A mobile app can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $500,000. This wild fluctuation in pricing always bewilders people unfamiliar with mobile app development. However, the experts can quickly dissect this pricing and take ludicrousness out of the equation. They would point out how features, methods, regions, and deadlines affect the price.
You would soon realize that the cost is directly proportional to the app’s quality and functionality in most cases. Most, not all! There are always instances and opportunities when you can cut the cost of mobile software development without impacting the app’s quality. And this article is all about highlighting those opportunities.
The info can be of great help to startup owners- ones who can’t do without an excellent mobile application and don’t have deep pockets to help their case. Austin is one of the leading global startup ecosystems, and entrepreneurs throughout the city can save some bucks using these suggestions. So let’s jump right into it:
1. Plan Effectively
The cost-saving should start as soon as you come up with the idea of a mobile application. Brainstorming sessions, formal and informal documents, and all the discussion around the proposed application should always bring cost-saving into the mix.
The more thought-out strategy you have ready before starting the development process, the easier it will be to bring everyone involved in the app-building process on the same page. You’d be able to clearly state your requirements to the dev team and make sure no efforts go waste.
This is one of the ways you get the best bang for your buck. Efficient planning also reduces the number of iterations at later stages, thus reducing the number of hours needed to complete the project. So plan well and save more.
2. Outsource
Outsourcing, when done right, can give you the same feature-loaded mobile application at a fraction of the cost you’d spend on an in-house team otherwise. Your businesses can very well be established and thriving in Austin while the mobile application for your business gets developed in some other part of the world. No doubt, there are app developers in Austin, but you can always give the global pool of talented developers a try, especially when you are dealing with a tight budget.
Outsourcing also makes a lot of sense in the post-pandemic scenario. Most businesses are now used to remote employees and teams anyway. Outsourcing would also relieve you of the burden of having to manage developers and assigning them individual tasks. Most outsourcing projects are charged on a per hour basis. It means you pay for only what you get instead of giving away salaries irrespective of productivity and task completion.
3. Focus on MVP
A minimum viable product is the bare minimum required to achieve your goals. In mobile app development, this refers to the app with only the critical features needed. In its most basic form, the app should have everything and should do everything that you envisioned at the start.
An MVP is a great way to test the waters before making any significant strides in one particular direction. It also prevents you from spending on non-critical but good-to-have features. Once you get the affirmation from the audience that what you build is going to serve them well, you can go forward with confidence and deliver an app that works well for you and the target audience as well.
4. Minimalize Design and Graphics
A significant portion of the budget goes to UI and UX design. And since UI and UX also have a crucial role to play in the success of a mobile application, it’s no surprise that business owners often end up overspending on it trying to impress users. But a UI with more bells and whistles isn’t always the better one.
You can keep the app design minimalist and still pleasing. If the budget is a concern, which almost always is, you can also go for app design templates. You can easily have one of these customized for your app and save up on time as well as money.
5. Develop Cross-Platform App
The native v/s hybrid app debate has been baffling business owners since time immemorial. But that doesn’t need to be the case. If you have a clear idea of what features you’d need in the app to reach your goal, then the answer should be pretty straightforward. You might get superior app performance with a native app, but that also translates into a higher development cost.
A native app, on the other hand, is capable of having good-enough features, takes lesser time to develop, and can reduce the price of app-building significantly. The code used for cross-platform app development is reusable, making it easier for you to improve upon things in the future. If your mobile app isn’t based around leveraging device features, then you can easily bring cross-platform development into consideration.
6. Test and Supervise Continuously
Leaving testing for later stages can be a grave mistake if you look forward to saving some bucks during app development. Resolving the issue once everything is done can quickly become a costly affair since a lot of hard work done previously can go down the drain.
Break down app development into multiple stages and conduct thorough testing at the end of each step. If you are planning to get things done through a mobile app development company in Austin, find one that emphasizes testing. Testing also prevents any unpleasant surprises at the end, and you find it easier to stick to deadlines.
7. Use Agile Methodology
Building upon the idea from our previous point, agile methodologies are best when it comes to app development. It breaks down the entire process into multiple sprints, with each sprint having set deliverables planned at the end of it.
With agile development, you will be taking care of not just testing at every stage but also planning, designing, reviewing, and building in every sprint. Agile methodologies have become quite popular in the app development community since it makes lives easier for developers and clients alike.
The Wrap-Up
The tech industry, as well as businesses in general, are prospering in Austin. And one common need of most of these enterprises is a mobile application- it’s impossible to get by without one these days. Since mobile app development can quickly become a costly affair, it’s better to employ the strategies stated above to keep a tab on spendings.
Moreover, it won’t take much effort from your side to implement these tactics. Things like better planning, agile methodologies, MVP-focused approach are among the list of items under ideal mobile application development. So keep these strategies in mind when you commence your mobile app development quest and expect smoother and less-expensive operations.
Cutting cost -DepositPhotos
