Professional businesses such as stores or service providers often use app development to make their products more efficient. It is impossible to have a fixed price for everything when designing an application. Experts usually determine app development costs based on your needs and what you want from the application. A complex application design will naturally cost more. Furthermore, the type of platform an app runs on, whether Android, iOS, or PWA, greatly influences its price.
How much does it cost to run an app?
Many factors affect the cost of developing a mobile application. The type of application, its purpose, the way different sections are designed, the program’s features, how it connects to the server, the number of users who install it on their mobile phones, the technology used, the project duration, and many other factors will determine how much it costs. Besides coding and application design, security is important in cost calculation.
Apps that require authentication for user entry have a high level of security, and the price of developing a dedicated application is also higher. Some people use ready-made templates to reduce costs. If you want to develop your business through an application, it is better to design it. As a result, the cost of designing the application will increase, but you will have a highly secure, dedicated application.
IOS apps cost more to develop than Android apps. The development of iOS applications requires special programming equipment, increasing costs. Apple designs its operating system exclusively for its products. The powerful hardware of iPhones contributes to the high speed and better stability of iOS applications.
Generally, you can calculate the average cost of building applications by asking an offshore iOS developer for their rates. Consider a project that takes 500 hours to complete at a rate of $2 per hour. In this case, you must pay 1000 dollars to develop your application.
It is hard to predict how long it will take for a business to develop an application. The time required for app development depends on the complexity of the application and its features. For calculating the cost of building an application and its development, consider the following factors:
- Rates, experience, and expertise of developers
- Technologies and programming languages for mobile application development
- Application features
Generally, iOS app development costs can range from $10,000 to $250,000 or more. Costs will vary based on the complexity of your app, its design requirements, its features, its integrations, and its maintenance requirements.
Below, we will mention the cost of designing and building an iOS application on a small, medium, or large scale.
| IOS app development scale | Planning and Designing | Development | Testing and Deployment |
| Small-Scale: $6,000 to $15,000 | Wireframing and prototyping: $500 – $1,000 User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design: $1,000 – $3,000 | Front-end development: $2,000 – $5,000 Back-end development: $2,000 – $5,000 | Quality assurance (QA) and testing: $500 – $1,000 App store submission: $100 – $300 |
| Medium-Scale: $15,000 and $35,000 | Wireframing and prototyping: $1,000 – $2,000 User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design: $1,000 – $3,000 | Front-end development: $5,000 – $10,000 Back-end development: $2,000 – $5,000 API integration: $1,000 – $3,000 | Quality assurance (QA) and testing: $1,000 – $2,000 App store submission: $100 – $300 |
| Large-Scale: $35,000 and $70,000 | Wireframing and prototyping: $2,000 – $5,000 User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design: $5,000 – $10,000 | Front-end development: $10,000 – $20,000 Back-end development: $10,000 – $20,000 API integration: $3,000 – $7,000 | Quality assurance (QA) and testing: $2,000 – $5,000 App store submission: $100 – $300 |
Developer salary is one of the most critical factors in determining iOS application development prices. We will discuss developers’ costs based on their experience and expertise.
IOS Developer Hourly Rates
When hiring application developers, consider the price offer and work experience. Developers are usually divided into three categories: junior, mid-level, and senior.
Junior Developer’s Hourly Rates
Junior developers do debugging, program maintenance, and other simple requests. The table below shows how much junior developers earn in different parts of the world.
| Region | Country | Junior iOS Developer |
| North America | USA Canada Mexico Argentina | $44.23 $37.50 $8.97 $7.76 |
| South America | Brazil | $9.93 |
| Western Europe | Hungary United Kingdom Germany France | $9.61 $26.44 $24.75 $20.43 |
| Eastern Europe | Ukraine Poland | $12.57 $11.09 |
| South Asia | India | $8.49 |
| East Asia | China Japan Singapore | $17.54 $25.01 $27.64 |
| Middle East | Israel | $24.51 |
| Oceania | Australia | $50.96 |
Mid-level Developer’s Hourly Rates
Mid-level developers have the general expertise to complete most app design projects. They can also add new features and facilities to apps. The table below shows how much mid-level developers earn in different parts of the world.
| Region | Country | Junior iOS Developer |
| North America | USA Canada Mexico Argentina | $57.69 $46.63 $12.57 $10.93 |
| South America | Brazil | $14.01 |
| Western Europe | Hungary United Kingdom Germany France | $20.91 $35.57 $34.61 $28.84 |
| Eastern Europe | Ukraine Poland | $22.11 $21.63 |
| South Asia | India | $10.61 |
| East Asia | China Japan Singapore | $24.51 $35.09 $37.50 |
| Middle East | Israel | $33.89 |
| Oceania | Australia | $62.50 |
Senior Developer’s Hourly Rates
Senior developers will lead and manage your application development project. They can also add advanced features and facilities to your application. The table below shows how much senior developers earn in different parts of the world.
| Region | Country | Junior iOS Developer |
| North America | USA Canada Mexico Argentina | $65.38 $55.28 $16.42 $15.57 |
| South America | Brazil | $18.10 |
| Western Europe | Hungary United Kingdom Germany France | $25.48 $43.75 $43.70 $37.25 |
| Eastern Europe | Ukraine Poland | $27.40 $26.68 |
| South Asia | India | $12.25 |
| East Asia | China Japan Singapore | $30.52 $43.26 $47.35 |
| Middle East | Israel | $42.78 |
| Oceania | Australia | $69.23 |
Note that the developers’ rate, in addition to experience, also depends on expertise.
IOS Developer Hourly Rates Based on Programming Languages
Another factor that affects developer hourly rates is the programming language. The following table shows the average hourly rate for developers based on programming language:
| Programming Language | Average Hourly Rate |
| PHP | $24.27 |
| HTML/CSS | $30.76 |
| Java | $31.04 |
| JavaScript | $31.52 |
| Kotlin | $33.32 |
| C# | $33.42 |
| Python | $34.18 |
| Swift | $37.72 |
| Objective-C | $39.98 |
You can read the article “What software programming languages can be used for an iOS app?” to learn about the languages used to build apps for this operating system.
Cost-Saving Tips for iOS App Development
In the last five years, we have seen an increasing trend of mobile phone users using mobile applications daily. However, the high cost of app development often discourages companies from wanting to develop their app.
App developers develop and improve mobile applications to improve Internet visibility, build strong brands, and increase customer loyalty. Applications allow customers to interact with the brand personally, thereby significantly increasing its value. However, reducing unnecessary costs can make app development more affordable.
- Planning an application development process that is effective
- Sketch the final product.
- Define the operating system platform for your application.
- Outsource the mobile application development project. For example, hire the best offshore Java developers.
- Take advantage of available technologies.
- Test frameworks.
- Simple application design always works!
- Look for a company specializing in mobile application development.
- Take your time with the mobile application development process.
Conclusion
Understanding the costs of hiring an iOS developer and developing an app is important. Understanding how much iOS app development costs can help you plan your budget and balance cost, quality, and time more effectively. The cheapest developer may only sometimes be the best choice for your project. It may be worth paying a little more for a dedicated iOS developer who can provide more expertise and quality output. Find out how much it costs to hire a part-time developer by reading the article “How much does a part-time developer cost?”.