How long does it take to build an App?
Figuring out how long it takes to build an app will depend of a variety of factors – but in our experience, how long it will take to build an app is a question of knowing what resources you’ll have access to, the scope of what you’re trying to build, and what skill levels you’ll be able to leverage during the process.
Let’s start by talking about your ‘minimum viable product’ (MVP) and the creativity and code that goes into bringing it to life.
A mobile development agency like ours will typically tell our clients it’ll take between 12 and 16 weeks to build their MVP from strategy and envisioning, to live release in the App Store.
That’s not to say our team hasn’t worked faster – or worked longer – depending on the project, but this is the average time it takes to build something worthwhile.
Beautiful, intuitive interface design and seamless, indispensable user experiences are the hallmarks of any quality app, and quality takes time.
Know your technical wants and realities.
Do you have an existing website or IoT product that can be integrated with your application? Where will the app get its content or data? Do you offer a point-to-point function like a chat?
How large and/or complex are its functions? Do you need server hosting? Analysis? Do you have a basic knowledge of development work, including the Director of Technology (CTO)?
A developer needs to know the depth of their technical needs to determine that they need to specifically use their MVP to solve the problem. This may require prior technical investigation of the possibility or even feasibility.
Know who you need on your team.
Already a technician and you can code it yourself? Need product strategy or design help? Or are you an entrepreneur with ideas and need help with all the comprehensive execution?
If recruiting and “owning” your home application creation talent is part of your business strategy to develop your MVP, then you need to think about how long it takes to hire and train your team.
However, if the time to market (TM) is your biggest concern, then it might be the best call to contact an app developer who can allocate full time to work on your project and actually maneuver it.
Budget for Building an App.
The budget may be a surprising item on this list. Whether you’re part of a company or you’re just an individual, there’s a cost associated with building an app. And that cost adds up as time passes.
That’s still true even if you can build the app yourself. Even with no outside help, there’s an opportunity cost of not pursuing other options.
For assessing timelines and schedules, knowing how much it costs to build an app helps in two ways. First, based on your budget, you can roughly understand how long that budget will fund your app.
In the startup world, that’s called a “runway.” Secondly, once you understand what your runway is, you can further scope your feature list.
For example, if your budget only supports building your app for three months, you need to be much more aggressive in reducing your feature list.
While a more limited budget implies a stricter lens for a feature list, the inverse is not true; a large or “infinite” budget does not grant you the liberty to lack product discipline.
Ironically, it is often companies that have tens of millions of dollars at their disposal—or individuals who can build apps themselves—who go out of business more quickly or never ship their apps.
Don’t let the comfort of money or your own skills blind you. There’s always a runway, it’s just how short or long it is.
Concluding Note.
The more upfront work that can be done before starting the actual visual design and development of an app begins, the better.
Our process at Kite Agency often has us spending anywhere from 4-8 weeks on planning, strategic marketplace assessments, system diagrams, development spikes, user experience mockups, style boards, user personas, and comparable items.
Kickstarting your app this way helps reduce as many unknowns as quickly as possible and will keep your schedule as accurate as possible.
Then, when you’re designing and developing your app over months two, three, and beyond, you’ll have clarity into when you should call your app feature complete, finish QA and beta testing, and actually ship that app to the app store.
Your app adventure truly begins when people experience your work.
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