4 Ways To Reduce Startup App Development Costs, According To Experts [DesignRush QuickSights]

App development may cost businesses from mid-five to seven figures. DesignRush reached out to experts to discover the ways startups can reduce app development costs.

MIAMI - SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

App development projects can cost between mid-five and seven figures, as shared by Forbes. And on average, one in six projects experience a cost overrun of 200%, as stated by Adeva. This suggests that poor project management can be one of the costliest mistakes app developers make.

DesignRush, a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with agencies, leveraged its 16,000-agencies-strong network for quick insights – or “QuickSights” – on the ways startups can reduce app development costs.

1) USE CROSS-PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT

Empat CEO Nazar Gulyk suggests that cross-platform development is a great way to decrease startup app development costs as it allows for faster time to market.

“The best way for startups to reduce app development costs is to use cross-platform languages,” said Gulyk. “It could be up to two times faster and thus less expensive. Furthermore, if you use a language like Flutter, you will be able to have [your app] on the web as an additional platform.”

Aakash Goyal, designated partner at Cloudester, agrees on this matter and adds that cross-platform development not only helps cut costs but also helps decrease effort and expand reach and business value.

“Developing a mobile app for a single platform won’t be a good idea for your business to target a diversified audience,” said Goyal. “Hence, developers prefer cross-platform apps with which you could implement a single code across all platforms saving up time, cost, and effort and expanding your reach & business value.”

2) LEVERAGE OPEN-SOURCE LIBRARIES

Applover CTO Piotr Sobusiak states that startups should rely on open-source libraries to optimize app development costs.

“Choose technologies with open-source libraries like Python-Django or Ruby on Rails,” said Sobusiak. “Thanks to open-source libraries, you can implement many adequate solutions according to the needs of your app. Using those or creating typical features from open-source code, such as dashboards or user authentication modules, will optimize app costs.”

3) DEVELOP THE MOBILE BACKEND FIRST

In the opinion of Vipul Shah, COO at Ace Infoway, developers should always build the mobile backend first and then focus on other phases of the app development process.

“One reason why app development projects burn cash is the mobile backend wasn’t done first,” said Shah. “App development usually has a deep reliance on mobile-optimized APIs (& backend), and you need to plan carefully to ensure that you don't start your app development team too early before the backend is ready. If this is not ready, it results in leakage and idle time for app developers. If you follow solid development practices, including dependency management, this can be avoided. It certainly optimizes your cost, if you have mobile backend first, and deploy app developers in [a] phased manner.”

4) BUILD AN MVP

According to Gregory Entin, CTO at Velvetech, startups should make sure they build an MVP to minimize their app development costs.

“Building an MVP is a good option for keeping app development costs low,” said Entin. “It allows you to test a basic version of the product with a few key features before launching the final solution. Plus, you can get feedback from the target audience and make adjustments before committing too many resources.”

DesignRush released the September list of the best app development companies that help businesses of various sizes and industries develop fully functional and visually appealing mobile applications within their budget.

1. Diffco - diffco.us
Expertise: App Development, AI Development, Computer Vision Development, and more

2. Empat - empat.tech
Expertise: Web Development, App Development, Custom Software Development, and more

3. Fortnight Studio - fortnight.studio
Expertise: App Development, UI/UX Design, Visual Identity, and more

4. Applover - applover.com
Expertise: Software development, Product Design, IT Consulting, and more

5. Alphalytics - alphalytics.tech
Expertise: App Development, Web Design, UI/UX Design, and more

6. Cloudester Software - cloudester.com
Expertise: Enterprise Software Development, SaaS Development, App Development, and more

7. JetRuby Agency - jetruby.com
Expertise: Сustom Software Development, App Development, Web Development, and more

8. SITE IT NOW - siteitnow.com
Expertise: Web Design & Development, eCommerce Solutions, App Development, and more

9. Ace Infoway - aceinfoway.com
Expertise: Product Engineering, Web App Development, Platform Migration, and more

10. AppSquadz - appsquadz.com
Expertise: App Development, eCommerce & CMS Development, UI/UX Design, and more

11. Inventcolabs - inventcolabssoftware.com
Expertise: Web Development, App Development, AI Solutions, and more

12. Velvetech - velvetech.com
Expertise: Enterprise Software Development, App Development, IoT Development Services, and more

13. Winklix - winklix.com
Expertise: Digital Transformation, App Development & Maintenance, SAP Consulting, and more

14. AppZoro Technologies - appzoro.com
Expertise: App Development, UI/UX Design, Startup Consulting, and more

15. Ekasilam Technologies - ekasilamtech.co.za
Expertise: Software Development, App Development, Hardware Development, and more

16. SNP Group - snpgroup.in
Expertise: App Development, Web Development, Product Engineering, and more

17. Doshaheen Solutions - doshaheen.com
Expertise: Cloud Development, Web App Development, App Development, and more

18. Zedsoftpoint - zedsoftpoint.com
Expertise: Software Development, Digital Marketing, App Development, and more

19. CMile - cmile.in
Expertise: App Development, App Testing, App Marketing, and more

20. Tech-This - tech-this.com
Expertise: Software Development, Web Development, App Development, and more

21. CognitiveClouds - cognitiveclouds.com
Expertise: eCommerce Development, App Development, UI/UX Design, and more

Brands can explore the top app development companies by location, size, average hourly rate, and portfolio on DesignRush.

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