A guide on Xamarin App development cost

Building Apps Natively

The Xamarin development environment has emerged as a powerful cross-platform development tool that eliminates the hassle and challenges inherent in native development. Microsoft-owned company, Xamarin utilizes a C# codebase to allow code sharing across platforms and testing across whatever platforms you choose to develop for (Android, iOS, watchOS, macOS, Tizen and Windows).

While native applications are specifically designed to take advantage of hardware requirements, APIs, and other platform-centric optimizations, this method of mobile app development isn’t the only option.

Xamarin App Development Cost

Like any other type of software, there is no exact price or cost for developing Xamarin apps. Depending upon the features and functions, it can vary a lot. The cost of app development can really take a 360-degree turn based on the features.

However, Xamarin app development costs an average of 35,000€.

• A basic Xamarin app costs 20,000€ – 30,000€.
• An intermediate, multi-featured Xamarin app costs 30,000€ – 45,000€.
• A complex high-scope Xamarin app costs between 45,000€ – 65,000€.
• Advanced business Xamarin app development costs 65,000€+ depending on the use case and project requirements.

If these prices are too much for you, you can work on reducing the cost of app development through various techniques. It requires in-depth understanding, expertise, and perseverance to reach a point.

Factors Affecting The Cost Of Xamarin App Development

App Features

Normally, the number of features also affects the following factors: app scope, development hours, human resource effort, necessary tools and technologies, and the size of MVP. Therefore, the more features you want for the application, the higher its cost can be.

Tools and Technologies

Xamarin allow developers to make the most of their .NET skills and save valuable time and money. It is way more cost-efficient than native technologies. You don’t need separate app wireframes for different screen sizes. Rather you can make them responsive to various screen sizes. It’s a tried and tested approach that we’ve had significant success with developing commercial and public sector cross-platform apps.

Human Resources

Xamarin software company was founded in May 2011.  It’s started as a commercial project until Microsoft acquired it in 2016, open-sourcing the platform’s SDK and integrating it into Microsoft’s .NET platform. As of 2017, more than 1.4 million software engineers use Xamarin app development tools. The most popular feature is that Xamarin allows sharing more than 90% of code across major platforms, which leads to faster mobile application development.

Additional Costs

1. Third-party Integrations

A third-party can be a tool or API that provide external features. Digital payment gateways, auto-filling forms, biometric verification, and 2-factor authentication. Most of these integrations follow a subscription or pay-as-you-go model. So, the cost depends on your use frequency. Eventually, you’ll have to pay a higher cost when your target audience grows.

2. Post-launch Maintenance and Updates

Most of mobile development companies will provide a limited time of free maintenance services. About 2-3 months after launching the application, you will need to hire someone to provide dedicated maintenance services.

These services cost around 15-25% of the overall development budget, and you’ll have to set aside a potential cash flow for this.

Why Do Businesses Choose Xamarin App Development?

UPGRID’s business analysts consider Xamarin the ideal option for startups to enterprise-grade organizations. There a lot of popular mobile apps that have adopted Xamarin such as: UPS, Outback Steakhouse, Insightly, Evolve, Alaska Airlines, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft News.

Here are 5 more advantages to choosing Xamarin app development.

1. Free And Open Source

Xamarin is now part of Microsoft. While it is open for everyone globally to use for any screen and app of their choice, it is also free. Most importantly, you don’t need two different teams to create apps for your overall target audience. Just one team highly experienced in Xamarin will do good.

2. Full Access to Native Capabilities

Xamarin delivers the full power of each individual platform without any constraints. With full access to native APIs you can create native apps with device-specific experiences. Anything you can do in Objective-C, Swift or Java, you can also do in C# with Xamarin.

3. Development Time

So, with this one obvious advantage of being cross-platform, Xamarin boosts development speed. As a business, if you want to quickly launch an app, Xamarin makes it possible to develop and publish one within 2-3 months.

4. NET MAUI

.NET Multi-platform APP UI (.NET MAUI) is a evolution of Xamarin.Forms that expands capabilities beyond mobile Android and iOS into desktop apps for Windows and macOS. Now, we can build apps that perform great for any device that runs Windows, macOS, Android, & iOS from a single codebase. Coupled with Visual Studio productivity tools and emulators, .NET and Visual Studio significantly speed up the development process for building apps that target the widest possible set of devices.

5. Test Quickly, Anywhere

Xamarin Test Cloud allows you to automatically test your iOS and Android apps immediately, on hundreds of devices, offering continuous integration, beautiful reports, test for fragmentation, and object-based UI testing.

How To Optimize Xamarin App Development Budget

Here are two ways to manage the Xamarin app development cost:

Hiring Models

1. In-House Team

This option will give you more control and flexibility with your Xamarin project, but the definite con here is the HR costs. You need to recruit technical professionals and pay them full-time wages with benefits.

So, unless you are an established organization with cashflows dedicated to hiring full teams and meeting recruitment costs, reconsider this choice.

2. Outsourcing

This is the second option and the most common one that most startups, as well as mid-sized businesses, typically follow. You get to hire a Xamarin app development company after ensuring they have these 5 resources in their teams:

• UI and UX designer
• Xamarin developer
• Project manager
• Testing and QA professional
• Business analyst

These companies usually start with understanding your project requirements. Then they align a business analyst and project manager for coordination and updates about the progress of your Xamarin project.

Also, companies that work on outsourced projects will tell you a fixed price for the entire project or charge according to the number of hours you wish them to dedicate to your app.

3. Staff Augmentation

This hiring model more or less works like a subscription model for your app development team. You choose to work with specific Xamarin teams and pay them hourly charges.

This model gives you the highest level of flexibility and control while allowing you to manage your costs according to your development stages and milestones.

Hiring Locations

If you pick outsourcing or staff augmentation work arrangements, you can further reduce your Xamarin app development costs by researching the development rates in different locations.

That’s because tech talent and IT resources charge differently because of their local tax requirements and currency conversions.

For reference, Xamarin developers in the UK and other parts of Europe typically have high hourly rates as compared to developers in the Middle East or North America.

Wrapping Up…

Xamarin app development facilitates modern entrepreneurs like you to create code once, test, and deploy on as many platforms as you wish – significantly reducing the time and development effort.

This will help you launch right when your target audience needs your digital solution opening endless growth opportunities for your mobile product.

And as you begin with the venture, finding cost estimates is definitely a smart move. And if you are still here with us, know that UPGRID is your route to ready.