Social Media has swept the world like a storm, every person is available on social media via one or another application. People are using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share their views, at the same time they are using WhatsApp and Telegram for their routing messaging requirements.
Messaging applications have proved their worth, as end-user can utilize them to fulfill multiple requirements. Users can chat with their friends, and send their pictures, videos, and files to their friends, family members, and groups. However, at the same time, we have seen widespread security threats and privacy concerns as well.
Information security has become a crucial aspect to consider while considering any application for usage. That is the reason why people are more inclined towards a secured and encrypted private messaging app like Signal.
Signal has been gaining immense popularity due to the pathbreaking security and secrecy it offers. It is built on the Text Secure and Red Phone application models, and it is known as the most encrypted and secured messaging application available in the market.
Signal runs on end-to-end highly encrypted messaging protocols AES-256, HMAC-SHA256, and Curve25519. These protocols ensure end-to-end security to the communication and prevent any sort of Man-in-the-middle (MITM) hacking attempts.
The other important feature is that Signal is an open-source application and its source code is easily available on GitHub, where anyone can access it anytime.
In this article, we would like to provide insight into prominent features of the Signal application, approximate efforts, and the cost required to build an app like Signal.
Here, we would like to state that it is necessary to understand the basic architecture of the application first. We will share detailed information about the Signal application and then we can proceed with the Signal app development costs.
A signal is a cross-platform application that has been developed by Signal Technology Foundation and Signal Messenger. It is an application that offers a simple messaging service (one-to-one and group messages) that accompanies file sharing, images, videos, and voice notes.
It also offers one-to-one and group voice and video calls to end users. It has emerged as a secure alternative to WhatsApp, since the recent privacy policy change announcement by WhatsApp and Facebook.
However, here the biggest question is, what this Security is? And why people are so much concerned about it? As we want to develop a Signal application, it is important to understand the security fundamentals and parameters. As per the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), security is based on 7 grounding parameters:
Here, we can say that Signal fulfils all the requirements of EFF and that is the reason why it is considered as one of the most secure messaging applications in the market.
While developing an application, we must keep all these parameters in mind. Any proposed messaging application should pick the security parameters followed by the Signal application.
Signal offers high-end security features and ensures that privacy remains intact. Signal offers a few must-have features for any proposed application. We are going to discuss those features in detail, and it will help us while building our own messaging application.
Signal offers a strong encryption mechanism to keep chats and other communication secured. This is among the most famous features of Signal, and this is indeed responsible for its massive following.
End users can have private encrypted chats with their friends, family, or loved ones. Here it is also important to note that the application server has no access to any metadata which may include titles, icons, membership lists, and titles.
Gone are the days when user registration and login used to be a long process. Signal has made this entire process extremely convenient for the end-users.
It offers an easy interface, where a user can log in with their contact details. They do not need to remember their login IDs or passwords. Signal only needs your contact number, once it is provided, you may get an OTP code, and once that is keyed in, the application is ready for use.
This feature was initially launched by Telegram and became immensely popular. It helps you to keep your messages safe from public view, by putting a timer of 5 seconds to 1 week, for the messages seen by you, past that the message disappears.
The application also restricts taking screenshots within the application, which gives it another layer of security and privacy.
Signal offers high-quality audio and video calls for one-to-one and groups, on a superior security apparatus. Due to its unmatched security and privacy offering, individuals and business enterprises use Signal as an authentic method to share confidential data over audio and video calls. This is an important aspect to ponder while developing a Signal messaging app.
Implementing water-tight encryption and security is crucial for the popularity of any application. However, it is not easy to deploy encryption and security in any application, but it can be fulfilled by utilizing the Telegram API.
By using an established API, we can reduce the backend and database development efforts along with the time and cost of application development.
If the Signal application is blocked in any country, it can still be accessed by using the proxy. It offers proxy settings and the end-user can make the necessary changes to access the application, as the data traffic remains opaque to the proxy operator. Our application should incorporate proxy support to ensure seamless usage everywhere.
This is quite a common feature now, which helps us send media to multiple contacts at the same time in separate chats. Signal lets us send the same media to the selected contacts without creating a group, and this is a must-have feature for any messaging application these days.
Signal offers the usage of an Input Method Editor or an existing keyboard on a smartphone. It provides a facility to turn on Incognito Keyboard on the Android platform. It enables an optional keyboard privacy flag, supported by Android OS, which helps end-user to use a keyboard to maintain their privacy.
Signal provides a facility to delete a message sent accidentally. We can use the ‘Delete for everyone feature while deleting a chat message. It is a must-have feature for any messaging application.
These are certain grounds on which secure application development takes place. Here we will explain a few important modules for the proposed messaging application, along with the time and resources it may take.
This is the basic module, where the consumer registers himself/herself and then provides further information like name, surname, sex, country, and phone number. Once the information is furnished, the application sends an authorization message to the end user.
The application can read and then submit the verification code automatically to register the end user. Past consumer registration, the application syncs all the contacts to display the people who are already available on that messaging platform.
This module is quite the basic one, and it may take up to 50-55 hours.
Signal provides One on one and group chats as well. Since we are willing to develop our own Signal application, it is obvious to incorporate all the messaging features, so that end users can avail one of one chat and multi-user chat.
For messaging applications, we generally use eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMMP), which ensures the message sending and delivery mechanism works flawlessly. We also must enable the other chat features like stickers, emojis, and GIF files.
This is an important module, which takes up to 210-220 hours, for both frontend and backend development.
Signal offers a free calling feature which Internet traffic to make calls, rather than using a cellular service plan on your SIM connection. Several messaging applications use PJSIP library to implement VoIP (Voice over IP) protocol for end-to-end calling facility.
It is an open-source multimedia communication library, which is written in C language. PJSIP uses a high-level Application Programming Interface by combining the Multimedia framework with SIP (signalling protocol) and NAT traversal functionality.
It could take up to 200-220 hours for building both frontend and backend components.
Video calling feature is the bare minimum requirement for any messaging application these days. With the availability of high-speed internet, people are now preferring to make video calls with individuals or groups. We have seen that many applications which did not have video calling features are now looking at the possibility of incorporating this feature to remain relevant among their users.
To develop a video calling feature, it may take 180-220 hours to build a frontend and backend interface. This time could be vary depending on the operating system like Android or iOS.
For any messaging application, we must integrate the capability of multimedia sharing. The application should enable its users to share document files, pictures, voice notes, and video files. The media transmission is executed by uploading a multimedia file, that to be delivered to an HTTP server. Which then uses its Base64 encoded thumbnail while sending the link to the content together.
To incorporate the multimedia sharing module, it may take up to 40-50 Hours. Though it depends on Android and iOS and several other factors like usage of an API or building it from scratch.
This is an important module for any application, as it provides the end-user to make some customized changes in the application by modifying the setting. The settings module consists of a user account and profile setting, Privacy Settings, Help, etc.
From this module, users can make changes in their user profile, update the settings like switch on or off the read receipts, manage blocked contacts, delete accounts, change status, change contact numbers, customize the notification settings, and change the appearance of the application, etc.
This is an important module and may take up to 110-120 hours for development.
This feature enables users to send and receive contacts from their phone memories directly with their friends. This is a very basic feature that uses XMPP protocol for message delivery. We can use several available APIs to enable this feature and may develop it from scratch as well.
This feature may take 70-80 hours of effort to develop.
sharing the geolocation with our contacts is a must-have feature that should be integrated into the application. Through this feature, we can share our current location or the location of any specific place with our friends.
We can also share our live location with any person for a specific amount of time. We can easily use Google Maps Android API to enable this feature for android, for the iOS environment, we can utilize the Map Kit framework.
It could take 25-30 hours to develop and integrate this feature into your application.
On any messaging application, the user is notified about a personal chat message or a group message through mobile app notifications. We can enable the feature, where the user may receive a pop-up notification when the phone is locked. This feature can be developed from scratch, but we would suggest using Apple Push Notifications or Google Cloud Messaging to enable this feature for our application.
It may take hardly 15-20 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
This module is used to sync the contacts in the phone to the cloud of our applications database.
It may take hardly 15-20 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
This module displays the Call history (Incoming, outgoing, rejected call) for a user. It provides the end-user with an account of different kinds of calls they have made and received.
It may take hardly 18-25 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
This is a new feature, which is used to scan QR codes to visit any specific website or make a payment as well.
It may take hardly 15-20 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
It is an important module that helps us take the backup of our chats and other data, so that could be accessed at any time later.
It may take hardly 25-35 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
This module helps us to keep a track of the Data storage usage of our application. We can make the change in the storage setting to ensure the application does not take unnecessary space on the end user’s mobile phone.
It may take hardly 5-10 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
This is again an important section, where end-user can browse important information and FAQs about the application. It helps end-users with several queries about the application and offers support material as well.
It may take hardly 20-30 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
This module helps a user to make changes in encryption settings.
It may take hardly 5-10 hours to integrate this feature into our app.
We must choose a correct and efficient technology stack for application development. Though it depends on project requirements, application complexity, and several other parameters. However, here we have provided a simple breakdown of the technology stack required to develop a messaging application like Signal.
For the Android platform, we can use the following technologies and tools to develop the application.
For the IOS platform, we can use the following technologies and tools to develop the application.
Backend development is an important aspect of any mobile application, and it plays an important role in the stability and popularity of any app.
We must use several 3rd party services while developing a robust messaging application. Here are a few 3rd party services, that can be used for messaging application development.
Now, it is time to calculate Signal app development costs and effort, and time on our own. We have provided an estimate of messaging application development efforts and time with respect to the functionalities and features mentioned above.
Though, the actual estimate could be slightly different from the given figures; however, we have tried to provide as precise information as we can.
The final cost of developing a Signal messaging application can cost you between USD 35,000- USD 55,000 for Android and iOS, respectively. This is an average cost, that is based at the rate of USD 50/hour).
| Platform | App Development time | App Development Cost |
| iOS | 800-900+ hours | USD 40,000- USD 45,000 |
| Android | 900-1100+ hours | USD 45,000-USD 55,000 |
| Back-end | 600-800+ hours | USD 25,000-USD 35,000 |
| UI/UX design (one platform) | 80-100+ hours | USD 5,000-USD 7,000 |
If we consider the above figures, then the total cost of application development would vary from USD 30,000 to USD 70,000. However, we would like to make it clear that the given values are just an estimated one and the actual cost could vary depending on messaging application features and other requirements.
| Region | Total Cost | Hourly Rate |
| India | 25,000 USD | 50-70 USD |
| Eastern Europe | 40,000 USD | 80-100 USD |
| North America | 70,000 USD | 100-120 USD |
| Western Europe | 65,000 USD | 90-120 USD |
| Australia | 70,000 USD | 100 USD |
Let us move to the quick checklist for messaging application development, which we must follow while developing a Signal application.
Now, it seems we have covered all the relevant aspects of the development of an application that is based on Signal. We tried to provide a complete understanding of the existing Signal application, its features, and the reasons behind its immense popularity.
Though here we also would like to state that the cost and estimates we have given in this article are about a basic application, the cost could be increased gradually once the application is scaled for mass usage.
With this, we would like to conclude this article. We hope we were able to provide the best possible information on this topic. We believe that the market always welcomes a new idea and there is a level playing field for everyone.
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