Since the pandemic began in 2019, business operations have gradually experienced changes of different sizes. One of the most obvious changes is the role of business websites and mobile channels. Some businesses develop their own mobile apps to promote products. Compared with websites, app development clearly has higher research and development cost. It requires experienced programmers, and the complexity of app functions plus Hong Kong salary levels all add to development cost.
People new to the mobile app development market may wrongly assume that building an app is cheap and hope to launch one as the start of a business. This is the wrong mindset. In reality, mobile app research and development cost is much higher than website development. It includes logic flow planning, programming, repeated testing, bug fixing, and approval procedures for App Store and Google Play launch, all of which require time and manpower. If you are considering building an app for your business, first set a budget and be mentally prepared.
Below we analyze several mobile app development costs and explain why app prices can be high.
1. App development cost and time
Mobile app development cost can range from around HKD 50,000 to HKD 500,000. If it is a mobile game, it may generally cost more than HKD 1 million and take a year. Depending on app functions, client requirements, and user interface design, development cost and time vary. On average, development takes about 3 to 8 months or more and costs around HKD 150,000 to HKD 200,000.
Mobile apps often use a web-based admin panel to view, manage, export, and amend fixed content, such as membership information, app content, or banner images. If functions such as video and audio streaming, forums, scoring, securities trading, system integration, or eShop functionality are needed, costs rise further and development may take 8 to 12 months or more.
2. Mobile app types: iOS and Android platforms
iOS and Android are the two main smartphone systems. Before developing an app, you need to consider the type of users your app serves. If the target audience is the general public and there are no special requirements, app development companies often build apps that can run on both platforms, using technologies such as React Native, to cover more users. Developing for both iOS and Android can sometimes be slightly cheaper than building separately for only one platform.
If the client requires a Native App based on the native code of iOS or Android, development cost rises because development time can be around twice that of a React-based approach. In many normal cases, apps developed with React already support basic functions, run smoothly on both systems, shorten development time, and lower cost.
For internal company apps, such as production or delivery tracking apps that require mostly basic functions, it may be better to develop only an Android app. Since it is for internal use, app store launch may not be necessary, and development time, cost, and approval time can all be reduced.
3. Labour cost and app development price
Labour is the main component of app development cost. Companies generally use man-days to calculate project pricing. The price of a man-day depends on team size, programmer experience, qualifications, and other factors, and usually ranges from HKD 4,000 to HKD 8,000.
A complete development team includes several roles: project manager for resources, time management, and communication; technical director for leading programmers; front-end developer for the app or website interface; back-end developer for the admin panel and content management system; UX/UI designer for user experience and interface design; and testing staff for quality assurance, repair suggestions, and testing processes.
Of course, there is more to app development cost than the items above. We will introduce the remaining five necessary costs of app development soon.
Translation supported by AI.