Determining Flutter App Development Cost As Per Business Requisites

Variation in the range of Flutter app development costs depends on the industry vertical and set targets. While these two are decisive, several other factors demand extensive study. On average, the Flutter development cost for a simple application could be as low as $10,000. Whereas for apps that require increased security, optimization, and scalability, the cost could jump up to $100,000. Yet on a comparative scale, Flutter is the only software development kit (SDE) that offers high performance on a budget.

To analyze the cost of mobile app development using Flutter, it is essential to take note of the plethora of features and attributes it provides. Flutter is an open-source, cross-platform, mobile app development program. It was released by Google in 2018 and has since been maintained with regular updates. Owing to its cross-platform development ability,  a Flutter app development company can develop an app with a single code base to run on almost all the major operating systems for mobiles such as Android, iOS, and computers, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.

The following article summarizes the factors and components that make up the Flutter app development cost.

Analyzing the Benefits of Flutter App Development

Since its release, Flutter has sharply ascended the list of popular app development platforms. This is shown by a comparative analysis of the average number of queries and share of respondents on Q & A sites like Stack Overflow subject to Flutter and React Native.

Not only for individual developers, but Flutter has also been the preferred platform for big tech companies including Alibaba, Square, eBay, Tencent, and Google itself! What is it that Flutter offers that has led to such a cataclysmic rise in its popularity? Let’s take a tour.

• Cross-platform Compatibility, Single Codebase

Unlike native app development, Flutter provides cross-platform programming. Any app built on Flutter can run on multiple operating systems from a single codebase. The compatibility of Flutter extends to a total of six operating systems. The implication of this feature cuts down the budget heavily as a single team of developers can work out the project. In addition, the requirement is limited to developing a single codebase.

• High Performance Through Hot Reload Functionality

Flutter offers a notable feature through its Hot Reload functionality. In contrast to native app development, programmers can check changes being made in the code in real time through hot reload. This provides developers with the ability to easily test and cross-check project requirements during the process of development itself.

• Extensive Widget Catalog and Customization Options

Flutter SDK comes included with an in-built widget library. It can be used by developers to create widgets in the app to provide more features and alleviate UI. The widgets bring on board advantages such as reduced coding time, increased time-to-market speed, and rendering native app experience.

• Global Community and Google Support

Since its release, Flutter has been Google’s UI toolkit to develop mobile apps from a single codebase. Like top native app development platforms such as React and Xamarin, Flutter also has a long lifespan. Google has been providing regular updates and support to Flutter developers. Therefore, it is definite that executing sophisticated requirements in app development is en route to getting easier and more efficient.

What Factors Drive the Overall Flutter App Development Cost?

Having chosen Flutter as the development kit for your mobile application, it is essential to run a quick analysis of the finances and the overall cost. The article enlists the factors that influence the price of Flutter app development.

• App Complexity and Functionality

Application projects can be categorized into three types based on the scale of complexity in programming the features. These are ‘low’, ‘standard’, and ‘enhanced’ complexity app types. The development cost tends to inflate as the complexity bar rises.

For instance, for a feature as simple as login/sign-up, the development cost would be minimal. However, if your app project includes sophisticated elements such as navigation, chat support, payment integration, etc., the cost will multiply. Substantially, however, the average cost breakdown for the aforementioned app categories will be as follows:

1. Flutter app with low complexity: $25,000 to $50,000
2. Flutter app with standard complexity: $50,000 to 100,000
3. Flutter app with enhanced complexity: $100,000 to more than $175,000

This is just a rough estimate of the Flutter app development cost based on app complexity and functionality. However, depending on your customization preferences, the prices would likely scale up.

• Backend Development

To build a mobile app that meets your business requirements, a full-stack development solution is needed. Flutter, here, can only be used for front-end development. A backend platform that stores and structures your app’s database is equally essential.

The backend environment works as a storage unit for your app’s data, serves as a point of interaction with other applications, ensures smooth integration of APIs, and many more. Therefore, the backend cost must also be added to the Flutter app development cost total. The following backend environments can be considered for your project:

1. Programming Language: Python, Java, Ruby on Rails
2. Database Management: MySQL, PostgreSQL
3. Hosting: Firebase, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure
4. Automation Frameworks: Appium, Selenium
5. Web servers: Nginx, Apache HTTP Server

These backend tools will amplify your Flutter app’s performance, scale up its features, and add to its all-around value.

• UI/UX Design

How immaculate and aesthetic your app is will construct a major section of how well it is received by the users. A well-crafted UI and UX design will influence the Flutter app development cost and in turn, alleviate user experience. In Flutter, MVVM architecture is the key to upscale UI design.

Expenses on UI/UX design would include several components such as hiring a Graphic Designer and taking subscriptions for graphic design tools such as Photoshop, Figma, Canva, etc., as per requirements.

• App Testing, Maintenance, and Support

Once the Flutter app development process is complete, the next step is app testing, quality review, and recurring maintenance. While app testing and review can be done through a dedicated quality assurance team, maintenance would seek the requirements of developers.

Maintenance includes bug fixing and debugging, releasing regular app updates, and resolving issues raised by the clientele. Regular updates are also necessary to keep up with technological advancements and ensure the app remains tempting to its users. This further influences the overall Flutter app development cost.

Flutter App Cost As Per Business Requisites

Apart from the cost of the tech stack, human capital is an equally important component in Flutter app development. You have to hire specialists for the development of your Flutter app project. The cost of employment is further marked by their location and availability:

• Freelance Developers

Onboarding freelancers for your Flutter app project is the most common and cost-effective way. However, it is not the most feasible option. Freelance developers work with no time boundaries which further impacts the quality of work. Besides, building a long-term partnership and expecting commitment could be difficult as Freelancers work on several projects simultaneously. 

• Putting up in-house teams

In putting up an in-house team, an extensive search for capable and experienced employees, HR management, and an office set-up is needed. Moreover, you will be responsible for leading your project development and its management. These necessities would skyrocket the total Flutter app development cost. Thus, unless it is in your plans to build a company, this option must not be the preferred choice.

• Outsourcing and Outstaffing

1. Prompt product delivery owing to the expertise of the professionals and commitment towards the project.
2. Outsourcing provides a strong support channel through which constant reviewing and resolving of issues raised by the clientele is conducted.
3. Scalability and customization option to align the project as per the clientele’s requirements.
4. A vast array of technology stacks and architecture is presented by the outsourcing company for your project to reach its intended structure.

In addition to hiring, the location of the developers or the outsourced company would further affect the pricing. The cost would fluctuate depending on region and time zones. For instance, the Flutter app development rate in the USA would fall somewhere around $60/hour. However, at more remote locations, the cost would be low. Refer to the table below for a cost comparison:

Tips to Reduce Flutter App Development Budget

There is no need to be intimidated by the necessities adding to the long list and inflating the Flutter app development cost. Some measures can be taken while ascertaining the budget for your project. However, initiating such measures must not reduce the value of your Flutter application. Buying the cheapest tech stack available, or hiring developers from the remotest corner who would work at discounted rates, will only deprive your project of utility.

Some practical tips to reduce the Flutter development cost that can be observed are as follows:

• Eliminating irrelevant features and minimizing complexity

Detailed market research is crucial before initiating project development. However, market research must not lead to incorporating every single feature in the app to level competitiveness. It will only confuse the users and conceal the primary intent of the app. 

Therefore, it is imperative that app complexity is kept to a minimum and features are added unless necessary. As soon as the app is in the market and has established a user base, further scalability, customization, and adding new features can be proactively done.

• Clarifying the project requirements to the development team

For the app to become a desired product, there must be absolute clarity and communication between the clientele and the development team. Miscommunicated or misunderstood elements would end up in the creation of a bad product. 

Hence, the clientele must enlist the project requirements, specifications, and a sketch of the end product as coherently and clearly as possible.

• Enforcing an interactive and test-driven strategy

The Hot Reload functionality of Flutter makes it seamless to carry out an interactive app development process. Ergo, be expeditious at initiating issues and resolving bugs. Quality testing, once the app is ready for deployment, would cost a hefty amount. It would further complicate the app’s functionality as one error would lead to another and so on.

Collaborate with Appventurez on your Next Flutter App Project

At Appventurez, we develop mobile apps with sheer dedication and enthusiasm. We have a team of developers with deep technical expertise in Flutter app development. Some notable apps built by them include –

1. Clear. bio is an all-around, data-driven health app to help you prepare a personalized diet, track your food intake, count your calories through exercise tracking, and much more! The app was built with Django and Python in the backend.
2. MooveSharing is a mobility platform that helps users in corporate car sharing, automated rental, peer-to-peer car sharing, and in-car delivery. Golang has been used in the backend to attain more scalability and larger database handling.
3. Meta-Merging Taste is an online food ordering and delivery platform. It also offers dine-in options as per the restaurant’s status, real-time order tracking, discounts, loyalty, orders for later, etc. For backend development, NodeJs was deployed as the app required continuous scaling and integration of restaurants.

In all these apps, the team of Flutter developers at Appventurez took note of the clientele’s project specifications and sketched what the end product would look like. Upon verification by the clientele, options regarding the technology stack were finalized. The app’s interface was also constantly in check by our UI/UX design team. Through a consistent testing-reviewing channel, our team delivered the end product on time and has been since monitoring its growth. A complete guide on Flutter app development has already been presented by our professionals.