Unlocking the Secrets: How Much Does It Really Cost To Design App? (In-Depth Price Analysis)

Have you ever wonder how much does an app design cost? If yes, here’s some more food for thought. Let’s dive into what app design price is, explore the process of designing an app and define the details cost to design a mobile app like Uber or Instagram!

According to recent statistics, the Google Play Store boasts an impressive 2.87 million apps, while the App Store follows closely behind with nearly 1.8 million iOS applications. This vast availability underscores the competitive nature of the app market. To stand out in this crowded landscape, a mobile app must prioritize its UI/UX design. Research consistently shows that apps focusing on user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design are more likely to rise to the top of the app charts, capturing users’ attention and retaining their engagement.

Investing in UX can lead to significant efficiencies in the development process, potentially saving up to 50% of wasted development time. A well-thought-out design minimizes the risk of creating an application that fails to resonate with its target audience. When developers understand user needs and preferences, they can create an app that meets those demands, reducing the likelihood of redesigns or major changes later in the process.

Great UI and UX design are among the most crucial components of a successful mobile app. These elements not only enhance the visual appeal but also facilitate seamless interactions that keep users engaged. Each principle of mobile app design plays a vital role in driving traffic, boosting user conversion rates, and ultimately increasing return on investment (ROI). A thoughtfully designed app encourages users to explore its features, return for future use, and recommend it to others.

The more effective the design, the more users will engage with the app. Essential design features might include a clear structure that allows users to navigate intuitively, aesthetically pleasing visuals that draw users in, a neat display of buttons for easy access, and even animated effects that enhance the user experience. These thoughtful touches not only encourage users to interact with the app but also help foster loyalty, motivating them to return repeatedly.

So, how much does it cost to design an app? The cost of app design typically depends on various factors, including the complexity of the app, the number of development stages, and the specific features you wish to incorporate. However, it’s important to note that design is not just about aesthetics; it’s equally about functionality and usability. A well-designed app not only looks good but also works efficiently, providing a seamless experience that meets users’ needs and expectations. By investing in quality UI/UX design, developers can create apps that stand out in the competitive market, leading to increased user satisfaction and long-term success.

Firstly, let us consider the most common situation: the mobile app UI design process!

Read also: App Development Cost: How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App?

1. Process effecting on app design cost

Creating a successful mobile app requires a carefully planned design process with clear guidelines established at each stage before launch. Each app is unique, so defining an average design cost can be challenging without understanding all the specific requirements and intricacies involved.

The core app design process includes several key stages:

1. Research and Discovery: This initial phase involves understanding user needs, market trends, and competitor analysis to identify what will make the app stand out. Defining target audiences and objectives here ensures that every design decision aligns with user expectations and business goals.
2. Analysis and Concept Development: Based on research findings, this phase delves into wireframing and defining the app’s structure. Designers create rough layouts that outline the app’s essential functions and how users will navigate through it.
3. UI/UX Design: This phase is where the app’s look and feel are developed. UX design focuses on creating an intuitive, seamless user journey, while UI design brings it to life visually with attractive layouts, colors, and branding elements to keep users engaged and delighted.
4. Development: After finalizing the UI/UX, developers start coding the app, transforming the designs into a fully functional product. Close collaboration between designers and developers is essential here to ensure the app is built exactly as envisioned.
5. Testing: Testing is a vital part of the process, where the app is thoroughly checked for usability, performance, and bugs. Continuous feedback and testing loops improve the app’s stability and user experience.
6. Branding and Final Touches: Integrating branding elements like logos, color schemes, and messaging adds a personal touch to the app, aligning it with the company’s identity and making it memorable for users.

Each software company will have a different process of designing services. Here are the 4 steps goes in AgileTech and mostly IT outsourcing company.

2. Create design documents

As a software outsourcing company, after given the requirements from customers, we will begin to write the list of design documents.

2.1. Product brief

It is usually essential if you spend a lot of time understanding every stage of the project such as product brief, target audience, competition, or market trends. Without clarifying product brief, it is difficult to know how much does it cost to design a mobile app.

In addition, platforms like iOS and Android have different navigation, development tools and many other elements. Android needs to be matched with many different formats. But Apple has everything standardized.

2.2. Define function

After the product brief has been conducted, the team will prepare a product backlog with detailed functionality. All of these materials will be used further in designing a mobile application.

To emphasize, the app design cost depends on:

• app complexity
• hours required to research
• planning with technical sectors
• number of features
• number of platforms

It takes time to design each screen appearance. Therefore, the more features an app has, the more working hours the designer has to spend. As a result, the higher the cost of app design will be.

2.3. User flow

Then, by analyzing the latest mobile app design trends, we can create a workflow between these functions.

3. Exchange request and price

Once defining the design documents, you and your outsourcing partner will clarify requests and estimate the price of app design.

3.1. Wireframe

During this stage, designers can layout the structure of a future application with more detailed up to the stage of an interactive prototype.

Creating a wireframe is a must-have step before prototyping. It helps clients have a clear view of how the app will look like. In case there is something you don’t like, clients can suggest a change to the technology partner.

The wireframe example for eCommerce progressive web app

3.2. UI Prototype

Unlike wireframes, UI prototype shows a detailed form of the entire design process. It also describes how the final app looks.

If the project covers both iOS and Android, we usually start from the UI design of the iOS version. And afterward move to Android design.

UI/UX Prototype from our customers – Luxstay 

When considering the cost to design a mobile app, each company or design team has its workflow for design creation. The process is usually divided into User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design.

To clarify, below, we will give you steps to keep up with app design costs at AgileTech as a software outsourcing company.

4. App design costs by country

As previously mentioned, the cost of designing an app’s UI/UX largely depends on the complexity of its functionality. The more features and interactions your app requires, the more time and effort designers need to invest, which ultimately increases the overall cost. However, even the most experienced UI/UX designers can’t give you an exact estimate right away. The cost of designing a mobile app can vary significantly depending on multiple factors, and one of the most critical factors is the location of your design partner.

Where your design team or development partner is based has a huge impact on how much you’ll pay for UI/UX design. This is because the cost of labor in the tech industry differs greatly by region. For example, app development costs in North America, Europe, and Asia can vary significantly, even for the same project. Different countries and regions offer different price ranges, so it’s essential to understand these variations when planning your project budget.

Outsourcing your app design and development to countries with lower costs can help reduce expenses without compromising on quality. However, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of working with a design partner from a different country, including factors such as communication, time zone differences, and cultural considerations.

Below is a breakdown of typical app design costs by region:

• North America (USA, Canada): Generally, the highest rates are found in North America, with hourly rates for app design ranging from $100 to $200 or more. This reflects the region’s higher labor costs and strong demand for tech talent.
• Western Europe (UK, Germany, France): Designers in Western Europe typically charge between $80 and $150 per hour, making it slightly less expensive than North America, but still relatively high due to similar economic factors.
• Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Romania): Eastern Europe has become a popular outsourcing destination due to its combination of high-quality talent and more affordable rates. Here, UI/UX designers often charge between $40 and $80 per hour, offering excellent value for money.
• Asia (India, Vietnam, Philippines): App design costs in Asia can range from as low as $20 to $50 per hour, making it one of the most budget-friendly regions for outsourcing. While prices are lower, many developers in this region have strong technical skills and extensive experience in mobile app design.
• Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico): Rates in Latin America typically fall between $30 and $70 per hour. Like Eastern Europe, Latin America has become an increasingly popular outsourcing destination due to its competitive pricing and growing tech talent pool.

It’s important to remember that lower costs do not always mean lower quality. Many design agencies and freelancers from lower-cost regions can deliver top-notch work, but you should still consider factors like experience, portfolio, and communication skills when choosing your design partner.

According to this infographic, to estimate the price, you can choose to outsource to another country, especially to Asia or Eastern Europe.

For example, the cost of top design services may be up to $150 per hour in the USA. Meanwhile, with the same standard app design service, a Vietnam-rooted software outsourcing company will cost only $10-$25 per hour. In this case, if you choose to outsource UI/UX design for building App like Uber, the mobile app UI design price with average time (200 hours) will be:

• Min: $10 x 200 hours = $2,000
• Max: $25 x 200 hours = $5,000

Designers in India or Vietnam charge $25 per hour, which is among the cheapest rate in the world. But the app design cost doesn’t mean the only stages.  That why you should have more in-depth knowledge of the company that you are planning to get a contract with.

So, how to choose the right offshore software company?

• Define your exact goals: roles description, quality expectations, scope, and deadlines.
• Shortlist potential service providers: experience, location, flexibility, language, and cultural barriers.
• Evaluate your prospects: background check, client reviews, work process, etc.

Read also: Software Outsourcing Company: How To Choose The Right Size For Startup?

5. App UI design cost: Uber and Instagram

Uber and Instagram are two of the most beautiful mobile app design inspirations worldwide. The UI/UX of both has been excellent, which has placed among the most users applications and app design trends in 2020.

Then, let’s figure out the app design price to understand why they are so popular.

5.1. Uber

Taxi booking apps like Uber have reshaped the traditional taxi industry, drawing massive user engagement and revenue. Their success can be attributed to a sleek, user-friendly interface and an efficient system that connects passengers with drivers in real-time. Uber’s app design is both intuitive and adaptable, with tailored interfaces for passengers and drivers that simplify the booking and ride management process. This simplicity and accessibility are key factors in what makes Uber stand out from the crowd.

The cost of designing a ride-hailing app similar to Uber depends heavily on the complexity of the app’s UI/UX. Generally, the design process starts with developing the UI/UX for iOS, then adapting it for Android. Uber’s approach includes separate, purpose-driven designs for the passenger and driver apps, each with unique features to meet different needs.

Here’s an estimated breakdown for a case study design timeline:

• Passenger App: Designing the interface for features like booking, tracking, and payment integrations typically takes several weeks.
• Driver App: The driver-side design requires specialized elements like location sharing, real-time job requests, and earnings tracking, which can add to the design time.
• Complexity: The more intricate the app’s features—such as multi-location pickups, complex animations, or personalized notifications—the longer it will take and the higher the cost.

In summary, the total cost to design a ride-hailing app varies based on the depth of the UI/UX complexity. A simpler, MVP version will be less costly and faster to design, whereas a feature-rich, highly customized app will require more resources to develop.

For instance, app design cost in UK range from $10,000 to $30,000 and from $2,000 to %5,000 in Vietnam.

Read also: How To Build App Like Uber?

5.2. Instagram

According to official statistics, 95 million pictures are posted on Instagram daily. In 2018, monthly active Instagram users reached 1 billion – almost one-eighth of the world’s population.

Who would expect such great achievement? Also, the app has some crashes, but people still love using Instagram because of its vibrant UI/ UX design.

As we mentioned before, the app design price varies among the region. The mobile app development cost is different from the US, the UK to Ukraine, or Vietnam. The estimated time to build Instagram is 200 hours for iOS and 150 hours for Android.

So, the cost of UX design starts from $15,000 in the US to $7,500 in Eastern Europe. And as usual, the cheapest price is from Vietnam, from $3,000 to $7,500.

6. How much does it cost to design an app?

UI/UX design plays an important role in your product’s success. For this reason, investing time on mobile app design is always worth it. At the same time, you need to understand that the app design cost depends on many factors. And if you choose IT outsourcing to reduce app design price, partnering with offshore software companies from Asia like China, India and Vietnam may be a good choice.

But, no one will be able to give you an exact cost of app design without any analysis. Let’s see how to minimize the cost to design an app:

• Plan your project well
• Hire a professional software design and development vendor
• Be heavily involved in the design process

If you have an idea, and you would like to get a product in which excellent functionality will be combined with an attractive design.

7. About AgileTech

By providing multiple needs and services, AgileTech is here to ensure your technology project as a successful element of your omnichannel strategy.

We have expert Project Managers along with excellent teams who have delivered the best products to customers in more than 10 countries, namely the U.S, U.K, Germany, France, and Singapore.

As a leading mobile development company in Vietnam, we have huge experiences in many fields including e-commerce, car-sharing platform, health care, Livestream, and many more.

Our dedicated software development team is ready for your custom requirements. You can contact us at contact@agiletech.vn or via (+84) 936 281 059 for more information.