How Much Does Mobile App Development Cost in Singapore?


Admin - February 16, 2021 - 0 comments

A complete mobile app development project involves a lot of work from a bunch of talents who cooperate with each other from the conceptualization and discovery of the app idea to its launching and maintenance.

So, knowing exactly how much mobile app development costs in Singapore is always challenging, and sometimes disheartening too. If you’re willing to settle for a ball-park estimate in the form of mobile app development cost breakdown, it can be anywhere between SGD 10,000 and SGD 100,000.

Mobile app development Singapore cost

However, the cost can be higher depending on specific factors, which we’ll discuss in another article. In this article, we’ll be presenting you some numbers and estimates associated with the different stages of the development process.

How Much Mobile App Development Costs in Singapore?

First, we’ll discuss the steps required to build a native mobile app, so you can tell which part of the development process costs how much of your budget. Then, we’ll share with you some proven strategies to reduce the cost in the process.

Wireframing

In plain English, a wireframe is a visual guide or a schematic blueprint that represents the layout of a mobile app. It simplifies the flow between the different screens and the overall functional representation as per the client’s business objective.
The best thing about an app wireframe is that it allows developers to explore their brainstorming and thought process more efficiently. It lets them form solid ideas about the navigation and hence the utility of an app.

With a wireframe in place, developers can connect their raw thoughts and imaginations to what they intend to build – the end product (the mobile app) before even they start coding or doing anything in the back-end.

A mobile app wireframe costs upwards of SGD 500 and may go up to SGD 5,000.

App Screen Design

While designing a mobile app, the designer needs to have the knowledge and vision of the way different graphic elements/objects look on different screen sizes.

It’s imperative for the professional to keep note of hardware specs like resolutions, refresh rate, etc., so the design includes visual elements like icons and themes in the appropriate sizes.

The design work for a small app costs around SGD 800 and may go up to SGD 7,000 depending on the number of screens and scope of the application.

App Programming (Coding the App)

Some people including developers too believe the actual job starts at this stage. But in practice, app programming is just as important and critical as other stages of development where success is the only goal to achieve. While approaches may be different based on the requirements of a project, six elements are integral to this stage.

  • Project repository on a reliable web-based hosting platform
  • Continuous integration for automated testing of the codes as changes are made
  • Integration of beta distribution tool that facilitates the collection of users’ feedback, live crash reports, and distribution of beta versions
  • Choice of code architecture, Software Development Kits (SDKs), and libraries
  • Setup of a project in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
  • App registration on Google Play Console as well as other service providers

This particular part involves the most of the resources (labor and cost) dedicated to the development of a mobile app. Therefore, mobile app development in Singapore costs you more money at this stage than others.

In Singapore, the cost at this stage can be SGD 4,500 for an app intended for small businesses. For an enterprise-level project, the cost may be in excess of $60,000.

Back-End Programming, Database, APIs

A back-end allows businesses to store and share data, control their applications, and host content to display within the applications. One of the wonderful benefits of having a back-end built for your app is that it provides a central location for all of the business logics which don’t need to be implemented again when the app needs them.

Few mobile applications are built without a back-end these days. There are several factors to determine before one can finally decide whether or not a particular mobile app needs a back-end.

  • The need for synchronising all data between multiple smartphones or devices
  • To or not to display user’s data on the web site
  • The need for a back up system for the user-generated data
  • Whether or not the app behaviour needs changing according to users’ inputs without the release of a new version of the app
  • The likelihood of the content within an app to be consumed by users

Based on your project requirements, you can decide on the scope and uses of back-end programming. Since a substantial budget is required, the developer cannot take the plan for programming for granted.

So, how much does mobile app development cost in Singapore when you want a basic application with some dynamic functions and features? The cost can be SGD 2,500 on average. But it may quickly go up as the demands of the project do.

Common estimates from different app development agencies suggest that some applications with advanced and certain functions may cost up to SGD 12,000.

Quality Assurance and Refinement

A full-service app development company employs a QA team that consists of an analyst, an engineer, and a tester whose duties include,

  • setting up and configuring the test environment (engineer)
  • writing the test cases (analyst)
  • running test cases, performing ad hoc, smoke and regression testing (tester)

Product (app) specialists write user stories in association with customers. Those stories are then developed (programmed) by developers who pass the developed version on to the QA team (specialists) for testing cross-platform compatibility, functionality, UI, accessibility, security, and overall performance.

They might rely on manual QA tests, or automated UI tests, or both with the goal to ensure that all bugs are fixed and the fixes don’t create any new issue (bug) in the mobile app.

The whole process should cost at least SGD 1,000, and it’s not surprising for large enterprises to spend upwards of $10,000.

Deployment and Cloud

App deployment is a collective process that ensures the availability of a mobile app for use. The entire set of activities may need to be adopted or customised based on specific project requirements.

There’s little to debate the significance of cloud deployment for a mobile app. It allows businesses to ensure on-demand, programmable, and automated delivery of their content or resources, so users can access them without much of a problem.

Can you tell how much mobile app development costs in Singapore if you add this particular step? Well, that doesn’t require a lot of money. Nonetheless, its importance is on the rise.

Cloud deployment typically costs around SGD 700, and it could be like SGD 1,000 or more depending on the cloud technologies being used.

Submission on the Marketplace

Some believe that this is the final stage of mobile app development, but in practice, an app is made to be ready for use as soon as the deployment process is completed. When it comes to expense, developers don’t have to pay much, but they still have tasks to handle to get their apps published.

  • Google charges a one-time registration fee which is USD 25.
  • Apple charges USD 99 per user per year.
  • Microsoft charges an annual fee of USD 12 to USD 99 based on the type of account.

Mobile App Development Cost Estimate by Type

Everything you’ve learnt gives you a practicable idea, but the type of mobile app you want developed is an important factor. The cost to develop mobile apps for android or iOS devices is significantly higher than that to build hybrid or cross-platform applications. Each type can contribute to your business if you know how to choose what exactly your goals require.

Typically, native applications are the most expensive of all. Then again, you have another aspect to consider. Based on our mobile app development services and experience, iOS apps cost more than android mobile apps. There might be exceptions too.

How to Reduce Mobile App Development Cost in Singapore

Although you might want to rely on what most developers say, you can always do something to reduce mobile app development cost, if not much. Here’s a list of suggestions you can use to get your app developers to build a mobile application within budget.

  • Set all your expectations and assemble the requirements of a project clearly
  • Try to keep the scope of functionality in a way that your app satisfies users with the least number of features possible.
  • Take your time before hiring an app development team and allow one team to handle one project at a time.
  • Focus on the functional side of the application without sacrificing the aesthetics
  • Put priority on UAT or User Acceptance Testing
  • Emphasize the QA process and the use of automated tools during app testing

In practice, most of these tasks are handled by the team you’ll hire for the job. All you need to do is make your developers aware of every single requirement right from the beginning.

Developers at Orfeostory help clients with all these matters as they use our android mobile app development services. This support is also included in our iOS app development service and others as well.

Need to reduce mobile app development cost in Singapore? Feel free to contact our experts directly or write to request a quote.

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