8 Best ways to reduce mobile app development costs

Like any business, keeping costs under control is one of the most powerful ways to succeed in the mobile app. Unfortunately there is no single magic formula to reduce mobile app development cost without affecting the quality of the product. 

This is because every mobile application is unique and hence no single rule applies to cost control. However there are several good tips that will help a company optimize their development process and this reduces the expenses. Let’s have a look at some of the most important points that can help a company reduce its app development costs.

How to reduce mobile app development cost

Note down the requirements

The features that one wants to add in a mobile app plays an important role in determining the final cost of the app. If the requirements are more in number and complex in nature, then the development costs will be higher. To keep costs under control, a company must have a clear understanding on the number and nature of the features that they want in their mobile app. 

The entrepreneurs can note down all the important features and prepare a detailed document which will give a clear idea about the features. This exercise will help the developers understand the requirements properly and avoid any confusion in the future. Entrepreneurs should take the opinion of mobile app development experts while preparing the requirements. The experts will not only help you prepare the requirements as per your plan but also research on apps of competition.

Choose the right platform

One of the major choices that an entrepreneur has to make while writing a mobile app development project is the choice of platform. While choosing the platform there are many factors that one has to consider like

• The audience
• Geography
• Design specifics
• Goals of your project
• Device preferences

If the app requirement is to acquire wide market reach across the world, then one should go for both Android as well as iOS. Cross-platform app development is a cost-effective option in case the app does not require to use the hardware functions of the phone. Developing a cross-platform app is one of the most popular strategies to decrease the cost of app development. With the advent of modern toolkits like Flutter and React Native, cross-platform app development has become easier and more powerful.

Focus on the UI/UX

One of the most common reasons of inflated app development costs is the use of high-end user interface and graphics in the app. In their pursuit of making their app stand out from the competition, many times mobile app developers unnecessarily include high-end animation in graphics. Both Android and Apple app stores have well-defined guidelines regarding the UI/UX of the app. By following the guidelines one can include all the universal UI/UX elements wherever feasible and achieve their goal of low budget mobile app development.

Utilize ready-made tools and third-party services

Mobile app developers have a wide variety of open-source tools, libraries, frameworks and third-party services that can help speed up the development process considerably. Modern day developers do not need to build custom components and features to add functionalities to their app. Instead they can leverage the existing solutions, tweak and customise their solutions according to their needs and save costs in app development. 

For instance, if the app requires a voice messaging service, then there is no need to do coding for the service separately. Instead the app developers can use a service like Twillo. Cloud platforms such as Google vision can help the mobile app developers add AI features to their app. The mobile app developers can build beautiful UI using ready-made UI components. 

Many times it is seen that a mobile app is used in conjunction with an existing software/app in a company. In such a case, mobile app developers can re-use the logic and components from existing systems and integrate them with third party libraries to build a mobile app. Such methodology will not only save time and reduce development costs, but also help in creating a more consistent experience for the users.

Outsource tech expertise

Outsourcing the mobile app development project to a professional mobile app development company is a very popular way of reducing the total cost of app development. A company can outsource all or a part of the project to a service provider. Depending on the type of project, a company can choose from the various pricing models for mobile app development that the developers offer. A professional mobile app development company will bring with it technical and market expertise required to take cost optimisation decisions. 

Start with an MVP

For a successful project implementation and cost optimisation, a well considered feature prioritisation is essential. This is because knowing which features to give priority helps keep costs under control and ensures a swift time to market. This is where an MVP(minimum viable product) comes into picture. An MVP is not concerned with putting all the features into the first version of the app. 

Instead, the company figures out which functionality is absolutely important for the app to function and is most useful for the users and accordingly develops the app. Once the MVP is built, the developers then test the app in the field and take feedback from the users. Based upon the feedback given by the users, the developers then add or remove the features of the app in the subsequent versions of the app. 

The MVP approach can save a lot of time and money which is wasted on developing unnecessary features that the businesses initially thought that the users would require. MVP strategy is a key strategy for startups and entrepreneurs who are trying out their ideas into uncharted territories. Startups can reduce costs by taking the MVP approach. In case the company is working on a new idea, then it would be a better idea to start with MVP development as it requires minimum investment and even if the idea fails, the company can easily try out another one.

Consider long-term strategy

While developing the mobile app, it is always best to keep the big picture in mind. This type of mindset helps companies save money in the long run. To get a better idea about their long term strategy, the companies can ask the following questions to themselves.

• Where does the company want to see its application after 5 years?
• How much revenue does the company want to generate from the app during this period?
• Does the company want to add new geographies, audience and languages to the app?

While thinking about the long-term might not bring a company image and price cuts on but will surely help them avoid costly mistakes by optimising their future investments. The company will also avoid costly future restructuring of the organisation.

Strict Supervision

Project supervisors sometimes ignore certain intricacies of app development. This is the reason why entrepreneurs should themselves keep a watch on their projects regularly and scrutinise each cost vigorously. The quicker one recognises the issues or bugs in mobile app development, the easier it is to repair them. Thus, the entrepreneurs can minimise the cost of a development by supervising the project continuously and reaching out to the team on a regular basis.

Conclusion

The cost of mobile and development depends on a lot of factors like the location of the mobile app developers, whether the company chooses to develop the app in-house or outsource it and the features that one includes in the mobile app to name a few. Knowing how to optimise expenses without hurting the quality of the product is vital for the success of the mobile app. You can contact top mobile app developers to know how they can help in achieving your goal of affordable mobile app development.