IOS App Development Cost: A Complete Guide

Creation of an iOS app can be a powerful business growth tool in a mobile-first culture. But one of the most frequently asked questions from entrepreneurs and product owners is: What does it cost to develop an iOS app? The answer is not an easy one and there are many factors to consider – the app's complexity, its features, its design, the iOS development team, post-launch requirements, etc. Knowing the cost breakdown can help with budgeting and planning whether you're an entrepreneur launching a simple app, or an enterprise looking to build a complex iOS solution. This article will cover all the important information and details surrounding iOS app development costs (important price drivers, hidden costs, tips to optimize your iOS app cost, etc.), so you can make informed decisions with your money.

 Key Factors That Influence iOS App Development Cost

There are several important considerations that affect the cost of iOS app development. The complexity of your app, the talents and experience of your development team, and other factors around how you budget play an important part in your iPhone application development cost. Below is a detailed breakdown of 8 common key cost drivers associated with developing your iOS app:

App Complexity and Feature Set

When it comes to app complexity, keep this simple - the more complex the app, the more expensive it is to develop. Generally speaking, simple apps with limited feature sets are less expensive to develop. High-feature applications with real-time updates, third-party integrations, payment integration, and geolocation services substantially increase the apple app development cost due to added development time and technical effort.
 

UI/UX Design

When building a beautifully designed and user-friendly application, it can add to the mobile app development cost. Custom designed animated experiences, transitions, and UI that are specific to your branding is going to naturally take more of a designer's time and creativity. This will take quite a bit more time than using the standard iOS components and generally add to your design costs.
 

Development Team Location & Experience

The location and experience of your development team will affect the cost to create an app for iphone. For instance, developers in North America and Western Europe will charge more per hour than developers in Asia to build your application. Similarly hiring a team with several years of experience in iOS may cost more but the quality and performance of your application will improve.

Platform & Device Compatibility

If your application is not only supporting iOS but must be optimized for several iOS versions or several Apple devices such as an iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch that involves additional development and testing time, which is reflected in the overall cross platform app development cost.
 

Backend Infrastructure & API Integration

 Applications that will require an infrastructure backend (e.g., database management, user authentication, and cloud storage) require more development and therefore cost more. Integrating third-party APIs such as Google Maps, payment gateways, or social logins will also increase development and testing time.

Security & Compliance Requirements

For apps involving sensitive user information or payment processing, it is necessary to provide security features such as encrypted data storage, secure login and personal login methods, and meeting legal compliance (GDPR HIPAA) creating an increased development time and cost.

Testing & Quality Assurance

Quality assurance (QA) testing involves entire app testing to ensure it is free of bugs and performs properly across a range of devices and iOS versions. The cost to develop iphone app associated with both manual and automated testing processes (usability testing, performance testing, and security testing) adds on to the total expenditure to develop an iOS app.

Maintenance & Post Launch Support

Costs do not stop at launch, regular updates, fixes, performance improvements, and any updates to the latest iOS system cost you and your organisation more. Planning for long-term mobile app maintenance cost for the ongoing work to keep it running well hopefully leads to a better retention of users on the app.

Cost Breakdown Of iOS App Development

The range of costs for developing an iOS app can vary. There are many factors in the cost of an app, and the factors are going to be unique to your project. Your budget will get spent on many different items before, during, and after the app development process. Listed below is an approximate cost breakdown for some of the items listed above, to help you understand where the money goes in iOS app development:

Discovery & Planning (5%–10%)

Before development work starts, time and money are spent on market research, competitor analysis, developing user personas, outlining objectives, and ultimately creating a product roadmap. Knowing scope before development can avoid delay of start and stop, and can save you on any rework (5% to 10% of your overall budget).

UI/UX Design (10%–15%)

Designing a user interface that is intuitive and fun to use is an important step toward success. This stage includes custom UI/UX design, wireframes, prototyping, and user hero mapping. If designing custom or more complex animations and transitions, the design cost can be 10%-15% of the total mobile app development cost. 
 

iOS App Development (40%–50%)

 This obviously plays a big part in the cost as it includes the both the front-end and back-end development. The cost for iPhone app development depends on how complex the app is including the functionality you want such as chat systems, geolocation, real-time syncing, integrations (payment gateways, social login). Using Swift (Apple’s native coding language) and/or custom coding could also slightly affect pricing. 
 

Back-end Development & API Integration (10%–15%)

 Most dynamic apps require a back-end; apps need a place to keep data, users to be authenticated, content management, and the logic that needs to run server-side. Integrating third parties (Firebase, Stripe, Google, Maps, etc.) takes costs a little higher, especially if add-ons need custom handling or security. 
 

Testing & Quality Assurance (10%–15%)

 QA can be a pretty extensive process so how do you make sure your app works on thousands of devices and with all the different versions of iOS? In this process, QA includes functional testing, usability testing, optimizing performance a,ing the way, reporting bugs, and looking at crash analytics. QA and testing can take 10%-15% of your overall Android and iOS app development cost.

Deployment (3%–5%)

Releasing the app to the Apple App Store requires release configuration, the placement of certificates, provisioning profiles, metadata, and Apple compliance, and is a small, but extremely significant cost component.

Maintenance and Updates (15% - 20% per year)

Now you will be maintaining the app and regularly updating it, which could be some performance improvements, bug fixes, iOS updates, and even adding new features. Annual maintenance is typically 15% to 20% of the original custom iPhone app development cost.

Hidden Costs You Shouldn’t Overlook 

When building a budget for the iOS app development costs, it is easy to only account for costs you can see, such as coding, design, or testing. However, there are often many hidden costs that go unnoticed, but they can affect your overall ipad app development cost. Here is a list of some of the hidden costs to consider during the iOS app development process:

Costs to Publish on the App Store

To publish your app on the Apple App Store, you must pay an annual fee of $99 for an individual developer account, or $299 for an enterprise account. Although this cost my seem negligible, it is a recurring cost that you should consider in your long-term budget.

Third-Party Services & APIs

Many apps utilize outside services for things like payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal), push notifications, analytics (Fbase, Mixpanel), maps (Google Maps), or customer support functionalities. Each of these services will often have a pricing model that is either based on a subscription price or use prices which can add up over time. 
 

App Maintenance & Updates

 It's important to note that you will need support once your app is live so everything continues to work, is secure and has updates since iOS apps are being updated multiple times per year. Also most initial development will need a maintenance plan to fix bugs, improve performance, or otherwise add new functionality. Most annual plans range from 15% - 20 % of initial cost to make an iOS app which could be significant depending on your budget, and generally does not get factored into the planning for most startups. 
 

App Marketing & User Acquisition

 Remember launching an app is just the halfway point, the second half is getting users to use it. You will have marketing efforts (paid ads, influencer outreach campaigns, PR campaigns, etc.) that will require funding, in addition to the app build costs, and can drastically change your total cost, especially if you need to pay for ASO (App Store Optimization). 
 

Data Storage & Hosting

 If your app has file uploads, user, data storage, or any kind of backend processing it will need to be on secure, scalable hosting. Cloud storage services (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, etc.) can provide great infrastructure for hosting but may also continue to incur costs monthly for utilization and traffic. 
 

Licensing & Compliance Costs

 Finally, certain mobile app trends (especially in healthcare, fintech, or eCommerce) will require you to comply with regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS. Compliance may require consultations with lawyers, development milestones, and certifications, which contribute to your hidden costs.

User Support and Complaints Management

 After launch, you will need a system to manage user requests, feedback, and complaints. Whether you build a customer support team, rely on an AI powered chatbot, or a ticketing support system, it's helpful to consider both the usage costs and the time and effort you'll spend building the infrastructure.

What Are the Ways To Save on iOS App Development Cost Without Losing Quality?

Not only can you save on iOS development costs without losing quality. Careful planning and smart choices can allow you to build a successful app, without breaking the bank. Here are ways to reduce development cost while keeping the quality:

MVP Development First

 Start with a minimal viable product (MVP) with only the must-have features to solve your users' main pain points. This will help you cost and time on your initial development, while also testing your app's viability under real market conditions. When you receive and incorporate early feedback from users, you can start to slowly add additional features in future updates.

Using Pre-Built Options When Possible

 Instead of building out features, use pre-built modules, libraries, or open-source tools for standard functionality, such as login, chat, or analytics. This saves time, reduces effort, and maintains high-quality standards using tested components.
 

Choose Cross-Functional Development Teams

Hiring a team that is full-stack takes the complexity out of communication, turn-around-times, and workflow. Additionally, hiring one team, instead of many different vendors or freelancers will save you project management time, collaboration time, and enough to reduce the cost of Android app development.

Use Agile Methodology

Agile methodologies and development processes break up your planning into deliverable sprints. With agile, your project remains in constant delivery mode, keeping the group moving along at a fast pace with quick iterations and catching problems early enough to save time and rework costs.

Consistent Code Reviews & Testing

Having a team that consistently performs code reviews and testing continuously during the development lifecycle allows for a more robust development cycle. Saving time with fixing bugs later when you can capture them as they develop avoids more costly fixes after launch. Higher quality code will also ensure highest long-term performance.

Plan for Scaling From the Beginning

Planning the architecture of your app for scalability will avoid expensive architectural re-designs down the road. If you pre-plan your backend structure, APIs, and database designed for scale; your scaling will be way easier, while becoming cost-effective.

Why is IMG Global Infotech an iOS App Development Company?

At IMG Global Infotech, we can provide scalable, high-performance, and user-centric iOS applications that will fit your business context goals. Our iOS development team includes experienced iOS developers, UI/UX designers, and QA experts to help you visualize and manage the development process through high-quality iOS functional capability and design, while complying with all App Store requirements.

From ideation to post-launch support, we have a strategic and transparent process to development. We guarantee quality and timely delivery. Our focus on innovation, user satisfaction, and results makes us a preferred mobile app development company for startups as well as enterprises. Let us build your app from an idea to a reality. 

Conclusion

When attempting to determine the average cost of iOS app development, there are multiple factors for a business to analyze, such as the app's design, features, maintenance, and hidden costs. By planning intelligently, selecting the optimal development partner, and focusing on the essential features of your app, businesses can stick to their budgets while still developing a quality app. Regardless if you're developing a simple app or complex solution, this guide should give you a general idea of the costs you're looking at so you can better plan your expenses - and develop a successful iOS app without breaking the bank.