How Much Does Mobile App Development Cost in India?
App development is a complex process. With so many moving parts to consider, it’s not really possible to give a one-size-fits-all cost for developing an app in India.
But, it is possible to get a rough price estimate. You just need to get a sense of the following:
The Range
India is one of the cheapest countries to which you can outsource app development. Some developers will charge as little as $10 an hour. But others may charge up to $75, which is more than some of the cheaper US-based alternatives.
Hybrid or Native
Do you want an app that runs on iOS, Android, or both? Because while the design stage for a given application is roughly the same for all of these options, there are some key development differences.
- Due to the variety of Android phones, the app will need more extensive testing.
- The App Store has far stricter rules and restrictions, so the app may need further adjustments to comply.
- Hybrid apps are typically developed using one programming language, so you won’t need to worry about the price doubling. However, using one programming language means the app won’t be fully optimised for either platform. This means that it could take longer to properly integrate platform-specific features (if they can be integrated at all).
Features
What kind of app do you need? Is it an app for shopping, social media, deliveries, or something else? Each app category has a different list of required features, and each takes a certain amount of time to develop, affecting overall cost:
| Features | Time |
| User Login | 20-48 hrs |
| Profile creation | 15 – 20 hrs |
| Offline mode | 40-80 hrs |
| Search | 13-18 hrs |
| Chat & Messaging | 118-165 hrs |
| Push notifications | 20 – 32 hrs |
| Geolocation | 32-50 hrs |
| Multi-language support | 15-20 hrs |
| User management | 20 – 37 hours |
| Video/Audio streaming | 72-140 hrs |
| Google Maps integration | 20-40 hrs |
| Data encryption | 16 – 24 hours |
| Sensors usage | 16-20 hrs each |
Delivery and shopping apps, for example, need geolocation, where gaming apps can generally do without. The only feature seen across all app categories is user login. But even then, its development time and cost will vary depending on how complex it needs to be.
Paid? Free? Freemium?
Speaking of features; there are even more differences depending on whether your mobile app will have:
- In-app purchases (e.g., shopping apps)
- Third-party ad integration (e.g., social media apps)
- Both (e.g., mobile gaming apps)
- Neither (e.g., library apps)
In-app purchases require payment integration, which can take 60-78 hours to develop. And mobile applications featuring third party ads will obviously require an ads feature, which takes 20-50 hours to complete.
Conclusion
We hope we’ve given you some understanding of how much your mobile app will cost you if you outsource to India.
But remember: cheaper isn’t always better, and elements like cultural barriers and time zones may complicate the process further and even result in some details getting lost in translation. So an app development agency that’s closer to home may be the better option.
And if your home is in Australia, why not outsource to one of the best app development companies in Sydney?
