How Long Does It Take to Build an App?

OK, you've got that brilliant idea for an app that could make someone's day a little easier, and you've been dreaming of bringing your concept to life. But then comes the big question-the one that often stumps aspiring creators: How long does it take to create an app?

Honestly, it's a bit like asking how long it takes to build a house. A simple cabin in the woods is a different project than a sprawling mansion with a home cinema and an Olympic-sized pool. The same principle applies to app development. The journey from idea to launch can be short and sweet, or it can be a more extended adventure.

This post will break down everything: the critical factors, sample timelines, and ways to potentially speed up the process. Read on to learn what your journey will look like.

How Long Does It Take to Develop an App [Brief Overview]

Broadly speaking, you could be looking at anywhere from 2-3 months for a very simple application to 9-12 months or even several years for a complex and feature-rich platform. For example, a basic calculator app might take a few weeks, but a sophisticated social networking app with live streaming and AI recommendations could exceed a year of development.

The development timeline is not a fixed science, which is why many creators start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test their ideas first. MVP is a version of your app with just enough features to be usable by early customers, who can then provide feedback for future product development. This approach is perfect for having full control over the initial mobile development timeline and getting valuable feedback for learning and iteration.

To get a clearer picture of  how long your app will take to develop, let's break down the details.

What Factors Influence the Mobile App Development Timeline?

Several key elements play a role in your final development timeline. If you know all these factors, you'll be able to estimate your timelines with more accuracy and answer the question: how hard is it to build an app? The more complex these factors are, the harder and longer the process is.

Complexity of the App

The nature of your app is a primary driver of its development timeline. There are simple apps, often single-purpose applications with basic functionalities (a unit converter, a note-taking app without cloud sync, or a simple quiz game). Development time would typically be 1-3 months.

Medium complexity apps have more features, such as user accounts, social media integration, API integrations (like payment gateways or mapping services), and perhaps a more customized UI/UX. It could be a basic e-commerce app, a fitness tracker, or a local business directory. Development time usually ranges from 3-9 months.

Then, there are complex apps, which require:

• robust backend infrastructure;
• intricate databases;
• real-time synchronization;
• advanced security measures;
• custom animations;
• innovative technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) or extensive AI.

Such large-scale e-commerce platforms as Amazon, social media giants like Instagram, or enterprise-level software solutions are good examples. Development time for these takes from 9 months to several years.

The answer to "how long does it take to develop an application" really depends on what your app needs to do. Timelines can vary widely-a simple app that just displays information fetched from a public API will take much less time to build than one where users generate, share content, use live streaming capabilities, and interact in real time.

Team Size and Experience

Who is building your app makes a difference, too. If you're asking, "How long does it take to make an app by yourself?" the answer is usually much longer. Even a skilled solo developer must handle everything-planning, design, frontend, backend, testing, and deployment-which inevitably stretches the timeline, often to 6 months or even over a year for moderately complex apps. While this approach can lower direct labor costs, the opportunity cost of a delayed launch is significant.

A small and focused team (2-5 members, e.g., a project manager, a designer, one or two developers, and a QA tester) works in parallel on different aspects of the app. This synergy allows for more efficient workflows, so a small team might build a medium complexity app in 4-8 months.

Large agency or dedicated team setups bring more resources, specialized skills, and established processes. They handle complex projects and deliver faster due to the ability to assign more people to specific tasks. However, coordination and management overhead also increase. A large, complex app might still take 9-18+ months even with a big team, but they tackle more scope within that time.

Another thing to check is the experience level of the team. A team of senior developers with years of experience will likely build faster and produce higher-quality code than a team of juniors.

Feature Intricacy

The number and complexity of features are perhaps the most significant timeline influencers because each feature (both basic and advanced) requires planning, design, development, and testing. Here are some insights about how does the complexity of an app impact its development timeline:

While basic features like user registration/login, simple search, and static content display are relatively quick to implement, advanced features tend to be more time-consuming and technically demanding. Some common examples of such complex features include:

• Third-party integrations: Payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal), social logins (Facebook, Google), mapping services (Google Maps, Mapbox), analytics (Firebase, Mixpanel). Each integration requires understanding the third-party API, handling authentication, and managing data flow, and needs more days or weeks to implement.
  
  
• Backend development: If your app needs to store user data, process transactions, or have any server-side logic, it needs a backend. A simple backend takes a few weeks, and a complex one with multiple microservices, load balancing, and extensive APIs takes many months.
  
  
• Offline capabilities: Letting users access data and use app features without an internet connection adds complexity in data synchronization and local storage management.
  
  
• Personalization: Features that adjust the user experience based on behavior or preferences also add a layer of complexity.
  
  
• Real-time features: Chat, live updates, and collaborative editing require technologies like WebSockets and careful backend architecture.

Let's say you have an e-commerce app. A basic version might allow browsing products and adding to a cart. A more complex version could include user reviews, personalized recommendations, multiple payment options, order tracking, and a sophisticated inventory management system on the backend.

Each of these additions extends the timeline for app development, and they might need the inclusion of such advanced tech as artificial intelligence.

Integration of AI Functionality

Artificial Intelligence is a nice-to-have, but it also adds a new dimension to development time. Including AI features in your app comes with much work:

• Machine learning models for recommendations, predictions, or classification involve data collection, data cleaning, model training, evaluation, and deployment. Training a custom ML model takes weeks or months.
• Natural language processing for chatbots, voice assistants, or sentiment analysis requires expertise and time.
• Computer vision for image recognition, object detection, or augmented reality overlays work on significant data sets and complex algorithm development.

So, integrating AI is more than writing code; it's data science, iterative model refinement, and rigorous testing to ensure accuracy and reliability. You can expect to allocate several months to a year or more to the mobile app development timeline, which also will depend on the novelty and complexity of the AI.

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Project Scope

The scope of your project defines its boundaries:

• What will the app do? 
• What will it not do (at least for the first version)?

A detailed project specification document, clear user stories, and well-defined deliverables will help keep the project on track. And be aware of scope creep, the silent timeline killer. It happens when new features or changes are added to the project without adjusting the timeline or resources. Yes, some flexibility is good, but uncontrolled scope creep leads to many delays and budget overruns.

As we've said in the beginning, a good practice is to define the scope for an MVP first, launch it, gather user feedback, and then plan subsequent versions with new features. The iterative approach always makes the timeline of app development more manageable.

Other Aspects

We don't want to boost this post with too many development details and scare you away from building the app of your dreams. Unless you develop the app yourself, the development team will take care of all the other aspects of the app development. Here's just a quick list of things that could also impact the development time, so you know where your resources go: 

1. Platform choice:
   

• Native (iOS or Android): Building separate native apps for iOS (Swift/Objective-C) and Android (Kotlin/Java) makes the best performance and user experience. However, it means essentially developing two apps.
  
  
• Cross-platform: Tech like React Native, Flutter, or .NET MAUI allows developers to write code once and deploy it on both iOS and Android. This saves time and resources, reducing development time by up to 20-40% compared to building two native apps. But complex native features or high-performance requirements might still favor native development.

2. UI/UX design complexity: A simple and template-based design is quicker than a highly custom and animation-rich user interface with unique user experience flows. Custom graphics, illustrations, and complex animations all add to the design and development time.
   
   
3. Testing and quality assurance (QA): Thorough testing is a must for a successful app, including unit tests, integration tests, UI tests, performance tests, security tests, and user acceptance testing (UAT). A dedicated QA phase takes several weeks to months, again based on scope and complexity. Skimping on testing almost always leads to a buggy app and a poor user experience, costing much more time and reputation in the long run.
   
   
4. Compliance and security: Apps handling sensitive data (like healthcare apps needing HIPAA compliance, or apps dealing with financial information needing PCI DSS compliance) need extra attention to security protocols and regulatory requirements.

If you're not a developer, this might feel a bit overwhelming. That's why we've put together a simple cheat sheet highlighting the main factors behind the question, "How long does it take to develop an app?"

The good news is that, for you, a dedicated team will break down your entire app development journey into clear stages. Let's see what these are.

App Development Timelines [Sample Hours Broken Down by Stage]

To give you a more concrete idea of "how many hours does it take to develop an app", let's look at estimated timeframes for apps of different sizes at different development stages. These are, of course, estimates, and actual times vary. The size (small, mid, big) refers to the feature set, complexity, and scope we just talked about.

1. Planning and Scoping

This is where your app journey really begins. First, jot down all the features you want, write out what your app should do, and figure out exactly what you're building. If you're working on a small app, you can usually wrap this up in 1–2 weeks. For something mid-sized, plan on 2–3 weeks, and for bigger projects, 3–4 weeks is a safe bet.

Take a look at what's already out there to see which features matter most for your app. Then, create user stories, set up some clear criteria for what "done" looks like, and map out the technical details. Getting everything on paper now saves a ton of headaches and confusion down the road.

All of these tools are good for visualizing each touchpoint, mapping out actions, and tracking real data. Plus, they are very agile and tailored to modern SaaS workflows and startups.

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2. UI/UX Design

The design is the most crucial step to building the mobile app. A good design means user engagement and usability are top-notch. The process includes creating wireframes (outlining the structure and flow) for the mobile application based on the requirements and then reviewing and adjusting them. 

Once wireframes are approved, the graphical UI design starts: choosing the font, color palette, theme, and creating any custom images or icons for the app. Modern app design often implies creating interactive prototypes to simulate the user experience before any code is written.

For a simple app, you need 3-4 weeks for this process. A mid-sized app might require 6-7 weeks. A bigger app design process with several UI and UX experts and potentially user testing of prototypes takes 9-10 weeks.

3. Development and Testing (Core Build)

Driven by the dream, most startups and individuals want to build apps with as many features as they can imagine. When considering how long does it take to code an app, the answer depends on your feature list and the type of project-these factors help estimate the development timeline. You will need to build the mobile app itself (frontend) and, if your app requires server-side logic, databases, or APIs, the backend as well. Ideally, these should be developed in parallel to optimize the overall timeline.

Backend Development

Think of the backend as the behind-the-scenes engine of your app-it stores your data, keeps things secure, and basically acts like the server. You don't see it, but it's working hard in the background. Here's what the backend usually handles:

• storing your data;
• running the logic that makes your app work;
• managing users;
• keeping track of different versions;
• Integrating data from other sources.

You don't always need to build your own storage-sometimes, it's easier to use a third-party provider. And if you want, you can bring in a dedicated backend development team. But keep in mind, not every app actually needs a backend!

Front-End Development

Now, the front end is everything your users actually see and interact with-buttons, menus, screens, you name it. If it's visible, it's front-end.

Front-end developers are the folks who make sure your app or website looks great and works smoothly. They use tools like React, React Native and JavaScript to bring everything to life. They also make sure your app works well on all sorts of devices-phones, tablets, laptops, you get the idea. The front end usually covers:

• the logic that makes things happen on the screen;
• syncing data so everything stays up to date;
• caching to keep things speedy;
• designing and developing the user interface.

Testing

Testing usually happens alongside active development. As developers complete new features, they immediately pass the code to the QA team for testing. The goal is to ensure that, in the final version, all modules are connected and work seamlessly together.

The main testing phase typically lasts 1–2 weeks. During this time, both manual and automated tests are performed to check the app's code quality, usability, security, and overall functionality. As bugs are found, testers report them to developers, who then fix the issues-so the workflow often shifts back and forth between the two teams.

For a smaller version (MVP or simple app), the development and testing phase is feasible in 2 months. A mid-sized app takes around 3-3.5 months (14-15 weeks). A large app might take around 5-6 months (20-22 weeks) just for this core development and initial testing cycle.

4. Beta Testing and Deployment

Once your app is functionally developed and has passed internal alpha testing, you want to do beta testing, meaning you release the app to a wider group of external users who are your target audience. Beta testing helps find more possible bugs, usability issues, and gathers feedback on the UX in real-world scenarios. 

You can spend 1-3 weeks on beta testing. The timeline here mostly depends on the size and complexity of your app and the number of beta testers.

Make sure to have a list of beta testers before this stage, and conduct the testing very aggressively. Feedback from beta testers will be the most valuable for making final polishes before the official launch. 

After beta testing and implementing feedback, the final steps are deployment to the app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play Store). It's not as straightforward as you might think, though. The publication of the app means you need to prepare store listings, marketing materials, and go through the app store review process, which takes a few days to a couple of weeks.

So, if we sum these stages, a very rough total development timeline looks like this:

Remember, these are very simplified totals, which assume smooth transitions and no major roadblocks. The timeline of app development can easily extend if complexities arise or if post-MVP development is extensive.

How to Speed Up the Timeline for App Development

The rule is: quality should never be sacrificed for speed. But there are still ways to optimize the app development timeline if you're wondering, "How long does app development take?"

We've put together a list of tips for you, based on our extensive hands-on experience in app development:

1. Focus on the must-have features first. Build a simple version, launch, learn, and improve later. And seriously, watch out for scope creep.
2. Go cross-platform if it makes sense. React Native or Flutter will let you build for iOS and Android at the same time. They are a big time-saver, unless you need hardcore native performance.
3. Use pre-made components and don't build everything from scratch. UI kits, templates, and libraries are your friends. Just make sure they fit your brand.
4. Break the project into short sprints to keep things flexible, adjust fast, and get feedback early.
5. Keep everyone in sync about what's happening. Good project management and regular check-ins will keep rough the team aligned and avoid messy surprises.
6. Automate testing as early as you can. It'll save you headaches (and time) later by catching bugs fast.
7. Work with professional teams because they have people for each task. A skilled and experienced team moves faster, estimates better, and dodges rookie mistakes.
8. Reuse what you can. Got code or components from other projects? Reuse them. No need to reinvent the wheel.
9. Use Backend-as-a-Service solutions. For many apps, services like Firebase handle your backend (auth, database, etc.), cutting backend dev time way down.

If you follow these tips, you'll definitely reduce how long app development takes-but remember to balance speed with the need to build a high-quality and reliable application.

Let's Foster Your App's Journey and Its Timeline

So, how long does it take to build an app? As we've seen, the answer is complex and depends on your vision, the features you want, the team you work with, and the processes you follow. A simple app might be ready in a few months, and a groundbreaking and feature-rich platform could be a multi-year endeavor. 

The timeline for development is more than a number; it reflects the effort, resources, and complexity involved in bringing a digital product to life. Key takeaways influencing how long does it take to develop an app from scratch are:

• The more features and the more intricate they are (especially with AI), the longer it takes.
• Thorough scoping, requirements gathering, and UI/UX design upfront save enormous time later.
• Starting with a focused minimum viable product is often the smartest way to approach the initial question of how long does it take to launch an app.

Most importantly, the skill, size, and experience of your development team impact speed and quality. Working with a dedicated team like Upsilon will bring structured processes, specialized talent, and a focus on efficient delivery. We are well-versed in agile methodologies and have experience across various app types and complexities. And we will empower you to plan better, set realistic expectations, and make informed decisions on your journey to creating a successful application. 

We know your app development journey is a marathon, not always a sprint, and we will pick the right approach to make your app idea a reality!