What comes to your mind first when you think of instant messaging apps? Certainly, it has to be WhatsApp, does it not? Yes, WhatsApp is one of the popular social media apps that has cemented its place in the digital world. Well, the popularity of WhatsApp has encouraged entrepreneurs to invest in Whatsapp-like web development to enter the digital space. If you are thinking of building an app like WhatsApp, certainly you want to get an idea of how much it would cost.
So, before you plan to build an app like WhatsApp, this blog would help you understand the costs incurred for messaging app development.

To know the social media mobile app development cost, you need to understand the different aspects that would decide the cost of creating such an app. So, let us understand these aspects in detail to help you evaluate the cost to build an app like WhatsApp

Why WhatsApp Has Gained So Much Popularity?

The main objective behind the social media app development venture to create WhatsApp was to simplify communication and offer a platform that is cost-effective and faster to facilitate flawless user interaction.
The main aim of WhatsApp was to help users exchange messages instantly using an internet connection.
What Does WhatsApp Messaging App Offer To Its Users?
WhatsApp helps its users :

Send photos
Send Instant Chats
Share Live locations
Send Contact Cards
Send Audio & Video Messages
The above features in WhatsApp make it so popular along with its accessibility on multiple OS.

Things To Consider While Building A Chat Application

You may be excited to build and launch your chat app soon, but to make mobile messaging app development a successful venture, you need to consider multiple aspects else you would end up in a mess.
So, before you start working on an app development project, make sure you consider some crucial aspects like :
Create a sketch of a basic app idea or MVP to evaluate how feasible would be your idea.
Spend enough time to finalize whether you want your in-house team to work on your app idea or you want to outsource it to an overseas mobile app development agency.

It is important to have expert designers, developers, UX/Ui designers, QA experts, and project managers work on your project
Well, messaging app development costs are higher if you want advanced features to be integrated whereas apps with basic features would cost less.

Vital Steps To Consider For Messaging App Development
Certainly, social messaging apps such as WhatsApp are robust platforms that not only facilitate flawless communication but also help businesses send out promotional videos, engage in video chatting, share files, etc. So, if you have decided to build an app like WhatsApp, you need to follow a structured process for app development. It will also help you determine a lot of factors that would affect the overall cost of your chat app.
Let us learn about the steps that help you create a successful chatting app similar to WhatsApp.

1. Focus on App Structure
Planning everything properly results in creating a successful app. Before you start making the clone of WhatsApp, make sure you know the details of the app which makes it so powerful.
At this phase of app development collect the necessary details on
The technology stacks that will be used by your mobile app development agency

How they will manage traffic
How to upgrade your app for new features etc
The app development agency would help you know about the technologies they will select to develop the backend of your app. They will take care of the entire development process to deliver desired results for your business.

2. Select the relevant Monetizing Model
Building an app without monetization will make no sense. Certainly, you want your app to generate revenue for you. For this, you need to know the aspects to be considered to choose the perfect monetizing model for your chat app. Here are some of those aspects :
Determine your target audience
Understand your competitors
The unique app idea to drive more customers to the app
Selecting The Perfect Monetization Model
In-App Advertising

You can display ads on your app to make money but make sure it is not overloaded on your app as it may annoy the users
In-App Purchase
Let users purchase some in-app features like stickers etc to enhance messaging experience.
P2P Payments

WhatsApp has integrated this model to generate money. It helps users to send and receive payments to each other. The users are charged some fee for every transaction they perform.

3. Essential Features & functionalities for your WhatsApp App
It is one of the vital aspects that can affect the app development cost. Yes, that’s features & functionality.
Some features may increase your budget but at the same time, they would contribute to the success of your app. Some of the features to consider are given below :

Registration Page
Messaging
Importing Contacts
Sharing media files
Typing Indicator
Audio Call
Push Notifications
Video Call
In-App Camera

The above-mentioned features are a set of basic features. But if you want your app to stand out in the crowd, you need to integrate some advanced features that are recommended that may add to the cost of app development but give you an edge over your competitors.

Advanced Features to be included in your Chat App

Scheduled messages
Encrypted communications
Group Chat -Audio, Text, or Video
Sharing live location
Emojis, Gifs, and Stickers
Messages get deleted automatically after a specific period

4. Hire Mobile App Development Crew
To build a messaging app like WhatsApp you can either,
Get the app developed by an in-house development team
Hire social networking app development firm
When you invest in professional mobile app development solutions, you will have the following team working on your project:

Business Analyst
Project Manager
Software developers
UX/UI Designer
App Tester
Marketing

What Would Be The Cost Incurred To Build A Messaging App Like WhatsApp?

It can be a cumbersome task to calculate the cost of building your chat app as it depends on multiple factors like :
App features and functionalities
Location of the mobile app development firm
Rate of the developers
App design
Platforms selected to launch the app (iOS & Android)

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, messaging apps are gaining popularity and have become an integral part of our lives. Social messaging apps like WhatsApp make our life easier. It helps businesses promote their brand, share files, images, etc

If you are willing to invest in building a clone of WhatsApp, X-Byte Enterprise Solutions, a trusted mobile app development services provider in the USA can help turn your app idea into a scalable social media app like WhatsApp. Our team of dedicated app developers would help you all through the development process and offer post-launch maintenance services for your app. Connect with us today to discuss your app idea and get a free quote to know the app project cost from us.

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