The first thing that comes to mind when considering an app development budget is the expense to pay the software development team. Nevertheless, coding is just one item on the list.
Plenty of other expenditures come along. If they are not included in the budget beforehand, they may impede your smooth production process. We have listed the top 7, so you will be well-prepared and not have to worry later about coming up with funds for these extra expenses.
Multiplatform support
There are two kinds of people: those who use Android, and the others who use iOS. It sounds like a joke, but there is some truth to it.
If you want to cover both of these groups in order to enlarge the number of potential users, you will need to develop two versions of your app. And of course, even though it is the same application, the costs will be double. Moreover, the version for smartphones is insufficient if you want to make your service available on tablets or desktops as well.
In this case, you may want to narrow your focus to a certain platform and device type initially, then gradually broaden it as your “treasury” gets replenished or use hybrid cross-platform solutions. It costs less to create them than separate versions, but they may not perform as well as the native ones.
Service integration
In certain cases, a mobile app on its own has limited value. For example, imagine an online shopping application with nothing available to order or enterprise software without access to CRM – not very useful, right?
To fix this, apps should be connected to third-party services, such as payment platforms or databases, and this can cost money as well. Some may require a monthly subscription fee or, in case of payment platforms, put a surcharge on the transactions.
In order words, you should check carefully which services you are going to integrate and either include their costs in the budget or stick to the free ones.
Infrastructure components
Basically, every app collects data from the user and/or provides/returns data to the user. The processing and storage of this data is another huge component in app development process. This interaction between client and server should be planned beforehand, as it determines the architecture of the app. It requires well-formulated specifications of the way data is stored in tables, how queries are structured, and what is the most frequently used data.
Testing
What follows the development phase? No, not the release, but rather testing. All those tiny bugs that might have annoyed your users should be eliminated at this stage. And the better you do so, the higher the quality of your app and, eventually, the higher your profit.
And don’t forget that if you are developing the app for different OS or devices, all versions should be tested separately.
Marketing
Although people recognize word of mouth as the best marketing tool, you may initially have a hard time succeeding without paid promotion. While working on acquiring organic traffic, you can supplement it with targeted advertising in social media, email marketing, SEO (search engine optimization) and ASO (app store optimization) etc.
Whether you will be using an in-house marketing team or outsourcing the service, there are still fees to use the ad platforms and staff remuneration to be paid, so keep that in mind from the very beginning.
Check out a related article:
Native vs. Cross-platform – What App Will Work Best for Your Business?
Maintenance
Even after the release, there will be costs associated with the app. In time, it will require updates, fixes and improvements.
To keep it compatible with new devices and OS versions, you will need ongoing updates. And in order to decide which changes to make, you will have to keep monitoring the way your app functions. This can be done via special monitoring platforms, which can be costly, but will pay for themselves as they help you avoid major crashes.
Emergencies
Speaking of crashes, there is no way to protect an app completely against emergencies that will require unexpected funds. Therefore, just to be on the safe side we would recommend setting aside a certain amount of funds for troubleshooting. This will help fix the flaw faster without first needing to spend time and energy looking for resources.
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The services listed in this article are the most important, but this list is not exhaustive. We completely understand if you still have many questions. If you would prefer not to deal with the risk of overlooking something, you are welcome to contact us for a consultation, and we will help you perform a detailed cost and talent assessment for your mobile application development needs.
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