The Cost Of Flutter App Development In 2022: Full Detailed Guide

Businesses hunt for technology that would enable them to save money without compromising the quality as cross-platform development overtakes native development in popularity. The top-notch technology Flutter is ideal for quick and inexpensive development.

What is Flutter?

Google's cross-platform development framework, Flutter, makes use of the Dart programming language. Flutter enables programmers to create apps for Linux, Windows, and macOS in addition to Android and iOS. Currently, Flutter is the cross-platform technology that is expanding the fastest, and every day more developers become proficient in it. Developers have a short learning curve because of the documentation and community of Flutter, which has sped up the technology's global acceptance in many IT firms. Why did you decide on Flutter for your project? Here are a few excellent causes:

• Cross-Platform Programming - Of course, this is the main justification for picking Flutter for your project. Flutter is the most global framework in the world since it works with up to six different systems.

• Great Performance - Flutter is extremely different from other cross-platform technologies like React Native since its performance is on par with that of native mobile technologies.

• Reusable, customizable widgets - Developers may reuse and customize components by using widgets in various areas of the program. The development process is greatly sped up as a result.

• Beautiful UI and smooth UX - Smooth UX and lovely UI. Building Flutter apps follows UI/UX concepts that are quite similar to those of native applications.

• Growing community - Expanding community The programming language and framework's adoption and learning are greatly influenced by the community, which also contributes to the expansion of Flutter's potential. Flutter becomes more and more appropriate for complicated applications as developers offer new solutions that the community may use.

• Google support - Google aims to use Flutter as its main technology after investing in it. Outstanding documentation and prompt issue response are the hallmarks of Google support.

• Hot reload - A technology called hot reload enables developers and quality assurance professionals to create and test apps more quickly while also saving clients money. Without having to wait for an app to reload, hot reload enables developers to view the changes they made to the code right away.

• The Dart language - Developers can create excellent architectures thanks to the clear syntax of the computer language Dart, which is utilized in Flutter. Dart is simple to learn for programmers who have expertise with C# development, TypeScript, and Java. It enhances cooperation among developers who benefit from shared standards. Dart is simple to test and maintain.

Overall, Flutter is a very adaptable, cross-platform development tool that enables programmers to create stunning, high-performing apps for both iOS and Android from a single code base. When ought you to pick Flutter? Though Flutter is constantly expanding, it is ideal for small and medium-sized applications that don't need intricate technological integrations. It will eventually be just as strong as native technology, in my opinion, and Google obviously has this in mind.

Flutter has any flaws, do they exist? There are limitations to everything in the world, even Flutter. Let's discuss these as well.

• The best way to create apps for WearOS and Android TV is not to use Flutter. Although it is feasible to create a Flutter app for WearOS or Android TV, the technological limitations may cause problems throughout the development process and extra expenses. Many of Flutter's capabilities aren't supported by these two platforms.

• The limited number of libraries - Flutter features fewer libraries for various functionalities than competing cross-platform frameworks like Xamarin or React Native. This makes it challenging to create some specialized features, but as the community expands, Flutter provides developers with an increasing number of libraries.

• Weaker iOS support - Flutter does not support all of the iOS features like VoiceOver, Guided Access, Captioning, and Audio Description because it is developed by Google. This, too, might soon alter.

Because Flutter is a cross-platform solution, most businesses choose for it. But precisely how much money can you save by using Flutter to create your app? Let's talk about the typical price of Flutter application development services and contrast it with those of other platforms. But first, let's talk about the variables that will affect the price of developing Flutter apps in 2022.

What Influences the Cost of Development of the Flutter App?

The price of building an application with Flutter depends on a variety of factors, just like it does with any other technology. Review them now.

Application Size And Complexity

The length of time it takes to create, test, and publish an app increases with its size. Depending on the quantity and complexity of their features, all applications are divided into three categories: "low," "mid," and "high." Complex applications take more preparatory time and effort in addition to additional development time.

Additionally, developers should spend more effort on feature development and architecture. Login features don't need much effort, but adding video conferencing or conversations to your Flutter app will cost money. Even more, time is needed for features related to machine learning and augmented reality.

App Design

Application design is another factor that can significantly influence the final cost to develop a Flutter app. Usually, it doesn’t take too long to develop a basic design for an application, however, the basic design doesn’t cut it in most cases. Businesses try to make their applications look unique to be different from competitors, and also have some engaging elements so their users spend more time in the app. 

App design can take up to 20% of the whole development budget if it’s complex and has animations and interactive elements. These elements are especially important for fitness, wellness, sleep, e-learning, and gaming applications.

Testing and Maintenance

Even once your application is published, you still need to invest in it. All you need to continually worry about is regular testing, security checks, operating system upgrades, library updates, patches, and new versions of programming languages. Before construction even begins, consider these costs and adjust your budget appropriately. Without adequate upkeep, all of your original efforts will be wasted since unsupported and underutilised applications gradually lose their usefulness and user base. Typical annual maintenance expenses range from 15% to 45% of the app's initial budget, depending on the size of your application and how frequently you update it and add new features.

Developer’s Location

The location of your development team, combined with the Flutter app's size and functionality, is by far the biggest determinant of price. The cost of developing a Flutter app might vary significantly, by up to 5x, depending on the developers' locations. When compared to western European nations, the UK, and the US, eastern European nations like Ukraine often charge less for Flutter development while providing the same or even better code quality.

Ukrainian Flutter developers make $30–65 per hour on average, depending on their level of experience. In the US, Flutter developers typically charge between $75 and $120 per hour. As you can see, there is a significant difference. You'll receive two entirely different budgets if you multiply it by the amount of hours it will take to accomplish your job. Let’s look at the average hourly rates of developers in different countries and regions.

RegionAverage hourly rate (in US dollars)The USA and North America$75 – $120Western Europe$70 – $90Eastern Europe, Ukraine$30 – $65India$20 – $40

Additional Costs

Remember the extra expenses when calculating the cost of producing an app. They consist of:

• Releasing an app to the app markets - Both the App Store and Google Play charge for the developer accounts you need to publish an application. Additionally, because of the rules and specifications of app stores, it takes longer for developers to prepare the application for publishing.

• App safety - The process of making an application safe requires its own time and resources, such as security tools for encryption.

• Servers and hosting - Servers are needed by your backend for data processing and storage. You will either need to buy a physical server and manage it yourself, depending on your plan, or you will need to pay on a recurring basis for a BaaS (backend-as-a-service) solution. You may incur additional costs for data requests, storage management, and data transfers in addition to storage rates.

• Third-party services - Libraries, payment gateways, and other third-party services like maps are frequently compensated. For instance, PayPal costs you per transaction, and Google Maps charges you based on the quantity of queries made by your users. Software licencing is one of the main extra expenditures connected to developing mobile apps, and it may consume a sizable portion of budget. I advise you to speak with your vendor to determine how much you should increase your spending.

It is nearly hard to estimate the cost of a Flutter application without first having knowledge of all the aspects that affect the cost. However, I'll make an effort to provide you some figures based on the typical app size and amount of development hours.

How Much Does Flutter App Development Cost?

Let's discuss the typical application sizes and the potential development costs for each size of application, from tiny to huge. An average small application takes two months to create. This also holds true for MVPs that you want to develop after the first release. It will be sufficient to test your idea on the market and choose the next steps even if such an application will only have basic functions and design

It takes 3 to 4 months to construct a medium-sized app. The number of hours and cost of a project won't change even if you employ more developers to speed up the development process. The length of time it takes to construct a major application might range from 4 to 6 months, or even longer, depending on the number and complexity of the functionalities. The amount of time needed to build an application also depends on how well it was planned out and how quickly choices are made. Suppose you hired a Ukrainian development team at a rate of $35 per hour. You would incur the following expenses:

Project size      Development hoursCostSmall 320$11,200Medium 480 – 640$16,800 – $22,400Large 640 – 960$22,400 – $33,600

Take note that only developer labour is included in these calculations. You must take into account every aspect I just discussed, and you must also keep in mind that you must include the work of other experts. A project manager will be able to provide you a complete cost breakdown following the discovery phase of your project's planning. A typical Flutter development team consists of: 

• Flutter developer

• Quality assurance specialist

• Project manager

• Business analyst

• UI/UX designer

• … and other specialists like that will work on your project. 

Here is the Average Cost of Flutter App Depending on its Type:

• With all extra fees, a straightforward programme with fundamental functionality, such a fitness app without a complicated design, will cost between $25,000 and $35,000.

• Costs range from $37,000 to $49,000 for a mid-sized application with more complicated capabilities like phone calls.

• You could expect to pay $35,000 to $60,000 or more for a sizable programme with complicated functionality, such as a social networking app.

Compare these costs to developing a native app: since you'll need to create two distinct apps for each platform, you can simply double the previous figures by 1.75 to make your native app accessible on both Android and iOS. Though it doesn't currently have all the features of native technologies, flutter app development is substantially more cost-effective than native development, and this will soon change due to the technology's rapid growth and community contributions.