Did you know that people spend four to five hours per day using mobile apps?
When Apple launched the App Store in 2008, around 500 initial apps forever changed the way users lived their daily lives. By the end of the year, there were more than 100,000 downloads. Today, there are around 1.96 million apps available for iOS users and 2.78 million available for android users.
With such figures, it’s no wonder that more and more business owners from all over the world are hiring teams to build apps for their businesses. Although developing an app is not cheap, there are ways to minimize costs.
Regardless of the type of your business, having a mobile app can help you stay competitive and relevant in today’s market.
For example, having an app for your e-commerce business means that you can directly increase sales and produce a better customer experience.
In fact, statistics show that 60% of consumers prefer mobile shopping apps over mobile websites due to improved user experience. There are over 2 billion people using their smartphones for shopping – and having a mobile-friendly website is no longer enough.
So, having an app is great – but doesn’t creating one cost a lot of money?
Not necessarily.
Most surveys show numbers between $25,000 for simple apps to up to $500,000 for complex apps. Most of these figures are calculated on the basis of an hourly rate of a US developer (around 50$ per hour), so outsourcing can help you reduce these figures. There are also some other factors you should consider when calculating the cost of your app. Those are:
- Type of the app (e-commerce, delivery app…)
- Your team (whether you choose to build your own team or hire an agency)
- Location of your team
- Number and type of features you want
- Number of platforms you want your app to support
A simple app may take a few weeks to create, while a complex one might take several months or longer. You also need to consider whether the finished product will need constant maintenance.
Let’s focus on the team you’ll hire to build your app.
There are two main options if you choose to outsource: you can build your own team or you can hire an agency.
Although agencies offer a pre-built team that guarantees great cooperation, many business owners decide to hire remote workers and build their own teams.
There are no overhead costs and there is a lot more flexibility when it comes to new ideas and last-minute changes. Additionally, if you chose to build a team of remote workers outside of the US, you will save a lot of money since developers from other parts of the world charge much lower rates for the same work.
The number of developers you’ll need will vary depending on the complexity of your app. You may do it with just one developer or you may need a lot more. Most teams consist of the project manager/team lead, developers, designers, and QA experts.
These are the average salaries (in $k) of mobile app developers in the most commonly known areas of the world according to Business of Apps:
As you can see, the salary of your developers will depend on their location.
Most surveys show that the average hourly rate for US mobile developers ranges between $60 – $80. Some claim that it can go up to $150 per hour. If you chose to outsource to somewhere with high-quality remote workers with lower costs instead, you can pay much less for the same work.
It’s important to find a balance between quality and cost – you don’t want to outsource to the cheapest possible location just to save some money. However, there’s an area of the world that is the focus for any business wanting high quality at a lower cost.
When choosing the country, consider the following things:
- Are the time zones suitable so that your employees can efficiently communicate?
- What is the quality of work?
- Is the internet connection stable and fast?
- Are there any cultural differences that might get in the way of effective collaboration?
Right now, the best option for outsourcing is to choose remote workers from Eastern Europe. You won’t have to deal with cultural differences, language barriers, or unsuitable time zones. Most importantly, you will get great quality for a lower cost.
The average salaries for software engineers in Eastern Europe vary from $25,958 to $41,170 a year. At the same time, salaries in the US are around $70,000 a year.
For a mid-level UX Designer, the United States has one of the highest figures at $98,000 – $134,000, while Eastern European countries have average salaries ranging from around $50,000 to $60,000.
For QA experts, the average salary in the US is around $100,000. In Eastern Europe, you can find excellent QA experts for half the money!
This way, you can build an app for a much lower cost than you may think – and cost is just one of the many reasons why Eastern European workers are simply the best in the world. You can read this article to find out more.
If you want to start developing an app with your Eastern European team right now, you can find excellent team members right here at JobRack. We have thousands of talented remote workers looking for remote opportunities – click here to find out more.
