Businesses need to keep up with trends, and business apps are one of the best ways to reach out to your audience. However, research suggests that app owners can severely underestimate just how much these programs can cost to run.
In business, failing to calculate the full costs of an investment can be a serious mistake, and not understanding the total expense of a company app can be a serious mistake. In order to help you take more control of your apps, here are a few of the basics you need to evaluate the cost of an app.
Expecting a Price
The app industry is in a position where it should be easy enough to work out exactly what the costs of each app should be. Working out what you should expect the app to cost before going into further detail can help you to spot any serious errors in calculating your costs. The average app should cost between £5,000 and £150,000. This is a broad estimate, and the cost of the app will be affected mostly by what it is being designed to do.
Functions
You need to be clear about what your app will be expected to do once your viewers click on it. So for example, the app may need to be able to:
- Run offline
- Log in users/authenticate users
- Use a microphone
- Pinpoint locations
- Search
- Link to a shopping basket
- Take and save images
The greater the number of these functions your business app has, the more expensive it will be.
Supporting Technology
An important factor when calculating the cost of the app is your current software and technology. Apps need to be able to talk to your software, since they rarely stand as an island, separated from your network. Is your app able to connect to a database easily, for example? Investing in new technology will greatly increase the cost of the software.
User Platforms
Apps need to be programmed to link with user platforms such as Android and iOS. If apps are only designed for one platform, they are likely to be able to use more functions at a lower price.
Alternatively, if you get most of your content from the internet, this makes a cross-platform app more suitable. If you want to link your app to all three platforms, then you can save money by using a company that links code with these three systems. However, you should recall that there will be app guidelines that you have to conform to, and this can mean that some coding will have to be written specifically for one platform.
Deciding which the best is will be essential to ensure that you can get the most from the app.
Short Deadlines
If you want your app built and ready for use in a short time-frame, then you can expect to pay more for that service. If you want a good, cohesive app that works well, then you need to consider a company that won’t rush projects, but also won’t go too slowly, either.
About the Author
Karen Harding is the marketing manager at Objective IT, one of the South East’s leading web and software development companies. If you wish to learn more about how apps can improve your business, call Objective IT today.
Photo credit: Ivan Dervisevic
