Introduction

When it comes to getting an idea of how large investment will be, we understand you may look for exact numbers. However, as far as web app development costs are concerned, this remains obscure. Custom web development requires developers to approach every project differently. Estimating the exact cost of a project would require substantial information and a lot of time.

But the good thing is, you don’t have to keep beating around the bushes when setting a budget. There’s always an option to know the approximate cost of services you are seeking. Any of this doesn’t deny the fact that web applications have transformed the traditional web experience for good.

Why Do You Need a Web Application for Your Business?

We are operating in the mobile-first era. Certainly, your business has to be prepared for the same. It’s the time when your customers will not think before leaving if you fail to offer them a good online experience. Web apps offer native app-like experiences on the web. They are faster, smoother, and more robust than any simple website.

Web applications can be accessed on any through a web browser. This is an advantage not only for the users but for you too. You don’t have to invest time and resources in building native apps for various platforms.

In one of our previous blogs, we compared mobile app development and web apps. If you are still swinging between the two, it might help you get clarity. For more information,

Read Our Blog: Mobile App vs. Web App Development: Pros And Cons

Factors That Determine Web Application Development Cost

Every business owner wants to make sure that they find the best web app development services. It’s a long-term investment. But it’s equally important to stick to your budget limits. Well, if you are looking for an estimated cost of developing a web application, there are several factors that will determine the same. Once you understand these, it will be easier to figure things out.

1. Type of Web App You Want

There are different types of web apps, and certainly, the cost of development for all of them is likely to vary. However, price is not the only factor that should influence your choice of a web app. Nature and type of business along with the operations you conduct might play a major role in this.

What Are the Different Types of Web Applications?

There are three main types of web applications that you should know about.

• Single-page Applications 

As the name suggests, single-page applications consist of only one page. It makes navigation easier for the users. When a user clicks a button, the page doesn’t refresh. This saves a lot of time and traffic. Gmail and Google Calendar are examples of single-page applications. 

• Multi-page Applications 

Multi-page applications, naturally, have multiple pages and are web-based. For them, different features live on different pages. Thus, clicking a button redirects the user to a new page. Various e-learning sites and online marketplaces generally prefer multi-page applications.  

• Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Progressive web apps have the qualities of both native apps and web apps. Moreover, you must understand that all PWAs are web apps, but all web apps are not PWAs. They come with some valuable features like push notifications, offline accessibility, etc.

You may choose a web app development company accordingly and figure out the approximate cost. But there’s surely a lot more to add.

2. Technologies/Tech Stack Used

Custom web application development services, price, time, and required resources vary based on the tech stack you choose. Since this may be a difficult decision for you, we suggest you seek advice from your development partner.

Web applications are browser-based. Since web browsers only work on JavaScript, JS frameworks are considered to be the best picks. However, there are now plenty of reliable choices in the market. So, make sure you opt for a suitable solution.

3. Scope of Development Services

The scope of development services is based on the complexity of the web application. It determines what services you would need along the way to bring your application idea to life. You probably need to understand the various stages involved in developing a web application from scratch.

• Discovery Phase

During the discovery phase, you need to evaluate and communicate your expectations for a web app. It involves a lot of important decisions regarding how the application will unfold. It’s vital to clearly convey your expectations and ideas to the project manager or authorized person so that they offer you their best advice. Analyzing the requirements, risks, and mitigation plans will contribute to cost estimation.

• UI/UX Design

According to your target audience, business goals, and peculiarities, the UI/UX designer comes up with a web app interface. Its complexity, elements, and resources used for the same, affect the overall development costs.

• MVP Development

Once the design and prototype are ready, the MVP development phase is where the actual efforts begin. The frontend and backend developers work on executing the required functionalities and features within the web app. It also involves a quality check to ensure that all features are working as expected.

• Maintenance and Support

After launching the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), you can seek feedback from the users and work on improving the first version. Besides, the improvement endeavors continue throughout the life of your applications. Thus, you will continually require support and maintenance services from the web app development company you hire.

To understand the web application development process in detail,

Read Our Blog:  The Complete Guide to Web Application Development in 2022

4. Hiring Options

How you choose to hire a web app developer for your project also affects the overall cost. Generally, there are three hiring options: 

• In-House Developers Team

Hiring in-house developers is what most companies think of. However, it’s one of the most expensive hiring options on this list. Besides, conducting a long recruitment process and long-term management will burden you even more. When you hire full-time developers, you will be required to pay them regularly. Thus, in-house recruitment is only suitable for large-scale companies.

• Freelancers

Seeking freelancers is probably one of the cheapest ways to onboard developers for your project. Although this option might seem cost-savvy, there may be a few limitations when it comes to skills, problem-solving, and post-development maintenance. Since application development is a complex process, you would rather seek a fully-fledged team.

• Project Outsourcing

You can look for a reliable custom web application development company and outsource the entire project to them. It’s one of the best options as they offer fully-fledged development services led by experienced and skilled developers. The prices may vary according to the complexity of a project, but the services are absolutely trustworthy.

If you already have an in-house team, you can leverage the staff augmentation model to scale your team and get better applications. These development companies deliver high-quality applications at relatively lower rates.

To know more about IT staff augmentation and understand how it is different from other recruitment models,

Read Our Blog: Staff Augmentation vs Other Recruitment Models – What’s Better

5. Team Composition

This is something you should probably consider before signing up for web application development services from any company. According to your requirements, make a list of professionals that should be part of your development team. The number of services and professionals you hire for the same will determine the approximate overall cost.

When developing a web application from scratch, you will require the following professionals and services:

• Business Analyst
• Project Manager
• Designer
• Software Developer
• Quality Assurance Engineer

Choose your development partner wisely.

6. Non-Functional Requirements

The background performance of a web application also affects its overall cost of development. Therefore, the speed, capacity, scalability, and level of security required for your application will play a major role in estimating expenses. Certainly, building a web app for internal business purposes, and dealing with a few hundreds of people is different than the one for millions of users. It’s important that you understand these aspects well.

7. Location of the Web App Development Company

Web application development prices vary on the basis of the location of your development partners. Therefore, you would need to pay attention to location-wise prices before you finalize an application development company for your project.

A little research would help you know the exact costs. However, these costs depend on the type of development projects. While onshoring might be an expensive affair, offshoring could prove to be an affordable alternative.

Conclusion

When trying to know the approximate cost of web application development for your business, these factors play a major role. As we said earlier, it may not be possible to know the exact numbers since you cannot predict everything at once. Considering the above-mentioned factors will anyways give you an idea of the overall expenses.

At Narola Infotech, we have a cross-functional development team with all necessary, experienced, and skilled professionals. For the last 16+ years, we have strived to provide the most reliable and result-oriented web application development services. With 2500+ successful onshore and offshore projects, we are confident about offering the best solutions to you. For similar services or queries, feel free to reach out.

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