Cost To Build Social Media App : Complete Breakdown

“How much does it cost to build a social media app?”

This is the first question clients ask when they contact an app development company. And rightfully so.

Social Media Industry is Booming. Every 9 in 10 internet users is on social media, making the total user base over 4.74 billion.

In addition, revenue is skyrocketing. Facebook (Now META) made more than $27 billion in Q3 of 2022 alone. Total social media industry revenue reached US$43.39bn in 2022.

Who doesn’t want a piece of this billion-dollar cake? You definitely do. So, let’s see how much it costs to build a social media app.

Let’s get right into it:

Average Cost To Build A Social Media App

Average Social Media Development Cost ranges from $30,000 to $350,000.

It depends on various factors of development including UI/UX Design, Platform, Size, Features, and so on.

Based on these factors the cost can go higher or lower. Therefore, if you want an accurate estimate for your project or idea, you need to contact an App Development Company.

Moving on, let’s see how you can get a rough estimate of building a social media application in the next section of the blog.

How to Calculate Cost To Build A Social Media App? Factors

How can you estimate the cost of building a social media app?

Well, app development costs can differ highly from project to project. And there’s a good reason behind it.

It is: every social networking app is unique in its own right. Therefore, they have their own set of features, a unique combination of platform and tech stack, a never-before-seen design, and so on.

All of these factors affect the cost of building a social media app. So, if you want to calculate total development cost, you have to understand these factors.

Therefore, we shall be going through these factors thoroughly. They are, as mentioned below:

• iOS vs Android: App Development Platform’s Effect on Cost

iOS vs Android.

This is a long-time debate that’s not going to end anytime so.

When it comes to mobile app development or let’s say you want to create a new social media app, you need to choose one platform.

You can go with an android or iPhone app development company. Based on which one you choose, the total cost to build the app can differ, highly.

This begs the question:

Why it’s more expensive to develop android apps?

Allow us to explain.

Android app development suffers from fragmentation. Being a market leader with dominance over 75% of the market, not every android or not even the majority of them are using the same version of android.

Therefore, android app developers have to create different versions of the app compatible with different android versions.

This requires higher time and effort from developers, causing the total cost of social media apps to go higher.

Moreover, since you are talking about creating a social media app, you will probably develop a cross-platform version.

For that reason, we recommend that you explore react native app development services.

• Cost to Build Cost Based on Complexity

It goes without saying, that complexity is a big factor affecting the cost to build the app.

A simple app is cheaper to develop and a more complex app is costlier. Here’s why:

As complexity grows, the project will require:

• More experienced social media developers
• Longer development time
• More resources for development
• Larger team
• More effort from the development team
• Use of more Paid tools and APIs

All of these combined add to the cost of social media app.

The table below shows the cost based on complexity.

How Do You Determine Complexity of Social Media App?

Determining whether your app is a simple one or a highly complex one can be a difficult task. Therefore, we recommend that you consult Custom On Demand App Development Company which will give you insight into the same.

• Tech Stack Related Development Cost

What’s tech stack?

Also known as Technology Stack, the refers to the set of technologies used to create a social media app.

This includes programming languages, frameworks, toolkits, testing tools, API integrations, and so on. But choosing a tech stack can be difficult. That’s why MEAN Stack vs MERN Stack is such a large debate.

Developers can help you choose the right tech stack.

Now, we can’t give you a number here without learning about social media projects and the technologies you are going to use.

Nevertheless, you can always choose technologies and then look for their cost on Google or contact one of the App Development Companies.

• Cost To Create Social Media App Based on Location

Location is one of the biggest factors that affect app development costs.

The reason is that the average wages, hourly rates to hire developers, competition, demand, etc is different in different parts of the world.

Location-based app development cost is one of the big reasons behind IT Outsourcing vs In-House Debate.

We shall be discussing more it later down the line.

• App Development Cost Based on Type of Social Media App

There are different types of social networking sites and apps in the market. This ranges from photo-sharing platforms like Instagram to messaging apps like WhatsApp.

Therefore, depending on the type of app you are developing, cost to build a social media app can be different.

Let’s look at the table below:

Again, this is an estimated cost based on the type of social media app solutions. Moving on, let’s look at the other factor in the next section.

• UI/UX Design Cost For Social Media App

Front-end or client-side design is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT parts of an app. And even more so in the case of developing a social media app.

Plus, UI/UX Design also highly affects the cost. This is how it works:

The more complex the design is, the more expensive it will be. And on the flip side, the simpler it is, the cheaper it gets.

In layman’s terms, UI/UX Design Cost depends on the design and its complexity.

Moving on, apart from costs directly related to app development, social media app developers are another top element that can affect total development.

Cost Related To Social Media App Developers

A lot of people ask, “how much does it cost to hire developers?”

Let us tell you why:

Social media app developers who write your app and design it. Whether you want to create a new social media app for 9-year-olds or develop your own alternative to Twitter, you need to hire developers.

Now, even here there are various different things in play. Let’s look at them below:

Mode To Hire Social Media App Developers And Related Cost

There are many ways to find an app developer in 2023. But the way you choose to hire them can make all the difference in total cost of creating a social media application.

Let’s look at the different hiring methods and the cost related to them.

While the type of team you are hiring is a top factor that affects the cost it is not the only one. Let’s look at the other one in the section below:

Mobile App Developer’s Experience & Cost to Hire

Every one of us can agree that experience is something valued in every area of work. This remains true for social media app developers.

Therefore, when you hire mobile application developers, the cost to do so depends on their experience.

The table below shows the same:

Essential Feature of Social Media App (And How They Affect Cost)

Features are an essential part of any mobile app including social media.

So, before we talk about how features affect cost to create a social media app, let’s look at some essential features that you should add to the platform.

These are, as mentioned below:

So, this is how different factors and costs to hire developers affect total cost. To give you a better idea, let’s look at the cost example in the section below.

Social Media App Development Cost Example: Build An App Like Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms.

It was co-founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, as a photo-sharing platform. In just a few years, it was acquired by META (then Facebook) for 1 Billion.

The platform grew to the largest social media platform and the most popular one. Today, it is generating upwards of 50 million dollars in revenue every year.

As such, Instagram is much more than just plain social media. In fact, there are different parts, this includes:

• Photo-Sharing App
• Social Media App
• eCommerce Platform

Moreover, some of the features of the platform include:

• Log-in
• Account Management
• Share Media
• Add friends
• Video Calls
• Messages
• New Feature – Reels

Everything said, this brings us to the point. How much does to cost to build social media app like Instagram?

Well, the cost to create a social media app like Instagram can range from $120,000 – $200,000.

So, should you invest in such an app? let’s see.

Should You Invest in Social Media App? (YES, You Should)

It isn’t cheap to build a social media app. After all, a business invests a lot of money and time in creating a platform.

So, should you invest in creating a social media app? YES, YOU SHOULD!

Let’s see why.

• Strong User Base ( And It Keeps Growing)

There are more than 5 billion social media app users in 2023. Meaning almost every person has a social media account.

Clearly, the potential user base for U.S. Social Media apps and apps across the world is huge.

Let’s look at the users of the top 10 social media apps in the table below:

The best part is, the user base is always expanding. This is one of the big reasons to consider custom social media app development services.

• Social Media is Megatrend

With industrial revolutions like Industry 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, various trends come and go. But Social Media is not a trend. It is a MEGA TREND that’s here to stay.

It’s more than just a space for people to socialize. It’s a business opportunity, an area for businesses to attract an audience, and more.

Moreover, with the social media app popularity, the platform has become much more than what it was initially meant to be.

With this, you can…

• Make Millions With Social Media App

Who doesn’t want to make skyrocketing revenue? With the right idea and social media app, you can make millions.

So, let’s see how you make a social media app of your own.

How To Create A Social Media App?

Want to create a social media app like Instagram?

It’s a simple process and with the right idea, you can make the next best social media platform.

Here, is how you can do it:

1. Come up with an idea
2. Choose a business model
3. Get legal compliance and a license
4. hire dedicated developers
5. Validate The Idea
6. Choose Platform
7. Build tech Stack
8. Create MVP
9. UI/UX Designing
10. Back-end development
11. Testing
12. Deployment
13. Maintenance

If you want to build a social app, this is the process. With this, we have come to the end of our blog.

Conclusion

Everyone wants to develop a social media app. And if you want to do the same, it’s a good idea to learn about the cost of building a social media application. The average cost to build a social media app ranges from $30,000 and $350,000.

In any case, if you want to learn more about it or want to develop a market-leading social media app, contact a mobile application development company.

FAQ

Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.