The Upstack Studio App Development Cost Calculator!

Hi there!

If you’re here, you probably have an app idea and want a ballpark estimate so development costs don’t unexpectedly bankrupt you.

Our stance is if you’re gonna go bankrupt, it better be expected.

So frankly, if you want an accurate estimate, skip the calculator and get in touch with us.

Otherwise let’s lay out the good, the bad, and the ugly:

• Good: Cost calculators can give you meaningful insight
• Bad: No calculator can cover every variable in a real project
• Ugly: Every calculator reflects the biases of the developer that built it

Simply put, Upstack Studio’s calculator only really works at estimating development costs by Upstack Studio, and even then, it can underestimate. 

It still gives you a realistic starting point and a benchmark to compare cost between developers.

So long as you keep this mindset, estimate away!

For those who want to better understand how to treat app cost calculators, below we break down how most (including ours) work, namely:

• main app cost development factors
• the ones calculators typically use to estimate cost
• why values differ across calculators, and
• common blind spots

Let’s begin.

Common Cost Inputs in App Calculators

Most app calculators allow users to customize three types of inputs to varying degrees:

• Platform selection
• Required features
• Design complexity

The calculator assigns fixed hour ranges to these choices and multiplies by the developer’s hourly rate or fits it within one of their development packages.

And voila, you get an estimated development cost and timeline. 

And if the calculator is the fancy kind, you even get a lower and upper end estimate (yes, ours is the fancy kind).

But look at what goes into app development costs and you see how limited calculators are.

App Development Cost Factors

We go into this in full detail in our mobile app development cost breakdown but in summary, everything that affects development cost can be broadly separated into two categories:

Category	Factors
Hourly Rates	– Regional pricing differences- Technology stacks- Developer qualifications- Agency vs freelancer
Total Development Hours	– App platforms- Feature complexity- Design complexity

While calculators can cover most key factors, many simply aren’t accounted for because it’s unrealistic to expect non-tech clients to know what to enter.

In short, a “custom app development calculator” is an oxymoron. 

A custom app is meant to be unique, but a general-use calculator can’t capture that uniqueness. 

So without being able to account for your specific needs, the estimate will always be off.

We can come close to what we’d charge for development with our agency, and the same probably holds true for all other app cost calculators out there.

Why values differ across calculators

Run the same app idea through ten app calculators and you get eleven different estimates.

That’s right, it’s so confusing even maths rules don’t apply.

There are lots of reasons for this variance, but we think it mostly comes down to five main ones.

Different pricing model

In practice, different developers use a mix of fixed and variable software development pricing models, which the calculator will inevitably reflect.

It’s rarely disclosed, and typically takes the form of hardcoded flat hourly multipliers, “feature bundles,” fixed minimum costs, and everything in between. 

Different hourly rates

Development pricing model aside, calculators always reflect the hourly rate of the developer, which can vary based on: 

• Region
• Experience
• Team size / type

Regional differences in software developer rates are crazy and have a huge impact on cost. 

Different interpretations of features

Depending on experience level and preferences, what one developer considers a basic feature, another can treat as advanced, and both will assign correspondingly different development hours to it.

Now multiply that with all your custom features and the difference can start to show.

Different level of user input provided

Calculators like ours let you select each feature you want.

Others only ask for high-level selections like ‘simple, medium, or complex’.

Generally, less input = more assumptions = more variance.

But more detail isn’t always better as detailed inputs can make the estimate less accurate because too many unnecessary options are selected!

Either way, you’re gonna get different estimates between those two calculators.

Different padding for hidden costs

Some calculators include buffers for project management, QA, bug fixes, or design revisions. 

It’s invisible and built into the hourly multiplier, and can add up to tens of thousands in difference between calculators.

Blind spots

Nobody jumps into custom app development based on what a calculator says! 

This is because even the best cannot account for the following five factors that greatly impact the viability of the project and developer selection.

Maintenance Costs

Calculators won’t tell you if they factor in updates, bug fixes, growing server costs, and general ongoing improvements post-development, and trust us, app maintenance costs add up!

Non-Monetary Costs of Hiring Offshore

App cost calculators online are made by developers from across the world, and depending on where you’re based, hiring offshore can mean odd meeting hours, delayed feedback, and language barriers that the calculator cannot predict. 

Unnecessary Features 

Calculators will happily tally costs with every feature you request, including the ones that any experienced developer would question you on.

ROI

Calculators don’t account for whether your app could be profitable or how soon, and a cheap app that flops costs far more than a higher-cost build that does its job and brings in the dineros.

Use Development Cost Calculators as a Starting Point

App development cost calculators can give a sense of what to budget, but honestly, not much more than that!

Be sure to run your app idea through other calculators too!

And if early numbers make sense with ours, get in touch and we can help estimate not just cost, but if your project is commercially viable and we’re the right team to bring it to life.

That’s all from us, and we wish you all the best with your app idea 🙂

If you’re unsure, feel free to reach out for an honest assessment. 

If you're looking to build a custom app, check out our portfolio of past projects and contact us if you like what you see. Also, consider joining our mailing list for a one-stop resource on everything from SaaS validation to execution and promotion. Get a nifty list of questions to ask app developers when you sign up!