How much do apps cost ?

People have this funny notion about making apps under 5k and they think they could possibly make $$$ from it over the years. 

My biggest analogy to this question is almost like building a house. So how much should a house cost ? Then suddenly you start thinking about location, area, structure and the number of storeys. Sounds similar ?

Making apps is nothing like designing your blog or your personal company website. It takes a lot of planning, design, UI/UX, User journey to scalable programming. 

This is my Mantra - 

• For simple apps, typical budget should be around $5k (these would include 5-10 screens with simple calculations and no server interactions)
• For moderate apps, typical budget should be around $10-25k where you would be handling some server side scripting, single relational database, clear logics and simple UI. 
• For Complex apps, budget should be minimum $50k and above where the team should be engaged with flow diagrams, prototypes to detailed functional specifications documents. You must ensure that a dedicated team is supporting you for post production and genuinely keep 3-5 app updates in mind before launching the first version. 

With the apps industry growing with the penetration of smart devices all around us, we must also ensure that your app have a specific use to a minority audience. If you are not able to please them, most likely the app will not be popular. There are numerous examples where an app has failed even with millions of downloads. 

At the end of the day, give some genuine thought to the idea in mind, research for similar ideas on the app store and the web. Validate the idea with friends and a mentor. Make a plan to execute. Give your 100% to the idea to make it a reality.