In today’s time, startups and enterprises are focusing on building mobile applications, but it is not enough for success. Mobile app maintenance is a key factor to make sure business via the application is going well for the users. However, mobile app maintenance cost is different based on multiple factors.
No doubt, the mobile app has served to ease their lives and innovate their lifestyles for users. Therefore, businesses are showing interest in mobile app development. With the help of applications, it is easy to access products and services and broaden the audience’s reach. Still, more than this will be needed.
To ensure the application’s performance, make sure that it is active all the time and used by multiple users at a time. Businesses invest a large amount of money in mobile applications, but if they need to be fixed, there are higher chances that they will face a huge loss and lose people’s trust. This is why it is required to maintain the app from time to time. It makes sure that the application is working properly.
But when it comes to maintaining the application, the first thing that comes to the businessman’s mind is the custom mobile app maintenance cost. In this blog post, we will share the brief information about mobile app development cost and many other information that will be beneficial to you.
Table of Contents
An Overview of Mobile App Maintenance
Mobile app maintenance is the collection of myriad procedures included in order to keep a mobile application active, error-free, updated, supportive to users for hardware and software, performance monitoring and troubleshooting bugs in mobile apps.
Many companies include extravagant features and functionality in their app, so it is necessary to maintain them well. Maintaining an app is easy to ensure good performance and functionality of the application. However, the work is tough on your own. In such a case, it is good to seek the help of a mobile app development company that will help you in doing this job more efficiently.
If you have an app, you have to maintain it on a regular basis. This will assist you in ensuring the success of your business.
Type of App Maintenance Services
App maintenance is an ongoing process of making changes and re-evaluating existing app to grow your business and earn profit. Henceforth, if you want your business to stay ahead of the competition, you need to look for an Android app development company that is committed to improving your app.
Once you work with a reliable app development company, they provide different types of services, including troubleshooting bugs, adding new features, removing unnecessary ones, introducing system updates and many more. Below are some types of maintenance services:
1. Adaptive Maintenance
This type of maintenance service aims to constantly track changes in the app in order to keep the product up-to-date. There are many factors, including hardware, software and security threats, that can change an app’s performance. Henceforth, applications that don’t receive regular adaptive maintenance can instantly become outdated. You will get the best adaptive maintenance services by working with a mobile app development company.
2. Emergency Maintenance
Sometimes, it is necessary to make changes one at a time. In such a scenario, it is necessary to hire dedicated developers for emergency maintenance. The problems or errors would be sudden and unexpected, making you take immediate action in order to address and resolve them instantly to deliver a seamless user experience.
In order to ensure great emergency maintenance services, it is good to hire mobile app developers who are well-versed in improving the performance of the application. This is the reason to search for professionals for such types of services.
3. Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is another type of maintenance service that provides regular app updating support in which professionals fix the feasibility of error occurrence. The main focus of this type of maintenance is reducing app complexity and improving the maintainability factor via code optimization, code restructuring and updation of documents. However, mobile app maintenance cost may differ based on typeof maintenance services. So it is suggested that you consult with a mobile app development company in advance.
4. Corrective Maintenance
The main idea of this approach is to take care of the defects, faults and repairs in the app. This type of maintenance service always includes resolving errors related to design, coding and application logic. However, doing this type of service on your own is not an easy task. In such a scenario, you have to seek the help of an iPhone app development company, as it has a team of experienced coders who will help you improve the application’s performance.
5. Perfective Maintenance
Perfective Maintenance service’s main focus is meeting users’ ever-changing requirements. It considers user feedback and takes care of functional modifications in the source code, providing a great user experience.
Factors That May Affect Mobile App Maintenance Cost
There are numerous factors that affect the cost of app maintenance. The factors include adding new features, focusing on system updates and so on. Let’s discover the important factors that determine the average mobile app maintenance cost.
- Size & Complexity of the App
A simple and small app requires less time and effort to maintain compared to large or complex projects. It is because a small, simple app has fewer features and code, while a large app has more codes and functionality. As a result, larger and more complex project maintenance is experienced. If you decide to include more intricate features or do other things, it is necessary to know the mobile app maintenance cost in advance.
This will help you in determining the budget for your next project. On the basis of your budget, you can search for a mobile app development company committed to providing the best maintenance and support services per the client’s requirements.
- Number of Users
An application with a large number of users requires more resources to maintain the app compared to an app with fewer users. The reason behind this is that a large number of users can generate a lot of data that is not possible to manage. Moreover, it can lead to more customer support issues, increasing the mobile app maintenance cost.
- Frequency of Updates
If there is a requirement to update frequently, then you need more resources to maintain the application. The reason for this is because every update needs mobile app testing and deployment, which can be time-consuming and expensive. In order to make things more complex, every update always has the potential to introduce new issues, which can increase the mobile app maintenance cost.
- Platform & Operating System
There are numerous platforms for app development. For the iOS platform there is the requirement of different resources than an Android app. This is because iOS and Android are two different platforms with different architectures. As such, an iOS application must be maintained differently than an Android app.
What is The Mobile App Maintenance Cost?
The above factors may affect the mobile app maintenance cost. Once your application is live on platforms such as Apple Store and Google Play Store, it is necessary to track key metrics such as daily active users, which highlights the number of app installations and engaged users. Moreover, monitoring monthly active users provides a broader overview of application engagement.
However, it is tough to say what the maintenance cost of the particular mobile application will be because every company charges a different cost. But, yes, it may cost you around 20-50% of the overall project cost, and it can go up to 50% if the project is large and complex.
When it comes to maintaining an app, there are many things involved, like daily active users, monthly active users, traffic handling, and others. The application maintenance can happen quarterly, monthly, half-yearly and annually. And the app maintenance services need additional cost, and the expense head can be push notifications, servers, payment gateways, emergency maintenance, required-based updates and others.
Tips to Lower App Maintenance Cost
Above, we discuss the factors that may affect the mobile app maintenance cost. But there are many ways that can help you cut down on mobile app maintenance expenses. Here are some tips to lower the maintenance cost:
- Invest in cross-platform App
Once you choose the platform for app development, there are two options: native and cross-platform. The Native applications are platform-specific, requiring multiple native apps for different operating platforms such as iOS, Android or Windows. Additionally, cross-platform applications can run on various operating systems, saving you time and mobile app maintenance cost for different applications.
- Focus on Building MVP
The MVP offers the smallest possible solution to the issue you are trying to find, with basic features. This will assist you in comprehending your users’ requirements, gathering their feedback and modifying the final version accordingly. You are always eligible to observe your competitors or trends and upgrade your application accordingly. Henceforth, it is necessary to build MVP to keep the app development and mobile app maintenance cost down.
- Implement Agile Development Methodology
There is no doubt that agile development methodology offers products in short cycles, which assist you in getting user feedback early and often, reducing the requirement for major updates. Agile development needs less documentation compared to traditional development methodology, which can reduce mobile app maintenance cost.
- Discuss Strategy with Mobile App Development Company
A trusted mobile app development company committed to providing high-quality app maintenance services whenever required. You can discuss all the expenses related to app maintenance with the selected developer, and they will assist you in knowing the hidden cost, plan your budget and make informed decisions.
Why is Mobile App Maintenance Important for Business?
A well-maintained app ensures higher user engagement and performance. Therefore, businesses need to maintain the application to keep the application updated. Here are some advantages to maintaining an app for business:
- Keep Mobile Apps Updated and Reduces Uninstall Rates
It is required to understand the likes and dislikes of the users. A report shows that 80% of users uninstall the app because of notifications. It means that the consumers are well aware of the features and advantages of the application, and if something does not fit their expectations, they might delete it. It is essential for organizations to continually monitor user preferences in order to reduce the uninstall rates of the application.
- Increased ROI
Once the mobile app is regularly updated, there are high chances of a good return on investment. The regular updates of the app and adaptations, as per the market needs and user expectations, will significantly assist in boosting the ROI. It will allow businesses to seek new ways in order to cut expenses and attract new users for the app. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the app yearly or quarterly.
For this, you have to hire iPhone app developers who have years of experience and knowledge in maintaining an app.
- Better User Experience
Keeping up to date with your application can provide a better user experience. Moreover, constant improvement in the application assists in gaining positive reviews across the application stores, leading to increased users. Therefore, this is good to maintain the application. However, mobile app development cost and maintenance cost may differ based on the selection of mobile app development company.
- Keep Application Safe Against Glitches
Updating the application it is easy to protect your application against the glitches. Therefore, it is necessary to keep updating the app. If you don’t update your app, it might cause security issues in the app, errors, or UI/UX problems. Regular maintenance of the app will assist in avoiding these possible problems even before they occur.
Final Note
There is no doubt that many companies are investing in building mobile applications. However, building an app is not enough to ensure the success of a project and good profit. In order to make sure that the app is working correctly, you have to maintain it from time to time. But when it comes to maintaining an app, the first question that comes to mind is what the mobile app maintenance cost is.
But the mobile app maintenance cost depends on several factors. Above, we list some factors that may affect the mobile app maintenance cost and tips to reduce it. Hopefully, this information will be beneficial for you.
FAQs
1. Is app maintenance a fixed cost?
Well, there are two types of app maintenance costs: fixed and variable, based on services. So it is only on you what type of services you take.
2. How often do apps require maintenance?
Maintaining an app within 2-3 months is good. These improvements may include minor upgrades, redesigns or new features.
3. What are some factors that affect mobile app maintenance cost?
Here is the list of factors that affect mobile maintenance costs:
- App complexity and size
- Number of users
- Frequency of updates
- Platforms and operating system