Who does not know about social media apps these days? The answer is almost everyone. Social media has taken over the world like a storm from a kid to old age. It would not be wrong to say that social media has become one of the most integral parts of our lives.
And this very fact has made social media-based mobile app development one of the most in-demand services in the mobile app development industry.
With over 2 billion active users spending more and more time on social media platforms, social media app development is a big hit with every type of audience.
And therefore, it’s no wonder why every business wants a piece of the pie. But before taking the plunge, businesses need to know everything about social media app development, from features to cost.
So, in this blog post, we will walk you through the different elements affecting the cost of social media app development and how you can estimate the social media app development cost for your own social media-based mobile app.
Let’s dive in!
So when we talk about social media platforms, what comes to our mind first are the social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
But that’s not the limit. Other social media categories are also popular among users and businesses to connect and engage with their target audience
Table of Contents
Social media platforms can be divided into the following categories:
- Social Networking Apps like Facebook, LinkedIn
- Media Sharing Apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest
- Microblogging Apps like Twitter
- Discussion Forum Apps like Reddit, Quora
- Review Apps, like Yelp and TripAdvisor
- Business Networking Apps like AngelList, Behance
- Interest Centric Apps like CaringBridge, Meetup
Each social media platform has its features, functionalities, and user base. The cost of social media app development will also vary depending on the category and type of social media platform you want to develop.
Now that we have an idea about the different types of social media platforms, we must also understand the user base of each social media category. Depending on the user base, we can further segment the social media platforms into two categories:
Mass Market Social Media Apps
These social media apps have a very large user base and are used by people worldwide. The most popular social networking app – Facebook, falls in this category.
Niche Social Media Apps
These apps are used by people with a specific interest or purpose. For example, people use Yelp to find local businesses like restaurants, hotels, etc.
The cost of social media app development for mass-market apps is generally higher than for niche social media apps because they require more resources, time, and effort to develop.
Cost for social media app development (Range)
The cost of social media apps can range from $20,000 to $200,000, depending on factors like app infrastructure, features, interface & design, and testing & quality assurance.
Here it might be helpful to refer to Clutch’s diagram below to understand how social media app development costs can vary depending on different factors.
Features & Functionalities that affect the cost of social media Apps
The features and functionalities you want to include in your social media app will directly impact the overall cost. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular features in social media apps and how they affect the cost:
User Registration & Login:
This is one of social media apps most basic and essential features. It allows users to create an account and log in to the app.
Account authorization:
This feature allows users to connect their social media accounts with the app. For example, users can log in to Pinterest using their Facebook or Google accounts.
Profile creation:
This feature allows users to create a profile within the app. The profile generally includes name, age, gender, interests, etc.
Search & discovery:
This feature allows users to search for and discover other users, content, or groups within the app.
Messaging & chat:
This popular feature in social media apps allows users to communicate with each other.
Push notifications:
This feature allows you to send information to users about new updates or messages.
Image & video sharing:
This popular feature in social media apps allows users to share photos and videos.
Location sharing:
This feature allows users to share their current location.
Search & discovery:
This feature allows users to search for and find other users within the app.
Group chat:
This feature allows users to communicate in groups.
Live Streaming:
This popular feature in social media apps allows users to live stream video content.
In-app purchases:
This feature allows users to purchase items within the app.
Search functionality:
This feature allows users to search for content within the app.
Advanced features that increase social media apps development cost
- Additional Languages Support – $1000+
- End-To-End Encryption/E2EE – $4000+
- Special Registration and Verification – $5000+
- Audio conferencing – $30000+
- Channels – $12000+
- Large Groups – $8000+
- Supergroups – $8000+
- Stripe, PayPal, Braintree Payment Gateways integration – $1000+
- Animated GIFs – $3000+
- AR Filters – $5000+
- Photo Editing – $16500+
- Chatbots – $15000+
- Video Conferencing – $40000+
Category-Wise Social Media App Development Cost
As we discussed earlier, social media platforms could be further divided into various categories, each with a different user base. Therefore, the development cost of social media apps also differs from one category to another.
1 – Facebook-like app development costs
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking platforms, with over two billion monthly active users. If you want to develop a social media app with Facebook features and functionality, you can expect to pay between $100,000 – $250,000 for the development of your app.
The cost will be primarily influenced by several reasons such as:
Features included
| News Feed | 40 to 60hrs |
| Timeline | 80 to 120hrs |
| Messenger | 200 to 250hrs |
| Live Video | 80 to 120hrs |
| Chat Functionality | 250 to 300hrs |
| Advertising | 100 to 150hrs |
| In-app purchases | 100 to 150hrs |
| Live Streaming | 80 to 100hrs |
| Pages | 40 to 60hrs |
| Groups | 40 to 60hrs |
| Events | 40 to 60hrs |
| Security & Safety | 100 to 150hrs |
Technology & Platform
| Android Platform | $50,000 – $100,000 |
| iOS Platform | $60,000 – $120,000 |
| Hybrid App Development | $70,000 – $140,000 |
| Web App Development | $80,000 – $160,000 |
Geographic Location
| India | $20 to $60 per hour |
| USA | $80 to $150 per hour |
| Eastern Europe | $40 to $80 per hour |
2 – Instagram-like app development cost
Instagram is a famous photo and video-sharing social networking platform with over one billion monthly active users.
If you want to develop a social media app with Instagram features and functionality, you can expect to pay between $100,000 – $250,000 for the development of your app.
The cost will be largely affected by several reasons such as:
Features included:
| Account Authorization | 65 – 70 hour |
| Profile Creation and Edit | 48 – 50 hours |
| Messaging | 120 – 140 hours |
| Additional settings | 90 – 120 hours |
| Media Upload | 70 – 85 hours |
| Photo Editing | 60 – 70 hours |
| Link with Other Social Platforms | 8 – 10 hours |
| Geolocation | 24 – 30 hours |
| Search | 60 – 70 hours |
| Design | 60 – 70 hours |
Technology use
| React | For front-end development |
| Node.js | For back-end development |
| MongoDB | For database |
| Xcode | For iOS app development |
| Android Studio | For Android app development |
| React Native | For cross-platform app |
Geographic Location
| India | 20 to 60$ per hour |
| USA | 80 to 150$ per hour |
| Eastern Europe | 40 to 80$ per hour |
3- Twitter like app development cost
Twitter is a popular social networking platform with over 330 million monthly active users. If you want to develop a social media app with Twitter features and functionality, you can expect to pay between $50,000 – $100,000 for the development of your app.
The cost will be affected mainly by several reasons such as:
Technology use:
- JavaScript
- MySQL
- PHP
- HTML/CSS
- Bootstrap
- jQuery
- AJAX
Features to be included:
| Tweeting | 50 – 60 hours |
| Retweeting | 30 – 40 hours |
| Liking and commenting | 20 – 30 hours |
| Direct messaging | 90 – 120 hours |
| Searching for tweets, people, and hashtags | 25 -35 hours |
| Viewing trending topics | 15 – 20 hours |
| Creating and managing lists | 30 -40 hours |
| Designing a profile | 25 -35 hours |
Geographic Location
| India | $20 to $60 per hour |
| USA | $80 to $150 per hour |
| Eastern Europe | $40 to $80 per hour |
4- WhatsApp-like app development cost
WhatsApp is a popular messaging app with over two billion monthly active users. If you want to develop a social media app with WhatsApp features and functionality, you can expect to pay between $30,000 – $60,000 for the development of your app.
The cost will be affected mainly by several reasons such as:
Features to be included:
| Text messaging | 30 – 40 hours |
| Voice and video calls | 50 -60 hours |
| File sharing | 15 -20 hours |
| Multimedia sharing | 15 -20 hours |
| Location sharing | 12 -15 hours |
| Status updates | 12 -15 hours |
| Real-time message | 15 -20 hours |
| Creating and managing groups | 30 -40 hours |
| Designing a profile | 25 -35 hours |
| Notifications | 15 – 20 hours |
Technology use:
| Language | Erlang |
| OS | FreeBSD |
| Virtual Machine | BEAM |
| Servers | Ejabberd, YAWS (Multimedia storage) |
| Stack | LYME/LYCE |
| Database | Mnesia |
| Offline database | SQLite |
| Protocol | XMPP |
| IDE | Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA |
Geographic Location –
| India | $20 to $60 per hour |
| USA | $80 to $150 per hour |
| Eastern Europe | $40 to $80 per hour |
Cost of social media platform development in the USA vs. India
The main reason behind this difference is that the average salary of a mobile app developer in the US is almost six times higher than that in India.
Here are some more reasons that make social media apps cost-effective in India:
- The cost of living is relatively low as compared to the United States
- You can get access to a large pool of skilled and experienced developers
- The time difference between the two countries is just a few hours, which makes it easy to communicate and coordinate
- There are many mobile app development companies in India that offer quality services at competitive rates. It can be minimized by following these tips:
- Be clear about your requirements and objectives from the start. This will help you avoid any scope creep and additional costs later on.
- Choose the right technology stack for your app. This will help you save on both development and maintenance costs.
- Outsource your social media app development project to a country like India, where you can get quality services at competitive rates.
- Partner with an experienced social media app development company that can help you reduce the overall development cost.
Read Also: How Much Does Mobile App Development Cost in 2023?
How to save the social media app development cost?
It can be minimized by following these tips:
- Be clear about your requirements and objectives from the start. This will help you avoid any scope creep and additional costs later on.
- Choose the right technology stack for your app. This will help you save on both development and maintenance costs.
- Outsource your social media app development project to a country like India, where you can get quality services at competitive rates.
- Partner with an experienced social media app development company that can help you reduce the overall development cost.
Conclusion
The cost of social media app development will vary depending on the features you want to include, the technology you use, and your geographic location.
However, by being clear about your requirements, choosing the right technology stack, and outsourcing to a country like India, you can develop your app at a fraction of the cost compared to the USA.
Partner with an experienced social media app development company that can help you reduce the overall development cost.
FAQs For Social Media App Development Cost
- How much does it cost to develop a social media app?
The cost of social media app development will vary depending on the features you want to include, the technology you use, and your geographic location. However, by being clear about your requirements, choosing the right technology stack, and outsourcing to a country like India, you can develop your app at a fraction of the cost compared to the USA.
- How can I reduce the social media app development cost?
You can reduce the social media app development cost by being clear about your requirements, choosing the right technology stack, and outsourcing to a country like India. You can also partner with an experienced social media app development company that can help you reduce the overall development cost.
- Where is the best place to develop a social media app?
India is the best place to develop a social media app because you can get quality services at competitive rates. Additionally, the time difference between India and the USA is just a few hours, making communicating and coordinating easy.
- Who can help me develop my social media app?
Arka Softwares is a leading social media app development company with years of experience in developing all types of social media apps. We have a team of skilled and experienced developers who can help you turn your vision into reality.
- How long does it take to develop a social media app?
The development time for a social media app will depend on the features you want to include and the technology you use. However, developing a social media app takes about four to six months.
- How much does it cost to maintain a basic social media app?
The cost of maintaining a social media app will depend on the features you include and the technology you use. However, you can expect to spend about $100-$150 per month on maintenance.
- How can I get started with social media app development?
The first step is to contact us and tell us about your project. We will then provide you with a free quote and help you get started with the development process.
- Can I hire social media app developers from Arka Softwares?
Yes, you can hire social media app developers from Arka Softwares. We are a leading social media app development company with years of experience in developing all types of social media apps. We have a skilled development team of experienced developers who can help you provide best-in-class social media development services.
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