Price of Android App Development: Why Choose Android and How Much Does It Cost

One of the first steps that influence mobile app development costs is the choice of the platform. We explained how mobile app development expenses are estimated in our previous post – now let’s narrow it down to Android app development cost.

First of all, let’s define the benefits of Android development to learn when it pays to choose it over iOS for your app.

Bigger Talent Pool

As estimated in 2016, nearly half of mobile developers concentrate on Android and Java is the most popular programming language for mobile projects. And the total global number of app developers was 12 million back then – there are even more now. Opting for Android, you will have a wider pool of app developers to hire.

Note that Kotlin is taking over Java in Android app development – we at MadAppGang no longer use the latter because the former is safer and speeds up development. Kotlin provides better support for functional programming, helps reduce bugs, and prevent some common mistakes by its design.

However, Swift is gaining momentum and many Android developers tend to switch to this language. Even Google itself brought the idea of transitioning to Swift. The increase in demand for Swift is something you might consider while hiring app developers.

As for the hourly rates of mobile app developers, they depend on their location and years of experience. Even though some statistics reveal higher salaries of iOS programmers, rates don’t significantly differ depending on tech stack.

With Android, you can reach more users worldwide. While there are almost equal parts of iOS and Android users in the USA and Australia, Android is absolutely dominant in other markets, especially in Asia. According to Statista, the global share of owners of Android-powered devices is 87 per cent!

However, this fact alone shouldn’t be your major consideration. Explore market tendencies depending on the type of app you want to create. For example, if you plan on building your business model on in-app purchases, you should be aware that Android users are way less active in paying via apps. 

iOS users are generally younger, more likely to have higher education degrees, earn more, and spend more using their smartphones. There’s a great difference in the average in-app purchase amount between iOS and Android: $12.77 versus $6.19. While iPhone owners are more willing to pay for apps, Android wins when it comes to integrating ads. Use demographics and discover the best performing app categories to learn how to succeed with your application.

Market reach of the most popular Android app categories worldwide as of September 2020

Apple App Store has stricter rules for submission and takes more time for verification than Google Play. Android app development fees for publishing are lesser: compare a $25 one-time payment in Google Play and a yearly subscription price of $99 in Apple App Store. And it’s also more flexible: not only developers have more control over Android app’s distribution after publishing but they also aren’t limited by Google Play and can use other sources.

However, there’s a downside to this benefit. Because the approval process is almost automatic, there’s a greater risk of fake Android apps flooding the market. Malicious apps that mimicked existing ones received millions of downloads in 2019.

There are different approaches to estimate the price of Android application development. At MadAppGang we rely on sprint planning and can make a rough estimation of how much one sprint will cost. Sprint is one iteration of the development process based on Agile methodology: it usually takes two weeks and delivers one finished feature.

Time frames of development largely depend on the type of app – here’s how much we’ve spent for different projects:

To count the expenses for one sprint, you need to define the team that will work on your project. A minimum team for Android app development includes:

There’s no universal Android app development cost calculator that can estimate your total expenses. If you have a limited amount of money you want to invest, communicate it to the development team and prioritise the features accordingly. Otherwise, go for consecutive cycles of development and get involved in the process so that you will know how the money is spent and how much more you will need.

Lots of aspects will impact the price but they aren’t platform-specific. Whether it’s an Android or an iOS app, your expenses will grow along with complexity of functions, the need for integrations with third-party services, or the demand for custom designs. We also recommend validating your idea before hiring developers – and if you do so, set an additional budget for the discovery stage. 

The Difference Between $5,000 and $5,000,000 Apps

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App: Answers to All Your Concerns

Already crafted your app idea? Reach out to us for the project’s cost estimation!

30 October 2020