A Step-by-Step Guide to Develop a Mobile Application in 2025

Businesses are taking their digital presence one step further by strengthening their mobile app. Mobile apps are not an option but a necessity in today’s time if you want to grow your business. It brings the world to your fingertips, benefiting both the user and the business.

To effectively grow a business through mobile applications, businesses need to develop apps that respond well and look visually appealing. App development appears complicated and expensive process. The required time and resources for building a mobile application depend on the application’s type and desired features, along with the development team’s capabilities.

Developing a mobile app is also a better move from an investing viewpoint. New entrepreneurs and small businesses often experience feelings of being overwhelmed when they start learning about the app development process.

You should learn about app development and understand its benefits for business growth, but remember that competitors may already be launching their own apps.

In this blog, we will provide you a rough sketch to understand mobile app types and how long does it takes to develop an application.

What is Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development is the process of building software applications that are designed to run on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. These apps can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as online shopping, food delivery, fitness tracking, social networking, banking, or learning new skills.

The process typically starts with an idea. Developers then plan how the app will work, what features it will include, and how users will interact with it. After that, they write the code, design the interface, and test the app to make sure it works properly. Once everything is ready, the app is launched on platforms like Google Play Store (for Android) or Apple App Store (for iOS).

The development process also involves the maintenance of the app even after it’s launched. This includes fixing bugs, adding new features, and continuing to update it to stay compatible with new operating system versions.

Why Does a Business Need a Mobile Application?

The Nokia 6110 introduced Snake as one of its initial mobile applications in 1997. PDAs demonstrated what advanced applications could be in the early 2000s by implementing basic functionalities such as calculators and calendars. With Apple’s App Store, which made apps widely available and fuelled its rapid growth of mobile technology, the true change occurred in 2008.

Mobile applications have become essential for all business sizes. It provides a competitive edge to your business. It offers convenience to users for accessing your products and services without visiting the site or physical store. By integrating advanced features such as push notifications, interactive templates, and an easy-to-use interface, businesses balance a stronger relationship with their audience.

The applications have the potential to increase brand visibility and open new revenue-generating streams through in-app purchases, ads, and subscriptions. Also, offers secure payment options that improve the shopping experience.

From an investment viewpoint, the mobile app market is expected to reach $585.70 billion by 2025, highlighting its growing significance. Investing in an app ensures long-term success and positions your brand for future growth.

Types of Mobile App Development

Before starting the development, you’ll need to understand the different types of mobile applications based on your needs and preferences. Let’s explore different types of apps that help you to understand app dynamics. We categorize them into 4 types:

• Native apps

Native apps are created for specific operating systems or platforms such as Android or iOS by using specific programming languages such as Swift, Kaggle, and Java. These applications offer smoother performance, high security, and full access to features like GPS and cameras.

The major withdraw it has is that it takes longer to develop and costs more due to developing separate versions for each platform.

Example

WhatsApp is one of the popular examples of Native apps, which is developed by using platform-specific languages such as Swift for iOS and Java for Android.

• Cross Platform App Development

Cross-platform app development allows developers to build a single app that works on both Android and iOS using one codebase. It saves time, reduces costs, and ensures a consistent user experience across platforms. This approach is ideal for startups and businesses with limited budgets.

Native vs. Cross-Platform App Development

• Hybrid App Development

Hybrid apps combine elements of web apps with native apps. They are built using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript but run inside a native shell. This allows hybrid apps to access platform-specific capabilities and app store distributions. It is quicker to develop and cost-effective.

The withdraw hybrid apps has that it rely on a web view, making them slower than native apps, especially for complex applications.

Example

Instagram has a hybrid strategy to provide a seamless user experience across different platforms. This ensures smooth speed, device-specific features, and an intuitive interface while enabling Instagram to benefit from shared backend components for efficiency.

• Web App

Web applications are similar to native apps but do not require installation from the Google Play Store or App Store. They run on the web browsers and are easy-to-update, do not take up storage space. Their responsive website adapts to the screen size. HTML, CSS, Ruby, JavaScript, and similar programming languages are used to create web apps.

The web app requires an undisturbed internet connection to run smoothly, and it does not access GPS and Cameras like native apps do.

Example

One of the prime examples is Google Docs (web version). It can operate on a browser, does not require installation. It is a highly convenient web app that offers users flexibility.

• PWA Development

Progressive web apps (PWAs) provide an app-like experience using a browser. They load quickly, work offline, and offer features like push notifications. Businesses use PWAs to reach a wider audience without forcing users to download an app. However, they have limited access to certain device functions compared to native apps.

The major drawback of PWAs is that they don’t have full access to some features like the Camera, GPS, or Bluetooth, unlike Native apps.

Example

One of the best examples of PWAs is Pinterest, created by using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It offers a user-friendly interface, offline capabilities, and a lightweight app-like experience on the browser.

Benefits of Mobile App Development

Creating a mobile app offers businesses a direct way to connect with customers, improve engagement, and boost brand visibility. It streamlines user experiences, supports faster communication, and opens new revenue channels. It is a smart investment for long-term growth.

• Better Customer Connection

A mobile app allows users to access your services quickly without needing to open a browser. This makes it easier for them to interact with your brand, make purchases, and stay engaged, which helps build a stronger customer relationship.

• Brand Visibility

When your app is on someone’s phone, your brand stays in their view every day. This constant presence builds brand recognition and helps your business become more memorable, making customers more likely to choose you over competitors when they need your services.

• Faster Communication

Mobile apps have features like push notifications that let you send instant push notifications to users about deals, updates, or important news. This keeps customers informed and engaged and helps you reach them directly without needing emails or ads that often go unnoticed or unread.

• More Sales Opportunities

Apps offer convenience to users as they allow them to browse and shop at any time. It robust the sales. Quick checkout, easy access to products, and personalized offers encourage users to buy more, boosting your revenue consistently.

• Easy Data Collection

Apps collect valuable user data like behavior, preferences, and location. This information helps you understand what customers want, allowing you to improve your products, target promotions better, and create a more personalized experience that leads to higher customer satisfaction.

• Improves Customer Loyalty

A well-designed app that runs smoothly encourages repeat usage. When customers have a positive experience, they are more likely to keep using the app, trust your brand, and recommend it to others. It leads to stronger loyalty and long-term relationships.

• Stays Ahead of Competitors

Having a mobile app gives you a competitive edge, especially if your competitors don’t have one or their apps lack quality. Even if they do, offering a better app experience can help you stand out and attract more users to your business.

• Saves Time for Everyone

Apps simplify tasks like booking, shopping, or making payments. They save users from filling out long forms or waiting in lines and save you time by automating workflows. Apps make everything faster, smoother, and more efficient for both sides.

When it comes to how long it takes to create an app, one needs to first understand the stages of the whole application development process. The app development process is divided into stages, and all of these stages take different time slots. From the beginning till the end, the entire app development process is interdependent and requires equal attendance.

• Stage 1: Planning and Strategy

Time Taken: 2-4 weeks

Every successful app starts with a strong plan. This is the first step, and it’s very important. In this stage, you plan everything about the app. You define your goals, target users, and the main features your app should have.

First, you ask yourself questions like:

1. What problem will the app solve?
2. Who will use it?
3. What features must it include?

You also study the market and your competitors. This research helps you see what others are doing and how your app can do better.

Next, you create a roadmap. This is a basic plan that shows what needs to be done and when. You may also build a rough outline of the app (also called a wireframe) to see how it might look. A good plan can save a lot of time later. It helps avoid confusion and makes the process smoother for everyone involved.

• Stage 2: Design

Time Taken: 2-3 weeks

Once the plan is ready, it’s time to design the app user interface. In this stage, designers work on how the app will look and feel. They create simple screens first, called mockups, and then turn them into detailed designs.

Designers focus on:

1. Easy navigation
2. Clean layout
3. Appealing colors and icons
4. Simple user experience (UX)

They also create the user interface (UI), which is what people see and touch on the screen.

During this stage, the team shares designs with you for feedback. It may take a few rounds of changes to get everything right. This step is important because if users don’t enjoy using the app, they will stop using it.
Good design can make the difference between a successful app and one that fails.

• Stage 3: Development

Time Taken: 2-6 months (or more, depending on app type)

Now comes the most time-consuming part, the development stage. This is when developers start writing the actual code that brings the app to life.

There are usually two types of developers working:

1. Front-end developers: They build what users see and interact with.
2. Back-end developers: They build what runs in the background (like databases, servers, and user accounts).

Both types of developers work together to create a fully functional app.

Step-by-Step Mobile App Development

During this stage, developers break down the app into small tasks. They build it screen by screen and feature by feature. For example, if your app needs a login page, a shopping cart, or a settings panel, they code each part one by one.

If your app needs to connect to the internet like for saving user data or fetching products, developers also handle that. They make sure the app can communicate with other servers safely and quickly.

Simple vs Complex Apps

The time it takes to build your app depends on how complex it is:

1. A simple app with basic features (like a to-do list or calculator) may take just 1 to 2 months.
2. A medium app (like a fitness tracker or chat app) might take 3 to 4 months.
3. A complex app (like a shopping app, ride-booking app, or game) could take 6 months or longer.

The more features your app has, the more time it takes to develop and test them.

Choosing the Right Platform As per Your Business Need

At this stage, you need to think about which devices your app will run on, either Android, iOS, or both. Depending on that, you’ll need to hire the right developers.

1. Android Platform App

Android apps are built using Java or Kotlin. Android developers create apps for smartphones and tablets that run on the Android operating system. If your users mostly use Samsung, OnePlus, or other Android phones, this is the right option.

2. iOS Platform App

iOS apps are made using Swift or Objective-C. iOS developers build apps for iPhones and iPads. If your target users are mostly Apple users, you’ll need an iOS expert.

3. Cross-Platform App

If you want your app to work on both Android and iOS, you don’t always need two separate developers. Instead, you can choose cross-platform development.

Cross-platform framework such as Flutter, React Native, and Xamarin allow one developer to write code once and use it on both platforms. This saves time and money. It’s great for small and medium apps.

However, for very complex apps (like 3D games or apps with lots of animations), building separately for iOS and Android may give better performance.

Cross-Platform App Example

Let’s say you want to build a food delivery app. You want it to work on both iPhones and Android phones. You can hire a cross-platform developer who uses Flutter. They will write one set of code. Then, your app will run on both platforms, saving time and cost.

But if you want advanced features like Apple Pay or use features only Android supports, you may still need native developers.

• Stage 4: Testing

Time Taken: 2-4 weeks

After development, it’s time to test the app. Testing checks if the app works the way it should. Testers look for bugs, crashes, and anything that may confuse or upset users.

They test everything, including:

1. Buttons and links
2. App speed
3. Login or signup
4. Payment system
5. How the app works on different devices

Testing helps catch mistakes early, so the users don’t face issues later. After testing, the developers fix the bugs and make the app smoother and faster.

Skipping testing can lead to poor reviews and bad user experience. That’s why this step is critical, even if it takes some time.

• Stage 5: Deployment

Time Taken: 1-2 weeks

When the app is ready to launch. In this stage, you submit the app to app stores like Google Play Store or Apple App Store. But it’s not just uploading a file. You need to follow store rules and provide details like:

1. App name
2. Description
3. Screenshots
4. Category
5. Privacy policy

The app stores review your app before it goes live. This process may take a few days or even a week. If the store finds any issues, you need to fix them and resubmit.

Once approved, the app becomes available for download. You can now share it with users and start getting feedback.

Some developers release a beta version first. This allows a small group of users to try the app and report problems before the full launch.

• Stage 6: Maintenance and Updates

Launching the app is not the end. It’s just the beginning of a new phase. After release, you must keep the app updated.

You may need to:

1. Fix bugs
2. Add new features
3. Improve performance
4. Support new phone models or software updates

User feedback plays a big role here. If users suggest useful features or report issues, you must respond quickly.

Some apps get updated every few weeks. Others may have monthly or quarterly updates. Maintenance helps the app stay useful and competitive. Ignoring this stage can cause users to leave and uninstall your app.

A Quick View of How Much It Costs to Develop an App

The total cost of building an app depends on many things. These include the type of app, features, design, platform, and who you hire to build it. There is no fixed price for every app, but we can look at a general range.

• Type of Apps Affects the Cost

The kind of app you want to build plays a big role in how much it will cost.

Basic App

These apps have simple features. No login, no real-time updates.

Average Cost: $5,000 – $15,000

Mid-Level App

These include user logins, real-time features, or payment options.

Average Cost: $20,000 – $50,000

Complex App

These apps need back-end servers, maps, payment gateways, and user accounts.

Average Cost: $60,000 – $150,000 or more

• Platform You Choose Matters

Are you building the app for Android, iOS, or both? Your choice affects the price.

1. Single-platform app (iOS or Android only): Cheaper because you only build once.
2. Cross-platform app (works on both): Costs more, but still cheaper than building two separate apps.
3. Two native apps (one for iOS and one for Android): Most expensive option.

Cross-platform tools like Flutter or React Native save money by allowing one codebase for both platforms.

• Who You Hire Impacts the Budget

Who you hire to build your app can change the budget a lot. Freelancers usually charge less, but they may take more time or need help with complex features. Agencies provide full teams and deliver faster, but they cost more. Hiring in-house developers gives more control, but it’s the most expensive option.

Also, the developer’s location matters, teams in North America charge much more than those in Asia or Eastern Europe. On average, hiring professionals for app development can cost between $30,000 and $150,000.

• Feature Complexity Increases the Cost

The features you choose for your app directly impact the cost. Basic features like login or user profiles are affordable, while complex ones like payment systems, real-time chat, or GPS tracking cost more. Each new feature adds extra development time and testing.

If you want advanced options like AI recommendations or video streaming, the price goes even higher. On average, features and functionalities may cost $5,000 to $60,000.

• Design and User Interface (UI/UX)

A clean and easy-to-use app keeps users happy. Investing in good design is important. Below is the average price range for design and user experience costs.

1. Basic design: $1,000 – $5,000.
2. Custom, high-end design: $5,000 – $15,000

Better design means more time for UI/UX experts. It makes the app look and feel professional.

• App Maintenance and Updates

Once your app is live, your work isn’t done. You’ll need to fix bugs, add new features, and update for new devices. It keeps users hooked to your app and enhances user experience. Take a look at the average cost of maintenance.

Yearly maintenance cost: 15% to 20% of the total app cost. (For example, if your app costs $50,000 to build, expect to spend $7,500 – $10,000 per year.)

App stores also update rules. You’ll need to keep your app up to date to avoid removal.

• Other Hidden Costs to Consider

There are extra costs that people often forget:

1. App Store Fees:

1. 1. Apple App Store: $99/year.
   2. Google Play Store: $25 (one-time)
2. Hosting and Server Costs: $20 – $300/month (for apps that store data online)
3. Third-party tools: payment services, map APIs, or analytics tools might charge monthly or per use.

Conclusion

Building a mobile app is no longer a tough task. It’s a core business strategy for any brand to grow. Whether you’re a startup or an established brand, an app helps you connect with users, drive sales, and stay ahead of competitors. By understanding different app types and the development timeline, businesses can plan wisely and avoid common roadblocks. While the process may seem long, investing in the right planning, team, and technology ensures lasting success.