporate into your app, more UI and UX designers will be required. 

For an average project, you might need a project manager and a specialist who will be responsible for tasks like- designing a user’s persona, creating app wireframes, working on application prototypes, developing in-built app interfaces, and making changes after testing and after feedback.

• Number of screens

There are many basic screens that an application includes. For example, an average app will have- a home screen,  onboarding screen, login screens, screens with all the icons, menu screens, and many other screens.

So, for designing an application with various screens and animations, the cost will probably be higher than the average cost. 

• Number of features

On the basis of a number of features, the application design cost will depend on several factors like:

• The platform of the application development process.
• Type of the app and product.
• Implementation of technologies like AR, VR, AI, and ML.
• Adding other unique elements, like specific cohorts of end-users.

Based on all these factors, you will get an estimation of the number of hours needed to design an application.

In the end, your choice of the service provider will impact the overall app design cost.

The Type Of Team

Now, the most important question is, who will design your application? Are you deciding to hire a local agency, a freelancer, an in-house team, or outsource?

Let’s see what to contemplate from all types of teams:

• In-House team

In-house developers are the people who work at the company itself. This type of association has its own advantages and disadvantages.

First, it is easy to control the activities of the in-house team. The in-house team will be more dedicated and involved in the tasks as they will be more likely to understand the brand value and brand philosophy. Plus, the performance will be high as the app programmers will solely work on one project.

The disadvantages that one can face are that in-house employees will be restricted to only projects, so they can burn out. And hiring an in-house team will cost more than hiring development service providers and freelancers.

Thus, hiring an in-house team can be cost-consuming as there will be a lot of additional work.

The alternative option besides this is hiring a development agency.

• App development agency

Hiring a design agency means hiring a team within your domestic area. Let’s see the significant pros and cons of mobile app design costs by a local app development agency.

The app development agency will understand your targeted audience. They will provide you with communication and speedy updates. Plus the team can make use of local resources, brand ideas, and reciprocity. The disadvantages that it includes are you will not have the authority to change the personnel of the team, and the cost can be higher depending on the location.

By now, we have acquired a good knowledge of factors that influence the mobile app design cost. Based on app complexity and features, the app design cost can vary from $5,000 to $100,000.

For simple app designing, the approximate cost will range from $10,000 to $30,000. For an average app project, the price may vary from $25,000 to $75,000, and for complex applications, the app design cost will start at $100,000.

Final Thoughts

Mobile app design cost in India is less than in other parts of the world. In spite of this, there is a fierce hunt to locate more efficient ways to lower the development cost. Since the application development market is outstretched to small businesses and startups, these cost reduction estimates are becoming more and more important.

Above all that, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, several app developers have relocated and have started working remotely, this also has a significant impact on total mobile app design cost.

As you can see, app designing and development is not an easy task. But, if you have an idea for an app and you are thinking of developing your own mobile application, we can surely help you.

Contact us to get a quote on app design and development.

For more information about Cost To Design An App, read our blog here.