How Much Does It Cost to Maintain an App?
Mobile App is the primary source through which users connect with your business for a long time and become loyal customers.
Technology is rapidly changing, and so are the security protocols for apps. Therefore, to deliver an error-free and seamless application, you should consider mobile app maintenance.
The majority of things done on the app after it is released for the public are considered in the maintenance. Moreover, app maintenance is an ongoing process, and it keeps running until the app remains on the app stores.
One of the most crucial questions that might appear in your mind before conducting mobile app maintenance is, how much does it cost to maintain an app?
Ideally, the maintenance cost of a mobile app is 15-20% of the overall investment that you have made in the application development. For example, if your app development costs $20,000, the average app maintenance cost would be around $4,000 to $6000 per year.
It can be said that the cost to maintain an app is equal to the amount spent on releasing the MVP. But this is an average cost. the mobile application maintenance cost depends on a lot of things. As an experienced mobile app development company, we know what is required to maintain an app.
Here, we will first explain the factors that impact app maintenance costs.
Factors that Affect the App Maintenance Cost
The maintenance cost of an app is dependent on two important factors. Let’s have a look at each of them in detail:
1. The complexity of the Application
If there are more screens and features, then mobile app maintenance costs will be higher. Besides this, the app maintenance cost also depends on the technology or framework on which it is developed.
If you have created two individual apps for Android and iOS platforms, then app maintenance costs will be higher as compared to a hybrid application.
To know more, read our detailed guide on native vs hybrid app development.
One more essential thing to consider is the total number of third-party integrations. The maintenance cost increases if your app is linked closely with various external sources such as social media, payment platforms, etc.
For instance, the cost of maintaining a news app would be comparatively higher than the maintenance cost of a photo editing application because a news app needs to be updated regularly. At the same time, there are fewer updates in a photo editing app.
You may also like: Cost of Developing a Mobile App
2. App Development Team Location
The cost of maintaining an app differs all across the world. For instance, the app maintenance cost in the USA is $50-150 per hour, While the cost of app maintenance in Eastern and Central Europe is $25-60 per hour.
Lastly, app maintenance cost in India is the lowest compared to any other country in the world, i.e., $10-30 per hour.
Here, the app development team charges the maintenance cost in mainly two ways:
- Fixed cost annually or monthly
- Total number of hours allocated per month
App maintenance cost also depends on the type of service. Below we will explain different app maintenance services and how it can make impact on app maintenance cost.
Which services determine the cost of Mobile App Maintenance?
Now let’s have a look at the different services that are available in the app maintenance.
1. Bug Fixing & Updates
You have never released your mobile app with bugs. However, over time, some users might not be able to use features and functionalities in your app.
Due to this, you will receive a lot of issues with your app. It is very crucial to address these issues as soon as possible.
If you are not a technical person, you will not have experience in it. You should approach a professional app development agency.
Here, the company will charge a minimal amount if the bug is small. However, if
there is a major performance issue or new feature addition, the app maintenance cost will increase.
2. Keep up with the latest Android or iOS
Your app will be available on Android, iOS, or both operations systems.
Now, you might have observed an update that occurs every few months in which your device needs a restart. It is an OS update.
Whenever users install this update on the device, there is a strong possibility that your app doesn’t perform well on certain devices.
Here, the development company tests all the features and functionalities of your app on a new OS to ensure that it is working smoothly.
The entire process of updating to the latest operating system is included in the app maintenance. Moreover, an app development company charges this in its annual app maintenance cost.
3. Publishing New Content
After releasing your app, your work is not over. To ensure that your app sustains the mobile industry for a long time, you have to update various things in your app. It includes images, banners, essential content, video, etc.
Things you need to update are based upon your targeted audience and the level of engagement you want from your app.
To carry out any necessary technical updates on the home screen or any other screen, you can reach out to an app maintenance team.
4. Manage Push Notifications
Sending push notifications is a simple and effective task that can be done using the Admin Panel. However, if you want to integrate some advanced push notifications into the app, you can take help from an app maintenance agency.
Now, the main question arises, do you really need push notifications? The answer to this question depends on the application type and what you need to achieve.
For instance, if you run a complex app like Amazon, there will be many push notifications. Here, these notifications should be defined as per their purpose:
- Festive offers
- Discount offers
- Latest discounts
- Offers for products in Wishlist
- Offers for products in Wishlist
- Latest announcements, etc.
All these push notifications should be personalized based on the level of engagement you need from the target audience and future business goals.
The app maintenance team would have to carry out a wide number of changes in the application until the new trends are introduced in the tech industry.
5. App Analytics & Improvement
If your app is not able to add value to your business and in the life of the target audience, then it’s failed.
So, to avoid this, you need to track the performance of the app and user engagement.
As per LeanPlum, a popular customer-engagement platform, one shouldn’t ignore mobile app analytics as it provides some of the most important things for your app. It includes engagement, conversation, and optimization.
Free tools such as Google Analytics will provide you with basic information about app analytics. However, if you want to get additional information, then you will need an advanced analytics tool.
Based on the complexity of the app and the level of personalization needed in an analytics tool, the app maintenance team may or may not create an analytics tool.
6. Hosting maintenance
To ensure that your app runs smoothly, you have to pay for the app’s database and backend. There are various hosting options available in the market, out of which we recommend going for a cloud-based environment. You may have a question, Why?
Because in cloud-based hosting like AWS, you have to only pay for what you utilize, and it has less cost for configuration and maintenance on the server.
7. Third-Party Services Upgrade
If you have integrated anything that belongs to a third party, then there is a price to it. For instance, if you have added external resources like a third-party sign-in or payment, you have to pay annual charges for that service.
To know in detail about the expenses of the third-party services for your app, you can reach out to the mobile app maintenance company.
8. API Maintenance
All the things related to security, scalability, and modifications are possible with the help of different APIs. Hence, API maintenance is really important for secure and smooth transitions on the app.
Conclusion
If you want your app to sustain in the mobile industry for a long time, then you should focus on allocating an appropriate budget for mobile app maintenance.
To maintain your app efficiently for a long period, you should give its responsibility to a leading mobile app maintenance company like us.
We have a highly-experienced team of professionals who follow the latest industry trends to maintain mobile applications belonging to any industry.
Share your project requirements with us and we will provide you with a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q 1. Is maintaining an app expensive?
No, maintaining an app is not expensive. You only have to spend 10 to 20% of the overall app development cost for maintaining an app.
Q 2. Which app takes the highest maintenance cost?
The cost of maintaining an app depends primarily on the complexity. But, when you compare a hybrid app with a native app, then the cost of maintaining a hybrid app is low. The main reason is that in a hybrid app; you only have to look for one single code for two platforms. While in a native app, you have to look after the code of different platforms.
Q 3. How much does it cost to maintain an app monthly?
The cost of maintaining an app monthly could be a few hundred dollars to thousand dollars. It further depends on the app’s complexity and type.
Q 4. How much does it cost to maintain an app per year?
The average cost to maintain an app per year would start from thousand dollars and reach up to $10,000 to $20,000. It usually relies on the complexity and the type of the application.
