If 2022 has been a big year for healthcare apps, 2023 is set to be an even more promising one. A report from GVR (Grand View Research) indicated the steadily growing value of the global digital health market to exceed USD 211.0 billion this year.
Healthcare apps have evolved considerably over the past few years, fulfilling almost every possible requirement. From an entrepreneurial perspective, there are plenty of business opportunities for health apps, albeit with growing market competition.
If you are interested in capitalizing on the rising demand with your own healthcare app, keep reading for an idea of how much it will cost.
Here, we will discuss the top factors affecting this segment’s final mobile app development cost.
Essential Cost-Influencing Factors In Health App Development
Minimum Viable Product
The first part of the healthcare app development price breakup is the cost of building an MVP or Minimum Viable Product. As the name suggests, it is a cost-effective way of checking the viability of your app by testing its response with a few essential features.
The benefit of going with the concept of MVP development is that it can be directly introduced to the market users and take feedback as well. You can visualize your healthcare app by accumulating ideas and turning them into a working MVP with the help of a reliable mobile app development company.
Technologies
You will need an intuitive user interface and a robust backend for your healthcare app. Creating a cross-platform app rather than creating native apps dedicated to iOS and Android platforms is cost-effective- and often the smarter choice, especially if you are planning to expand the user base in the long run.
Features
Every healthcare app owner wants their app to have a wide range of features. However, you will have to filter out the essential ones for your MVP. Your healthcare app development company can add newer, more advanced features to improve functionality as app response picks up speed.
Apps can be categorized according to complexity based on how they are implemented. You may also need to invest more to adapt to advanced features.
APIs
APIs are instrumental in extending your application’s overall functionalities and making it more useful to end users. Integrating external APIs or building them from scratch enables you to extend the functionality of your healthcare apps.
Team
Team strength has a direct impact on the final mobile app development cost. The math is simple: the more work your app needs, the greater the number of healthcare app developers, designers, and other professionals on your team, and the more you pay.
The complexity of your app idea will also determine how many professionals you need to develop it. Using the numbers, you can estimate the cost of hiring resources by multiplying the rates by the number of professionals.
If you’d like to know more about other aspects surrounding the process, such as the types, essential features, or benefits of hiring an app development firm for this purpose, you can refer to this comprehensive healthcare app development guide.
Stage-Wise Breakdown Of Healthcare App Development Costs
Design
The designer(s) in your team will handle app visuals and the overall experience it delivers to users in terms of aesthetics. The monthly cost can vary from $50,000-$120,000, the result being a user-friendly app with easily navigable features. This phase accounts for 25-30% of the entire budget.
Development
This stage involves simultaneous front-end and back-end development. Front-end developers write code and fix bugs, whereas back-end developers are tasked with establishing communication between the app’s database and the server. They also have to make sure the communication remains uninterrupted and the app functions properly.
The percentage of the cost may vary from 35-40% or $90,000-$160,000 based on prior experience.
Testing
Testers form an integral part of the project team. Their tasks include ensuring the app delivers the expected outcomes in the test environment and uncovering bugs preventing it. Testing is expected to take up around 10% to 15%, or $20,000-$60,000 of the estimated healthcare app development costs.
Maintenance And Support
Maintaining an app includes all the processes required to keep the app active, such as
- Regular updates
- Fixing errors
- Providing user support (hardware and software)
- Monitoring performance
It incurs approximately around 20-25% or $40,000-$60,000 of the total development expenses if we consider the above. It is important to note here that the costs will depend on various factors, such as
- Project scale
- Update frequency
- Features and complexity
- Use of third-party technologies (such as maps and payment gateways)
While maintenance and support play a huge role in retaining users, keeping them engaged will take more than regular updates. We will stick to development costs for now, however.
Conclusion
So, the overall cost required to build a healthcare app will be about $200,000 to $400,000. Labor costs vary widely in different countries, which explains why the budget varies so much. For instance, APAC regions offer comparable products at lower costs than western countries.
Furthermore, it takes dedication, hands-on experience, and a trusted technology partner to develop a health-related application.
AppsChopper has experience in developing healthcare apps for global healthcare providers that comply with HIPAA regulations. Our app development firm helps companies of all sizes build custom applications that meet the unique needs of their customers and ensure compliance with rigid healthcare regulations.
