A mobile app is a software needed for a business to succeed in today’s world. More than 55% of internet users today browse the net using their mobile phones. This highlights the importance of mobile applications. That is the reason why businesses develop mobile apps to engage with customers, sell their products, and offer their services. If you have a business, then you too would have probably thought of developing an app for mobiles, but apparently the cost involved might have made you think twice.
Don’t worry though; there are many ways in which you can develop a mobile app and keep the costs as low as possible. We present before you some ideas and tips that you can consider while developing a mobile app. These ideas and tips can help you considerably reduce the development costs and thus make app development affordable.
1. Go for MVP
MVP is Minimum Viable Product. This is an option where instead of developing a full-fledged app, you can develop a prototype having all the key features that you would need for your brand. This kind of app serves its purpose, which is after all that you want from the app. At the same time, you can drastically reduce costs. Using the concept of MVP can help you create a functional app that has all the basic features needed for its use.
As users start working with the app and its usage increases you can look to monetize the app and earn from it. You can then enhance the app and add in more features, design, and style. This is a good option to consider to reduce development costs. You won’t be the first to do it; top brands like Airbnb and Uber started their digital journey through MVP. This is a viable option to consider.
2. Outsource the Development
Developing a mobile app involves many costs. You need a team of skilled and experienced developers and a technology leader to drive the process. You need to invest in hardware and software. The initial costs of setting all this up and the running costs would be reasonably high. One way to reduce costs is to outsource the development work. Outsourcing is a popular concept followed in most industries today.
You can outsource the development work to a firm that is experienced in app development. The development company would create an app as per your requirements. You need not invest anything on development nor do you need to hire a team of developers. You can save all these costs by outsourcing. You can consider outsourcing your app development, but make sure you select the right company to do it.
3. Try Open Source
Software development is a complex and expensive process because your team needs to develop everything from scratch. But, what if you could get a readymade free software to meet your needs? That would be a great option. This is possible & thanks to open source software. There are many open source software libraries that you can get for free. Open source software is free, and the developers give you full access to the source code. An open source software may not entirely meet your needs. But it gives you a foundation.
You have a ready-made software with a few features and the source code for it. Your developers can then rework this code to create an app that serves your needs. This is a good option to consider as it can reduce your overall development time and costs.
4. Document and Follow a Structured Approach
Spending time in documenting your requirements is one way to ensure that what you want from your app is clearly written down. Review this document until you are confident that your document has captured the app on paper. Now get it developed either in-house or outside. Once your requirements are clear, the development process proceeds fast, and there is no confusion at any stage. There are no surprises at the last minute that can delay the launch of your app.
Follow a structured process for app development. This will ensure that your app development time is reduced. The clarity in requirements ensures less of rework translating to reduced costs.
5. Plan for Cross-Platform Development
Cross-platform development is where you develop an app for different platforms. This strategy ensures you create a single app that works on all kinds of platforms. This helps you to save a lot of money in developing multiple apps for different platforms. The cost of developing a separate app each for Android and iOS can be high. Cross-platform app development can help you reduce your costs.
The above ideas when implemented can help reduce development costs making the process economical for you.
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