How long does it take to build a mobile app?
At Rocket Lab, we get this question at least 3-4 times a week and the short answer is "it depends".
Just like any other services in life, the time required to build a mobile app depends on its design, requirements, backend capabilities, integrations, complexities and overall goals.
Building a mobile app is very much like building a house, it requires planning, wireframing, designing and only then you can start the build phase.
Over the years and based on our experience building iOS & Android mobile apps for leading brands in Australia, we can provide some the following estimates:
Small App
A small mobile app can defined by the following:
- no backend/API or a small backend/API
- no more than 10-15 screens to design
- 1 or 2 integrations (eg Google Analytics, Push Notifications, etc)
The mobile app design and build would typically take about 2-3 months assuming the design is quite simple.
Medium App
A medium mobile app can defined by the following:
- a standard backend & API
- a total of 15-25 screens to design
- 3-5 integrations (eg Google Analytics, Push Notifications, Camera, Barcode Scanner, Error Reporting Library, Geolocation etc)
The mobile app design and build would typically take about 4-6 months assuming the design is quite simple.
Large App
A large mobile app can defined by the following:
- a complex backend & API
- a total of 30-50 screens to design
- 5+ integrations
The mobile app design and build would typically take about 6-9 months assuming the design is quite simple.
Extra Large App
If you fall under this category then we recommend breaking in down into stages. You should not be building an app that will require more than 6-8 months. It is important to work in a staged approach, working out a phase one, two, three etc. You can define your core features to be released first and iterate afterwards based on priorities from your customers' feedback.
Keep in mind every mobile app is unique and while the purpose of this article is to help guesstimate your mobile app project, we strongly recommend talking to us by contacting us here.
