App Design Cost – How Much Does It Cost to Design a Mobile App in 2025

App Design Cost – How Much Does It Cost to Design a Mobile App in 2025

When investing in mobile applications, understanding app design costs is essential for business planning. In 2025, the cost of designing an app can range from USD 5,000 to USD 20,000 and above heavily influenced by factors such as the app’s complexity, the number of features, and the chosen platforms between iOS and Android or cross-platform.

Design quality also plays a significant role. High-quality visuals and custom elements can elevate user experience but will increase the cost of designing your startup app.

The app design process covers the discovery, design, and development stages, each contributing to the total cost. By comprehensively understanding these stages, you can ace the app design cost estimation, which allows businesses to make informed decisions.

Key App Design Cost Statistics You Need to Know

The mobile app market is growing, estimated to reach USD 407.31 billion by 2026. As market competition grows, the demand for top-notch app design services is becoming more critical. With millions of apps available for download, the design of an app plays a vital role in attracting and keeping users engaged.

According to the App Uninstall report, nearly 49% of Android apps are deleted after just one use, highlighting the importance of making a strong first impression. Furthermore, about 57% of users would not recommend a business with poor mobile design, and 90% have stopped using an app due to subpar performance.

Investing in high-quality app design is essential for businesses aiming to stand out in this crowded market. A well-designed app not only enhances user experience but also fosters long-term engagement. Statistics show that three-quarters of visitors won’t return to a website that isn’t mobile-optimized, underscoring the need for businesses to prioritize mobile design.

By creating visually appealing and functional apps, companies can improve user satisfaction, build trust, and drive customer loyalty in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Let’s find out how to design an app for your business and how it affects app design costs.

This Is How the Mobile App Design Process Affects Costing

User Experience (UX) plays a vital role in mobile app development because it directly influences users whohow interact with your app. A positive UX leads to higher user satisfaction, which can boost retention and encourage more downloads.

Let’s explore why User Experience (UX) is crucial in mobile app development and how it can greatly affect your business.

1. Research for App Design

Market research is crucial for understanding target users, identifying their needs, and determining how much they are willing to pay. The discovery phase is about grasping the problem, including conducting market research and mapping the user journey.

Planning during this phase is vital for estimating the app design cost and targeting the intended users effectively.

2. Visual Design Essentials

The app’s UI mockup designs are created based on research and discussions with all the stakeholders, including the client or app’s owner, user surveys, and designer inputs. Before creating the whole UI, designers can make a couple of UI mockups to demonstrate different approaches to style, the use of other elements, forms, shades, color schemes, etc.

Once the team and the client are settled on the final design approach, more details can be provided until the final app UI design mockup is ready. All of these design processes contribute to the app design costs. So, you must consider the hourly rates of the UI/UX designer and how much an experienced app designer costs?

Mobile app UI UX designers are responsible for branding, color schemes, the interior layers of app screens, and the overall appearance of the mobile app. Content also plays an essential role in the app’s design, so it’s the app designer’s responsibility to display different types of content with excellent creativity to enhance the user experience.

3. Create a Wireframe

Building an app wireframe primarily requires a clear list of requirements and specifications rather than designing software or resources. Using tools like Balsamiq or Mockflow designers can create a basic layout as the app’s skeleton, showcasing how different screens will look.

This wireframe acts as a visual guide for clients, allowing them to understand the app’s design better and suggest necessary changes. Designers often produce multiple design concepts based on client feedback, which can sometimes increase the overall cost of the app development process.

4. UI/UX Design Principles

To design an app’s UI/UX effectively, use software like Adobe XD or Figma to build on your initial wireframe with detailed design elements. This includes adding specific fonts, buttons, and native UI components. Focusing on a basic user interface for projects with a limited budget can help validate the app idea and create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). While a streamlined design approach can lower costs, it may not attract users as effectively as a well-designed app.

You can create a top-quality app if you have the budget for comprehensive design and development across both iOS and Android platforms. It’s important to note that designing for the second platform typically takes about half the time since it involves adapting existing designs to meet platform-specific guidelines rather than starting from scratch.

5. Prototyping Your App

Prototypes provide a detailed preview of the final app’s appearance and guide the entire UI development process. Designers create prototypes for each screen of the app, and due to its stricter guidelines, it’s often best to start with the iOS version.

This iOS prototype can then serve as a foundation for quickly adapting the design for Android. Nowadays, prototyping isn’t limited to mobile apps; it also includes designs for tablets and wearable devices like smartwatches, although their costs and development times are calculated separately.

Companies can offer static or interactive prototypes using advanced design tools if you’re wondering about the cost of creating a prototype. While interactive prototypes are more expensive, they provide a better experience for identifying errors and areas for improvement. Once the prototype is finalized, the app moves into development.

6. Branding Design Basics

Once your app design is complete, your collaboration with the design team isn’t finished yet. You still need to develop your brand image beyond creating a logo. A company requires various design services to establish its brand presence in the business world.

Key services include creating icons or symbols, word marks, letter marks, combinations, emblems, and even 3D logos. Depending on the type of mobile app design company you choose, a skilled app design firm can also help produce promotional materials such as images, brochures, and videos.

6 Factors Affecting Mobile App Designing Costs

Now that you know how to design a business app, it’s time to learn the factors affecting its design cost. Numerous factors affect the time and cost of creating an app, which will be discussed in this section.

First, let’s explore all the requirements and learn about the various design costs that influence factors.

1. Numbers of Platforms

The most common factor that will increase the cost of your app design is the number of platforms you choose to build it on. Ideally, there are two big app platforms: Android and iOS. Both platforms have different design guidelines, which you must follow according to the marketplaces.

Therefore, the apps are designed separately for both platforms, increasing the design cost as the work will be done twice. However, if you launch an app across platforms, overall design development cost will be reduced by half.

2. Design Style Chosen

When designing a mobile app, everything from a minimalistic approach to high-end color palettes and graphics comes down to your taste. How much do you wish to spend on the design?

The style of app design you choose will subconsciously give your app users a message about the feel of the app and your company. For instance, you shouldn’t use a corporate-styled glossy app design for a children’s education app or a minimalistic one for a shopping app that mostly profits from up-selling additional products.

3. App Complexity

The more detailed and advanced the app’s design, the better the response from potential customers when downloading and using your app.

Every aspect, from the layout to the UI, requires specialized skills and careful attention. As the UI design factor becomes more complex, the need for specialized skills and additional development time increases, raising costs. The cost of designing an app depends on complexity, the number of screens, and the design elements.

4. Project Size

Some apps are very small, with very limited features and the total number of app screens. For example, an app like Uber will have a lot more app screens than an app like a Rubik’s cube app game.

So, designing a small project with a simple app design will take way less time than creating a complex app with a complex design. Bigger projects take more time, which affects the cost of creating and increases the cost of maintaining an app post-development.

5. Designer’s Expertise & Experience

You must pay more for a better designer with a powerful imagination and years of experience. If you hire less experienced designers, your app’s cost will be low, but the design will not be up to the mark.

There is a hidden benefit to hiring an experienced app designer. In addition to having the best ideas and years of experience, they are faster with the software and can produce work comparatively quicker than newbies.

6. Geographical Location

Location is crucial in estimating costs for your app design. The cost of designing an app may increase or decrease depending on the location of the team you choose, the cost may increase or decrease.

If the app’s country of inception is the United States and an in-house team based there is working on it, the services and expenses will be high compared to those in other countries. However, the design cost of an app in India is comparatively low.

However, these costs can be broken down into multiple factors, such as platform and app complexity, but location still plays a significant role in design costs.

How Much Does It Cost To Create An App Design in 2025?

The cost of designing an app depends on multiple factors. Design complexity, project size, platform choice, and the designer’s skills greatly influence the budget. Depending on specific business needs, an app design can cost as low as 5000 or as high as 20,000+ USD.

Designing an app is a detailed process that includes several essential steps, each with its costs. Understanding the cost of designing an app is crucial for its success. So, here is a comprehensive breakdown of app design costs based on different factors.

Cost Analysis According To The Complexity Of App

The app’s complexity is significant in terms of design cost and budget. More time and resources are needed to design complex apps. Let’s break down the cost estimates based on the level of complexity:

Cost Breakdown According To The Location Of The Team

The complexity of an idea determines how skilled you need to be to create an app.

Let’s look at a few examples of an average app:

Considering all the factors analyzed above, let’s explore how to reduce the design cost of your app.

Quick Tips for Reducing App Design Costs

Here are some straightforward tips to help lower the costs of app design, along with simple explanations for each:

Maintain a Simple UI/UX Design

Opt for a clean UI and UX. Complicated designs take time and resources. A simple design is easier to build, has fewer bugs, and generally makes users happier.

Hire An Expert

Hiring an app designer company is the best way to reduce design costs significantly. Such companies provide you with a pool of talented and experienced app designers. The expert team will guide you in understanding the whole design process clearly.

This method can reduce time and resource waste, as you know the steps during the design phases. It will also help you provide feedback or make any changes that were not planned initially.

You can also choose a location that reduces the cost significantly. You can go for more advanced features with the amount of the cost difference. Hire a mobile app development company that ensures a quicker and cost-effective solution while maintaining high quality as the top priority.

Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Start by creating a basic version of your app that includes only the essential features. This lets you quickly test your app idea in the market and gather feedback without spending too much upfront. An MVP helps you learn what works before investing more in development.

Maintain a Regular Flow of Communication

Communicate consistently with teams. Regular updates help everyone stay on the same page and catch any issues early, preventing costly changes later.

Perform Regular Troubleshooting

Check for problems frequently during development. This proactive approach helps identify issues before they become bigger problems, saving time and money in the long run.

It’s important to note that cutting costs doesn’t mean compromising quality. The goal is to strike a balance between affordability and excellence. Focus on essential features, choose a clean and intuitive design, and hire a team that emphasizes quality while fitting within your budget.

This is where Excellent Webworld can help. It is a leading eCommerce mobile app development company that offers custom solutions. Contact now to learn more about our customized eCommerce solutions.

Why Choose Excellent Webworld’s Dedicated Team Over In-House Developers?

You can access a pool of skilled professionals without the overhead of hiring in-house staff or the irregularity of freelancer developers by choosing Excellent Webworld’s dedicated team.
This dedicated team offers perfect expertise, reliability, and scalability, ensuring sealess collaboration and high-quality results.

Hire the Best App Design Firm Without Breaking the Budget

We hope this article has offered profound insights into cost and all the factors that can be used to reduce the cost.
However, if you’re looking for someone to assist you, especially with app design in the entertainment, car rental, healthcare, eCommerce, and logistics industries, Excellent Webworld is at your service.

With more than 13 years of experience and 900+ successful projects delivered, our experts are adept at designing mobile apps. Get customized design consulting services from our experts.

We design solutions that meet your business-specific requirements and guarantee improved business. Contact one of the top app design companies to build custom app solutions.

FAQs on App Design Cost

Article By

Paresh Sagar

Paresh Sagar is the CEO of Excellent Webworld. He firmly believes in using technology to solve challenges. His dedication and attention to detail make him an expert in helping startups in different industries digitalize their businesses globally.