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How much time does it take to develop an app?

It highly depends on what you need. I would recommend first of all clarifying your requirements and the after all-purpose of your app. As well as which app development methodology you want to work with.

By Sam JonesPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Facebook has been built for over 17 years. A leading eCommerce platform Shopify has been built for 17 years too. Uber has been built for over 11 years. Note that all of these apps are still in the development process. Product owners enhance those products, fix the bugs, do a redesign, add new features to keep up with their target audience’s needs and desires.

So the app development process can take ages.

But I guess you’re not here to get this answer.

You probably have an idea and you want to test your hypothesis as soon as possible by building a prototype, an MVP, or a full-featured app.

I have all the answers for you then! Let’s see how long it takes to build different types of apps, on average.

Building a prototype

This is the first and one of the most important stages of product development. Although some young and hungry entrepreneurs neglect this stage and tend to skip it, I really would not recommend doing that. But first, let’s clear up what a prototype actually is.

A prototype is an early model that visually represents an app, demonstrates design and logic. Unlike MVP or a fully-fledged app, a prototype is NOT functional, meaning, you can only see the design, but you cannot test functionality.

Prototypes can vary in form and complexity. The most simple ones can be created on a tissue, and more complex can be designed as high-fidelity wireframes using special design tools.

Time: up to one month.

Building an MVP

MVP, or minimum viable product, usually comes after a prototype is created. This type of product is functional, so users can download an app from AppStore or GooglePlay and actually explore the features.

An MVP does not equal a final product. It’s the first testable version based on a startup owner’s predictions, ideas, and hypotheses. It really gives an invaluable chance to better understand the target audience, the market, and whether there is a product-market fit.

Time: up to six months.

Building a full-featured app

This is the stage where you can actually let all your desires go! While an MVP included only the most necessary killing features, when developing a full-featured app, you can add some “fat” to your lean product.

To do that, you can create exquisite designs, add new features that are not essential, but still, they will make your app more convenient to use for your customers.

Working on a full-featured app does not mean you should stop doing what you’ve been doing with an MVP. You should still talk to customers to get their feedback, create and test new hypotheses.

Time: 12 months +.

As you can see, the development time varies. Everything actually depends on the development stage, the type of product, your allocated resources, and the number of features to be implemented.

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  • Abdulabout a year ago

    The average time to develop an app with Discovery, Design & Development, and Pre-launch stages is around 7 - 12 months. There's always a way to speed up the process. Looking to hire mobile app developers in Dubai? Visit Now: https://www.applify.co/ae/mobile-app-development-company-dubai

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