How Much Does A Web App Development Cost in 2024? A Comprehensive Guide

Web app development cost

The web app development industry is growing faster. Business owners seek skillful developers to design and develop web apps. The two prime factors that concern a client are — time and cost. This article provides insight into an estimate of web application development costs.

The web app development price may vary depending on several factors. The cost will be less if you go for an application with basic features.

• What kind of user experience (UX) is required? For example, does it have too many things on one screen or have complex business workflows?
• Does your app need features like analytics or video streaming services?
• Does your app need real-time updates or communication capabilities?

These additional requirements may cost you more while developing your web app.

We provide you with a price estimate to create a web app with standard features at the end of this article.

Everyone wants to build a web app at the least cost without promising quality. Knowing the factors influencing a web application’s build expense will help reduce costs.

1. What is a web app?

A web application is a software program residing on a remote server. It runs in an internet browser and is accessible via a web browser. They are similar to mobile apps. Unlike most mobile apps, running a web app requires an active internet connection. They adapt according to the device of the user.

2. What are the top 5 benefits of building a web app?

The answer is quite simple. Web apps help companies to reach their potential customers easily.

Benefits of building a web app for businesses

Let us see the benefits of a web app:

Platform Agnostic: Web apps run on any platform with browser compatibility.

Low Costs: Web-based apps need less development time. They demand less support and maintenance. You need fewer developers to build and support web apps. So the upfront costs will be less for web-based apps.

Easy Maintenance: You do not need to install any software to run web apps. You can directly access them through your web browser. They support automatic updates enabling users to use the latest version immediately.

No Marketplace Approval: Developers do not have to follow the rules of an app store while releasing a web app.

Increased Security: The technical team has to monitor and maintain only the dedicated servers. They can avoid checking many client computers. It enhances security and eliminates the chances of any potential breaches.

3. Typical use cases of web apps

1. Gmail

Google provides this web application for email services.

Features

• Compose emails
• Sent reply emails
• Archive important emails
• Search functionality
• Report spam messages
• Star important messages

2. Google Analytics

Google provides this web app for businesses to analyze their website’s traffic.

Features

• Custom dashboards
• Real-time reporting
• Funnel visualization
• Identifying traffic source
• Setting goals
• Conversion tracking

3. Twitter Web App

Twitter’s web app allows users to access their Twitter accounts from any computer. You can use the browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc., to access the app

Features

• Fast loading
• Compose tweets
• Perform retweets
• Like and reply features
• Schedule and save tweets

4. MailChimp

Mail Chimp is a web-based app. It aids businesses in carrying out advertisement campaigns.

Features

• Crafting emails
• Audience dashboard
• Marketing CRM
• Targeting audience

5. Whatsapp Web

Whatsapp web lets users use the messaging platform on their browser.

Features

• Send and receive messages
• Transfer GIFs and videos
• Send and receive images
• Click pictures using the computer’s camera

6. Jira

The web-based application runs on your browser. It helps manage a team’s work.

Features

• Plan the tasks
• Generates reports
• Scrum and Kanban boards
• Track the projects

7. Medium

The web application provides a platform for users to publish stories and blogs.

Features

• Publishing content
• Comment on articles
• Provides analytics
• Share URLs

8. HSBC

The banking app of HSBC allows people to perform digital banking activities.

Features

• Manage bank account
• Online transactions
• Current bank account balance
• Online bill payments

4. What is a PWA? What are the advantages and disadvantages of PWAs?

Progressive web apps are similar to regular web apps. They own some extra desirable features. Push notifications, offline access, and screen responsive pages are some of its specialties. In short, you get an excellent user experience through PWAs.

Advantages of Progressive Web Apps

Advantages of PWAs:

1. Cost-effective
2. Require less time for development
3. Quick installation
4. Available offline
5. No app store submission process
6. Updates instantly

They hold great potential in the future of web applications.

Twitter introduced Twitter Lite progressive web app on April 2017. The aim was to provide a faster and more data-friendly solution to users. The below numbers show that this experiment was successful.

• The analytics found a 65% increase in pages per session.
• The app recorded a 75% increase in tweets.
• Twitter discovered a 20% decrease in bounce rate.

The data demonstrates the power of PWAs.

Disadvantages of PWAs:

PWAs have some drawbacks. Knowing the cons helps you decide whether a PWA is suitable for your business.

1. They have access to fewer functionalities. You cannot incorporate functionalities like Bluetooth, augmented reality, etc.
2. They are incompatible with most legacy devices.
3. These applications drain the battery power of the users.
4. Apple does not grant PWAs access to features like Face ID, Touch ID, battery information, etc.
5. Native apps showcase better performance than PWAs.

5. What are the standard features of a web application?

Let us discover the key elements you must incorporate into your web application

Characteristics of web applications

Mobile-first design:

As per the latest reports in 2022, mobile devices contribute 58.99% of global website traffic. Most users access web apps from their mobile phones. So your app must follow a mobile-friendly design to attract these users. Responsive web apps will have components that align with the users’ screen. It will help in reducing the bounce rates too.

Social Integration:

People love to log in quickly to your web apps. Integrating your web apps with popular social media platforms helps you achieve it. It will allow users to register or log in without filling out long forms. It increases the engagement rate of your website.

Insights & Analytics:

Integrating your web app with analytics helps understand customers’ behavioral patterns. The feature tracks the data of the traffic your web app receives and prepares a consolidated report. Businesses must identify the target audience and recognize the pain points. It will aid in increasing conversion rates.

Web Push Notifications:

Use web push notifications for your web app to connect with potential customers at the right time. These small messages remind the audience to use your service. It helps in improving the retention rate.

Live Chat Service:

Customers prefer to get solutions immediately. Live chat service strengthens the trust of your customers in your business. A live chat feature in your web app helps build valuable customer relationships.

Online Payments:

Include an online payment facility if you sell a product or service in your web app. A one-step checkout procedure makes the whole process easier. It would be even better if the web app could support various payment systems.

Security:

Make your web app secure by encrypting sensitive data like passwords. Use HTTPS protocol. Carry out threat assessment sessions and security audits. Let your customers feel safe while using your web app.

Flexible & Scalable:

Your web app must have the potential to handle heavy workloads. A successful web app must perform well when the number of users increases. So build scalable web apps to have the best results for your business.

6. What factors influence the web app development price?

Factors that influence a web app’s development price

It is good to be aware of the factors that affect the cost of your web app. It helps you choose the right features and functionalities without exceeding your budget.

Complexity:

The more complex your web app, the higher the cost. It takes more time to develop an app with complex features. You may also need developers with higher expertise to create such web apps.

The MVP version of a web app will have a simple design. It requires

• Few necessary features
• Low budget
• Less turnaround time

Developing an MVP first helps determine the right features to incorporate into the final version. It saves you from wasting your budget.

The important part is to develop a high-quality code that gives a robust result. So, providing enough time for the developers to build and test the code is necessary.

Features & Functionalities:

The features and functionalities of each app differ. More features demand a higher budget.

A web application with good UI UX design increases conversion and engagement rates.

Type:

Pre-designed templates are available, making the job of UI/UX designers easy. Choosing standard templates will cost you less. Web app development companies consider it easier to develop a standard app. They will have a similar code that they can reuse or use as a reference to build your web app.

To create a unique app, you must choose custom features and functionalities. For such apps, you will require developers and designers with higher expertise. Customized web apps will take more development time too. Such cases demand innovative solutions.

Hiring Options:

You have three options for hiring developers to develop your web app:

1. Hire freelancers

2. Give the project to the In-house team

3. Outsourcing to web app development companies

Before settling for any of the above options, let us know their pros and cons.

Freelancers

Pros

• Suitable for small projects.
• The cheapest option for developing a web app.
• They do not need an office setup.

Cons

• Not a reliable option as they won’t dedicate their whole time to your project.
• They are not bound to strict contracts. They may stop working on your project without prior notice before completing it.
• You will have to manage them and get the updates regularly.
• Freelancers mostly have expertise in a single domain. So, you will have to hire more than one person to complete the project.

In-house Team

Pros

• Suitable for running many projects simultaneously.
• Have complete control over the team.
• Seamless and direct communication.

Cons

• Expensive due to hiring, office setup, and infrastructure development costs.
• Relatively low level of expertise.
• Development time is higher as they follow the waterfall model.

Outsourcing Web Development Companies

Pros

• Suitable for building a project from an idea with high-quality code.
• The price can be relatively lower than in-house development.
• You will get developers with high expertise.
• They will complete projects within the deadline.
• They take complete responsibility for a project.

Cons

• The expense can be higher than hiring freelancers.

Outsourcing your project can be a wiser decision. It saves you from unnecessary hassles.

Location:

The living standards and salary benefits differ for each country. The development cost will also vary according to the location of the outsourcing company.

We can find web app development companies mainly in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Let us see the average app development cost per region:

App development cost per location

So you can build a project with much lower cost by outsourcing web app projects in Asia or Europe than the US.

Check the reviews of their previous clients on Clutch or GoodFirms before giving your project to a company.

7. Key specialists in a web application development team

To build a successful web application, you may need the following specialists in the team.

1. Business Analysts: They determine the external factors. They analyze the market trends, define the target audience and determine the project’s scope.
2. Web App Developers: The back-end and front-end developers are the heart of your project. They must be able to provide you with high-quality code to create a stable app.
3. UI/UX designers: The look and feel of your web app are in the hands of UI/UX designers. A good design urges a customer to engage with your web application.
4. Project Manager: The project manager is the intermediary between the client and the company. A project manager ensures smooth communication with the client. The person also checks whether the project is moving at the right pace to meet the deadlines.
5. QA Engineers: They test the web app and make sure there are no bugs before the final release.

8. Widely adopted tech stack for building web apps in 2022

Developers build web apps with various technologies. The tech stack will change according to the project requirements. Let us see some favorite tech stacks of software engineers for creating web apps.

Front-end technologies for web-based app development

Now let us see some popular backend technologies for web-based app development:

Backend technologies for web-based app development

9. How much does it cost to make an app?

Have a technical discussion with the outsourcing company to know the final cost. If you are starting the project from scratch, it is better to start with an MVP. It will give you some relevant insights about the final features. Let us estimate the price of the standard apps.

Simple Web Applications

These are web apps with 4–5 relevant basic features. They usually have minimal content, less interactive elements, and simple UI/UX design. It takes less time (6–8 weeks) to develop simple web apps due to the simplicity of features and functionalities.

Budget Estimate: US$ 10–25k

Medium Web Applications

These web apps will have 6–9 relevant features. They will have a few interactive elements but more content. Additionally, you can have 3rd party integrations. We take 3–4 months to develop these types of web apps.

Budget Estimate: US$ 25–50K

Complex Web Applications

These web apps will have 10–15 relevant features. You get them with highly lovable designs. The best part is that we develop them in ready-to-scale formats.

Budget Estimate: starts from US$ 50K

10. Formula for estimating web app development cost

Building a web app costs more when it takes more time. The development team will have a fixed rate per hour. So you can calculate an overall estimate budget using the formula below:

Formula for estimating web app development cost

11. How to reduce your web application’s development costs?

The below tips will help in keeping your web app development costs minimal.

• Firstly, develop an MVP. Then go for the full-featured version of the web application.
• Choose your outsourcing company wisely. Consider the quality of their work along with the budget.
• Explain your project requirements to the developers in detail. It helps the developers to develop your web app without making many modifications. It saves you time and money.
• Integrate the web app with third-party tools to reduce costs.
• Allow sufficient time for the developers to develop a robust web app.

12. Our case studies

A. Receipts & Rewards Web App

Receipts & rewards web app

Objective: To build an engaging web application to execute a customer receipts and rewards program.

Industry: Enterprise & Retail

Target Audience: Customers

Check how our team successfully built the app within 14 weeks >> Click here.

B. Decision-Making Web App

Decision-making web app

Objective: To build a highly scalable, robust, and voice-based SaaS application for people who wish to express their views and vote for impactful ideas.

Industry: Media and Communication

Target Audience: Individuals who wish to participate in polls

Check how we created a responsive web app within 14 weeks >> Click here.

C. Referral & Viral Marketing Platform

Referral & viral marketing platform

Objective: To build a cost-effective B2C SaaS referral and viral marketing platform.

Industry: Marketing Tech

Target Audience: Potential customers

Check how we created a scalable app within 14 weeks >> Click here.

Wrapping up

Finding the right team to develop your web app is crucial. Expert developers can build your web apps at a low-cost budget and within less time. Keep the simple points discussed in this article in your mind before approaching a developer. A successful web app can make your brand reach new heights.

RaftLabs owns a team with ample experience in web app development. We are a completely remote team. Our members connect from India. Our business analysts analyze your requirements in the initial phase. Then we will provide you with an estimate of the budget and timeline for the project. We ensure the accuracy of an MVP with the product discovery and road mapping phase. Contact us for a free technical consultation if you wish to outsource your web app development project.

Originally published at https://www.raftlabs.co.