More and more companies are discovering the potential of apps for their business. However, developing an app from scratch is an expensive affair with a lot of things that can go wrong.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to spot opportunities for saving and make the development process as cost-effective as possible.
In this post, we’re going to give you 4 key tips on how you can save money when developing an app for your small business.
Map out the core, indispensable features
When you’re developing an app for your small business, have a clear picture of indispensable features and focus on them.
When deciding on indispensable features, keep only those that are connected to your app’s goal. Solving a single problem at a time will help you determine which elements are essential for the app. This way, you’ll build a functional app in less time and can use the prototype for testing or an MVP, all of which will save money in the development process.
Separating core features from non-essential ones is a must-do if you’re developing your business app on limited time and money.
Work with experienced professionals to minimize costs of revisions
Using an in-house team to build a mobile app for your business does not necessarily mean you’ll be saving money.
If your team is not experienced enough or is already overwhelmed with other app projects, giving them one more in-house app to work on is not the best idea. This might cause them to miss a few critical spots in the app planning and development that will cause hefty maintenance costs.
When you hire a professional, you can ensure quality and consistency throughout the development process and minimize the number of fixes and revisions your app will need. You’ll know all the upfront costs of hiring and use their outside knowledge to suggest additional savings and maintenance planning.
Even though maintenance costs for mobile apps vary, the predictable maintenance costs of mobile apps are about 15-20% of the total app development costs. This does not include unaccounted costs like debugging and revisions.
Outsourcing professionals with a successful track record is often as close as you can get to know the full costs of developing an app and can save you money on revisions and maintenance.
Make a hybrid app instead of Android and iOS versions
Building separate apps for Android and iOS can be really expensive. Instead, consider making a hybrid app to save on development costs.
A carefully designed hybrid app can look and feel just as well as a native app. If you don’t want to exclude users of one platform, you can use a hybrid app solution that works on both platforms. They have their shortcomings, but if your app doesn’t require heavy native-style customization, they’re a cost-efficient solution.
Building a hybrid mobile app will cost more than a single native app, but it is roughly 30 to 40% cheaper than developing separate apps for both platforms. This tactic also saves valuable time in development because you’re not building two apps.
For example, Uber is one of the most successful hybrid apps of all time. Their app fulfills its basic requirement – connecting users to drivers using geolocation. They load fast and work equally well on Android and iOS devices.
Every mobile app project is different and has its own specific requirements. If you want to save money and deliver a mobile app for both platforms, build a hybrid app.
Develop a detailed plan
To build a successful app and save money throughout the development phase, you need to develop a detailed and well-thought plan.
Mapping out a detailed plan for your app means setting budgets and cost projections for app design, development, and marketing. It’s critically important that you use this process to identify opportunities to save money on each of those areas to stay within the project budget.
Although using planning tools such as mockups, animations and storyboards seem like an extra step to the process, it will pay back immensely in the later development stages. This will give your team a complete vision of the entire project and allow them to spot and suggest cost-saving opportunities. When you write a business plan for your app, you can prepare for and minimize risks throughout the development and post-launch.
For example, when you plan how much data your app will store and collect from users, your team can suggest the most affordable data storage option to save money on maintenance.
You can’t save money on app development if you don’t have the entire process worked out to the smallest detail and expense. After that, you can predict hidden costs and identify saving opportunities.
Conclusion
Balancing costs is difficult when you’re developing an app for your business.
When you know where to look for savings opportunities, you can get the most out of your budget and stand clear of unexpected expenses, especially in the post-launch phase.
Follow these tips and focus on your app development to achieve your goal and stay within the budget.