Second, clients frequently inquire about prices. Lets address that inquiry by providing more detailed answers about all stages of app development today.
Experience and time are indispensable in accurately estimating an app development timeline. Over the last three years, we've made numerous estimates for established companies and early-stage startups, with timelines tailored specifically to investors requirements and product deadlines.
How long does it typically take to develop an app for mobile app development? This app creation process can be intricate; many factors influence its lifecycle.
You have many options when building your dream house. App developers work tirelessly to answer this question for mobile app development - our goal is to ensure you receive maximum benefit from mobile development.
In this blog post, we dispel myths related to app creation and inform how long it typically takes.
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App Economy: Key Facts
The app economy is on an upswing. To understand why mobile app development companies have become so prevalent and how mobile app markets will continue growing at an impressive rate in 2023 compared with 140.7 billion downloads back in 2024, review what makes mobile app developers and markets so compelling and take note of any factors which make mobile developers and markets popular.
According to reports, mobile app markets should expand at an incredible pace; recent estimates predict they may reach $240 billion in downloads within six years.
Google Play and Apple App Store remain key platforms, boasting 258 billion apps and offering Android users 2.56 million options.
Apple was second at 1.85 million iOS apps available for purchase. By 2023, it is estimated that revenue generated through mobile apps, advertising and in-app purchases will total $88.5 billion - an increase of 130% since 2014.
App development is an intriguing story, so you must understand its stages as a business person. Doing this will save both money and time.
We will share the actual development times for each stage. Furthermore, well cover:
- How long does it usually take to create an app, from the initial idea to its final product?
- What are the stages that take the longest to complete?
- How can you accelerate the development of an app?
Below is a chart showing the average time required to develop an app. The ideal time to create an app depends entirely on who you are and what your company does.
Nothing is definitive. The result is this article.
App Development Process: Key Stages

Each phase of mobile app development takes different amounts of time, from initial planning to the release of an app.
At this stage, a document detailing app development estimation is produced, after which you may move on to other design and development phases. At first, we will look into how much time is necessary to lay the groundwork for further design and development stages.
Project goals and success metrics.
- RFP
- NDA
- Budget Range
- Date of Delivery
Stage 1: Gathering Ideas And Conducting Research
At the forefront of developing an application lies research and gathering ideas. While great ideas come easily, only some accept them; therefore, the time required to build an app depends heavily on this stage and research.
First, the picture will be researched and then developed further. At this stage, audiences for your app must also be identified. This initial step involves finding your target users.
Not only is identifying an audience important for promoting it post-release, but it can help create successful products - it helps define your app in whatever shape and form.
Different apps cater to specific groups or audiences - Facebook has users of all ages. At the same time, Tinder appeals more directly to younger demographics.
Their success stems from this aspect; targeting keeps these applications popular, and we must reach our intended demographic.
Researching an app's competition and market is vitally important. App owners will gain from gathering as much data about their rivals and potential threats as possible while researching an application to be prepared for any problems upon launch.
Research typically takes about one week; you could benefit by understanding your competitors strengths and weaknesses and their app strategy and target audience.
You would be better off if the following results were achieved at the end of this phase.
- Minimum Viable Product
- User Stories
- App Prototypes
Stage 2: Plan Everything Out
Plan the development of your app after conducting comprehensive market research.
After you understand its dynamics, devise an action plan for its creation; during this phase, you'll make design decisions such as choosing iOS or Android platform applications, web or hybrid, cross-platform or all three (cross-platform being an option as well).
Now is the time to add features. Keep features simple and ensure their usefulness to make apps as accessible as possible.
Search, social media buttons, profile options and login are functional app features that should be present in an application. As apps grow, their features adapt more closely to their purpose. For instance, any e-commerce app should include "Add to Cart." In contrast, social media apps might feature media-sharing options and engagement tools that increase interaction with their followers.
How long will developing an app take? Planning will likely require multiple months.
Stage 3: Idea Validation And Design Sprints
The next step in developing an application is the design sprint. Design sprints are used to test the different features in an app.
Design sprints usually last about one week. This stage is designed to test various aspects of the idea and validate it. Design Sprints are a great way to learn how users interact with a certain feature.
The business can understand how and when users will use this feature.
Stage 4: Development Stage
Front End (the front end), Back End (the back end), and user interface elements must all come together when developing an app: Front End, Back End and user interface elements are essential to successful application creation.
Once this plan has been put into action by designers and developers, app development usually takes six weeks from planning through designing to development phases. Graphic designers create the user interfaces of apps. Apps receive upgrades designed to improve user experience; apps with visually appealing UI/UX strategies tend to gain popularity.
In Dominos mobile apps case, its refined UI/UX strategy helped boost the conversion rate by 23 per cent. Your app needs both the front-end and back-end components to function successfully, with the necessary backend for running its front end and determining user interactions within.
Backends connect the user interface to the operating system via API calls that make an app function correctly - otherwise, nothing would work. What would you do without them? Unfortunately nothing. You will learn about the engineering process and how to make an app.
Backend Engineering:
- Data Storage
- Users Management
- Server-side logic
- Include Data
- Versioning
Front-end engineering:
- Frontend logic
- Caching
- Synchronization
- Wireframe
- U.I. Design
- U.I. development
Stage 5: The Developers Team And The Quality Assurance Team
You will never be satisfied with your current team. It can be not easy to find the right team in your locality. You can also outsource your app development to companies and freelancers who will create a team under your direct control.
Hiring a group of experienced developers is the best option for creating an app. It is for several reasons.
- A team is made up of individuals who respect and know each other.
- The developers know each other well, and their speed and timing are similar. It minimizes delays.
- If you have a strong team, it will be easier to communicate your needs to the person responsible for the project.
You'll also get a finished product from a team ready to work. They will handle the whole application development process.
You can learn how to create apps from a group that is experienced. You will be guided on improving your workflow and which hybrid app is best for you.
Stage 6: Test
What's the Best Way to Launch an App? Testing is necessary to evaluate whether an application runs once developed.
Any product may contain bugs that must be fixed before being released to the market, and testing can help identify these.
There are various methods of judging an app's performance on mobile. A quality assurance test ensures there will be no unexpected issues for users when first trying the application, making it much more appealing.
Alpha or Beta versions must first undergo extensive testing; after launch, any feedback received is considered, and any necessary modifications are made accordingly.
Stage7: Deployment Of Stores
Two parts can be divided into Submission and Review. When applying to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you must follow specific guidelines.
- Screenshots
- App Descriptions
- You can also use the icons
- Video or Image demonstration
- App Store Optimization
How quickly will your app be available in stores? Apples thorough review process can increase launch times compared to publishing an app in the Play Store.
Google uses pre-analysis algorithms that reduce the time it takes to launch your app.
Note the following:
- Each app requires a different amount of time to develop.
- If done properly, research can help you save time in the future and smoothen out your processes.
- Inexperienced developers and complicated technologies can slow down mobile app development.
- The story of apps is made faster by the use of RFPs.
What Slows Down The App Development Process?

As we've seen, the app development takes about 2-3 months. There are a few factors that can slow down the app development process.
Project Changes During The Mid-Project
Developing an app involves several stages that are all connected in some way. If there are sudden changes in the plan, it will cause the process to slow down.
These mid-project changes can affect your apps performance, as code becomes unstable when too many are made.
Experienced Developers Can Be A Good Source Of Information For Those New To The Field
What are the requirements for creating a successful application? It is essential to have a good developer. Most businesses hire only developers that meet the standard.
This slows down the process and results in an app that needs to be improved. We have a highly skilled and experienced app development team, which allows us to produce high-performance apps. App development is an area where we have also helped our clients.
Complex Technologies
These technologies, such as machine learning, AI and VR/AR, can slow the development of apps for mobile devices.
The story of mobile apps is slow. The latest technologies can improve an app's experience but at a price. The latest technologies can slow down app development.
The latest technologies can take time to integrate.
Industry-Wise Difference
The industry where the app is being created can affect development time. What is the average time to develop a social network app? Answer: 1-2 months.
App development on demand requires more development time. The industry also affects how long it takes for an app to be developed. Now that you know how apps are created and what factors slow the process, let's see how to speed it up.
What Are Some Ways To Accelerate The Time Of Application Development?

Mobile application development has grown exponentially, and enterprises and startups can no longer afford to slack off.
Both startups and large enterprises require fast app production without compromising quality - something app developers need to be capable of. It takes approximately the same amount of time for an app developer to produce applications; startups especially can utilize them to reach larger audiences more effectively through apps developed by them.
Now we know what and how an app should be constructed and its impactful factors when developing applications - we must also discover ways to reduce development times.
Mvp And Prototyping
Do you need help Building an App on Your Smartphone? With MVPs and prototyping, one effective method for saving time when developing smartphone apps can be easy: using MVPs and prototyping can reduce development times significantly by quickly building prototypes that closely resemble what was envisioned when creating them.
Once these prototypes have been released as MVPs,
The Cross-Platform Approach Is A Good Idea
Android and iOS have emerged as two of the most widely used platforms, making it essential to choose one or the other carefully when developing apps for them.
App development on both platforms is time-consuming and costly compared to cross-platform development; tools like Xamarin or PhoneGap make creating multi platform applications simpler than ever.
It Is Possible To Hire Professional Developers
Hiring professional app developers will result in an app with superior UI/UX and reduced completion time by outsourcing development efforts to professional app development companies offshore.
You'll discover choosing one is both an enjoyable and advantageous process. Professional app developers have produced many successful apps. Here is how the process of developing apps will unfold for you.
Agile Development
Many app developers use agile app development to accelerate the app creation process. Agile app development aims to eliminate re-starts with flexible, adaptable programming, enabling an open dialogue between app creators and owners; software assists development for on-time product delivery.
White Label Solutions
White label solutions refer to products produced by one business that has then been rebranded so they appear as if they belong to someone else, thus saving time as no new apps need to be designed from scratch; this may, however, result in less appealing apps or reduced revenue generation from users.
Automated Testing
Automated testing should receive more consideration. Although its value might seem obvious, automated testing is frequently overlooked during the development process of mobile app testing.
Automated testing provides numerous benefits over traditional manual testing, including time savings and increased security as it runs multiple tests simultaneously, reducing manual test duration requirement and speed of the development process; also, using more than one testing strategy leads to error-free code.
Questions To Ask Your Mobile App Development Company

What Is The Best Android Business App?
Users, devices and development are the three main factors that will help you decide which platform to use for your app.
The location of your target users and their routines and goals will determine which platform is best for your app. Conducting a thorough market analysis before making any final decisions is important.
What Will Be The Team's Approach To Managing This Project?
Asking your developer about project management can be crucial. After all, they will oversee every stage of application lifecycle management for you - but you need to understand their role and expectations from them as part of that role.
Communication plays an essential element - your project manager's role often lies in maintaining clear channels between all members involved with the development team & yourself - Plus, you should discuss other important matters related to this project, such as budget allocation or any issues that arise throughout its timelines.
- Research Briefing
- Design and Development
- Stage
- Continuous testing
- Post-deployment process
How Often Should Your App Team Update The Business Application They Are Developing?
It also depends upon the type of updates and maintenance your application requires. For example- new feature updates, continuous improvement plans, bug-fixing updates, etc.
What Is The Best Way To Measure My Business Applications Effectiveness?
Engagement, retention and behavior are all standard metrics that can be used to measure the success of a mobile application.
It would help if you discussed these KPIs with the development team before you can use them. You can learn to measure success and in-app sales before the development phase.
After Development Begins, External Factors Can Affect The Process

The elements we discussed are the only factors in an ideal world. This is only sometimes true. External factors can also affect the time it takes to develop an app.
The Project Team
No point can be stressed enough: this ones vital. Project teams must understand what requirements are for an app and its effect on their company as a result - not simply knowing how to code an application but understanding why its existence matters for the success of any particular venture.
As part of your search process for an app development team, make sure they can fully comprehend capital constraints and market timing and provide quality solutions.
An ideal team should first grasp its purpose and suggest what strategy will benefit the business best.
Resources available for any project greatly affect how long it will take to develop an app. Assume, for example, that development hours total 449; could the team double resources and work full time instead to reduce that timeline to half? Why not allocate three app developers simultaneously to speed things along even quicker? Experienced developers know if more help is required and recommend adding extra developers if this proves true.
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder management is sometimes time-consuming, especially if the app was developed with multiple parties. Organizing meetings and providing regular updates for different stakeholders can take a lot of time.
When creating project schedules, it's crucial to take this into account. You should also create a system to streamline the management of stakeholders. You can make your mobile app quicker by communicating with stakeholders frequently.
Risk Management
Unforeseeable events like new iOS versions, mid-project changes and third-party integration issues may alter project timelines.
To minimize changes midway through, ensure your plan for your project is as detailed as possible and leave some extra buffer time for external factors outside your control, like updates from Apple or third parties - particularly important if your project will span beyond six months.
Time Management And Deadlines
Topflight embraces and practices the Agile development approach to development. While Agile development does not impose stringent deadlines, we still must abide by a cadence for releasing new features and services.
Each week, our team decides what needs to be delivered within that two-week window and works diligently towards reaching our goals.
You will discover that our Vision-to-Traction System features specific timelines for its activities; these timeframes may be modified based on each project's unique needs and priorities.
Budget Management
App development on both Android and iOS requires effective budget management. Planning the timeline of your project and allocating its resources efficiently are both crucial parts.
Creating an affordable budget to cover development, testing, maintenance and hiring developers/buying licenses/marketing costs is important too.
Track and monitor costs throughout development to stay within your budget, prioritizing features with the highest value first and considering agile development methods for cost control and flexibility.
Budget management can help alleviate financial pressure, keep projects moving, and deliver quality apps on schedule.
Updates And Maintenance
Success-driven apps require constant improvement over time. Engaging features must constantly be added to engage users.
At the same time, iOS and Android updates at least twice yearly require libraries to be used running the latest secure version of source code; additionally, bugs will inevitably arise, and optimization and fixes must be undertaken as necessary to keep an app going strong.
App releases mark an essential time when updates and maintenance must occur, which requires selecting external libraries carefully and incorporating monitoring solutions beforehand to expedite future releases and keep development moving quickly.
To streamline future releases faster, monitoring solutions must be installed immediately upon the release of an application.
U.S. Suggestions And Amendments
You'll need to respond to user feedback and planned updates, including new features. Our experience with Walker Tracker and other mobile applications has shown that capturing all negative comments and removing them from the App Store or Google Play is important.
Depending on feedback from customers, we may need to:
- Fix UI/UX Issues
- Introduce new features
- Add contextual help to a tutorial or make an update
Mixpanel offers mobile analytics software that will show customers a dialogue asking them to rate the application they just downloaded and rate it 1-4 stars on an evaluation form; all reviews scored four or above will go directly into app stores for public consumption.
After exploring some factors influencing app development timeframes, let's look at our development process of Tygon Lyte (IoT light therapy app) to better understand all the variables and timelines involved in creating one.
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Conclusion
We believe that app development can be completed more rapidly. This blog should address important questions like the best ways to design and develop an app.
When speaking with app developers about development times, they typically respond by telling clients the expected timeline generally is 7-12 months for an entire app project, which includes the Discovery, Design and development and Pre-launch stages of creation and launch, respectively.
Large teams sometimes mean slower development times; you can speed up app development by conducting thorough market research and understanding its requirements, bypassing research validation altogether and prioritizing design/development work and communication instead.
App development requires precise requirements, rapid responses and an equitable sense of responsibility for everyone involved.
Consumption on mobile apps is expected to hit 161 billion dollars in 2026 on the App Store on iOS and 72 billion dollars on Google's Play Store, according to statista. If you would like a detailed quote for your project, please email us and let us know how we can assist. Our friendly staff would love nothing better than to serve as your partner - don't hesitate to get in touch today.