Businesses in Nigeria are adapting to the rise in internet users on mobile devices. They are now asking how quickly they can create a mobile app to reap the benefits..

This article will provide a rough estimate of the cost needed to develop a mobile app in Nigeria. The final cost depends on various factors and infrastructure, which will be explained later.

Package Name:

While it’s possible to run apps on Android or Apple phones without downloading them from their respective stores, this option isn’t suitable for business owners seeking to scale their mobile apps. To list your app on Google’s Play Store, you must pay a one-time fee of $25 (or its equivalent in Nigerian currency) to procure a package ID. Conversely, for Apple’s iOS, your yearly fee is $99.

Hosting service

You need a hosting firm if you want a mobile app that doesn’t require users to log in or interact with your business. Moreover, depending on the projected traffic, business owners with a functional website (which is, in fact, a must-have for modern-day businesses) do not need to worry about the additional hosting fee. Furthermore, the mobile app can, in addition, be tweaked to use the hosting services of your website.

For business owners without a website (which is not a good idea), the available hosting options are similar to that used by websites.

Shared Hosting:

Most website owners start on a shared hosting server. Indeed, it is the cheapest and most popular hosting plan. Moreover, for business owners without a projection for significant traffic surge, this plan might be all you need to host your mobile app. However, depending on your specification and the hosting firm, the projected annual fee should be from $60 to $780.

VPS Hosting:

While the portion of small to medium businesses being hosted by Shared hosting is still the highest, Nevertheless, a significant portion of business owners are being forced to migrate to a VPS hosting because of a significant surge in traffic. Moreover, depending on your specification, the cost of VPS hosting ranges from $240 – $1305 annually.

Dedicating Hosting:

This plan is for business owners who are guaranteed a regular surge in traffic. As the name implies, you are paying for your servers. The annual cost ranges from $1000 – $10,000.

Cloud Hosting:

This hosting service has the lowest downtime. Regardless of your traffic projection, there is a cloud hosting plan for you. The annual price range is from $600 – $3000.

The UI designer’s Fee:

Aesthetics and ease of access, indeed, play a huge role in making a mobile app usable by your target audience. Furthermore, the professionals in charge of making sure that you have a good-looking app are UI designers. Typically, they charge based on their experience and credibility. Consequently, depending on the dexterity of the designer, the cost of a good UI design ranges from ₦50,000 to ₦200,000.

The Developers Fee:

In determining the cost of building a mobile app, the app developer, therefore, holds the biggest swing. Furthermore, statistically, mobile app developers charge higher than web developers, primarily because they are not as readily available as the latter.

In addition to the above, their fee is heavily influenced by the under listed factors:

The functionalities of the App:

The effort required to build a simple app like a Sudoku game can’t be compared to that required to build an e-commerce app or a FinTech app. While a simple app can be developed by an individual, some apps (e-commerce and ride-sharing apps for example) require joint effort to complete. The cost of building a mobile app in Nigeria includes features like a payment gateway (which ranges from ₦50,000 upwards), an in-app messenger, and a personalized homepage.

The experience of the developer:

Different developers charge differently for the same task. For instance, junior developers charge less, but may take longer to find bugs, which can delay deployment.

On the other hand, when you work with a mobile app development firm, like Lead Web Praxis, you don’t need to worry about the developer’s experience. In fact, a team led by a senior developer creates apps, ensuring they are well-tested and have few bugs before being released.

Cross-platform apps:

Building an app for each operating system is more expensive. However, the idea of a single app that works across different operating systems is appealing and cheaper.

Considering the fact that the developer’s fee is affected by several factors, the minimum amount you should budget here is a ₦100,000.

Recurrent cost:

App development isn’t a one-time expense. To deliver the best performance at all times, you can’t stop spending on your app. Among the recurrent expenses are annual hosting fee (for business owners without a website), a yearly fee of $99 for listing your app on Apple store and maintenance fee to keep your app updated at all times.

Lead Web Praxis can provide a customized estimate for your business needs, and the cost of developing a mobile app in Nigeria is variable.

You can contact us via any of the channel contained on our contact page.