A web app is a dynamic website that interacts with users through server-side programming and database integrations. Web application development cost is higher than the ordinary website’s one. During the development process, we do not create a website with pre-formatted content, it generates the final content only after the client’s request to a server.
Web applications are compatible with all types of user devices and don’t depend on an operating system. They work in all browsers, so the users don’t need to install a separate app. For companies, web applications allow collecting, storing, and processing the information received from app users. In return, for the users, the application allows them to quickly get the desired information and perform the necessary actions.
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Web Application Development: Market Overview
With the increasing use of wearable and IoT devices, the popularity of web applications will continue to grow. In terms of revenue, the web application market is dominated by the e-commerce, media and entertainment, retail, travel, healthcare, and education industries. Taking web applications as an example, let’s look at the potential of web application development.
Here is the list of some interesting numbers:
- The app development software segment is projected to reach $143,673.3 million in 2021.
- The conversion rate for eCommerce on desktops is 2x higher than on mobile devices.
- More than 50% of users uninstall some mobile apps because they are not in use and take up a lot of space.
- Revenue growth (CAGR 2021-2026) is expected to be 8.81%, bringing the market size to $219,176.5 million by 2026. For comparison, in the world, most of the revenues will be generated in the United States (USD 72,697 million in 2021).
- The app development software market was valued at $168.71 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $1,039.89 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 25.54% between 2020 and 2027. The growing trend of cloud computing and the growing use of IoT technology is driving the global application development software market. Aliexpress increased conversions from new users by 104%. Starbucks has doubled the number of users placing orders daily.
- A customer engagement platform found that 23% of deletions occur within the first 24 hours. Further analysis of Day Zero user behavior showed that 23% of users did not open the application on the day of installation, and 15% of users left the same day without opening the application even once. The study analyzed data from over three million users of e-commerce applications over 90 days in Tier 1 and 2 cities.
- Available app cost calculators list prices ranging from $267,000 to $360,000 for sophisticated, feature-rich mobile apps.
- As for the application development timeline: more than 80% of mobile applications take 3+ months to develop; 40% of apps are created in 6+ months.
What is a Web Application?
✅ A web app is an interactive app created using web development technologies that users can look through their browsers such as Google Chrome, Opera, or Safari. Web applications run on any device in a mode that is rapidly distinctive from that of a traditional website. They do not need to be downloaded as they are accessed over the network.
✅ The app needs a web server, an app server, and a database. Web servers manage requests from the user while the application server performs the task. The database can be used to store any data you need.
✅ Web applications typically have short development cycles. Thus, they can be built by small teams of coders. Commonly, web apps are written in JS, HTML5, CSS. Back-end programming is done to create scripts that the web app will use. Python, Node.js are the most common programming languages in the back-end.
The most important thing for the companies is the right estimation of web app development costs before starting the work. This will help you to save time and avoid unpredicted expenses during the development.
In this article, we will thoroughly consider the factors that affect the final price of web app development. You will also learn how the initial estimation is conducted in Code&Care and what to consider when choosing your software development partner.
Why Should You Choose Web Application Development Over Native or Hybrid?
If you decide to create an app, you can select one of three development approaches:
🔹 Native application development
If you’re looking for the best app performance, develop your app for each platform: iOS, Android, Windows, watchOS, AndroidTV, and more. Just be aware that the total development cost will be much higher than other approaches.
🔹 Hybrid application development
It’s possible to build a hybrid app once and then adapt it for each platform. The cost of a mashup app is not as high as the cost of native apps, but the product will also not deliver peak performance. The hybrid app is ideal for MVP development as it allows you to quickly release your application and test your concept without significant investment.
🔹 Web application development
Web apps are a silver bullet. They can work on any device with a built-in browser, be it a smartphone or a smart refrigerator. With the development of wearable devices and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the power of web applications will continue to grow. And what’s the best part? The cost of developing a web application is much lower than the cost of creating a native or hybrid app.
Summing up, web apps differ from native applications, which are applications designed specifically for a certain platform or gadget and installed on that gadget. Although, the two are not mutually exclusive. Native apps are typically downloaded and built certainly for the type of device they are downloaded to. They usually use device-specific hardware, such as a GPS or camera, in their own mobile app.
Programs that combine these two approaches are sometimes referred to as mashups. Hybrid apps work similarly to web apps but are installed on the device in the same way as a native app. Hybrid apps can also consume device-specific resources through internal APIs. Downloaded native applications can sometimes work offline; however, mashups do not have this functionality. A hybrid app typically has similar navigation components to a web app because they are based on web apps.
Benefits of Web Applications
First, you should take a closer look at the benefits of web application development. You will find that web apps are an effective way to boost the UX of consumers who value user experience while browsing the web.
✔ High portability
People can access web applications from any device. Have a tablet? You can use a web app. Have a smartphone? You can use a web app. Personal computer? Even better! Basically, web applications are completely multi-platform. They provide users with entertainment sharing regardless of the operating system, be it Android, iOS, PC, etc., as long as the people maintain an Internet connection.
✔ More convenience
There is no necessity to download and install web apps. While smartphones these days seem to be increasing their storage space all the time, which seems like a square, some people just don’t like bloating a lot of apps or whatever, they just don’t have room. This reality also makes people free from the need for constant updates.
✔ Easier development
In case you want your mobile app to appear in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, then it will require two different apps if you decide to go native. This means that if you need both a website and a mobile app across all platforms, you need three times as many resources. Web application development avoids these frustrations. There is strictly one codebase to work with.
How much does it cost to build a web application?
The cost of a custom web application development depends on lots of factors, and we will speak about them a bit later. Now we would like to point your attention to the process of conducting the estimation of work.
Things to consider when estimating the cost of web app development
It is impossible to estimate the exact cost of app development without studying all the details of the future project. That is why, before starting to work on app development, we conduct several interviews with the client and clarify each and every aspect of the client’s vision. Here are several basic things to consider for estimating the cost of app implementation:
- Desired functionality
What kind of application do you want? Will it be an MVP or a fully functional app? An online store for a clothes shop or a complex medical or engineering system? Will your application have a mobile version?
Web development is a flexible process and it is possible to change the initial plan a bit, integrate some additional tools, or add new features. Of course, the changes in the initial scenario will influence the final costs.
- Third-party integrations
Are you planning to create a sustainable app or you will need to integrate the third-party tools? The more integrations your app requires, the more expensive the development process will be. But don’t be afraid – in any case, integrating a ready-made solution is much cheaper than building a feature from scratch.
- UI-UX Design
To make your business recognizable, your application has to be eye-pleasant, easy-to-use, and unique. The end price depends on the project complexity, extra elements, animations, and a number of screens.
When we end with the idea, functionality, and design of the future application, it’s high time to make the project estimation to learn the potential time and cost of the development.
How to choose the team for app development
Looking for a software development team for your project, you will get lots of offers from companies with different expertise and from different locations. Here are the main things to consider:
If you are choosing between the companies with and without domain expertise in your industry, we strongly recommend you to select the one that has the relevant expertise. They already know the ins and outs of your niche and will offer more suitable ideas for the feature list of your applications and more optimal ways of their implementation.
2. References and reviews
Before starting to look for a software development partner, we recommend you ask your friends or business partners for references. If they have already worked with a contractor, they will gladly share their impressions of cooperation.
If you are considering a new company, study carefully the reviews. It will be great if you have an opportunity to personally communicate with their customers and ask some questions about their experience.
3. Portfolio
When you only start the business communication with a software development company, we recommend you to ask them to provide the case studies of their recent projects. This will give you the opportunity to understand their expertise and to see if they have experience in working with projects similar to yours.
It is a good idea to select several companies and to send them the request proposal to make a rough estimate of your project.
How long does it take to build a website? [Estimation examples]
How the initial estimation is conducted in Code&Care
Everything starts with your communication with our sales manager. We will ask you about the future project, you will define the deadline, and will have the opportunity to ask all the questions you need.
We will ask you to send the specification regarding the project and provide detailed information about the desired feature.
Once the specification is received, we assign a project manager and developers with the relevant domain and technical expertise (Frontend, Backend, DevOps services). They discuss every point of your future project, the developers give their recommendations regarding the tech stack and estimate the time necessary for the implementation of every feature.
After receiving the estimation from the developer, the manager calculates the cost of work, and we send you the final web application development cost estimation, technical recommendations, and CVs of the developers that will take over the project.
How to choose the software development company based on the estimation?
In this case, the price shouldn’t be the key factor when choosing the contractor. If the rates of developers are low, you can’t be sure that the code will be of good quality and the work will be performed in time. On the other hand, the business owner doesn’t always have an opportunity to pay a big amount of money for MVP development.
Here are the things we recommend you to consider when choosing a software development team for building a web application:
- Time zone
The time zone of the country where the company is located is important for speedy communication between the client and the and developers as well as successful remote team management. Code&Care is located in the Eastern-European time zone and this is the most suitable variant for European companies.
- English level of the team
Of course, knowledge of foreign languages is not the primary requirement for a software development specialist, but this is important for clear communication between the customer and the team. At least the manager should have a fluent English level and the knowledge of developers should be sufficient for reaching the understanding with the client.
- Code quality & expertise of developers
These are the most important things for software developers and the main ones for you to take into consideration. Usually, the technical and domain qualifications of programmers are specified in their CVs and you can check them at the estimation stage.
If possible, choose the developers that have not only relevant technical skills, but also experience of working in your industry. It will also be great if you have an opportunity to see the code samples of the developer.
What determines the final web application price?
It is impossible to exactly predict the amount of time and money that will be necessary to develop your web application. But there are three key factors that have the most influence on the development process.
Project and design complexity, number of 3rd-party APIs
The more functionality and 3rd-party API integrations the project has, the more expensive is its design and development. The use of complex or rare technologies also increases the estimate. Generally, the prices are as follows:
- An MVP or a simple online store development will take about 1 month and $3-6k, depending on the other factors.
- Custom applications with interactive pages, such as e-commerce platforms, web apps for small&medium businesses will take about $6-12k and 3 months of development.
- Complex apps with custom CMS and complex UI\UX design that are aimed to automate the customer’s business processes (such as ERP-software) will cost about $12-23k and 6 months of work.
- The estimations for huge and complex apps for big corporations begin with $45k and half a year of work.
Number of developers, their seniority level
The rates of an experienced developer are several times higher than the ones of a junior programmer. At the same time, their code quality is much better and the speed of work is much higher.
If you hire dedicated web developers from your provider, they often give more beneficial conditions and fix the price for a month. To get an estimation and learn the special conditions for your project development, please contact our team.
The country of development
The cost of web app development is heavily dependent on the country where the contractor’s company is located. For example, in the USA, the hour of work of a senior developer will cost about $100-300. Let’s compare it with other regions:
- Latin America – $35-70
- Eastern Europe – $30-50
- Asia – $20-45
Remember that the price shouldn’t be a decisive factor. First, we recommend you pay attention to the difference in time zones, code quality, and English skills of developers and managers.
How to prevent unexpected price rises?
When you decided to work with a particular team and agreed on all stages of estimation, you need to be sure that the final price of the project won’t change significantly. To protect yourself from price changes, we recommend you to do the following:
- Make sure that all the necessary project functions are mentioned in the specification and estimation. Adding unplanned features will increase the cost and time of development.
- Signing the service contract with the specification of force majeure situations and other situations when the price can rise
- Hire a dedicated team of developers, this will allow fixing the price of work for the month.
The main thing in choosing the contractor is listening to your commercial sense. If there is something that makes you worry and doubt, we recommend you to say goodbye to this company and look for someone that will fit your needs by 100%.
What’s the average cost of web application development?
Based on the above-mentioned criteria, we created the estimation of the approximate price for building the applications of the different levels of complexity.
| Small project | Medium complexity project | Complex projects | |
| Time | 1-3 months | 3-6 months | 6-12 months |
| Project Cost Range in Code&Care | $4800-14400 | $14400-28800 | $28800-57600 |
| Project Cost Range in Europe | $55000-165000 | $165000-330000 | $330000-660000 |
| Project Cost Range in the USA | $100000-300000 | $300000-600000 | $600000-1200000 |
We would like to point to your attention that these prices are approximate, and they will vary depending on your project. To get an estimation of developing your web application, you are welcome to contact our sales team or e-mail directly to our CEO: [email protected]
Summary
Now you are familiar with the process of project estimation and know the factors that influence the final price of your app development. You also know the criteria to consider when choosing a software development partner and the approximate rates in different locations.
To get an estimation of your project from our team, please contact our sales team and describe your app idea. We will get back to you soon.
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