From a bird’s eye view, there are 3 distinct stages of creating a mobile app: Building, Marketing, Staffing. Let’s dive into each stage and the associated costs.

Cost of an iOS App - Build Stage

This is where the magic happens. It includes important steps like design, development and quality assurance (QA).

1. Research: exploring market needs, app ideas and potential iOS competitors.

2. Planning: with your idea in place, it’s time to create a roadmap from dream to reality. This includes a timeline and milestones.

3. Design: wireframes, lofi and hifi designs are created. This is where UI/UX experience is critical.

4. Development: onto creating your app’s backend and frontend. The programming language Swift is for iOS app specifically. Insider look: We employ React Native which allows devs to program for both iOS and Android without duplicating the process.

5. QA: now it’s time to break things (on purpose). You’ll need to test every part of the app to find glitches before launching.

6. Deployment: you’ve tested your app and fixed all the bugs, now it’s time to deploy to the App Store (here comes marketing!)

For an iOS MVP, the price tag is entirely dependent on your specific app. Cost factors include:

ComplexityFeaturesPurposeTimelineType of software development team

As Mark, our technical project manager puts it, “You can make an app with the same idea for $25 million or $25,000. It all depends on how you scope it.” If you’re looking for an average cost to build a mobile app, consider these tiers:

Low Tier = $15k-$40k

Mid Tier = $40-$120k

High Tier = $120k+ 

Cost of an iOS App - Marketing Stage

Building your app and creating a marketing strategy should happen in parallel. This way you can hit the ground running right after deployment. With that in mind, there is no single marketing strategy for success. But, there are best practices for iOS MVPs to market the right way.

1. Website: while the App Store provides space to showcase your app (description, pictures, reviews and ratings), it may not be enough to really sell audiences. That’s where websites win. Suggested pages include: Product, Benefits/Value/Purpose, About, Resources and Contact. With a website, your audience has everything to make an educated decision before downloading your app. Plus, websites have inherent credibility with consumers.

2. Social Media: a valuable way to engage with audiences, build trust and talk about your app without heavy selling. Choosing the right platform is critical. Think about why people are on a certain social media channel. The why behind Facebook is drastically different from the why behind LinkedIn.

3. Engine: educate, persuade and entertain. This is the creed of content marketing. Content includes everything you create to sell your product organically like:

- Blog articles

- Video

- Podcasts

- Infographics

- Tools like checklists and calculators

A content engine helps you build warm leads from cold ones. These are the consumers that aren’t ready to buy right now, but they may buy in the future with a little handholding.

4. Paid Advertising: a must-buy cost of creating a mobile app. Paid advertising is the surefire way to get eyes on your product and you’ve got several methods to choose from:

PPC (pay-per-click) Search Ads: these are what you see at the top of results pages on GooglePPC Display Ads: these show up on webpages you’re viewing or on apps.Social Advertising: sponsored posts or ads on social media channels:Programmatic Email: responsive emails sent to targeted databases

Just like the cost to create mobile app, your marketing budget depends. Price factors include:

Competitive landscapeMarketing channelsCampaign durationType of marketing teamContent productionTools like a CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.)

For a 12 month marketing plan, including a light site as well as organic and paid content, we recommend budgeting up to $150,000.

Cost of an iOS App - Staffing Stage

You’ve built your iOS app, now who’s going to maintain it? This is the third cost of creating a mobile app. Luckily, there are technical recruiters (like our own Kacia Down) who specialize in filling technical roles related to mobile app development. The process goes like this:

1. Identify Required Roles: what you need informs the tech stack required to perform. Examples include frontend engineers, backend engineers, iOS engineers, etc. Share this with your technical recruiter.

2. Start Recruitment Process: Your technical recruiter will post the job listings on relevant sites like LinkedIn or Indeed, reach out to good matches and vet candidates before handing off to you for comprehensive interviews.

3. Hiring & Onboarding: Your team is selected, now it’s time to initiate them into the company. Determine what processes they need to learn, what tools they need to access and what their project(s) are. Congrats!

Successful apps are always improving (or “iterating” in tech speak) so you’ll want to have someone on your side who handles the everyday bugs and long-term goals of your app. And you don’t have to hire an whole dev team. Many companies hire one technical person internally to be the liaison for a dev agency.

These are some technical positions to consider:

Frontend DeveloperBackend DeveloperTechnical Project ManagerUI/UX DesignerBusiness AnalystDevelopment ManagerQuality Assurance Engineer

More details on each position right here

Depending on the position, years of experience and specific tech stack, the budget for hiring a technical role should be upwards of $100K. You should also factor in location, industry and the current job market. We highly recommend working with a technical recruiter who knows the landscape. Especially since employee turnover can cost more than 2x the employee’s annual salary.

Details On Mobile App Development Costs

Let’s circle back to the cost of building an iOS MVP. We touched on several factors to consider (complexity, timeline, team structure)

Define the project scope: Clearly define the app's features, functionalities, and target audience. This will help you determine the app's development cost and ensure that the project stays within budget.

Research app development costs: Research the typical costs associated with developing an app, such as design, development, testing, and ongoing maintenance. This will give you a realistic estimate of the project's total cost.

Choose the right development team: Choose a development team with the necessary technical expertise and experience to build your app. You should also consider their pricing structure, project management methodology, and communication skills.

Create a detailed project plan: Create a detailed project plan that outlines the app's development milestones, timelines, and deliverables. This will help you stay on track and avoid unexpected costs.

Factor in ongoing maintenance and updates: Building an app is not a one-time cost. You will need to factor in ongoing maintenance and updates to ensure that the app stays up-to-date and meets user needs.

Consider app store fees and marketing costs: Don't forget to factor in app store fees and marketing costs when budgeting for your app. These costs can vary depending on the app store and marketing channels you choose.

Allow for contingencies: Finally, it is important to allow for contingencies in your budget to account for unexpected costs or changes in the project scope.

TL;DR - Building An iOS Mobile App

Each stage of building an iOS app comes with associated costs that need to be carefully considered. Whether it's factors like dev planning, the marketing competitive landscape or recruiting the perfect team, carefully evaluating these factors will save you time and resources in the end.