How Much Does Android App Development Cost?

Android is ruling the global OS market with 70.5% of the market share. It is the largest installed base of any mobile platform, and it is growing rapidly.

These numbers show that Android has a broader audience reach, and consumers rely heavily on Android apps for daily errands. That is why businesses are also hunting for a talented Android app development company to build scalable and user-friendly Android apps with several useful features.

Have you decided to go ahead with Android app development but are a bit concerned about how much the mobile app development cost would be? In that case, it is important to go through the essential factors affecting Android development costs for an accurate overview.

Also, knowing why businesses (especially startups and SMEs) should choose Android app development over others will bring you that much closer to begin building one for yours.

Why Develop an Android Application?

First things first, Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, with an Android device being sold every 12 seconds. With this level of popularity, Android app development has become crucial to businesses looking to reach their customer base on a global scale.

Here, we have listed some top reasons why you (as a business) should choose Android app development. Take a look.

• Open-Source – Android became a market leader because of its open-source nature. Now developed by Google, Android is designed to give developers and consumers more control over what apps they can install on their devices for each person’s experience with the device to be unique.
• Wider Audience Reach – As Android apps run on a larger number of devices, it is the most popular operating system in terms of mobile device usage and is also growing rapidly. That means if you want to reach as many customers with your app, Android development would be perfect for reaching them all!
• Highest Market Share – Android is dominating the smartphone market with 3.3 billion users – a number likely to increase by leaps and bounds. If you want to see your app succeed, you must invest in iOS and Android app development — any second thoughts?
• Low Entry Barrier – To build an iOS app, you need a Mac. But that is not true for Android app developers! It turns out they can create apps on Windows and Linux too — and even though entry costs into developing are lower overall with these platforms than Apple products.
• Cost-Effective – The average cost to create an app for Android is less expensive than iOS, which gives startups a better return on investment. This means businesses should invest in the Android app development process if they want to stand out from the competition.

Top 8 Factors of Android App Development Cost

Here are the main areas that will affect the overall cost of making an Android app and are indispensable to the process.

UI/UX Design

It has a significant effect on Android application development costs. UI/UX design is considered a crucial step in the Android development process. As UX/UI design is a set of processes of Android application interface planning and implementation that has a great impact on Android application success or failure, businesses are seeking creative mobile app design services that can take their app design game to a notch higher.

Type

The main factor that affects the price of developing an Android application is the type of Android application you want to build. Broadly, there are three choices to go with – native development, cross-platform development, and progressive web app development. Depending on your pick, the cost of the Android app will definitely vary. Also, the type or category, to be more exact, determines everything about the cost of your Android app.

Size

App size plays an essential role in Android development costs. Android device storage capacity is limited, and most Android users have a very small data plan. Therefore, Android apps should be as small as possible so that it takes less space on Android devices or Android tablets. However, gaming apps are often larger than regular apps. Hence, the average cost of Android app development heavily relies on the app size you are thinking of developing.

Categories

App categories play an important role in Android app development costs. Android app distribution is controlled by Google Play and the developer terms that define each category. If you are wondering how much it costs to develop an Android app, you must ask which category you are targeting. The price range for Android development varies across different categories of apps, but some major categories include a wide range of apps and prices.

Accessibility

Accessibility of an app is a feature that allows users to access its content with ease. Offline accessibility is about providing information when there is no internet connection, while online accessibility provides information as and when they are needed. If you want users to access your Android app online and offline without any trouble, you need to spend a bit more than usual. An online app is enough if you have a budget constraint.

Features

The more complex features that your Android app is going to have, the more you will pay. Such features will take more time to build than the simpler ones, so the project duration will extend even when they require less programming effort from the developer. Features that are simple to build will allow the project to move along at a faster pace, which reduces the overall development time and cost. So, the cost of an Android app and the subsequent mobile app maintenance services totally depend on the features you want to have in your app.

Complexities

In Android app development, complexities can have a great effect on the overall estimates, so it is important to note them. The main complexities that impact the cost of an Android app — are integration with other applications and security concerns. These complexities often make the development process a bit more complicated, but they can also lead to more successful apps. Developers consider this as one of the benefits of Android app development.

API Integrations

API integrations can be a significant factor in estimating how much an Android app will cost to create and maintain. An Android app development company invests a lot of time and resources in engaging multiple API integrations. Since any such integration has to be tested with various devices, the overall cost goes up. Also, since each function needs to be separately tested and verified, it increases the need for mobile app testing services and adds to the overall budget.

Android App Development Cost Based on Industries

Building Android app development solutions may cost differently depending on the niche you choose. The most popular categories and the average Android app development price are given below.

Healthcare

Apps in healthcare need to follow HIPAA and related compliance because they must handle sensitive patient data. For this, the team providing healthcare app development services needs to take certain security measures to protect information. It adds an extra layer of complexity and increases development costs to about $50,000 to $150,000, depending on how many data regulatory standards need to be followed.

Medscape and Epocrates are healthcare Android apps you can consider as examples. Medscape is a comprehensive app for medical professionals that provides news, clinical reference tools, and consistent medical education resources. Epocrates is known for its drug reference features that help healthcare professionals with medication management. 

Education

Android apps in education have increased in popularity because of their positive effects on modern learning. They come with interactive elements designed painstakingly to keep learners engaged despite the physical absence of a teacher. Due to its unique cost factors, such as interactive content development and real-time collaboration features, the cost of education app development usually falls between $35,000 and $95,000.

EdTech apps may also need multimedia and gamification features, and you could add incentives in the form of badges and achievements to encourage learning. Students and teachers will require the means to interact with each other in real time as well, which will cost more resources.

As for examples, you may have heard of apps like Duolingo and Khan Academy. Duolingo has turned language learning into a fun, rewarding competition through several gamification elements, such as streak freezes and quizzes. Khan Academy provides free online courses and lessons on diverse educational topics.

eCommerce

Customers using eCommerce want smooth transactions and amazing shopping experiences on their smartphones. eCommerce apps help businesses reach consumers and carry out transactions safely through payment gateways and encryption protocols.

This does not come without its costs, and neither does a user-friendly interface, as it needs detailed design elements. Hence, eCommerce app development services typically cost between $30,000 and $100,000. Amazon and eBay are two examples of companies that make it easy to buy and sell things through their Android apps.

Finance and Banking

Finance apps enable users to do mobile banking and investment transactions. They also let customers pay instantly and meet their financial management needs, increasing convenience.

The cost to build an app for Android phones in this category would be between $80,000 and $200,000 because it needs several security layers and functionalities. These include encryption and compliance with financial data security standards. The app will also need interfaces that blend with different financial systems. PayPal is an example of excellent financial app development that offers online payment and money transfer services.

Media and Entertainment

Android apps in this category let users experience multimedia content in the form of movies, short videos, and audio. These apps need features like video streaming and high-quality graphics to entertain users. 

The more features and functionalities your app will need, the more they will add to the overall cost for Android app development. Then there is also user engagement to consider, which you can increase through interactive elements, encouraging users to provide information about their preferences. This gives an opportunity to offer personalized recommendations using technologies like Artificial Technology, increasing development expenses again.

Netflix and Spotify are popular Android apps to consider in this regard. Netflix is known for its streaming service, and Spotify for its extensive music library. Each relies on multimedia elements and social features to engage and retain users. The cost to build Android apps like these may be about $40,000 to $120,000. The exact figure will depend on the features and complexity you apply, whether you choose music or OTT app development.

Automotive

Automotive apps come with a range of features to improve the overall driving experience. These include GPS tracking, maintenance alerts, and connected vehicle technology, which are all essential and will make the custom Android app development cost fall around $50,000 to $150,000.

There are several automotive apps in the Android Play Store, such as Waze and GasBuddy. One is a navigation app that provides real-time traffic updates based on the content it receives from users. The other was made to help users find the nearest gas stations. Just remember that you will also need to customize interfaces according to different vehicle types and brands. It can become a complex process and increase costs. 

Travel and Tourism

A travel app could cost around $30,000 to $70,000 in development. It typically needs real-time mapping and navigation that your developers will integrate using third-party APIs.

Travel apps for Android enable users to handle several tasks, such as booking and navigation. They are also informative when built by professional Android app development services. This is helpful for travelers because the more information they have before visiting a place, the better their travel experience becomes. Apps like TripAdvisor come to mind when talking about successful Android travel app development. It is known for its useful features that connect travelers to accommodations and reviews.

The booking systems mentioned earlier need to be seamless, and you may include them for flights, accommodations, or activities, depending on the market you want to target.

Final Note

Understanding how much it costs to build an Android application is one of the most important (yet concerning) factors for businesses, especially startups. Several different variables influence Android development costs, which we have outlined above. Refer to our Android app development guide for more details on other aspects of the process.

We hope you found these insights helpful. So, are you ready to develop your first Android app now that you have a grasp on how much it would cost? You can meet with our business development team to help research and deduce more accurate information regarding this as well. You are just a call away from an effective consultation and app launching services led by experts aware of the latest trends and technologies in Android development.