Are you interested in app development but hesitant due to costs? While app development does involve various expenses, the costs are not as high when you start developing an app on your own.
Are you interested in app development but hesitant due to costs?
Indeed, app development does involve various expenses.
However, when you start developing an app on your own, the costs are not as high as you might think.
In fact, with some creativity, you can significantly reduce costs.
In this article, we will explain the costs of personal app development in detail, with specific figures.
We will clarify the costs associated with setting up the development environment, learning expenses, and app publishing, and support you in starting app development without breaking the bank.
To take the first step into app development, let’s first look at the cost aspects!
The first cost you’ll need when starting app development is hardware.
You’ll primarily need to purchase a development computer (PC or Mac) and mobile devices.
If you’re developing an app for iOS, you’ll need a Mac to build it locally on your machine. However, there are services that offer cloud-based builds, so it’s possible to use a PC as well.
It’s important to choose a development computer that has suitable performance for app development, so you should select a machine with good specifications. The typical price range for a development machine is between 100,000 to 300,000 yen, but opting for a more powerful machine can improve development efficiency and provide long-term cost benefits.
At our company, we use the MacBook Pro for app development. Many companies seem to choose the MacBook Pro as their development device.
For mobile devices, you’ll need to provide iPhones for iOS or Android devices for Android, depending on the platform you’re targeting. Ideally, you’d have several different models for testing, but it’s more realistic to start with just one of each. You can also reduce the number of physical devices by using emulators.
At our company, we have more than 10 devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, for testing. However, it’s not realistic to have every model, and emulators are often sufficient. There are also many services where you can test on real devices in the cloud. Additionally, by asking friends or followers on social media to help with real device testing, you can test on various types of devices. With a little creativity, you can keep costs down.
When starting app development, you’ll also need to consider software costs for setting up the development environment.
Fortunately, for individual developers, software costs are not as significant as hardware costs. In fact, there are many excellent tools available at no cost or at a low price.
A representative example is “Visual Studio Code,” the open-source code editor provided by Microsoft. Visual Studio Code supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it works with a wide range of languages and frameworks. It offers essential features for app development, such as IntelliSense, debugging tools, and Git integration. By adding extensions, you can further enhance its capabilities.
The greatest appeal of Visual Studio Code is its ease of use and the fact that it’s free. It’s lightweight and fast, with an interface that’s easy for beginners to handle. Additionally, it provides extensive documentation and tutorials, making it easy for new users to learn.
For the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) or SDK (Software Development Kit) required for app development, many of these are available for free or at a low cost. Xcode, which is necessary for iOS app development, is available for free on the Mac App Store, and Android Studio, used for Android app development, is also free. Cross-platform development frameworks like Flutter and React Native are also free and open-source software.
Of course, using paid software may offer more advanced features or support, but for individual developers, taking advantage of free or low-cost software can significantly reduce costs. By making smart software choices, you can keep your app development costs under 10,000 yen.
There are many free design tools available. A representative example is Figma, which is free and provides almost all of its features for individual users. The free version is more than sufficient for personal use.
There are many free icons available. Here are some common materials used in app development, many of which are free:
Additionally, AI-based icon and image generation services allow you to create assets for free or at a low cost.
Of course, be sure to pay attention to copyright issues.
Thank you for your inquiry. We will get back to you shortly.
Feel free to contact us.