App Development Services

A quality mobile app built in Australia will cost between $50,000-$250,000+. A Startup looking to develop an app with a basic feature set for an MVP is likely to cost between $50,000-$100,000. Businesses wanting to digitise internal processes or integrate with other systems should expect to pay $100,000-$250,000 for an app.

There are six factors that will influence the cost of building an app. These are:

1. the number of platforms
2. the number of screens
3. the app design
4. security requirements
5. backend development requirements
6. complexity of the features

You can find more information on our blog post – “How much does it cost to build an app.”

No. All app development is undertaken by our team of app developers at our head office in Melbourne. This approach not only provides jobs for our local skilled developers, it means we can consistently deliver high quality apps for our clients. This is because strategy, app design and development requires a close collaboration between you, the experts in your business and the app development company – their designers and app developers. The ability to have those experts in a room side-by-side with stakeholders from your business is invaluable and something you can’t achieve with an offshore team.

There are also risks in terms of the quality of the code. While outsourcing may be a cheaper short term option, there may be significant costs involved where an app does not function as intended and a code re-write is required (a service we have provided for some of our clients).

The number one benefit of building a web app is that developers are building for only one platform. More platforms generally mean more resources and more technologies. This can translate to higher costs and longer timeframes, and also increases project risk. While you can streamline coding when undertaking both iPhone app development and Android app development, you still have the cost and time associated with designing, testing and deploying to multiple app stores.

Deployment is also faster for web apps – up to a few weeks for your mobile app to be released on the app store vs under an hour to deploy the app to a web server. For a small business or start-up, an earlier release date can be important. Ongoing app support costs are also less expensive if you are maintaining one web app compared to a web app, iPhone app and Android app.

Example folios where Wave Digital has created web apps include VicTraffic, GoShare Healthcare and Telemedhub.

Which platform will be the best option will be driven by your customers and their needs. If convenience, including the ability to access information offline, is important to them, then an iPhone and/or Android app may be a better option. A good example where this was a key consideration was The Guideline Host App for Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. While web technology has come a long way, mobile technology is also still the best when it comes to user experience, delivering better interactions and designs.

Access to device hardware or its operating system is also an important consideration. If, for example, your app idea requires access to a camera, augmented reality, location services or Bluetooth, then a mobile app will likely be the best choice. If these are not requirements, then it may be hard to justify the extra investment. An example is The Myer Naughty or Nice Bauble App which used bluetooth technology.

Where web apps can be a good option is for business process digitisation/optimisation. Admin systems that support back office workflows and/or are usually accessed by desktop or a tablet are also great candidates (for example, see The Educator Passport App for the Chisholm Institute). A web app may also be preferable if your requirements centre around content and management of content, or involve navigation and communication of large volumes of data.

While we have significant experience in building ecommerce platforms – Australia Post, Map Coffee and Arro Home are examples – we now prioritise iPhone app development, Android app development and web technologies. This has ensured that our app developers are technical specialists in the open source technologies supporting mobile and web app development and enabled us to consistently build superior apps for our clients. If there is an element of your app model that includes an online store, then we can discuss appropriate options with you or refer you to another reputable software developer.