Startup Software Development Cost

How to Estimate Software Development Costs for a Startup?

Figuring out the financial aspect is essential before you launch a new project. It requires thorough planning and considering numerous factors. The budget for custom startup software development may differ widely depending on a certain project. While all startup software projects are unique, costs remain one of the key concerns for most companies. When you look at case studies, the budgets vary from $4,000 to $4,000,000. Confusing, isn’t it?

Let’s dive deeper into this problem and find out what influences these figures.

What is custom startup development?

Custom software development for startups means creating a personalized product distinct from the ready-to-use software. The functionality perfectly fits the market and target audience requirements. The process of custom software development encompasses such stages as:

• consulting and analyzing requirements
• creating design and architecture
• writing the code
• QA and testing
• launch and maintenance

And now let’s look at the decisive factors that influence the final cost.

9 Factors that Determine the Cost of Startup Software Development

Creating a budget plan is insufficient to predict all the potential development risks and reduce possible expenses. The business owners should pay decent attention to estimating the budget, and keep in mind many factors. Simply calculating the price relying only on the developer rate, developer team size, and hours is an irrational decision and you will be surprised to see that the final cost exceeds the initial sum. To make optimal and informed choices, concentrate on the following constituents.

1. Platform Type

The quote for software development depends on the platform you are going to launch your startup at. For example, if you choose to develop native Android and iOS applications, you need separate teams as these platforms require different coding languages and development tools.

On the other hand, you can go for cross-platform development and use the same code in various environments. This approach speeds up the development and, as a result, cuts the expenses.

2. SDLC Model

You need to pick an SDLC methodology that perfectly fits unique project requirements and aims. Agile methodology has gained immense popularity due to its numerous benefits. According to it, the tasks are organized into sprints and the development process depends on the customer and user feedback. Iterations enable minimizing time and fixing most bugs in the early stages.

3. Technology Stack

The technological aspect is the core of your development process. It involves testing tools, project management, communication, updating, and maintenance. If you require specific technologies and frameworks, the rate of experienced engineers may be higher. Discuss all these specifics with your cooperation partners beforehand not to be surprised later.

4. Timeline

Numerous factors prolong the time-to-market of your startup.

• Extensive functionality
• Feature complexity
• Big-scale projects

Most software development projects for startups include creating an MVP, as it is a powerful tool to speed up development and eliminate insignificant processes and features.

5. MVP functionality

A Minimum Viable Product aims to reduce both developer effort and costs. It is also an effective way to receive valuable user feedback before building the entire product. As a rule, MVP takes 20-40% of the whole development time. You should keep in mind that MVP shouldn’t encompass the whole feature set, only essentials. Decide on the minimum must-have functionality to enhance time-to-market.

6. Third-party APIs

Integration of systems helps enrich the functionality of startup products. However, integrating third-party APIs is a demanding process because of compatibility problems, and high costs. The most widely used APIs are social media (Facebook, Twitter), payment systems (PayPal, Stripe), geolocation services (Google Maps, MapsMe). Find out whether a certain API is compatible with your product not to waste your resources.

7. Design

An appealing and functional design is the vital factor that defines the user experience and engagement. Creating design requires substantial development effort depending on the platform and software complexity. We recommend you opt for a user-friendly but minimalistic design and seamless navigation.

8. QA and Testing Services

It is essential to assure that each software component is bug-free and operates seamlessly. The more complex project you have, the more time and costs are needed for a thorough testing process.

9. Cooperation model

You should choose from many opportunities to hire software developers or developer teams, each of them having its pros and cons. Let’s have a look at the most popular ones:

• Freelancer specialists are available on many platforms. This option is the most cost-effective but not always reliable. Controlling the freelancers’ work is difficult and there is no assurance when it comes to quality. Before hiring freelancers, you need to ensure they are trustworthy and have extensive experience.
• An in-house team is the most demanding and expensive way because it requires lots of resources and expenses apart from employee salary. It also takes more time to train employees and, as a result, time-to-market is much slower.
• Outsourced developers are an optimal variant for most startup projects. There are many offshore and nearshore service providers and you can choose the most suitable team that meets all your project requirements. If you want to cut startup costs, offshore outsourcing companies offer high-quality services for a reasonable price. However, communication may be different because of the difference in time zones.

To Wrap Up

It is crucial to realize that the cost estimation for a startup project is a complex process. There are numerous tech-related and other factors to keep in mind. That’s why you need to choose a reliable and experienced developer team that is ready to communicate with you and discuss every single detail of your future project.

Get a consultation about your startup

T Hoot is a developer team from Ukraine that offers .NET development services. Having worked with startup development for years, we realize how much effort companies make to find a suitable team and present a high-quality project in the market. If you want to find a strategy to define and optimize the costs of startup software development, get in touch with us. We are ready to present the most beneficial solutions that meet all your needs.