When embarking on the journey of building a Flutter application, diving in without a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies and potential costs can lead to unforeseen challenges. If you’ve found yourself in a quest for answers, you’re in the right place.
Developing a Flutter app involves numerous components, including design, development, testing, and deployment. It’s crucial to gather the necessary insights and consider factors like the app’s complexity, features, and target platforms, to ensure a well-informed and successful development journey. Whether you already own an application or someone new to the world of mobile app, navigating the Flutter landscape requires careful planning and a clear roadmap to avoid pitfalls and create a remarkable mobile application.
Mallow has been instrumental in assisting a wide range of clients from various industries in making informed decisions when it comes to developing Flutter projects. We have consistently offered transparent cost assessments, enabling our clients to make sound choices for their businesses. This commitment to clarity and reliability is what continues to attract our clients back to us time and time again.
Upon completing this article, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the approximate cost involved in the development of a Flutter application. Furthermore, you will delve into detailed insights, offering a precise breakdown of the expenses associated with building a complete Flutter application.
What factors affect the cost of Flutter application development?
- The level of complexity of your app – The complexity of your app, including its features, functionalities, and user interactions, is a major factor. Simple apps with basic features will cost less than complex apps with advanced features and intricate UI/UX design. Depending on your app’s requirements, you may need to use third-party plugins and libraries. While these can save development time, they may come with licensing fees or require customisations, impacting costs. If you require a high degree of customisation or scalability for future growth, development costs may increase.
- Backend Development – If your app relies on a complex backend system or needs to integrate with external APIs and databases, development costs may rise due to the additional work required for backend development and API integration.
Here’s a table outlining factors to consider for backend development in Flutter, along with examples of platforms, services, and tools.
| Purpose | Examples (Platforms/Services/Tools) |
| Server Hosting | AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Heroku, DigitalOcean etc. |
| Database | Firebase Realtime Database, Firebase Cloud Firestore, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB etc |
| Authentication & Authorisation | Firebase Authentication, Auth0, AWS Cognito, Keycloak |
| API Integration | RESTful APIs, GraphQL, gRPC, Third-party APIs (e.g., Google Maps, Twitter), Custom APIs |
| File Storage & CDN | Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service), Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Firebase Cloud Storage, Cloudinary |
| Real-time Communication | WebSocket, Firebase Realtime Database (for chat apps), MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport), Pusher, Socket.io |
| Logging and Monitoring | Google Cloud Monitoring, Amazon CloudWatch, New Relic, Datadog, |
| Scalability & Load Balancing | AWS Elastic Load Balancer, Google Cloud Load Balancing, NGINX Load Balancer, Kubernetes (for container orchestration) |
| Security | JWT (JSON Web Tokens), OAuth 2.0, SSL/TLS, Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), Security Headers (e.g., Content Security Policy) |
| Data Backup & Recovery | Regular Data Backups, Version Control (e.g., Git), Automated Disaster Recovery Plans, Data Replication, |
Please make a note that these are key considerations and examples for various aspects of backend development in the context of a Flutter application. Depending on your project’s specific requirements, you may choose different platforms, services, and tools to meet your backend needs.
- Design and UI/UX – A well-designed user interface (UI) and a seamless user experience (UX) are crucial for app success. High-quality design work, animations, and user-centric features can increase development costs.
- Platform compatibility – Flutter allows you to develop apps for both Android and iOS from a single codebase. In case if you need any platform-specific customisation, then it might add to the development cost.
- Testing and quality assurance – Rigorous testing and quality assurance are essential to ensure your app functions correctly and is free of bugs. The complexity of your app and the extent of testing required can influence costs.
- Project management – Effective project management can help control costs by ensuring efficient use of resources and timely delivery. Poor project management can lead to delays and increased expenses. The development timeline affects costs. Rushed development may require more resources and could result in higher expenses. A longer timeline may also impact costs if the project extends beyond the initial estimates.
- Maintenance and updates – Consider the ongoing costs associated with maintaining and updating your app post-launch. This includes bug fixes, feature enhancements, and platform updates.
- Legal and compliance requirements – Compliance with legal regulations, such as data protection (e.g., GDPR) or industry-specific standards, may necessitate additional development efforts and costs.
- Geographic location – The location of your development team or agency can influence costs. Development teams in regions with a lower cost of living may offer more competitive rates. The hourly rates of developers and development teams can vary widely based on location, expertise, and experience. More experienced developers or development agencies may charge higher rates.
How does Flutter help reduce development costs?
- Single codebase for multiple platforms – One of Flutter’s most significant advantages is that it allows you to write a single codebase for both Android and iOS applications. This eliminates the need to maintain two separate codebases for different platforms, reducing development time and cost. This code reuse not only reduces development time but also minimises the chances of bugs and inconsistencies between platforms. Flutter integrates well with existing native code, which can be beneficial when you need to leverage platform-specific features or libraries.
- Lower maintenance costs – Maintaining a single codebase is more cost-effective in the long run. When you need to implement updates, bug fixes, or new features, you can make changes in one place, reducing ongoing maintenance expenses.
- Faster development – Flutter provides a hot-reload feature that allows developers to instantly see the changes they make to the code. This speeds up the development process, as developers can iterate quickly and fix issues without waiting for lengthy compile times. Faster development and easier maintenance with Flutter can significantly reduce the time it takes to bring your mobile app to market. This can be critical in competitive industries where time-to-market is a key factor. Since you’re working with a single codebase, testing becomes more straightforward. You only need to write and maintain tests for one codebase rather than two, reducing the overall testing effort and cost.
- Large widget library – Flutter has a rich set of pre-designed widgets that can be customised to match your app’s design requirements. This eliminates the need to create custom UI components from scratch, saving development effort and time.
- Custom UI and Native performance – Flutter allows you to create custom UI components, giving you the flexibility to design unique and engaging user interfaces. Despite using a single codebase, Flutter apps can achieve near-native performance due to the use of the Impeller graphics engine and direct compilation to native ARM code.
- Open-source and community support – Flutter is open-source, which means it’s continuously evolving with contributions from a vast developer community. This support can reduce development costs because you can leverage existing packages, plugins, and solutions created by the community.
How much developing a Flutter application cost?
One of the primary things to consider when looking at your options for getting the development work done is who will do the work. You have two main options: hiring an in-house team or using an outsourced team.
The cost of hiring in-house application developers
In-house expertise involves establishing an in-house development team of Flutter experts who work directly for the company. This approach offers the advantage of having dedicated and full-time developers who are immersed in the company’s culture and objectives. It fosters greater control, real-time communication, and alignment between the development team and the organisation’s goals. In-house teams are often ideal for long-term projects or when ongoing development and maintenance are critical. However, this approach may incur higher initial costs due to salaries, benefits, and infrastructure requirements.
Here are some key factors to keep in mind:
- Flutter Proficiency – Look for candidates who have a strong foundation in Flutter, including experience with Dart, Flutter widgets, and state management. Review their portfolio or previous projects to assess their Flutter skills.
- Mobile Development Experience – Prior experience in mobile app development, whether for Android or iOS, is valuable. Candidates with a background in both native and cross-platform development can offer valuable insights.
- Programming Proficiency – A strong grasp of programming fundamentals, including object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts, data structures, and algorithms, is crucial for building efficient and maintainable Flutter apps.
- UI/UX Design Skills – For a well-rounded Flutter developer, consider those with design skills or an understanding of UI/UX principles. This can lead to more user-friendly and visually appealing apps.
- Experience with State Management – Assess candidates’ knowledge of state management solutions in Flutter, such as Provider, Bloc, or Redux. Effective state management is essential for maintaining a responsive and organised app.
- Cross-Platform Experience – If your project involves cross-platform development (iOS and Android), look for candidates with experience in developing and maintaining apps on both platforms.
- Problem-Solving Abilities – Flutter developers should be skilled at debugging, troubleshooting, and finding creative solutions to technical challenges that may arise during development.
- Collaboration Skills – Effective communication and teamwork are vital for developers working on complex projects. Ensure that candidates can work well with others and can articulate their ideas and solutions.
The cost of outsourcing application development
On the other hand, outsourcing Flutter development involves hiring a third-party development agency or freelancers to build and maintain your Flutter application. This approach offers flexibility in scaling the development team as needed, often reducing upfront costs as you only pay for the services rendered. Outsourcing can be particularly advantageous for short-term projects, MVP development, or when specific expertise is required. It also allows you to tap into a global talent pool, potentially accessing a broader range of skills.
Outsourcing, sometimes may present challenges related to communication and time zone differences, as well as concerns about data security and quality control, which need to be carefully managed to ensure a successful partnership. Check out this article on how to hire an application development team for more details on how you can handle the selection process of the application development team efficiently.
Below is a simplified table outlining approximate cost ranges on how much it would cost for applications of varied sizes when developed using different options like in-house or outsourcing:
| Application Level | In-House Expertise (Approx. Cost) | Outsourcing (Approx. Cost) |
| Basic MVP | $50,000 – $150,000 | $20,000 – $40,000 |
| Medium-sized Application | $150,000 – $500,000 | $60,000 – $150,000 |
| Enterprise-level Application | $500,000 – $2,000,000+ | $200,000 – $1,000,000+ |
Please note that these cost estimates are approximate and can vary widely based on factors like the complexity of features, the size of the development team, geographical location, developer skill levels, project duration, and any additional services required (e.g., design, QA, ongoing maintenance).
What are the additional fixed costs of application development?
- Server expenses – Server expenses can vary significantly based on your application’s requirements. For small to medium-sized apps, shared hosting or cloud-based services like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure can cost between $100 to $500 per month. More extensive applications with high traffic and resource demands may require dedicated servers, which can range from $1000 to $5000+ per month or more.
- Application deployment charges – Deployment charges are typically platform-specific. For Android, there’s a one-time fee of $25 to set up a Google Play Developer account. For iOS, you’ll need to enroll in the Apple Developer Program, which costs $99 per year. If you choose to publish your app on both platforms, the combined cost would be $124 for the first year and $99 annually thereafter.
- Application maintenance and updates – The cost of maintenance and updates can vary widely based on the complexity of your app and the frequency of updates. On average, plan for around 15% to 20% of the initial development cost per year for ongoing maintenance. For example, if your app development cost was $30,000, the annual maintenance cost might range from $4,500 to $6,000.
- Third-Party API integrations – Third-party API integration costs depend on the number and complexity of APIs you’re using. Many APIs offer a limited free tier with pricing that increases as you exceed usage limits. Costs can range from a few dollars per month for light usage to hundreds or thousands of dollars per month for high-volume applications. For example, Google Map APIs might have a free tier with up to 2,500 requests per day, beyond which it could cost $0.50 to $2 per 1,000 additional requests.
Below is a table that will give a comprehensive analysis about how managing in-house expertise vs outsourcing your application development weighs in terms of different criteria. This will give you a complete overview which option to go with based on your requirement:
| Criteria | In-House Development | Outsourcing Development | Reason |
| Initial Setup Cost | High | Low | In-house setup requires infrastructure and hiring. Outsourcing leverages existing vendor resources. |
| Ongoing Development Costs | Medium | Low to Medium | In-house costs include salaries and benefits. Outsourcing provides cost predictability. |
| Talent and Expertise Availability | High | Dependent on service provider | In-house offers direct control over talent. Outsourcing relies on service provider’s expertise and the location they are based on. |
| Project Management Complexity | High | Lower | Outsourcing simplifies project management. In-house can be more complex. |
| Risk Management | Easier to Control | Shared with service provider | In-house provides more control over risk. Outsourcing shares risk with the service provider. |
| Quality Assurance and Testing | In-House | Service provider responsibility | In-house teams have direct control over QA. Outsourcing service providers handle QA. |
| Scalability | Limited | Easier to scale | Outsourcing offers scalability as needed. In-house may require hiring or layoffs. |
| Maintenance and Support | Managed by In-house | As provided by the service provider | In-house teams handle ongoing maintenance. Outsourcing includes post-development support. |
| Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) | High | Variable, depends on service provider | TCO for in-house is generally higher. Outsourcing costs vary by service provider. |
Please note that your specific situation and priorities will determine which criteria are most important for your organisation’s decision-making. You should assign weights to each criterion based on your priorities and use a scoring system to evaluate both options comprehensively.
How do application development companies determine the cost they charge you?
Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of the elements involved in building a Flutter application and the associated costs, a significant question emerges: Is the cost reasonable? To answer this question definitively, it’s essential to delve into the factors that application development companies take into account when determining the fees they charge for their services.
For more details, check out this article on how application development companies determine the cost they charge. This will allow you to explore the intricacies of how these companies arrive at their pricing decisions, providing valuable insights into the pricing mechanisms employed in the industry.
Still, feeling unsure about where you need to take your next step? Feel free to reach out to our team.
