A guide to find your web application development cost

web application development cost

The demand for web apps is increasing rapidly in today's internet world. Web apps can be found for almost every internet service, such as social media management and customer relationship development.

Buffer, Semrush CRM, HubSpot CRM and Salesforce CRM are some of the most popular web apps.

This business opportunity can be tapped by creating a web application to showcase your ideas. You have many options to develop a web-based application, each with a different cost.

This guide will show you how to determine the cost of developing a web app. This will allow you to make the best decision possible to create a high-quality web application for a low price. First, let's look at why you should build a website application.

Why should you build a web application?

This popularity in web app development is because it only takes one time to build a web application, and can be sold to multiple people. After a web app is created, you are responsible for its maintenance and updates.

This is significantly cheaper than the cost of developing a physical product. You would have to pay for each item and store them in inventory.

It is also a smart idea to develop a web app. This facilitates sales and relationship-building with your customers. This will make them more loyal to your website application and allow for a longer relationship.

You can, for instance, get a web application's basic version for free. Customers can then upgrade to a paid version later to meet more requirements. Web applications may also offer premium access for some time, such as seven or thirty days. This allows you to acquire new customers by removing any barriers to entry.

What's the difference between websites and web apps?

Many people confuse websites with web applications. Both are distinct and serve different purposes. Let's see how they differ.

website and web application

It's designed to directly serve potential customers.
Example - These are the web apps we created for Reallect - to create a realty website and increase its visibility through SEO. Aprive is another, which is the first real estate CRM that is free for life.
Logging in is required to verify your identity and use the web application.
The entire project must be recompiled and deployed again if there are any modifications to the web app.
Websites are more complex than websites.
A web application is a component of a website.

Website

Websites are primarily informational. Indirectly, it may result in a sale later.
ExampleTake a look at the website of Acquaint Softtech Private Limited. It was created to promote and share our services and knowledge and connect us with our potential customers.
Access to a website is not restricted by authentication or login. It might ask you to log in only for premium data.
If you make small changes, you won't need to recompile the entire project.
Much easier to develop than a Web app.
A website could contain a Web app.

What are the different types of web applications based on their functions?

Web apps come in multiple types. In fact, there is a variety of web apps. Each one serves a different purpose. Let's take a closer look at each.

types of web apps

Static web apps

The name of this type of app suggests that it is static. This makes it easier to develop than other kinds of web apps. In exchange for a small subscription, stationary web applications have very limited content. These web apps are easily created with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This can be illustrated by a blog that provides premium and free content.

Dynamic website app

Dynamic web applications store and fetch data in real-time to or from the database according to the request made by the users. This makes them more complex than their static counterparts. Node.txt is a technology that allows you to create dynamic web apps. It can be used with Ruby on Rails (PHP, Ruby on Rails), Perl, Python and PHP. Facebook is the most well-known example of a web app that can be dynamic.

Single page apps

Single-page web apps are web apps where a single page controls the content. The information that is needed to be updated in real-time is limited. Gmail and PayPal are two examples of single-page apps. Meteor, ReactJS and AngularJS are just a few technologies you can use for a great single-page app.

Multiple-page apps

Multiple-page apps include those that contain information spread across several pages. When an information page is accessed, the data must be fetched from a database. Amazon is the most well-known example of a multiple-page app. It can fetch data from multiple products and is displayed when one product is selected.

Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps work on both mobile and desktop devices. You can also access the complete information using your mobile browser. Uber, Spotify and YouTube are examples of advanced web applications.

Factors affecting web app development cost

Scope and purpose of your project

The scope of your project is how large you plan to reach your target audience. As there is limited scope for growth, some web applications can be simple to develop and maintain. Let's take, for example, school management software. The school can only house a small number of teachers and students. They will need to work for years to increase their capacity.

It is thus easier and cheaper to create and maintain a school management system than a larger-scale project.

Amazon Prime, a high-scope initiative with a wide range of potential benefits, is at the opposite end. It's a subscription-based platform allows you to watch TV series and movies. You also get other benefits when you shop at Amazon. The US had an estimated 153,000,000 subscribers in 2021. The global count will likely surpass this number.

This shows that this project has a huge scope and serves a large audience. In addition, subscribers are growing much faster than in our previous example for a school management system. It will be more expensive to maintain and build a project this large.

How does your project scope impact the cost of web app development?

The more extensive your project is, the more complicated it will be for you to manage and develop. This will make it more costly to build.

But wait! You can keep going if you want to build something of high scope and don't have the budget. To lower your risk and costs, you can prototype your web application. As you grow your app, The best path for many entrepreneurs is to develop an MVP first. You can start small but still have the ambition to reach great heights.

The country where your developer is located

Companies and startups have traditionally hired people from their home regions. However, technology has allowed you to access skills worldwide and save money. You can do this by hiring freelancers and remote developers. These two options are discussed separately in the next post.

Understanding that different economies have different pay scales is important for the moment. In the USA, a developer may earn $50k per annum. However, it is significantly more than what Indian developers make. You can see the differences in the hourly cost of offshore development in different regions.

Instead of paying in-house developers to develop your project, it's cheaper to hire remote developers and freelancers.

How does the location of your developer affect your web app development costs?

Due to the differences in currencies, pay scales for different countries may differ. So, if you hire one developer from the USA, multiple developers from India with equivalent experience can be employed. This brings us...

The developers you hire.

Developers will be more expensive if they have more experience. It's not hard to see why. But you can expect better quality and quicker development. This is a significant advantage over the pay differential due to experience.

So hiring a skilled developer will save you time and allow you to launch your website sooner. You save more if the development takes less time.

Let me give an example. A junior developer might charge $50 per hour but complete your project within 100 working hours. The web app development cost for your project will be $5000. This excludes any redevelopment.

Hiring a senior programmer who charges $75 and completes your project on time will cost you $5625. This will result in a project cost of $5625. Is it worth paying $625 to complete your project 25 hours earlier? Senior developers will be more helpful and less bug-prone.

How can the experience of the developers that you hire impact your web app development costs?

The more experienced a developer, his speed and quality of development will cost you more.

You choose the tech stack.

You can choose from a variety of technologies to build your web app. Prices vary. The languages with the most demand or with rare developers will be more expensive.

For example, a Java developer can be more expensive than a PHP developer because Java is more popular for backend programming than PHP. To get an idea of the cost, look at these charts.

Programming Languages

Skill	Low Hourly Rate	High Hourly Rate	Average Hourly Rate
C	$15	$120	$59.73
C#	$12	$120	$63.13
C++	$25	$150	$63.18
Java	$20	$100	$53.17
JavaScript	$20	$225	$48.98
Kotlin	$15	$60	$36.58
PHP	$15	$90	$54.02
Python	$25	$150	$52.88
R Language	$35	$100	$51.33

Frontend Frameworks

Skill	Low Hourly Rate	High Hourly Rate	Average Hourly Rate
Angular.txt	$22	$160	$59.96
Backbone.txt	$33	$100	$57.64
D3.txt	$30	$120	$55.29
Ember.txt	$15	$150	$54.22
Foundation	$10	$90	$49.38
jQuery	$15	$120	$58.58
React.txt	$35	$200	$59.29
Semantic UI	$9	$80	$37.85

Backend Frameworks

Skill	Low Hourly Rate	High Hourly Rate	Average Hourly Rate
ASP.NET	$35	$130	$60.67
CakePHP	$8	$85	$46.92
Django	$20	$100	$50.78
Express	$32	$140	$52.42
Flask	$20	$250	$58.07
Laravel	$30	$100	$50.20
Ruby on Rails	$30	$100	$50.20
Spring Boot	$32	$210	$60.59

Content Management Systems

Skill	Low Hourly Rate	High Hourly Rate	Average Hourly Rate
Drupal	$8	$200	$63.35
Joomla	$34	$85	$50.73
WordPress	$12	$110	$44.13

Ecommerce

Skill	Low Hourly Rate	High Hourly Rate	Average Hourly Rate
WooCommerce	$20	$125	$59.00
Shopify	$5	$120	$59.11
Magento	$20	$80	$47.96

Miscellaneous

Skill	Low Hourly Rate	High Hourly Rate	Average Hourly Rate
Android	$20	$160	$55.48
iOS	$30	$100	$53.04
Salesforce	$35	$130	$72.42
Unity	$35	$125	$54.77

Miscellaneous

However, I recommend you opt for reliable technology even if it is a little more costly. Why? It's because your chosen technologies need to serve you better. You will need to redevelop the project with better technology in the future. This can be very frustrating, as you will need to reinvest money and your time.

How does your tech stack affect your web app development cost?

Different technologies come at different prices. You should carefully choose your tech stack, as it will be expensive to replace it later. Some cases may require your web app to function equally well on mobile devices and desktop computers. Therefore, you will need developers who are skilled in multiple technologies. This will increase your project's cost.

The complexity of your web application's UI/UX design

Complex stuff takes more time and is harder to create. This means that you will pay more for it. You can have a simple UI/UX design to achieve good results.

You should avoid complex UI/UX design, which can be overwhelming and disincentive. First, ensure your design represents your brand.

Navigation is another important aspect of design. It should make it easy for the visitors to reach the page and complete the desired action. Is it easy to switch between pages?

These things can offer a better return than spending more on a complicated UI/UX.

How do UI/UX design's complexity and cost affect web app development?

Complex UI/UX designs are more complex than simpler ones. This makes it harder to develop. Also, the process can be slow if it's not optimized with great care. Therefore, it's not worth wasting time trying to design complex designs. If you do all the basics, your plan should work well.

Maintenance & upgrades

Maintenance and upgrades become a normal cost when you launch your web application. However, only growing and successful companies will have to pay for maintenance or upgrades.

This includes fixing bugs and optimizing the code. These are important to keep your website in good shape and ready for the increasing demands.

It is possible to wonder what it will cost. Your web application's demand will drive up the cost of maintenance. It will likely start at a lower price but may increase over time.

How will maintenance and upgrades impact the price of your web application development project?

After your first web application is launched, maintenance and upgrades must be paid. Because it is a continuous process, it isn't easy to estimate how much it will cost.

Other charges

When you take on such a big project, hidden and miscellaneous expenses will be inevitable. It is essential to have an emergency fund ready to cover these costs. Here are some examples of services and events you must pay for:

Cyberattack

It is not something that any business owner would like to see his project stolen. Cyber attacks are now commonplace, and anyone can be affected. Although you have the best chance to avoid it, your project can be compromised on a bad day.

Your web app can still be revived if you do the right things. This can require professionals and possibly money.
Miscellaneous

There will be other recurring charges that you will face. It will mainly be the subscription costs for plugins, hosting and domain,

How does it affect the cost of web app development?

This could come in the form of hosting, domain, or plugins. Sometimes you could also become a victim of cyberattacks. Experts are needed in such instances.

Which path should you choose to find the perfect team?

There are many routes you could take to create your web application. However, these three are the most commonly followed. But each journey is unique. Let me share a few of the following:

In-house team

This is the oldest and most commonly used way to develop anything. Hire a team and give them office space. If they are good, you can get the project done.

While there are ups, this approach is proven to be effective. The problem is that it can be expensive for small businesses or startups.

Consider this: you don't only have to pay for what you get but also the costs of maintaining the business. It may be fine for established companies with the revenue and resources to do so. You may have to take a large financial risk if your company is starting.

Therefore, consider your financial needs before you start this journey.

Pros:

You can supervise your team and work together.
You get the most out of your time
Clear communication
Too expensive
Small businesses and startups aren't the best candidates
Geographic limitations restrict access to talent
It isn't easy to find the right person

Freelance developers

People who are self-employed or work for companies find freelancing a huge relief. Individuals and businesses can both freelance, paying only what they need. No overhead costs, such as office space, bonuses, etc.

I know you want to make a web application. But this is not a task that can be accomplished by one person. Multi-developers are necessary for your project. To build your website app, you will need multiple freelancers willing to work with you.

Can you spot the problem? You can find as many freelancing developers as you like. It cannot be easy to bring them together to work on your project.

Also, freelance platforms are only sometimes reliable and cannot guarantee that your project will be completed on schedule.

Pros:

Affordable
No upfront cost
Talented people can find work anywhere on the planet.
Forming a team capable of working together on the project can be challenging.
Need to be more reliable in completing your project on time.

Outsourcing team

This path is a mix of freelancer developers and in-house staff.

Talk to a web development agency and discuss your needs. The agency will connect you with skilled developers you can hire immediately to get your project started.

But it would be best if you interviewed developers before you make a decision. Once the project is complete, parts will be broken into multiple milestones. Each milestone will have a deadline. After completing the first milestone, the team will reach out to you to confirm your approval.

Outsourcing a development team can be advantageous because your team works under supervision, and you still have the freedom to use freelance platforms.

Pros:

Saves you development cost
Start your project quickly and easily
Finding great developers does not require you to spend much time and money.
An NDA allows you to maintain confidentiality about your project.
Some agencies need to be more trustworthy. Picking the right partner is crucial.
You may experience communication difficulties.

How to choose the best tech stack in your web app

Your tech stack can make a big difference in your project's final cost and quality. A tech stack should allow you to develop a web app rich in all the desirable attributes. It should be relatively cheap. Here are some tips to help you choose the right tech stack.

You can find exactly what features you need for your web application, performance requirements, and UI/UX.
Select the technology that best suits your needs.
Laravel Development, a PHP framework with large libraries of pre-written codes, is my recommendation for web app development.
JavaScript frameworks such as AngularJS (or ReactJS) can be used as the front end.

Conclusion

Please now estimate the cost of developing your web application. However, outsourcing is a way to reduce costs. To make sure you pick the right outsourcing company, you should keep these things in mind.

Experience of 5+ Years
Portfolio of clients
Clear communication
Successfully completed the test task
NDA agreement

I am happy to tell you that our agency is a development agency and that it meets all the requirements. For a better understanding, you can contact us now to discuss the details of your project with us and have them test it. We'll see you from the other side.