What is Cross-platform Mobile App Development & How Much Does it Cost?
In today’s digital world, mobile apps have become a crucial part of every place, whether it’s for eCommerce, social networking, productivity, or entertainment. Every business today is looking for a way to develop apps so that they can deliver comprehensive digital solutions faster. That is where cross-platform mobile development steps in. It’s a unique process that allows you to make apps for multiple platforms efficiently. In this blog, we will explore every aspect of cross platform application development & how much does it cost? Let’s get started.
Understanding Cross-platform Development
Cross-platform application development is a process of making mobile apps that run perfectly on different operating systems like iOS, Android, etc. This is an excellent approach that eliminates overall development cost and time significantly, as you don’t have to make unique codebases for every single platform.
Developing cross platform applications is a cost-effective and efficient choice for businesses who want to publish their apps faster to the market. When embarking on cross-platform application development, it's crucial to streamline the process further by ensuring effective collaboration between development and operations teams. To achieve this, businesses often opt to hire DevOps developers who specialize in enhancing the collaboration and efficiency of the development and deployment pipeline.
Perks of Cross-platform App Development
Cross-platform app development blends the fastest delivery of apps at the lowest price for different operating systems. Some of the prime benefits of cross-platform software and applications include:
Fast development speed: Cross-platform frameworks help in faster app development cycles. With these platforms, you can update and implement new features more quickly. This helps businesses stay on top of the dynamic app market.
1. Cost-effectiveness:
With the help of a single codebase, you can save overall cost, time & resources for development. As a smart investment, cross-platform development allows you to eliminate unwanted expenses during the development process.
2. Better Audience Reach:
With cross-platform app development, your application efficiently targets iOS & Android users. This significantly expands your user base and takes the visibility of your application to new heights.
3. Quick Maintenance:
Managing and modifying a single codebase is easier than maintaining separate codebases for each platform. Cross-platform development eliminates the time and effort required for app updates as well as maintenance.
4. Consistent User Experience:
Cross-platform frameworks & tools are designed with built-in UI components that offer a smooth user experience across several platforms and devices.
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Cross-platform Development Frameworks & Tools
Some of the best cross-platform programming languages frameworks and tools used for app development are:
1. React Native:
Designed by Facebook, React Native is a well-known JavaScript framework that enables you to create cross-platform applications efficiently. With this framework, you can reuse the same codebases to develop apps for iOS and Android platforms.
2. Flutter:
Flutter refers to a UI toolkit designed by Google that is extensively used to build applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. It utilizes the Dart language & provides a set of pre-designed widgets.
3. Xamarin:
The Microsoft-based Xamarin platform allows you to create applications in C# that can run on Android & iOS smoothly. It provides a seamless VS Code integration and a native-like user experience.
4. Apache Cordova:
Apache Cordova is known as PhoneGap which is an open-source framework used to make cross-platform apps. It uses JavaScript, HTML, and CSS and makes the app development process simplified by offering a unified API to access device features.
5. Ionic:
Ionic is a very popular web-based framework used to build cross-platform mobile apps with the help of HTML, CSS & JavaScript. It provides UI component libraries & a rich plugin ecosystem.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Mobile App?
The average cost of making a cross-platform mobile application mostly ranges from $25,000 to $150,000. However, there is no exact figure for app development price. It mostly depends on multiple factors such as app complexity levels, the features and functionalities you’d like to add, the overall expertise of the team you hire, developer’s charges, and so on. Based on complexity, here is a cost breakdown of custom app development:
Factors That Influence The Cost of iOS & Android App Development
Many factors and parameters significantly influence the average cost to develop an app. Knowing these factors will allow you to make the right decision before you start your project. Some of the important factors:
1. App Complexity Levels:
This is the most notable factor that directly impacts the cost to develop an app in India. Basic apps with simple features and functionalities cost less than apps with complex features. Moreover, advanced functionalities, integration with third-party services, and real-time updates also increase overall app complexity levels.
Apart from that, to create an app with advanced technology features like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and AR/VR, you should have a solid budget and project goals. Such apps include top features such as high-end data logic, multi-language support, and so on.
2. Functionality & Features:
Whether you build a native or cross-platform app, the total cost of app development strongly depends on the functionality & features you would like to implement in your application. Along with app-making costs, key features like push notifications, user authentication, geolocation, and in-app purchases also require more effort & resources to properly implement.
The perfect option to create an MVP or Minimum Viable Product which is the first version of an app that comes with only core features. MVP effectively saves money and time and allows you to improve your app performance and usability based on user feedback and demands.
3. UI/UX and App Design:
A well-crafted app user interface design may influence the total cost of custom app development. App animations, custom graphics, and design complexity levels can effectively increase expenses during app development. Based on UI/UX design features, an app cost breakdown include:
4. App Platform
Choosing the right platform is a very important consideration. Technically, there are different platforms available for app development such as native platforms, hybrid platforms, cross platforms, etc. If you run a startup and have a minimal budget, it’s recommended to choose cross-platform app development as it helps to save your money and resources effectively. Here is a cost breakdown based on app development platforms:
5. Development Team Size & Locations
The team size & locations of the development company you hire significantly impact the total app developers cost. When it comes to choosing the best developers, there are several options available such as reliable app development firms, in-house developer’s teams, local companies, freelancers, etc.
Apart from that, the location of professional app developers is also a crucial factor that influences overall app-making costs. Here is a table that shows how app development cost changes with geographical locations:
Apart from that, there are some hidden factors that affect the overall cost of mobile app development. By knowing these factors, you can reduce the risk of budget overruns and development time. Some of the hidden costs include:
Quality Assurance Costs
Infrastructure Costs
IT Support Costs
App Publishing Costs
App Security Costs
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Final Words
Cross-platform development is a powerful approach for businesses that want to reach a wider audience base & save money on app development. By estimating the proper budget and choosing the right development team and framework, you can build top-notch cross-platform applications that seamlessly run on iOS & Android platforms. As the market demands for custom applications continue to expand, the cross-platform development approach will play a big role in transforming the future of app development.
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