It is important to understand that the sea of all apps out there is divided into two broad halves where on the one shore are personalized applications made to cater unique needs of various kinds, and on the other are template digital solutions, like Google Sheets. While undoubtedly a simpler and less resource-consuming option, ready-made IT solutions offer little space to creative and personalized approach to user experience. And today, any business willing to keep competitive advantage in a chosen niche needs to put the user-friendliness of their services as high as the room.
The best software to cope with the task is custom mobile applications. In this article we are gonna discuss what types of custom apps are there, review cost and peculiarities of their development, and consider benefits and drawbacks of going for bespoke software.
Pros of custom apps
The custom application development market is rapidly expanding nowadays. The investments are coming, and experts predict its growth to $1039.89 by 2027. Let’s find out what benefits custom apps have that make them so attractive for the world business.
- High Usability. Bespoke apps allow you to explore the market to get users’ feedback, and then adjust your app to their preferences. Additionally, the ability to customize the app enables you to realize a personalized and creative approach towards user experience by leveraging advances of the wide tech stack offered by custom apps.
- Features flexibility and connectivity. While a business is constantly changing to stay competitive, custom apps are essential for the long-term perspective. Custom-made soft solutions address changes through robust scalability and connectivity with different systems. programming languages and frameworks, hence always proving you a freedom for technical maneuver.
- Unique Design. Both UI and UX design play a decisive role in customer conversation rates forming as they determine the customer journey clarity and convenience. Additionally, it’s important to address people with different needs, custom apps with as wide as horizon design capacities come to rescue here as well.
- Data Safety. Custom apps offer a wide range of security measures (starting from two-factor authentication and ending with blockchain).
- Maintenance. Custom apps also help face challenges of time as they enable ongoing support and maintenance after release. In contrast, with off-the-shelf apps you have to depend on the server owner with the app’s support, which does not contribute to stability.
The app development market growth
Types of custom apps
Now, let’s find out what types of apps exist out there.
Native apps
These apps are created for one specific operating system, IOS or Android, and are applied in the mobile space exclusively. If you would like to go for both platforms, you will need to create several apps to address each platform separately.
Cross-platform apps
These are the apps that can only be created once on a cross-platform, such as Flutter, but be accepted by both IOS and Android, along with the ability to function as a desktop app. Cross-platform apps is the most cost-effective option as it allows to save costs and achieve the goal at a quicker rate.
Web Progressive Apps
Also known as PWA, these apps can function as responsive versions of websites. They can also be used from mobile devices when downloaded through mobile browsers. PWAs unique value has its roots in its ability to assist their users without permanent access to the Internet.
Hybrid apps
This is a combination of a native and web app in the sense that hybrid apps function like websites but run from within the app. They use mixed languages just like cross-platform apps but differ from them in the frameworks used.
Steps of development
Regardless of the app’s type, the process of its development includes some traditional elements and is normally divided into the following steps.
- Market research. This is a ground zero of any app’s development. At this stage market research happens to understand whether an app’s unique proposition will be of any value for the chosen niche audience.
- Feasibility study. Here you are supposed to choose a technical stack for your app and assess its feasibility, i.e. if they meet your goals. Another crucial step is deciding on the app’s type: is it going to be a cross-platform app fitting multiple platforms or a row of native apps one for each program?
- Prototype building. This stage implies wireframes of the app with its main functionality being produced repeatedly to understand user reaction and adjust the full-fledged app’s features and design to this feedback.
- Design and brand strategy. UI/UX designers create a series of mockups containing different design elements of your app, identifying their hierarchy and utility. Besides, branding strategy is chosen at this step so that design would comply with its requirements.
- Coming up with security models. Security is essential for both your app’s solid operation and long-term relationships with customers. Possible security measures include but are not limited to multi-factor authentication, SSL protocol, or maybe relying on blockchain (for example, building a Decentralized application based on a smart contract).
- App development and testing. Now it’s time to actually write the code and integrate an analytics engine into a full-fledged app based on the previous wireframes running. In parallel to the development, testing works must take place to effectively prevent any bugs occuring.
- Deployment. Finally! The app is ready to be launched to the App store, Play store, and every other kind of store existing out there. Additionally, after a successful app’s release it is crucial to ensure its permanent maintenance and support.
Custom App development Cost
Now as we have discussed the types of apps that are out there, their advantages and developmental peculiarities, it’s time to consider the actual cost of it. It’s worth mentioning in advance that custom app’s development is a rather costly affair. The price of any app depends on the platform, features, design, third parties, and developer rates. The average cost of outsource mobile app development ranges from $30 to $50 K. depending on the project’s complexity.
Time span that has to be spent to develop a custom app, for example, a cross-platform app, is also not a walk in the park. Specifically, it takes about 300 hours of work on Flutter and about 200 hours on the backend. This development time is divided into smaller iterations called sprints. Development of an average custom app consists of 5-6 sprints. Besides, you have to keep in mind that the development team is not limited by front-end and back-end developers. You need specialists for UI/UX designer, PM, BA, QA, DevOps engineer, and a Team Lead.
Development hourly rates by regions
According to the research conducted in terms within the article, outsourced mobile app development is the best option when hiring the custom app development team as it allows you to choose a specialist regardless of their location considering only the price and general compatibility. Additionally, hourly rates vary depending on the region. The article analyzes hourly rates in different regions of the world where the starting rate begins with $80 in North America and ends with $20 in India and Indonesia. If you’re looking for the golden medium of price and quality Western and Central Europe with an average cost of $50 per hour would be an optimal location to search for an experienced vendor.
Despite being a resource-consuming option, custom applications are becoming a default part of any growing business. Their popularity is explained by the capacity to meet requirements of various scale and tone along with permanent ability to evolve together with your business and for it.
Author’s bio:
Yuliya Melnik is a technical writer at Cleveroad. It is a web and mobile app development company in Ukraine. She is passionate about innovative technologies that make the world a better place and loves creating content that evokes vivid emotions.
