How much will it cost to create your own social media app?
The concept of social networks has revolutionized the world. And as technology continues to update every day, it has become more difficult to keep up with the competition. Application development has been on the rise like never before. More and more entrepreneurs are emerging willing to launch their social web or mobile applications to the market. Among these talents, those who could penetrate the deepest have even become billionaires overnight.
Now the question is, what does it take to make your social networking app a success? And how much do you have to invest to create products like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.? However, before you start approaching the best mobile app development company for custom price quotes, you need to be clear about a few mandatory factors. For example, key features, customization, platform the app will be built on, etc. This is how you should proceed:
Identify your target audience – Who do you want to serve? Identify your end users and try to understand their needs. Uncover common audience frustrations and build something that appeals on a grand scale. For example, when teenagers got tired of their parents hanging out and eve going into their Facebook account, Snapchat came along, offering much-needed anonymity and less public embarrassment with disappearing messages. Extensive market research and some direct surveys will do the trick. However, remember that it can be a bit overwhelming at times. But do not worry. You will get over it.
Consider the right platform – Do you want to create a web app, a mobile app, or both? The next question will be whether it is for iOS or Android users. Your decision will depend on the preferences of your target market. However, the web app requires a bit more time to develop compared to the mobile apps. Also, if you are considering two versions of the app via . cross-platform development, it will still take more time and, of course, a bigger budget. Android apps on a native platform contain 40% more code and take 30% longer to develop compared to iOS. Hiring the best app developers from North America and elsewhere costs around $150 per hour and those from India and Eastern Europe charge around $30-50 per hour.
User experience is important – Your app can only be attractive if it is easy to use and pleasing to the eye. Design and usability should be self explanatory. With countless apps flooding the app store, people will stop using your app if you have a poor user experience. Ask your developer to take care of the structure – wireframing -prototype – and finally add design and usability principles. Start with a well-supported MySQL or PostgreSQL database for structured data. Facebook, Twitter, etc use it too.
Characteristics of your application – Basic app features such as easy registration, ability for users to add, edit and delete personal data, manage personal information and preferences, one-click invite, import contacts, search bar and algorithm around hashtags and random words, new user selections for Connect, private messages, news feed, multi-language support, multimedia content publishing, tools for self-expression, geo-tagging and the like are required.
Time to market and cost – The development cost will definitely vary depending on the complexity, platform, and features of your app. However, there are two main factors that need to be determined: the hours required and the cost per hour. The following are some cost estimates listed by The Next Web:
- Twitter-like app: $50,000 to $250,000
- Instagram clone: $100,000 to $300,000
- WhatsApp Messenger: $125,000 to $150,000
- Pinterest: around $120,000
- Snapchat: $75,000 – $150,000
- Vine: $125,000 and $175,000
When it comes to time, it can take around 2-4 months to build the MVP for your social media app. Most development companies normally charge around $15,000 – $20,000. With that said, here’s another estimate of the time required to build a social networking app:
- Android: 500 hours approx.
- iOS: 400 hours approx.
- Back end: 500 hours approx.
- UX/UI: 200 hours approx.
- QA: 230 hours approx.
- PM: 150 hours approx.
- Total time: 1400 hours approx. for a platform
For native app, it typically requires 10 weeks for back-end and 8 weeks for front-end development. However, not all applications require a backend and use it only to reduce development time and related complexities.
As an aspiring entrepreneur, you would like to create a demand in the market and build something totally original to meet that demand. This is probably what the next Mark Zuckerberg would do. But plan his decisions only after active market research of your idea, your requirements and budget.