Native vs. Hybrid vs. Cross-Platform: Which is best?

Building an app presents incredible opportunities, and that’s not just for tech disruptors. You can sell your product, grow your business, delight and engage customers, and even transform your customers’ experience. It's all possible with the right app development partner. But finding that partner means asking the right questions at the forefront—questions like the following.   Questions on Developer Capabilities Before diving into the specifics of your project, it’s crucial to understand the overall capabilities and expertise of your potential app development partner. The following questions will help you gauge these critical aspects. What technologies do you use and why? This question helps you understand how the development company thinks. Worry less about the specific technology they use and more about whether the development company can clearly articulate their reason for using it and the benefits to you and your product. Unless you are already a technology pro, choose a partner based on their expertise. Let them use tools they know to get great results. Have you done anything similar to what I’m asking you to do? You don’t need an exact match or even a company that has developed a similar app. Still, your potential development partner should be able to draw parallels to their relevant work. Shared connection points, whether on the industry, product, or technical level, will increase the likelihood of your project’s success. What are the riskiest parts of my project? Asking your app development partner this question will give you insight into your project and its areas of expertise. To know whether it’s worth continuing down the development path, consider risks early on to develop a plan. The riskiest parts are those that will likely make or break the product. How do you approach integrating AI and other emerging technologies into app development? This question helps you understand the development company’s experience with AI and other emerging technologies and their commitment to staying current in these rapidly evolving fields. A competent partner should be able to explain their approach to integrating new technologies. Look for a partner who can articulate the potential benefits and challenges of implementing AI and other new technologies in your project. They should demonstrate a balanced approach that leverages innovation while ensuring practical, user-focused solutions.   Questions on Digital Product Strategy & Design A great app is more than just code—it’s a solution to a problem or a means to achieve a business goal. These questions will help you understand how your potential partner approaches the strategic aspects of app development. How do you approach digital product strategy and planning? A strong app development partner should have a clear process for supporting digital product strategy. This process might include market research, user persona development, and competitive analysis. Understanding their approach will help you gauge how thoroughly they consider your app’s broader context. What is your UI/UX design strategy? Look for a development partner who integrates UI/UX design throughout the entire app development process, not just as an afterthought. A competent partner will explain how their UI/UX process helps transform your ideas into user experiences that are both functional and visually appealing. How do you ensure that the app’s design aligns with user needs and business goals? An effective app development partner should systematically align design with user needs and business goals. They should conduct in-depth discussions to understand your product vision and objectives. Ask about their methods for gathering user insights, such as interviews, surveys, or usability testing. A strong partner will incorporate user feedback throughout the development process. How do you handle post-launch strategy and ongoing improvements? App development doesn’t end at launch. Ask about their approach to gathering user feedback, analyzing app performance, and planning for future updates and feature additions. A good partner will have a clear strategy for maintaining and evolving the app over time. How do you ensure long-term relevance and competitiveness? With technology evolving rapidly, it’s important to understand how a potential partner stays current and evaluates new technologies for inclusion in their digital product strategies. Look for a partner who demonstrates a thoughtful, strategic approach to technology adoption, rather than simply chasing the latest trends. They should be able to provide examples of how they’ve successfully incorporated new technologies into past projects to drive long-term value and competitiveness.   Questions on Process & Communication The success of your project often hinges on smooth collaboration and clear communication. These questions will help you understand how the development team operates and how they’ll keep you informed and involved throughout the process. Do you outsource or offshore any part of your development process? Most app development projects loosely break into several stages: discovery, design, development and testing, and deployment. Some companies choose to outsource one or more parts of this process. Seek to understand how the company will work with outside contractors, if at all. Offshoring may offer reduced hourly rates, but consider other factors. Offshoring typically requires extra project management effort. Cultural differences can introduce risk to the project. Less cohesion and familiarity among team members can increase the total time required. Do these trade-offs decrease the price? Who will be my main point of contact once the project kicks off? Multiple people will probably be involved in building your app, but you don’t want to have to navigate who the right contact is for what. There are also times when it’s more efficient to go right to the source when discussing technical or design challenges. Make sure you can talk with developers and designers as needed, but that there is a project manager keeping tabs on your project—and who is your first point of contact for any needs. How will we communicate during the app development process? Numerous ways to interact remotely include phone calls, video conferences, screen sharing, and collaborative online workspaces. The best app development partners take advantage of all these options, creating a virtual environment that’s as interactive and productive as in-person collaboration. Ideally, your app development partner provides seamless interaction, whether you are working through complex issues or getting answers to quick questions. Electronic communication is equally essential for project management and knowledge capture. Many developers use tools such as GitHub, ZenHub, Asana, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or others to track project progress and facilitate team communication. These tools help ensure the project stays on track and team members remain aligned, regardless of their physical location. You might already have such a tool in place, and your potential app development partner should be on board with using it or integrating it with their existing systems to streamline project management and communication. Look for a partner with a proven track record of successful collaboration who can clearly articulate their approach to maintaining strong communication in a distributed work environment. How will I receive status updates, and how often? The answer to this question should consider your personal preference. You want to ensure the frequency of status updates is compatible with your desire to receive them. As noted above, there are numerous ways for you to stay connected, and your chosen app development partner should be willing to adapt to your needs. How involved will I be in the project? When do I get to provide input? Big reveals make for good television on home renovation shows, but it’s not how you want to receive your product. It’s best to monitor your software throughout the project’s life, so you can make course corrections as needed. The best app development shops work with agile methodologies, simultaneously building and testing small code sections. Expect to interact with the app early in the process and as your developer adds each piece of functionality. Furthermore, you are likely the subject matter expert for your product, and your partner ought to rely on you for knowledge of your industry and customer. Your feedback, including help with testing the app during development, ensures that the best product is delivered. What if my priorities or scope change during the project? Successful software projects are rarely defined completely and then built to that definition. You want a software development partner who can adapt to your needs. Ideally, your developer will provide you with a central point of contact throughout the project and expect things to shift while allowing flexibility to meet your changing priorities and timelines.   Questions on Financials & Legalities Understanding your project’s financial and legal aspects is crucial for avoiding surprises and ensuring a smooth development process. These questions will help clarify your app’s cost structure and ownership details of your digital product. How much will my project cost? You want to be able to plan your time and budget for the length of the project. Ensure your development partner provides a written estimate so you can expressly agree on the expectations. Beyond the total cost, it’s essential to understand the pricing structure. The most common options are an hourly rate or a fixed cost, plus maintenance and support. Hourly Rates: With hourly pricing, the developer charges a rate for each hour worked and tracks the amount of time spent on your project. In the proposal, the development company estimates how many hours they believe the project will take but will charge you for every hour worked, whether that total time is below or above the approximation. Fixed Cost: In a fixed-price project, the developer will provide you with the project’s total cost and (hopefully) stick with that number. When work above and beyond the original scope is necessary, the developer should tell you how much extra work will cost before moving ahead. Maintenance & Support: Ongoing work after the app launches is almost always required to acquire new users and keep current users engaged. This type of work ranges from bug fixes (there will always be bugs!) to testing updated operating system releases and adding new functionality to the app. It’s worth understanding upfront how your partner would recommend structuring a maintenance and support program and the associated fee structure. Who will own the app? As the customer, you should own the finished product. Find the Right App Developer for Your Project For the success of your project, take the time to find the right developer—one who: Has the expertise and strategic insights to help you deliver the app you want to build. Focuses on real user needs, tangible results, and effective communication. Has the proper cost structure for you. Use these questions and considerations to help you learn more about potential app development partners before you choose.  For more resources, consider reading our free book, InspiringApps: A Business Perspective on Building Mobile Apps, to gain a foundational understanding of the business and technical considerations involved in building an app. And, if you’re curious about how InspiringApps would respond to questions like the ones we’ve just shared, find our answers in Your Journey With InspiringApps.

Are you an entrepreneur leading a startup with a new business idea? Or a CEO looking to increase enterprise productivity with a mobile app idea? In either case, a top concern is the cost of app development.  Mobile apps are integral to everyday life. We can monitor health data, track finances, and show the weather by tapping a few buttons. Behind the scenes, though, the complexity of the code varies. Mobile app development costs reflect that.  In the sections that follow, we explain: Factors that influence the cost of developing a mobile application. Functionality and app features are heavy influencers on application development costs. But other factors like the development platforms, intended audience, and server and integration requirements need to be considered to determine the overall cost.  App development cost breakdown. App development costs begin at around $25,000 for a simple standalone app. Development costs increase to over $1 million for a complex app with numerous integrations and new features. We’ll break down the average costs by app type. Tips to protect your app development budget. Downloading a new app might set you back a few bucks. But this seemingly cheap accessibility can mask hidden costs. We want to bring those to light so you can develop your app on time and within budget. Factors That Influence the Cost of Designing a Mobile Application What determines the ballpark cost of building an app? Before digging into app development cost ranges, let’s review these factors. App Features & Complexity It makes sense that the more basic the app is, the lower the cost. Expenses start rising with additional functionality and app features that lengthen the app development process.  Logins, push notifications, payment processing, and rating functions all raise costs. Even though apps may use some similar features, the cost can vary based on the app’s complexity. A complex feature set:  Requires additional upfront work to understand user experience needs.  Increases complexity in UX design.  Takes additional time to code during the development process. Requires additional quality assurance tests. Development Platforms Simply put, more platforms mean higher mobile app development costs. Even with cross-platform development tools, Apple and Google apps will have unique requirements that require specialized development. Selecting an iOS app, an Android app, or a cross-platform app is a decision you shouldn’t base on cost alone. However, the cost will vary based on platform type. Android and iOS app development tools are more similar than ever. Still, Android apps are generally more expensive to create than iOS apps are for iPhones. If you opt for Android, an increase in app development cost of 20% to 25% isn’t out of the question. This increase is primarily due to ongoing changes in operating system versions and device form factors. Target Audience Consumer applications are developed for anyone who interacts with the application, regardless of their identity or organizational affiliation. In contrast, enterprise applications are tailored to meet the needs of individuals in a specific business or industry, who require specific functionalities to accomplish their tasks. The cost of developing an application may vary depending on the target audience. Consumer Apps A consumer app built for the general public must stand on its own more than an enterprise app. Consumer apps require users to download and use them without much guidance. They need extra care to develop an intuitive and polished user interface during app design. Consumer app creators should consider what it’ll take to market the app after building it and make sure they are preparing and allocating a budget for that as part of their costs. Enterprise Apps Internally oriented apps should also be high quality and easy to use. Still, in contrast to consumer apps, with enterprise apps, there are opportunities to help train and guide users directly. Apps that require fewer onboarding features have lower related development costs. They’re also less expensive because they have a less complicated UX design. Server & Integration Requirements Developing a mobile app requires careful consideration of server and integration requirements, which play a vital role in determining the app’s success. It takes a blend of technology, creativity, and collaboration to bring your vision to life, and development costs extend beyond coding hours.  Backend Servers Standalone apps either require no backend server or can function without network connectivity. The moment a backend server comes into play, a world of possibilities opens up. However, when a backend server is involved, you must consider its configuration, ongoing hosting, and maintenance. Seamless backend integration is essential to achieving scalability. While some standalone apps can operate independently, exchanging data with a backend server requires additional software development work and careful consideration of cost. API Data Flows Integrating application programming interfaces (APIs) is a vital step in enhancing the user experience by ensuring seamless data flow between the app and the backend server. For example, consider a weather app that not only displays forecasts but also integrates live data from weather services. This integration creatively enriches the app’s offerings, making it more valuable to users. However, providing data to apps requires its own set of coding using APIs. The ability to exchange data with the server requires additional software development work, requiring a higher level of investment. Third-Party Services Integrating various platforms and third-party services can significantly enrich your app’s functionality and user engagement. It’s important to acknowledge that such integrations come with their own cost implications, requiring their share of development effort. Team Collaboration Team integration is also a crucial factor that can impact development costs. While an in-house backend team may seem cost-effective, the facilitation required, and the complexity of integration could lead to an increase in overall cost. Remember, the cost of mobile app development goes beyond just the hours spent typing away at the keyboard. It’s about orchestrating a blend of technology, teamwork, and expertise to turn your vision into a tangible, impactful reality. App Development Cost Breakdown Our framework for estimating app development prices is based on the type of app. Standalone, basic apps are in the bottom cost bracket of mobile application development. Social media and ecommerce apps usually hit the middle of the average cost range. The most expensive apps pair with physical objects or enable control and interactions with remote objects. Cost To Develop an App With Zero or Limited Network Connectivity Standalone, simple apps do not access a server, require no authentication to work, and have a limited need for a network connection. This category includes apps with basic features like clocks, calculators, and weather apps.  Typical Cost Range per Platform: $25,000 to $50,000 Cost To Develop an App With User Authentication Most apps today require user authentication. This category includes apps that help with more complex tasks like managing a household, tracking fitness data, monitoring stock portfolios, or curating a wine list. User authentication implies user profiles or accounts. It means there will be a need for data storage to store and protect personal data and the ability to sync across devices or interact with data in other ways. Average costs rise because of these features. Typical Cost Range per Platform: $50,000 to $250,000 Cost To Develop a Social Networking or Ecommerce App Many apps include social features. At a minimum, social networking apps offer basic functionality. Features include user authentication, friend networks, and messaging. Social networking apps also interact with other users’ data, for example, through likes and comments. Apps in this category are prevalent. Many are heavily used—Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok, to name a few. Ecommerce apps have social features, too. For example, the app may enable you to like or share a favored product. Ecommerce apps also require payment gateways and the ability to access a product database. For some of these functions, developers can use off-the-shelf platforms. The more customization each function requires, the more design, development time, and thus costs incurred. As a result, there’s quite a bit of cost variability.  Typical Cost Range per Platform: $75,000 to $800,000 Cost To Develop an App That Connects to a Smart Device Smart apps are considered part of a technology category called the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s a fancy name to convey the idea that the app communicates with objects in the real world. Objects include everything from garage door openers to thermostats to wheelchairs. This category has the highest upper-end cost. However, these apps don’t necessarily have complex features. They may just need low-level interaction with the firmware that controls the hardware. Those that are more feature-laden can drive costs up significantly.  Typical Cost Range per Platform: $50,000 to $1,000,000 Tips To Protect Your App Development Budget Hidden costs can impact your app development budget. To protect your app development project from scope creep, consider these questions: Do you need a cross-platform app? Unless your app is extremely simple, if you plan to make it available on multiple platforms, we still encourage you to build each native app sequentially—one platform after the other. Apps go through several iterations before they offer the desired user experience. And trying to manage learnings from those iterations across two platforms is cumbersome.  Instead, you can apply feedback and refinements from the first platform to speed development on the next—saving time and money. This approach enables you to efficiently apply learnings from your customers. It might be a good idea to focus on developing one platform first, release it, and then move on to the next phase. Stacy Griffin, Director of Operations at InspiringApps, notes, for example, “Let‘s say we do iOS and then have Android follow where we‘ve already learned everything we need to learn on one platform and then come in with the next platform if that‘s possible.” However, this approach may not always be feasible depending on the client’s requirements.  Do you need a clickable prototype? A clickable prototype is a design or wireframe with hot buttons that allow users to tap and advance through the screens. It emulates a functioning app to the user. Users can take your app for a test drive without having to build a fully functional car. The clickable prototype is an excellent tool for testing UI and UX. However, it’s challenging to introduce different workflows in the app using clickable prototypes, especially outside of the “happy path”—the default scenario with no exceptional or error conditions. Just because users love the prototype, it doesn’t mean they’ll love the app. Experimenting with clickable prototypes can be helpful, but they aren’t quite the same as using the app. The level of engagement is different. Nonetheless, clickable prototypes are still valuable, cost-effective tools. However, just because users love the prototype, it doesn’t guarantee that they’ll love the app. Most of InspiringApps’ customers act as product owners. In agile terms, that means you have a clear understanding of your users. At the same time, that level of understanding can vary. Sometimes, the app is a personal mission and hasn’t been tested in the wild. In this case, the MVP can aid in testing and refining the app. How will you market and maintain your app? App development costs reflect just that—creating the app. Once built, ongoing app maintenance costs and enhancements and optimization are almost always required. You’ll also need to market your app to your target audience on Google Play or the App Store and respond to user feedback. We encourage you to learn about mobile app marketing and user retention before you begin the development stage if you’re unfamiliar with these concepts. What do you need from your developer? An individual or small developer shop can do stellar coding work. However, outsourcing your project to a larger app development company may offer additional services you need to succeed. These development services range from UX design and specialized Java or other programming language skills to mobile app strategy, project management, and marketing expertise. A higher price tag might be more than worth it to gain assistance from an experienced app development team in areas critical to market success. Experienced developers are more efficient and can avoid problems upfront, which saves time and money in the long run. According to InspiringApps CEO, Brad Weber, “There is a significant difference—more than people imagine—in the quality, throughput, and efficiency of an experienced developer over somebody who is new. An experienced developer knows the problems to avoid upfront. It may feel like it‘s more expensive in the beginning, but if an experienced team or experienced developer is able to lead you down the right path so that you‘re not having to redo work—that’s something that, in my experience, really saves in the long run.” What does your developer need from you? AVAILABILITY. Availability is the most crucial factor in a successful client-developer relationship. If a client is available to discuss and work through their requirements, it helps the developers create a better product, faster. Both sides being very available for each other makes for a much better product in the end. COMMUNICATION. Transparent communication, collaboration, and support between both parties are also vital to the success of the project. It’s essential for a client to speak up if something doesn’t feel right. Waiting until the end to voice concerns often results in a subpar product. CLARITY & CONSISTENCY. It’s also important for the client to maintain a consistent vision throughout the project. Switching gears too often can hinder progress and lead to delays. Having clear requirements and spending time upfront to refine them can save time and resources in the long run.  What is your developer’s pricing strategy? A freelancer’s cost structure differs from that of a large mobile app development company. Common pricing structures include: Hourly Rates: With hourly pricing, the development agency charges a rate for each hour worked. The developer tracks the number of hours spent on your project. They estimate how many hours they believe the project will take in a proposal or statement of work. But they charge for every hour worked, whether that total time is below or above the approximation, in the final cost. Fixed Cost: In a fixed-price project, the developer will provide you with the project’s total cost and (hopefully) stick with that number. When work above and beyond the original scope is necessary, the developer should tell you how much extra work will cost before moving ahead. ONSHORE VS. OFFSHORE Many potential customers talk to offshore companies or developers to cut costs. However, using a less experienced team or one that faces logistical issues doesn’t always result in lower costs. In fact, there have been instances where we bid much lower than offshore companies because we build faster, even though our hourly rate may be higher. When people ask about rates, there are more things to consider than just the numbers. What is your budget? It’s easy to get sidetracked and lose focus on what you really want to achieve when building an app. Sometimes, you might end up focusing on minor details that don’t add much value or prioritizing the wrong things. To avoid this, it’s crucial to define a realistic budget. We work closely with our clients to help them come up with a budget that makes sense for their needs. We have several options that can help them meet their goals without compromising on quality.  While some software development companies offer app cost calculators, we believe that app development cost estimation is a complex process that requires a more personalized approach. By talking to our clients and understanding their needs, we can provide a more accurate projection of the app development cost. Can we use an iterative approach? When building a complex app with numerous features and intricate design, the cost can increase significantly. To mitigate this, it’s common to start with the core use cases and focus on solving the main issues first. This allows for early user feedback that can drive the app’s direction. Sometimes, the design team may want to build out every component, but it’s important to scale back and think about things in smaller chunks.  Agile methodology has been instrumental in moving away from waterfall development, where everything is designed upfront. Clients want to know the cost of their full vision, but an iterative approach allows us to build something early and incrementally, while still meeting their needs. Are any guarantees offered? You want to be able to plan your time and budget for the project’s length. Ensure the app development company provides a written app development cost estimate to agree on the expectations. It happens more often than you think—you’re midstream in the mobile app development process, and the project stalls. For that reason, we offer a specific guarantee: finish line, every time, and every project. Concluding Thoughts: The Cost To Develop Your App App development costs are a significant investment. But that investment is usually worth it. Millions of people use their mobile devices daily. There’s enormous potential for mobile app monetization (whether you’re using a freemium or app purchase model). In the case of enterprise apps, business productivity provides ROI. Eager for a quote? Book a free consultation.