What decides the cost of a mobile app in Nigeria?

Features drive the price more than screens

An app that shows information is a small job. An app with accounts, payments, chat, maps or offline use is a large one, because each of those needs a server behind it, testing on real phones and protection against misuse.

Android, iPhone or both

Most Nigerian customers use Android, so some businesses launch there first. Building for both at once with a shared codebase costs less than building two separate apps, but it is still more work than one platform. Decide by asking which phones your paying customers carry.

Settle these before you ask for a quote

• What are the three things a user must be able to do on day one? Everything else can wait for a later version.
• Will the app take payments, and through which provider?
• Does it need an admin dashboard so your staff can manage users, orders or content?
• What does it connect to: your website, accounting system, SMS or email?
• Who owns the code, the app store accounts and the servers at the end?

Costs that continue after launch

An app is not finished when it reaches the store. Apple and Google charge for developer accounts, servers are billed monthly, and both phone systems change every year, so an app that is never updated eventually stops working. Ask every agency what maintenance costs and what it covers.

Do you need an app at all?

If customers will use it once or twice, a well-built website that works on a phone is cheaper and needs no download. An app earns its cost when people return to it often, need it without a connection, or need the phone's camera, location or notifications.