People say “Time is money,“ especially in this case we have to agree with them. How long it takes to build a mobile app depends, among other factors, on how big your budget is and the scope of the software development required, including determining the amount of work needed and the project timeline for app development. That is also the first and most frequent question we get from our clients: How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
More and more businesses invest in mobile app development, keeping in mind that there are 3.3 million Android apps on Google Play, and the number of iOS apps is 2.2 million on the App Store, according to Business of apps.
Statista predicts that total mobile app market revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 8.83%, resulting in a projected market volume of $673.80 billion by 2027.
The second question we get from businesses is “How long does it take to develop an app?”. The answer depends on many factors, mainly what type of app you are looking to build, but you can break down the process into phases with estimated timeframes to get a pretty good idea.
Since our experience showed us that app development cost and timeline are the most important things for client to get started, in the rest of this article we have answered the biggest concerns regarding how quickly the app development process can be done and when they will receive their mobile app.
3 Main Factors That Impact The Mobile App Development Process
It is important to have realistic expectations regarding your app development time. Building a successful app requires careful planning, design, and development. A successful mobile app development cycle involves defining goals, creating UI/UX, coding and integrating features with fixing bugs, and finally, deployment and post-launch support to ensure ongoing maintenance and updates through various development stages.
App Complexity
A factor that has a big impact on the app development timeline is app complexity. There is a difference between a simple app, a medium app complexity, and a complex app. Average app development time is from a few weeks to one year, depending on the mobile app.
Simple apps:
Simple apps have basic functionality with minimal features, such as a to-do list or a basic calculator. Instagram is built as a simple app since its core features were only sharing photos and videos with friends. The app development time for simple mobile app is typically a few weeks to 2-3 months. The development phases for simple apps typically include initial planning, basic design, and straightforward coding, which can be completed in a few weeks to 2-3 months.
Medium app complexity:
Medium-complexity apps include more interactive elements and features. A popular example of a medium-complexity app is WhatsApp, which offers messaging, voice, and video calling features along with media-sharing capabilities, all of which fall within a broader project scope. Usually, the mobile app development timeline for this type is 3-6 months.
Complex apps:
More complex apps have advanced functionalities, real-time data, and high security. Amazon is an example of complex app development since it includes an e-commerce platform, third party services for payment processing, allows users to leave a review, etc. App development timeline can be from 6 months to over a year. Before launching, complex apps often undergo beta testing to identify and fix errors and enhance user experience, which is a crucial part of the development cycle.
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If you have app idea and want to see it on a mobile screen as soon as possible, we can develop MVP in just 1 month so you get user feedback instantly! In case you are not satisfied with our MVP development, we’ll return your money back - no questions asked.
iOS or Android: Platform Selection
The app development time depends on your platform choice if you want only an iOS app, an Android app, or both. The most used ones are Kotlin Multiplatform, Flutter, and React Native, each offering a robust development framework to streamline the app development process.
Separate codebase for Android and iOS app
Developing apps for both iOS and Android typically requires backend development and creating two distinct codebases, as each platform has its programming languages and development environment (Swift for iOS, Kotlin/Java for Android).
However, cross-platform solutions that double the app development time are increasingly popular. The most used ones are Kotlin Multiplatform, Flutter, and React native. You can find more information here to help you choose between different cross-platform frameworks and find a trusted development partner for your plans.
UI/UX design differences
Each platform has unique design guidelines, aesthetic, and interactive elements tailored to its ecosystem. These differences ensure apps feel native and intuitive, impacting the app’s success, user satisfaction, and high number of downloads on both the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or other app stores.
Platform-specific features
Some features could require different implementations on iOS and Android due to platform-specific capabilities or limitations, impacting the overall feature set and adding to the app development timeline. It can add to the app development timeline as app developers must find and implement alternative solutions for multiple platforms.
However, using Kotlin Multiplatform or other cross platform development can double the speed of your app development. Kotlin Multiplatform enables developers to write common business logic once and reuse it across Android and iOS platforms, minimizing coding and speeding up the development process.
Size of the development team
As with most things, there are both pros and cons to working with smaller or larger teams, and understanding team dynamics is crucial. The key would be to choose the right mobile app development company because if the project management in the development team is good, the size is not crucial.
A large team can speed up the development process since more people will parallel work on the same app aspect. There is also a bigger chance to find specialists in different areas in large development teams such as frontend and backend development, UI/UX design, or quality assurance. Flexibility is another advantage because they adapt more quickly to unexpected challenges, reallocating resources as needed to follow business goals.
On the other hand, a small team of app developers can dedicate more attention to the client because they are more involved in the process, and communication and decision-making are easier. This allow them to resolve issues quickly without delaying discussions. Developers have a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility for the project, leading to higher motivation and dedication. Small teams are often more budget-friendly and have lower costs.
Tips To Speed Up Mobile App Development Timeline
Considering that time for developing mobile apps depends on the above mentioned factors, no one can precisely tell what is the time frame for app development, but having a clear development strategy can help. However, here are some most important things to consider when choosing your mobile app development company if you want to speed up mobile app development timeline:
Clearly define business goals with your app development partner
To make the whole development process easier, you must first clearly define the goals you want to achieve with your app and its main functionalities. Creating an app prototype allows you to visualize the app’s design and functionality before full-scale development begins. It is essential if you do not know the exact budget, you at least know an approximate figure and the timeline by which you want to see the first results of your app development. Regular meetings to get an update from developers and strictly defined tasks will speed up app development by ensuring all project milestones are met on time.
Choose app development company that uses agile methodology
App development with agile methodology focus on the most critical and valuable features first. The right company uses agile practices, such as sprint planning, daily stand-ups, development sprints, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. By focusing on effective features, development team can deliver a functional MVP (Minimum Viable Product) quickly since this practise reduces delays and rework. To find out more on how to choose the right MVP development company, click here.
Force cross-platform development tools
Startups often operate in rapid environments where speed is critical. A good cross-platform framework enables rapid development by allowing a single codebase to be used across multiple platforms, which reduces time for app development process. It also means that fewer mobile developers are needed, which consequently reduces development costs as well.
React Native used to be a popular choice for cross platform app with its JavaScript-based approach, but lately, more and more people are opting for new choices like Flutter, and especially Kotlin Multiplatform which gained the ability to compete with cross-platform technologies that are far more established and older, enhancing development efficiency.
Prioritize app's features
We had a client who had an app idea, but didn’t have a clear vision of features that should be implemented, highlighting the importance of feature prioritization and how to provide the best user experience. It took a lot of time because this was one of their app ideas, but didn’t prioritize which features they wanted for the MVP version (Minimum Viable Product).
Aetherius Solutions app development team came up with feature ideas based on the market research, user behavior, and pain points. This was just one of the challenges we faced with this client, you can see more and check how we solved them here.
Outsource other aspects to streamline app development process
In addition to app development, you can outsource several other aspects of your mobile app to streamline the process and ensure high-quality results, making an effective outsourcing strategy essential: UI/UX design, quality assurance testing services, project management specialists, even marketing and ASO (App Store Optimization) specialists who will ensure high Google Play and App Store success metrics. In case this is what you need, this is the right place to find software development and other experts in all the mentioned areas.
Check for automated testing
Automated app testing is used to quickly identify and fix bugs, ensuring consistent quality and reducing manual testing time through an effective testing framework. To know to you choose right mobile development company, ask them if they use automated testing tools and methods. Request examples or case studies showing how they’ve used these tests in previous projects.
Real-Life Examples: How much time our developers needed to make an app
In the following text, you can see a case study of approximately how much time it takes to develop a mobile application depending on its industry and whether it’s for developing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) or enhancing existing features.
Home services app development timeline
It is a mobile app that helps you find a handyman with ease. Handymen publish their services, and users publish their needs for repairs. We built this app from scratch and had a project management team who did complete business analysis. Application development process included all app development stages: planning, design, development, testing and deployment.
Our experts decided to make a cross platform app, using Kotlin Multiplatform. Sharing code between iOS and Android platforms, including backend, helped us reduce development time and effort while keeping efficiency and consistency.
Now, the part that interest you the most: How long does it take to develop MVP like this? It is 1 month! If you have a dedicated team with all the necessary knowledge and motivation to deliver the best results for the client, 1 month is enough to make an app they can start testing right away to collect user feedback.
Healthcare app development timeline
When our mobile app developers started working on this app, it was in the development stage with some features already implemented. This app helps you identify and avoid additives that may potentially compromise your health. It was previously developed by another company, but the process extended to over 6 months, even though it was initially planned for 3 months.
After that, our team took over the further development and rewrote the entire app from React Native to KMP (Kotlin Multiplatform) due to many KMP advantages. Within just two weeks, they had hybrid app in the new cross-platform technology! If we look at the overall period and exclude the fact that we didn’t work with them from the start, project timeline for such apps in KMP is 3 months, showcasing the effectiveness of our development methodology.
All work resulted in 72% data storage reduction, and for more results and complete case study you can check here.
Beauty and salon app development timeline
This is an example of a mobile app for booking appointments in beauty salons. Users can easily book an appointment with just one click, and get a reminder on time. On the other hand, beauty salons can eliminate the need for a notebook by using an electronic calendar display. This allows them to easily accept or deny requests.
Our journey started when they wanted to bring their idea to life so they could start testing it right away on both iOS and Android platforms. By the time we started on the mobile application development, it was already in the development stage and had several features implemented by the previous developers. Their former partner’s prediction was 5 months to integrate new context into existing architecture.
By rewriting outdated technology on iOS, we streamlined that process and delivered the first version in just 1 month! Our developers delivered the first version with performance enhancements, improvements in UI/UX design, and resolution of existing bugs in the mobile app, completing the initial development lifecycle.
Education app development timeline
This app offers a new learning method for children by combining it with entertainment. The training is done by periodically interrupting the ads with nano-lessons in the form of popups. The client had already established iOS app with concrete target audience. When he approached us for further mobile app development, he needed new features and improvement of the already existing ones on iOS app, and wanted an Android app from scratch!
Since mobile apps that already exist on one platform, in this case iOS, have finished business analysis and have exact features and goals, our part was Android app development from scratch with all this info. The client didn’t give us expected app development timeline and was not in a hurry, so we decided to go with our proven and scalable approach in all of our Android apps - Clean architecture + Compose. That resulted in building an Android app in just 3 months, following a clear development roadmap!
Event app development timeline
This app assists you in organizing events. It is the only app on the market that includes both options for planning and inviting guests in the same time. The client didn’t have a clear vision of features that should be implemented, and how to provide the best user experience, or who is the target audience. They also needed UI/UX design from scratch with cheerful and colorful design that will naturally bring excitement about the celebration.
We took responsibility of creating the whole app concept and simplified the process for them. It took us 1 month for MVP development which included basic features and that version can be classified in simple apps. All advanced features that were later built increased the app’s complexity, and the mobile app development timeline for this was 5 months, with several key development milestones achieved. You can check more info about this case study here.
In the end, how long does it take to develop mobile apps?
As we have seen in the text above, determining the mobile app development timeline is influenced by many factors such as app complexity, platform selection, and various features. Simple apps, which generally offer basic functionalities, can often be developed from 2-3 months. In contrast, complex apps with advanced features and third party integrations require a more extended mobile app development timeline, starting from 3 months, usually to 6 months depending on the app development company, but sometimes app development can take 1 year.
Understanding the app development process is crucial for setting realistic expectations for your future app. Breaking down the project into stages—planning, design, development, testing, and deployment—helps in managing time effectively. Prioritizing features for an MVP can also significantly streamline the app development timeline, allowing to quickly launch mobile apps on app stores, and the opportunity to start testing the idea, right target audience, and gather user feedback early on. Implementing agile methodologies can further boost efficiency by promoting continuous development and improvement.
At last, the key to make an app with success and launch it in a short period, lies in choosing the right mobile app development partner. An experienced development team that understands your vision and requirements can overcome difficulties and develop an app in an acceptable amount of time. You can make sure your app fits your needs and gets to market quickly and efficiently by partnering with a skilled and motivated development team.
Next steps for your app development
After reading this article, your next step should be conducting thorough market research to validate your app idea and ensure there's demand from your target audience. Following this, create a detailed project plan and documentation that outlines the app’s features, user flow, and technical specifications. In case you have already finished discovery phase and are looking for a company to help you make an app, you're at the right place! Experienced team in Aetherius Solutions is here to help you achieve your goals and create an app that will become the next big success in the market!
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