Find Out How Long Does It Take to Make an App in 2023

Planning to build an application? Well! The first and most important question that comes to our mind is how long does it take to make an app. We know that determining the timeline and setting the plan for our product will help you to know everything about app development time.

Building an application for your product is like building your dreams in the virtual world. While every app is different, the features of the application also differ as per the requirements. Custom applications have different features and there are different benefits of custom applications.

=The complexity and structure of the app also differ from application to application. Smaller apps with fewer features will take a shorter time while applications with complex features will take longer.

Let’s have a look at the process and stages of developing an application. In this blog, we will give informative information about how long it takes to make an app along with some facts that can reduce the time period of the development.

Comparing apps with different features and levels of complexity, the average timeline can be:

» Simple app development: 2 to 4 months

» Average app development: 4 to 6 months

» Complex app development: More than 9 months

We will share with you the detailed breakdown for each stage of app development. Get all your doubts cleared about how long does it take to develop an app. There’s a lot to cover up, let’s dive into it.

Timeline for Developing an App as Per the Functionality

Let’s compare the development of applications depending on their complexity and calculate how long does it take make an app on the basis of their features.

⇔ Simple App

» Consist of not more than five screens

» Do not exchange data with other systems’ databases

» Do not analytics of user stories and actions

» Register users by email

For example, for apps like business cards that contain company information, simple app development usually takes 2 to 4 months.

⇔ Average App

» Consist of more than ten screens

» Can be a personal account

» Usually have authorization through social networks

» Integrations with a server or a website

» Payment options

Applications like online clothing grocery stores or applications that are based on an application builder usually have more features than simple applications. So how long does it take to develop an app for your clothing brand? They require more than 2 months than a simple application.

⇔ Complex App

» Supports real-time synchronization

» Interactivity

» Integration with any database

» Animation

» Work with downloaded data

Do you know how long does it take to make an app like Instagram, Facebook, or something related to social media? Applications like social media apps need more time in development. On average, they require more than 9 months for development.

Timeline as Per the Kind of Application

⇔ Healthcare Applications

Want to count your daily calories, BMI, or ideal weight? Download a healthcare app and get all your data at your fingertips. Everything is possible to monitor easily when it comes to your health. You only need to download an application, fill in some data and you will get your accurate data along with consultancy.

But have you ever thought about how long does it take to make an app that stores and analyzes your health-related data?

On average, healthcare app development takes 6 to 9 months. It usually requires numerous features along with a team of healthcare experts. Some common features that you will find in every healthcare app are:

» Daily advice

» Chatbot for consultancy with healthcare experts

» Integration with real-time heart rate

» Integration with electronic health records

» Setting the goals

» Daily advice

» Progress tracking

» Built-in messaging system

» Electronic health record

» Progress tracking

⇔ Educational Applications

After COVID-19, everything was shifted to digital platforms. Let it be any sector, with the increased popularity of digitalization, there is a new wave of online learning. So, how long does it take to develop an app that gives you a unique experience of e-learning at your comfort?

As we know, because of online learning more and more educational apps allow users of different age categories to learn any course they want. The education app user is quite picky, so to develop interactive learning, gamification, and social media you need to break sweat and blood to gain customer retention.

Online learning offers various features like:

» Live classes

» Session recording

» Chatbots during the session

» Streaming

» Polls

» File sharing

» Navigation/ Search files

» E-notes and syllabus

» Push notifications

» Audio and video-based content

» 3-D lectures

» Regular practice and analysis

» Student/parent dashboard

⇔ Food Delivery Applications

Since the pandemic, after the lockdown, the craze for buying food online has touched the sky. Let it be a family function, or any special occasion, ordering food is people’s first preference. Moreover, people prefer ordering food in order to save time from going to grocery stores and cooking.

Be it a fruit or any home essentials, you can order your things and get them delivered to your doorstep. Select your food from your wide range of restaurants with an easy and efficient ordering process.

It’s no secret that the food delivery industry is booming. On average, the development of a food delivery app takes 4 to 6 months, but like always it depends on the complexity and advanced features. These kinds of applications usually have some common features:

» Map integration

» Cart

» Push notifications and alerts

» Social media integrations

» Real-time tracking

» Delivery tips

» Tracking order status

» Filters for restaurants

» Menu with price details

» In-app payment

⇔ Clothing Application

Clothing applications are a one-stop solution for all shopping needs in fashion and style and it became an emerging industry after the pandemic. You can get products and outstanding user experience for shoppers across the world among top shopping products-providing companies.

The development of an e-commerce app is a long-drawn and complex process. It starts with the basic blueprint and idea from then it is a continuous process until you deploy it. An attractive interface design drives more customers when it comes to clothing applications.

The colors, scheme, and visuals play an important role in engaging your customers. Here are some common features that every clothing application will have:

» User Registration

» Language option

» Product search

» Advanced filters

» Smart search option

» One-click to add to the cart

» Wishlist

» Product review

» Promotion and discount code tools

» Shipping

» Check out page

» Purchase history

» Real-time order tracking

» Push notifications

» Security

⇔ OTT Application

Social distancing is the new trend and staying at home is what people always opt for. Video streaming is mounting in this era and turning people to TV series and movies to ease their isolation and pass their time. The pricing plans offered by the streaming service can be shared with family and friends at no extra cost. You can choose an anyone subscription plan and prioritize your comfort 24*7 by enjoying live streaming.

Wanted an application like Netflix and am still stuck with the question that how long does it take to develop an app, here are some common features that every OTT application will offer:

» Live video streaming

» On-demand video streaming

» Content search

» User Registration

» Payment gateway

» Push notifications

» Available on different electronic devices

» Multi-language support

» Video resolutions

» Review and ratings

» Download/watch offline

» Share playlists

» Multi-device support

Done with deciding what kind of application you want to develop for your business? But you are still confused with the question of how long does it take to develop an app? No worries, it’s time to read about the factors that can affect the development timeline of your mobile app for your business.

Factors Affecting the Timeline for Development

While developing an app, don’t forget to consider numerous factors that can affect your timeline for the development of the app. In order to reduce your timeline and find out how long does it take to develop an app, let’s dive into common factors that affect the development process of an application:

⇔ The Complexity of an Application

The prime factor affecting the timeline of the development of an application is the complexity of the application. It involves the number of screens, features, and roles in the product.  When you develop a simple app with few complexities, you can quickly build it within some weeks.

But while developing an app like an e-commerce app or e-learning app, it may take months to get the application deployed.Complex applications will have detailed requirements, and you need to use the latest technology.

⇔ Detailed Requirements

Different applications will have different requirements as per their products. For example, a food application will offer you features like searching restaurants, ordering food, live tracking, payment gateway, etc.

whereas an e-learning application will offer you features like, live classes, recorded sessions, e-notes, interactive sessions, dashboards, etc. Hence, the more the detailed requirements, the less time it will take to build an application.

The functionalities like backend integration, selecting CMS, and third-party service integration will increase or decrease the time to develop an app.

There are some common features that every user looks for solutions of that:

» Signing up through social media or email addres

» Chatbot or messaging

» Push notifications

» Portrait or landscape screen view

» Payment gateway integration

» Maps integration for tracking

» User login and dashboard

» Admin login and dashboard

⇔ Accuracy

The documentation of the application is a crucial part as it simplifies the idea of the business structures the app development process and reduces the wastage of time during app development. The documentation can be later used by the designing team in the process of wireframing. The digital blueprint can reduce the minimum viable product will look like.

The accuracy of the final result does two things:

» Provides information required to identify potential risks.

» Includes essential functionalities.

If the goal of the product is not clear in the beginning, it will lead to changes at every stage. Always utilize agile methodology for product development. With a wireframe, you can resolve all customers’ issues while creating a unique user experience for them.

⇔ Business Expertise

Avoid unnecessary costs and save your time by hiring a team of professionals. The time taken to develop an application is directly related to the experience the team of professionals are having. If your team is fresher, you need to start from scratch, and if your team has professional developers they only need assistance in product and design.

If you want to develop an application in less time, hire a developer with more experience and reduce the timeline to develop an application.

App Development Stages and Timeline

Let’s see how long does it take to develop an app at every stage of development:

⇔ Planning Stage

It takes 2 to 3 weeks because it is the primary stage in the development phase. In this stage, you collect and analyze the business or the project and its requirements. It focuses both on the development team as well as the customers by doing research about the market, the competitors, and the audience.

To get the initial idea, here are a few things that you need to know and must brief about the customer:

» Project objectives

» Budget Range

» NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

» An evaluation of how long it takes to make an app

The next step is to design low-fidelity wireframes. This will help designers to get a clear picture of the design of the application and product functionality. It is also important to analyze the technology stack that you will need for developing a minimum-value product. Usually, there are three mobile app types: web, native, and hybrid.

⇔ Designing Stage

You might be thinking how long does it take to make an app at the design stage? At the design stage, the outline or we can say the blueprint of the application is discussed and shared with the developers.

You need to create a UI kit that includes elements like buttons, search bars, logos, etc. At this stage, it takes around 40 to 80 hours. Talking about the first two stages together, it can take around two weeks to 1 month as well.

⇔ Development Stage

Once the development phase is started, How long does it take to make an app? Well! you will get an approximate idea of the timeline for the development.

The fundamental part of the app development process is the development phase. It focuses mainly on the front as well as backend development. Apart from that, it includes beta testing and uploading the app to the Play Store or to app stores.

Well! You must know about backend development and front-end development. When it comes to backend development, it is actually a hidden part of the application that is responsible for storing data and providing security to the application after deployment. It is the same as a server. It gives you leverage to access it via the internet using API. It included the following components:

» Storage of data

» Data integration

» Server-side logic

» Management of users

You can buy the storage capacity from a third-party company as well. Done with the backend part? Here comes the frontend part of development. The front end of an application is what shows in the application to the users. From the user-centric content to the structure and design of the application, everything that a user can see in an app is built by the front-end developers. It includes the following components:

» UI design and development

» Caching

» Front-end logic

» Synchronization

If we talk about how long does it take to develop an app at this stage, it will be more than 3 months, but can vary depending on the team.

⇔ Testing

Testing is the concluding and end part of the app development process. The testing takes 4 to 6 weeks at this stage because there are many chances that the application may have bugs or certain technical issues.

Conclusion

Turn your app ideas into reality in the digital world with imagination by reading this comprehensive guide on how long does it takes to develop an app in this blog. You can find out how long does it take to devvelop an app stagewise. Design and development are the most important parts of developing an application.

By using different techniques you can reduce the timeline for developing an app. Clear requirements, timely response, and better communication are a few of the answer to your question about how long does it take to make an app.

If you know about the market and the competitors, you can skip the research and validation part. Get the best possible ways to get your application developed within the timeline with the best app development service providers. Through this guide, you will get all the answers to the question “How long does it take to develop an app?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How to develop an app?

Ans. Conduct research about the market and competitors, outline the features, establish a team of professionals, plan the security of the app, start with coding, perform multiple tests, and get your app developed as per your requirements.

Q2. How to develop an Android app?

Ans. Install Android Studio, research your requirements, get started with Kotlin, customize your app, review the solution code, and develop your Android app. The majority of Android app developers use Kotlin while Java is used for developing business applications, and some use programming languages like C, and C++.

Q3. How to develop an app using Python?

Ans. When it comes to developing an application or website, after Java, Python is everyone’s choice. Here are some steps for developing a basic application by using Python, we have kept it short and simple for beginners.

» Open a command prompt

» Run auto-py-to-exe from the command prompt

» Click on the browser and navigate

» Set the application to use

» Select an icon for your application

» Click on Advanced and enter the details

» Click on CONVERT. PY to. EXE

» Double-click on the icon and run your application