The question everyone is trying to answer when considering app development is, “How much will it cost?”
At Five Pack, we have a proven process called Launch Lab that empowers our clients to make informed decisions about what they’re building and spending. Nevertheless, bringing an app to market is not isolated to the expense of development alone.
So what are the other costs you should account for when building an app? In this blog, we’ll walk you through the top five things not to overlook when planning for app development.
Top 5 Costs To Plan For When Launching A Mobile App:
Marketing Website
The stores require you to list your developer contact information in the form of a website URL in order to submit your app for review. This marketing site can be as simple as a home page, but associated costs here would include the purchase of the domain, website development, hosting, and branding. For your MVP release, you may opt for a simple site that you can create on your own, or you may want to consider hiring an outside firm that specializes in marketing and SEO. Either way, this site will need to be live before you’re ready to have the app reviewed.
Legal Fees
It’s a requirement to have a privacy policy published on your website for app reviewers and users to reference. You’ll also want to consider having terms and conditions published. While terms and conditions aren’t required, it’s best practice to have them in place to protect you from liabilities, prevent misuse of the app, and document how you handle account terminations and refunds. Find a lawyer that is not only familiar with the mobile app industry, but also knowledgable about the unique laws in the states, territories, and countries you intend to release your app in. The cost to draft documents that are in compliance with some nation’s regulations, like Europe’s GDPR, may be greater than the potential revenue you can earn from sales in that market in your first year. These are all legal costs to be conscientious of as you’re building an app.
Localization
App localization is the adaptation of an app to meet the needs of a particular language, culture, or specific target market. Begin by asking. “Where do the users I’m targeting live, and what language(s) do they speak?” The answer to that question may be as simple as the United States, and English and Spanish. Even with a fairly narrow target demographic like this, you’ll need to plan for translation costs. At Five Pack, we use Tethras for all of our translation need. While translation isn’t time-consuming and can be done at the end of your project, it’s typically priced per word with discounts for translating your app in more than one language.
Support
Once your app is released, you’ll need infrastructure in place to handle support requests. There are various support platforms in the market, like HelpShift, that give you a customizable interface to receive and respond to requests from users in addition to publishing helpful articles and FAQ’s. Beyond the cost to use these platforms, you’ll need someone that can respond to these requests, document requests from users, and manage replying to reviews in the stores. Proactively plan how you’ll provide support to users from day one and make sure that process can scale as your app gains traction.
Maintenance
Last but not least, it’s important to have a plan for maintenance and updates in place before you launch. We believe in releasing early and often. This signals to users that your app is well maintained, and that they can expect new updates. Having a development team to scale with you makes the process of launching and maintaining an app efficient and effective. Here at Five Pack, we tailor our teams and services to your specific needs, whether that’s custom development, maintenance agreements, or even staff augmentation.
In conclusion, building an app doesn’t have to be stressful. This blog was written in response to a question we were frequently hearing from entrepreneurs and startups alike that were wondering, “What costs am I overlooking?” At Five Pack, we believe in beginning with the end in mind and demonstrating ownership of our client’s product by thinking through their needs and helping them navigate territory that may be unfamiliar and intimidating. Are you looking for a development partner to help you launch your app? Start a conversation with us today, and get a free ballpark estimate.
