How to Easily Estimate Software Development Cost – 2022

When it comes to developing software the primary question is about the cost of the software development. The fact is that the cost of the software cannot be determined off-handedly. There is a need to contemplate many factors to arrive at least at the approximate cost of software development. 

A software development company will be able to assist you better when it comes to determining the estimated cost of software development. 

If you are a newly incorporated company or a person with the idea to start a business. You need to know the average cost of development to plan a financial budget. A software development company that has a good experience in the field will be able to help you out with this.

Software development doesn’t revolve around just one factor. A lot of factors come into play, and these factors have a credible hand in determining the cost of the development of the software. Technology and the number of professionals required to build the software determine the price or cost of the software. If it only requires feeble hours of investment, the prices will be quoted low. 

But if it is a very manpower and technology-intensive project, then the prices will increase accordingly. Professional estimation of the costs will help you avoid conflicts and contentions at a later date with the software development company. 

Perfect software price estimation only happens in a utopian world. When we evaluate the variable factors, even in a given time, the estimation will also be never static. 

Keeping this in mind, let us take a look at the different price driving factors that can assess the value of the software development:

1. Platform

The platform on which you plan to launch the product will have a good effect on the costs of developing the software. The software can be launched through the web, Android or iOS platforms. A cross-platform launch can definitely affect the prices to go up indefinitely. A cross-platform application can be launched and used on all the platforms with the same coding, but it requires an expert team to have to do this without wastage of time. For a newbie to a business or startup, it will be ideal to stick to one platform and cater to those users, and after the successful placement, you can slowly move onto other platforms as well. 

2. Size

The size of the software will definitely have an influence on the software development pricing estimation. The date of completion will also have a direct impact on the deliverance of the project. The software projects are divided into different sizes-small, medium, large and enterprise. Small software projects will involve minor changes and bug fixes. 

Medium-sized projects will be inclusive of minor tweaks and changes but will also include giving solutions and integrations. It is inclusive of weekly check-ins by the client. Large-size software development is the total systems integration, databases, security logging features, maintainability and scalability of the software while creating multi-party applications. 

In such cases, the client will be constantly following up with the development team. Enterprise software development is a dozen times larger than the making of a large software project. The client and IT team become one unit as it requires to cater for the complete creation of the software.

3. Development Team

In a software development team, the main participants will be the project manager, developer and QA tester. The size and intensity of the project will determine the amount of professional expertise required. Larger projects require a dedicated software development team member assigned to each of the assigned roles.

4. Complexity

The complexity of the project will initiate more challenges to develop, test and deploy. The complexity can be divided into three heads; feature, tech and design complexities. Feature complexity revolves around the unique features needed, tech complexity means the advanced technology to be incorporated, and design complexity will mean the personalised or custom elements that are required in software development. 

5. UI\UX solutions

The user experience is much higher than the outlook of the software developed. The design should be in such a way that the needs of the target audience are met. A highly UI or UX-intensive project will require advanced technology as well as a well-experienced and complex UI\UX designer for the process.

6. Hiring Source

You can depend upon different sources for your software development. Freelancers, In-house and outsourcing are three main ways you can get build your software. Freelance developers are relatively low-cost, but quality assurance and timely delivery can be an issue. In-house developers are extreme when it comes to immediate resolving of bug fixes, but it can be expensive in the long run. Outsourcing your software development will help you get a top-notch product with less monetary investment when outsourced to India and Mexico because they are developing countries.

Hiring a good software development company can help with a reliable software development cost approximation. Keep in these factors so that you have a better and clear-cut idea of the main cost drivers of software development.