2021

How long does it take to build an app?

Figuring out how long it takes to build an app will depend on a variety of factors – but with our years of experience, we can help give you an insight into how long it really takes to develop an app.

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Which stages of app development take the longest?

On average, apps can take anywhere between 3 and 12 months to develop, depending on the complexity of the app. Each stage in the process takes different amounts of time to complete, but the most time-consuming of these tend to include:

Writing a project brief: X weeks.
Researching your ideas with the developers: X weeks.
Design sprints: X weeks.
Development and prototyping: X weeks.
Deploying to the app store(s): X weeks.
Improvements: ongoing.
Post-launch maintenance and support: ongoing.
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Time estimates for the development of popular apps

Social media app

Looking to make a social media dating app like Tinder? Or the next big social networking travel app?

We all know how addictive social media apps can be, with big names like Instagram and Twitter dominating the market. Whilst these examples can be quite intimidating, for the core list of features a social media app needs, the average development time is surprisingly X months.

Additional trending features can add value to a social media app. Trends in the current market include: face filters, live streaming and ephemeral content.

Follow our step by step guide on how to make an app


Gaming app

The gaming market is dominated by mobile games, accounting for $165.9 billion of the $270 billion estimated market value.

Looking to compete with the likes of Among Us or Candy Crush? These apps can be quite demanding on the design and development front, generally taking X-X months from start to finish. Depending on the complexity of visuals, this could be considerably less and so we recommend you speak with a development team for more accurate estimations.

Meditation app

Want to make an app like Headspace or Calm? You should!

With the mindfulness app market predicted to almost double in growth over the next year, now is a better time than ever to get your meditation app on the market. We find that the average project time ranges from X-X months with key features like X and X taking up the larger proportion of development time.

We have experience in creating meditation apps and can help you make yours!

Ecommerce / Mcommerce app

If you are looking to shorten your customers purchasing path, then an app is a fantastic route. With features like one-click purchases, in-app payments and personalised product recommendations, you can reap the benefits other Mcommerce apps are experiencing. With the use of platforms such as Shopify, your app will take approximately X-X months to develop.


See our work


Fitness app

While there are many competitors, the niche of fitness applications remains prospective.
Looking to get your share of the market?

The 3 key types of fitness applications include:

• Activity tracking apps - Health Kit.
• Diet and nutrition apps - Lifesum, Myfitnesspal.
• Workout and exercise apps - Gymshark, Nike+.

Without the inception phase, we estimate that these apps take on average X months.


Does it take longer to make an Android or an iOS app?

iOS applications take slightly longer. This can mainly be credited to the fact that Apple has a far more detailed reviewing process. Android uses an algorithm to pre-analyse your app for key violations, whereas Apple conducts the review completely manually by a team of reviewers. For Apple it takes X to launch and for Android apps approximately X.

Still not sure how long your app will take to develop?

Not to worry! As development time is heavily dependent on many factors, a more personalised estimation will be useful.

From concept to the app store, we’ve done it all before!

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