How to Estimate the Social Media App Development Cost Budget?

Updated 09 Jul 2024
Published 17 Aug 2022
Satyam Chaturvedi 3693 Views
Social Media App Development

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

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.

Types of social media platform

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 such as restaurants, hotels, etc and some might even look for ways to embed Yelp reviews seamlessly into their platforms.

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.

Social Media App Development Company

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. Additionally, you can use AI video generator to create engaging content effortlessly.

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+

Develop Social Media App

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.

Social Media App Development Cost

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

how to develop social media apps

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

Create social media app

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.

Satyam Chaturvedi

Satyam Chaturvedi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Arka Softwares, a leading app development company dealing in modern and futuristic solutions. He loves to spend his time studying the latest market insights.

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