How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App In Australia

If you plan to introduce an app for your business, you’re probably wondering about the significant costs surrounding app development. While the development of an app ranges from $30,000 to $250,000 in Australia, there are valid reasons for this ridiculous range.

Contact us for the more details 

Australian app development in a nutshell

In the modern context, apps have become a part of our daily lives, from Apple Wallet that pays for our everyday coffee to Google Maps that takes us everywhere. The rise in app usage has opened a whole new avenue for businesses to connect with their customers and increase brand awareness. 

And what sets them apart from the competition is a damn good app.

With the talk of App development growing, we wanted to share a detailed cost guide for you to understand what it takes to develop an app in Australia. When you know your app development costs well, you can make better decisions for your app and keep your project under your desired budget.

• Basic apps – These are apps with basic features and functionalities such as logins and push notifications and come with minimal development effort and a lower cost.
• Medium apps – Booking and marketplace apps are examples of apps that fall into the mid-range cost.
• High-end apps – These apps incorporate AI or AR/VR tech and feature a multilayered architecture for elevated scalability, security, and performance. And as all high tech features go, these too come with a premium price tag.

Quick Overview of App Development Costs in Australia

Behind the Price Tag – Key Factors Impacting App Development Costs

App development costs depend on many factors, from the type of platform (Android, iOS), design complexity, key features, and functionality to the level of sophistication. Additional factors include the location of the app development, maintenance, and ongoing support.

Let’s dive into these factors in more detail.

 1. Platform (iOS vs. Android)

The choice of your app platform matters a lot. The programming language of each platform differs from one another; therefore, creating an app that supports both platforms means more effort and a heftier price tag.

If your app builder is going to code natively, they will have to build the front end of the app in both Java and Swift/Objective C to support each platform, if not opt for React Native. With React Native, you can avoid rewriting the code from scratch on different platforms and instead repurpose one code and export it as a native app for each platform. This process is both speedy and cost-effective, as the front end app development has effectively been cut in half, resulting in a faster development phase. 

• • iOS or Android?

    If your app is built for one platform, this means one programming language and framework, fewer compatibility issues, and less effort and development time. Single-platform apps generally cost less than apps that cross-platform.

  • Cross-platform development

    If the app is built to run on multiple operating systems with a single codebase (with React Native and Flutter), the development phase may include extensive optimisation, debugging, and additional libraries, which means more development costs and developer effort.

2. Design complexity

An app’s design complexity will tell you whether you need to pay more or less. There are two types of apps: high complexity apps (Instagram, Facebook, Uber, and Spotify) and low complexity apps (QR scanners, notes, and calculator apps).

Usually, an app with a low complexity and a simple design will cost less due to moderate effort and technical work than a complex user interface with multiple screens.

• • Basic UI: Less complex interfaces come with a lower cost. If your app is going for a basic interface, the cost may range from $5000 to $10,000.

• • Customised UI – A uniquely tailored UI has advanced features, such as AI-powered voice commands or fluid gesture-based controls, which may start at a premium price of $15,000+.

3. Features and functionality

App features and functionalities have another major impact on the cost. The more complex your app features are, the higher the costs will be. But a simple one like a calculator feature will cost you less than a social feed algorithm. It’s important to know which features and functions work best for your app’s success.

• • Basic features: These refer to the must-have features of an app, such as login and push notifications, which may come at a lower cost of $5000 – $10,000.
  • Advanced features: Advanced features such as geolocation, voice and gesture control, or live chatbots would start at a more premium price of $20,000+.

4. Level of sophistication

Every app will go through various developmental phases as it grows over time. As an app grows, its level of sophistication also increases, which means the app will require more advanced features, higher functionality, user interface, and scalability.

The primary stage of app development begins with introducing a proof-of-concept app, which is a basic, low-cost version that determines whether the idea of the app is feasible before investment.

The prototype designs, such as UI/UX and proof-of-concept, have lower development costs compared to the MVP, scalable V2, and fully featured app phases as they require more functionality, user interface, and experience.

5. Location of app development

The location of your app development has a huge impact on your app development costs. Labor costs are relatively high in Australia and, therefore, will be shown in your final costs. We get how tempting it might be to seek out an app developer out of the country, however, we recommend you base your choice of an app developer on a company’s level of experience and quality of work rather than location and pricing only.

6. Maintenance and ongoing support 

Your app maintenance and ongoing support costs will follow after the app is launched. This is because once your app is launched, you will need certain updates and bug fixes to ensure your app remains up to date. Apart from your basic maintenance costs, you will also need further ongoing support to implement changes based on the feedback you receive on your app.

Once again, the costs depend on the complexity of your upgrades. To keep this stress-free, we recommend that you set aside 10% of your total budget for ongoing support and maintenance post-app launch.

Breaking it Down: What You Can Expect App Development Cost

App development isn’t just about designing and programming. Besides design and programming costs, you will also need to account for the app development costs. We’ve summed up a few of the main costs to keep in mind; server fees, developer account subscriptions, digital marketing expenses and third-party services.

• Server fees

This is the fee you pay for using and maintaining the server infrastructure that supports your app. The server infrastructure takes care of storing, processing and transmitting your user’s data. All this means that an app’s server infrastructure is vital and needs to be created efficiently for better app performance, reliability, and scalability. Server fees start anywhere from $10 to $10,000 per month based on factors like the size of your user base and the complexity of the app’s services.

• Developer accounts

For you to launch an app on Appstore or Google Play Store, you need to possess a developer account and subscribe to their developer programs. Both platforms charge a fee to create a developer account. While Google offers a one-time fee of $25, Apple charges an annual subscription fee of $99. A developer account also comes with additional benefits such as access to App Store distribution, developer tools and resources, and tech support.

• Marketing

No matter how snazzy your app is, it won’t get where it’s supposed to be without the right marketing tactics. Well-laid-out marketing strategies such as good Social media, SEO, Google Ads, Digital PR, TV commercial, Outdoor Marketing, etc. increase brand awareness, build user engagement, and drive user acquisition to an app. But once again–yes, you guessed it–this too comes with a cost, and marketing costs for an app depends on the marketing strategy, agency/freelancer, and the industry your app belongs to.

Marketing allows your app to stand out in the overcrowded app marketplace. 

• Third party services

Third-party services offer functionality and services that have been proven difficult and costly to develop on your own. Integrating third-party services will improve your app’s functionality and user experience while reducing development time and costs. Note that many third-party services come with subscriptions and/or usage fees.

Tips for reducing app development costs without compromising quality

Now that you know app costs are expensive, know that these costs can get out of hand if your app is not managed effectively. Let’s show you how you can reduce app development costs without settling for less. 

• Define clear requirements

If you lay out your app’s requirements, functionalities, and technical specifications well beforehand, you can avoid pricey revisions and updates later in the development process.

• Use agile development methodologies

Agile methodologies help you break down the app development process into small sprints. These sprints help developers focus on specific features and functionalities, resulting in a high-quality content yield in short periods. Scrum and Kanban are two popular methodologies that use the concept of sprints and continuous delivery to give you a high-quality app under low development time and cost.

• Hybrid app development

What happens in hybrid app development is that you use a single codebase for both Android and Apple. This is an alternative route to native development that once again reduces both your development time and your cost. Further, it also ensures a consistent user experience across multiple platforms and devices.

• Use third-party services

Third-party services allow you to use functionality and services which would be difficult and costly to be developed. It provides you with the ability to still provide high quality services on your app whilst reducing your development costs. 

• Test early and often

After you launch your app, it will be more expensive and challenging to fix issues, therefore, it is best to test and identify bugs ahead of time. By establishing a practice of testing regularly throughout the development process, this can be rectified. You can always tell that a well-tested app has better quality and functionality.

And there you go on everything you need to know about app development costs. The obvious truth is that app development costs are expensive no matter what angle you look at it from. But saving your budget and working your way around it strategically is possible with the above tips.

If you’re looking to build an app for your business, we would love to sit down for a chat with you. Our methods at Digital8 will ensure that you’re included in every step of the development process and are updated through every sprint and milestone as per your needs.

Are you looking for a reliable app developer? Check out here App Development Brisbane

Interested in our digital transformation services? Check out our digital services here: SEO Brisbane and Web Design Brisbane.

Contact us today!