How long does it take to build a mobile app?

Any client that comes to us regarding app development has two questions to ask primarily. One- how much does it cost to build a mobile app, and second- how long does it take? You can find the detailed answer for the first one here. Today, we will discuss the time it takes to build a mobile app.

Prior to the time invested in actual app development work, the initial time-consuming process is setting up the timeline for it. Having a timeline is important to meet the client’s needs and product deadlines. As an experienced app development company, we do have a fair idea of time estimations for startups as well as large enterprises.

In this blog, we will provide you with a thorough breakdown of each stage of the app development process and walk you through the most time-consuming stages.

Timeline for Developing an App

An app usually has to go through an 8-step process, which includes-

1. Research

2. Product Validation

3. Product Strategy

4. Prototyping

5. Prototype Validation

6. Design

7. Development

8. Launch

Let’s go through these stages briefly.

1. Research

Research takes around 1-3 weeks. During this initial phase, information about the market (business niche) is collected and analyzed. The app development team identifies the target market and the target audience. Competitor analysis is performed to look for the major competitors and gain insights into their products, sales, and marketing strategies.

2. Product Validation

The research part is followed by product or idea validation which can usually take around 1-2 weeks. In this phase, it is checked whether or not there is a need for the product in the market and whether users are willing to pay for it. This involves conducting surveys and interviews to understand the users’ needs, preferences, and expectations.

3. Product Strategy

The third phase is about creating a product strategy and defining the business’ end objectives. This can take up to 2 weeks and includes technical design documentation, product roadmap, timeline estimate, and cost estimate. This helps ensure that every team member involved in the project is on the same page and has clarity about their responsibilities. It minimizes miscommunication and unnecessary delays.

4. Prototyping

This is a key phase in the app development process that involves building a clickable prototype of the product and doesn’t take more than 2 weeks. A prototype is an early basic functional model of the app (a simple working solution and an ideal version of the final product) without animations and final design elements, created usually for 2-3 user roles, to test and evaluate the product’s concept, value, and quality before its launch.

5. Prototype Validation

Once the prototype is built, it is then validated. The prototype is tested with a couple of users to obtain feedback and insights into the product’s features and functionality. A few things are checked during prototype validation such as whether the navigation is smooth, how the users are interacting with the product, whether they are finding it difficult to use, and whether they are using the product the way it is intended to be used. The process takes approximately 1 week, however, the final time can vary depending on the feedback cycles.

6. Design

The initial phases save a lot of time during the actual design and development process. Though designing takes place before coding usually, they both happen in tandem in agile development. Designing a product can easily take up to 3 to 4 months, and it is one of the most unpredictable aspects of the entire product development process. There are two main reasons behind it- the fast-changing requirements of users and new trends hitting the market regularly.

In this stage, the design team conceives and reiterates the UI and UX design of the product. A blueprint is prepared that is handed over to the development team to start product development. This includes creating high-fidelity wireframes or prototypes and the UI components such as navigation buttons, fonts, colors, widgets, typography, etc. The team ensures that the product is rich in terms of UI and UX.

7. Development

Now comes the most time-consuming part of the app development process, i.e. coding or programming the app. This includes backend development and frontend development. The time to develop an app can vary depending on the complexity of the app.

Simple App Development- 2 to 4 months

Average App Development- 4 to 6 months

Complex App Development- 9+ months

A simple app is one that doesn’t have more than five screens and neither exchanges data with other systems’ databases. An average app has up to 10 screens and involves integration with server and payment systems, etc. A complex app consists of real-time synchronization, integration with any databases, high-end designs, and more.

The size of the app development team plays a significant role too, however, it’s not necessary that the project will be completed before time if more members are added to the team. Clients often come up to us asking what if we hire more people for the project? The team size doesn’t actually affect the app development speed, in fact, it can sometimes prolong development because not everyone will have the same kind of work efficiency. Long story short, the time to develop an app depends primarily on the kind of app you want to build and not how many people are involved in it.

Tech stack also has a role to play in deciding the app development time. Depending on the kind of app you are building, whether a native app, hybrid app, or PWA, the tech stack will differ and the timeline can stretch.

8. Launch

The product’s launch process is generally divided into two phases: alpha release and beta release. The former is usually performed by testers within the organization while the latter is conducted by the end users. Tools like Testflight for iOS apps and Google Play Console for Android are used for beta testing. 

The time-consuming part of the product launch is mainly submissions and reviews which can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month.

App Store and Google Play Store have different reviewing processes, the former, however, is more meticulous. Android uses an algorithm to review the app whereas Apple’s review process is done manually by a team of reviewers.

Summing Up

Now anytime you think about an app and wonder how much time it would take to develop it, you’d have a better idea of all the things involved that can shoot up the app development time. Of all the things, designing and coding are the most essential and time-consuming aspects of app development. For a smooth process, what’s important is to have better communication among the team members and transparency in roles and requirements.

Still have any doubts or want to know a close estimate of your project? Reach out to our experts and they’ll help you with it.