Editor’s note: If you’re looking forward to creating apps for your business, Flutter is a great option to consider. Factors like code reusability, customizable user interface, community support, & native app-like experience are among several reasons why Flutter based apps are so popular today. Read this post to learn more about Flutter and the advantages it brings. For more on Flutter app development, contact us, today!
There has been tremendous rise in the mobile app industry over a couple of years.
Reports suggest that mobile app downloads will reach 258 billion over the course of 2021, a 45% increase in 2017. Moreover, as of 2021, there are 5.29 billion unique mobile users worldwide, with estimates suggesting this the number is likely to rise to 7.26 billion by 2022.
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These numbers reflect how critical it is for businesses to tap into the mobile app industry. With increasing number of people accessing the Internet using smartphones, mobile app development offers a lucrative opportunity for companies to expand their reach and gain massive exposure for the brand.
In the past, most businesses preferred native apps for their high performance; however, it’s no longer the case as new cross-platform frameworks offer more control to developers while delivering powerful performance.
Flutter is the best tool popular for its hassle-free, seamless native functionality of all the advanced cross-platform frameworks.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is an open-source mobile user interface (UI) framework by Google. It is a free software development kit that allows developers to create natively compiled, multi-platform applications using a single codebase.
In simple words, we can create two different apps (Android and iOS) using only one programming language and codebase.
Why Flutter for App Development?
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Google created Flutter in 2017 to assist developers and designers create highly polished, custom app interfaces quickly. Besides, this open-source framework combines ease of development with a performance indistinguishable from the native app.
Applications built using Flutter are directly compiled into machine code and don’t rely on intermediate code representations or interpretation. This eliminates any performance errors, making Flutter the most resource-saving software among contemporary cross-platform technologies.
For these reasons, there are over 150,000 Flutter apps available in the Google Play Store currently, with numbers increasing at a high rate. Some of the top companies, including Alibaba Group, eBay, Hamilton, Supernova, and Toyota, use Flutter to give their web and mobile applications a uniform look.
Flutter App Development Cost
Flutter app development edges ahead of its competitors with a single, reusable codebase and native app-like performance.
However, the average cost of a Flutter application depends on the project’s scope. Based on these criteria, we have four different Flutter app types.
A Minimum Viable Product
Also called MVP, it is a development technique that includes a product with only essential features. MVP aims to collect initial feedback from the early users and determine the future development course. MVP is commonly used by entrepreneurs who want to analyze the market and customer interest.
The average development cost for a Flutter MVP is approximately $30 000.
Simple Flutter Application
While MVP is a demo version, a simple app is a final product containing many essential features, including user registration, listings, search, and order management. Moreover, the application has a minimal visual design with a user-friendly interface, allowing users to navigate easily.
Simple flutter applications take one to three months, and the average cost is around $50 000.
App With Medium Complexity
These apps offer a more comprehensive range of functionality, including user registration, listings, search, filters, reviews, and calendars. Moreover, medium-complexity apps may use third-party integrations or chats.
Medium-complexity apps usually take anywhere between three to six months, and the cost varies from $80 000 to $150 000.
Complex Apps
Complex Flutter apps include advanced functionality and workflows, including user management, audio or video calls, third-party integrations, and payment gateways.
The development time for complex Flutter apps is six months or more, and the average cost is somewhere around $200 000 and above.
Factors Affecting Cost and Pricing
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Flutter offers various aspects that can lower the overall app development time and cost, including faster app development, hassle-free maintenance, and ever-growing community support. This makes Flutter a cost-effective option compared to other cross-platform frameworks.
Here are some crucial factors that hugely impact the overall Flutter app development cost.
App Category
The type of app enterprises requires plays a critical role in determining the cost and pricing of Flutter app development. Each industry needs applications with features relevant to its niche, target audience, and reputation. Besides, enterprises dealing with sensitive information or payments might require functionalities like multifactor authentications, while others don’t require user login.
For these reasons, your niche industry and app complexities highly impact the development cost.
There most common types of Flutter apps in the market are as follows.
- Dynamic Applications: These apps require real-time access and server-side rendering to enhance user experience.
- List View Applications: These apps offer single or multiple selection options to help users view and interact with numerous data objects.
- Gaming Applications: They include complex features, such as artificial intelligence (AI), 3D graphics, and high-resolution animations.
Tools and License Cost
Flutter is entirely free, even for commercial use! Moreover, you can Flutter development toolkit “as is.’ However, if you want to extend your app functionalities and enhance the development process, you still might have to pay for various tools and integrations.
Here are some tools you might need to pay for.
- Flutter app development tools: Also called an integrated development environment (IDE). These are special software that developers and agencies use for building applications. While some IDEs are free to use, such as Android Studio, Eclipse, and Visual Studio, you’ll need to pay for advanced IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm.
- Third-party API integrations: application programming interfaces (APIs) are vital for your business as they allow two programs to communicate with each other using protocols. You can start with the lowest priced APIs; however, with increase in usage, you’ll need to switch to advanced APIs.
Design
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Your Flutter app design and UI are as crucial as the functionalities for a great user experience (UX). These factors determine how your app looks, feels, and acts. In addition, better integration of UI and UX is vital for seamless, intuitive app navigation.
To ensure implementing all these aspects to your app design, you’ll need a Flutter UI/UX designer. The designer will also create an app logo, typography, animation material, and layout while ensuring a seamless transition across multiple screens.
Remember that animations and interactivity, especially high-definition graphics, can increase the cost of designing a Flutter app. For these reasons, gaming apps will cost you more than other Flutter applications. However, Flutter incorporates all these elements flawlessly, thus assuring a great app experience and optimized and efficient user flow.
The cost of Flutter app development varies depending on the layout you require. Most Flutter development firms offer a rough estimate of the app development cost.
Support and Maintenance Costs
Due to budget constraints, most individuals and organizations fail to prioritize regular support and maintenance. Moreover, they feel Flutter app maintenance can lead to additional expenses.
While routine maintenance and updates can increase the development cost over time, these elements are vital for any app to stay relevant in the market.
Flutter app maintenance includes adding new features, design modifications, and fixing bugs, ensuring app stability. Also, consistent and timely support is crucial to retain existing customers or attract new ones.
Therefore, enterprises should include 15-20% of the app development budget for Flutter app maintenance. This is a worthy investment as it’ll help you generate more revenues than losses.
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Benefits of Flutter App for Businesses
Flutter offers numerous advantages for businesses looking to create highly flexible apps for iOS and Android platforms.
Code Reusability
Flutter codes are based on write once, run everywhere, eliminating the need to create platform-specific interface components. This allows programmers to develop a single codebase and reuse it on multiple platforms.
Besides, Flutter is highly flexible when fixing bugs or carrying upgrades and reflects all changes in milliseconds. For these reasons, Flutter app development reduces the time-to-market period to half.
Absolute Native Performance
Apps built using Flutter deliver experiences indistinguishable from native apps. Unlike other cross-platform development frameworks, the Flutter software development kit is independent of code interpretations, thus eliminating interpretation bugs and improving performance.
Highly Customizable UI
Flutter allows businesses to customize any app aspect, regardless of its complexity. Flutter is a layered architecture designed for faster UI rendering and impressive personalized designs.
Besides, Flutter applications are built with a core focus on a seamless end-user experience.
Large Community Support
Flutter was developed by “Google” and is entirely free. This assures individuals and businesses alike of the unwavering support by the tech giant, including timely issue fixes and updates.
Moreover, the community has been on the rise ever since the introduction of Flutter, assisting businesses in discussing issues and bugs with other Flutter users.
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Conclusion
There isn’t an accurate answer to “What is the development cost of a Flutter application?” The price can vary depending on numerous factors, particularly project complexity and features.
You can always get in touch with a professional Flutter app development company for a rough estimate on the project development cost.
Furthermore, working with certified developers will help you overcome all the app development challenges while ensuring the final product fulfills your business requirements.