How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App in Saudi Arabia?
- Mobile
- September 2, 2024
This comprehensive guide explores the key elements that drive the cost to develop an app in Saudi Arabia. It offers insights into the cost implications of various types be it native or hybrid apps, and the expenses associated with varying levels of complexity. The guide helps you make informed decisions and achieve the perfect balance between your app vision and budget.
As Saudi Arabia’s tech ecosystem expands, the demand for sophisticated, user-friendly, and innovative apps is on the rise. Businesses across industries, from retail and finance to healthcare and education are investing in mobile app development to engage their customers, streamline operations, and gain a competitive edge in a dynamic market.
However, with this sudden spike in demand comes the need to know for a precise estimation of mobile app development cost in Saudi Arabia. Before availing of development services, you must know how local market conditions impact your budget. What hidden costs should you be prepared for? And most importantly, how can you ensure you’re getting the best value of your investment?
This blog will explore the major factors that help estimate the mobile app development cost in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, it will provide insights into current market trends, list crucial budget aspects, and offer practical cost-saving tips to help you make an informed decision.
Market Overview of Mobile Application Demand and Development in Saudi Arabia
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s mobile app market has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by the country’s rapidly expanding digital landscape and tech-savvy population. As the largest economy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a prime destination for mobile app development and investment.
The country’s young demographic has fueled the demand for innovative and user-friendly mobile applications. Sectors such as e-commerce, fintech, entertainment, and government services have seen a surge in app-based solutions, catering to the evolving needs and preferences of Saudi consumers.
According to Statista research, the total revenue of mobile app development is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.30% from 2022 to 2027, reaching an estimated market volume of US$2.24 billion by 2027. Recently Forbes stated that the The kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s substantial investment in developing entrepreneurial infrastructure has sparked the rise of numerous innovative startups.
Hence, Saudi Arabia’s app market is expected to continue its upward trajectory, presenting significant opportunities for both local and international app developers to capitalize on the country’s thriving digital landscape.
What is the Average Cost of Mobile App Development in Saudi Arabia?
The mobile app development process in Saudi Arabia involves a range of factors, including selecting the right technology stack, designing user-friendly interfaces, and implementing robust security measures. Developers often work closely with clients to ensure that apps meet specific regional needs and adhere to cultural and regulatory requirements.
Before hiring experts or an app development company in Saudi Arabia, it’s important to understand the cost implications associated with different types of apps and the factors that influence these costs. Here’s a detailed overview of the average cost of mobile app development in the region:
Basic Mobile Application
The starting cost to develop an app in Saudi Arabia may start from SAR 75,000 to (Approx USD 20,000) and the app can be developed within 1 to 3 months. This amount covers simple apps with standard features such as user registration, basic functionality, and minimal integration with external services. However, the cost may vary depending on the project scope, requirements and other aspects.
What’s Included
Basic Features: User login, profile management, basic navigation.
Design: Simple UI/UX design.
Development: Core functionalities and minimal backend integration.
Testing and Quality Assurance: Application testing to ensure optimal quality before launching.
Medium Sized Mobile Application
The average cost of developing a medium-sized mobile app in Saudi Arabia generally starts from SAR 1,10,000 (approx USD 30,000.) This range typically covers apps with more advanced features and functionalities compared to basic apps and may require 3 to 6 months for development.
What’s Included
Features: multiple user roles, integration with third-party services, advanced data management, and potentially offline capabilities.
Design: Higher quality and more interactive UI/UX design, often with custom graphics and animations.
Development: More complex backend, including APIs, database management, and possibly real-time features.
Platform: Costs may vary depending on whether the app is developed for iOS, Android, or both, as well as whether cross-platform development is used.
Integration: Integration with external systems or services, such as payment gateways, social media, or location services.
Testing and Quality Assurance: Testing the app to ensure it functions correctly and meets user requirements.
Enterprise Level Mobile Application
The average cost of developing an enterprise mobile app development in Saudi Arabia typically starts from SAR 1,90,000 (approximately USD 50,000). This range accounts for the high complexity and extensive features of enterprise applications and may need a 6 to 9 months long timeframe.
What’s Included
Complex Functionality: Advanced features such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, custom dashboards, real-time data analytics, and extensive backend services.
Design: High-quality, custom UI/UX design tailored to the needs of large organizations
Development: Complex backend systems, including robust server architecture, data security measures, multi-user role management, and possibly integration with existing enterprise systems.
Integration: Integration with other enterprise systems, APIs, third-party services, and possibly support for legacy systems.
Testing and Quality Assurance: Extensive testing phases to ensure functionality, security, and performance standards.
Key Factors That Determine the Cost of App Development
Several important factors collectively affect the cost of app development. Here is a comprehensive understanding of these aspects and cost breakdown that help you with budgeting and successful project completion.
App Type
The cost to develop an app in Saudi Arabia largely depends on app type because each category requires different levels of complexity, resources, and time investment.
Basic Informational Apps – Basic informational apps are the simplest type, offering straightforward features such as company profiles, contact information, and basic content display. They are the least expensive as they demand minimal backend development and simple user interfaces.
Estimated Cost – Starting range SAR 75,000 (Approx USD 20,000)
E-commerce Apps – You must have a huge budget if you need ecommerce apps like Amazon, Walmart, etc., need advanced functionality to support online transactions, inventory management, user authentication, and payment gateway integration. These features require robust backend development and rigorous security measures to protect user data and transaction details.
As a result, e-commerce app development costs are higher but variation depends on the number of products, user interface design, and the extent of backend systems required to manage the store. However, for basic or medium sized e-commerce apps you can set aside the following amount:
Estimated Cost – Starting from SAR 1,50,000 (Approx USD 40,000)
Social Media Apps – Social media apps like Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat focus on real-time communication, content sharing, and user interaction, requiring advanced features like messaging systems, live streaming, push notifications, and sophisticated algorithms for content curation. Their cost cannot be estimated as the complexity involved in building these features and ensuring seamless performance and scalability significantly drives up development costs. However, for basic app the cost may start from:
Estimated Cost – Starting from SAR 90,000 (Approx USD 24,000)
Startup Apps – You may have to spend a million SAR if you want to build food delivery apps like Uber Eats or hotel booking apps like Airbnb. These apps represent a unique category often driven by innovative business ideas tapping new market opportunities. They are complex and feature-rich apps, requiring rapid development cycles, iterative testing, and flexibility to pivot based on user feedback. Additionally, startups may need to invest in market research, branding, and initial user acquisition, adding to the overall budget. However, if you want a basic app then the cost may start from:
Estimated Cost – Starting from SAR 1,10,000 (Approx USD 30,000)
OTT (Over-The-Top) Apps – OTT apps like Netflix, Hotstar, Prime Video, etc., are designed for streaming media content directly to users over the internet, bypassing traditional distribution channels. The cost cannot be estimated because these apps are capital intensive as they require sophisticated infrastructure to handle high-quality video streaming, content management systems, user authentication, and secure payment gateways. Features such as multi-device support, adaptive bitrate streaming, offline viewing, and recommendation engines add to the complexity and development budget. For a basic or medium sized application, you may have to spend the following amount:
Estimated Cost – Starting from SAR 2,25,000 (Approx USD 60,000)
Development Platform
The choice between iOS, Android, or both platforms affects the overall budget, as each platform has distinct development environments, guidelines, and programming languages. Developing a native app or web app for both iOS and Android typically costs more than creating a single-platform app due to the need for separate codebases and expertise.
To save the cost, businesses choose cross-platform app development. Developers use cross-platform app development frameworks like React Native or Flutter to develop a single codebase and run it on multiple platforms. However, each type has a different cost that largely depends on app features and requirements.
UI/UX Design
High-end UI/UX demands skilled designers to create intuitive, engaging, and visually appealing interfaces. The process involves extensive research, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to ensure the design meets user needs and expectations. Moreover, the level of detail and customization increases the development time and cost to design a mobile app. The process may require a decent budget of SAR 19,000 (Approx USD 5,000).
Development Team Size & Expertise
The app development cost will increase if you hire a mobile app developer in Saudi Arabia with specific expertise and years of experience. For instance, a large team will handle the complex project and speed up the development process, you may have to pay more to onboard them. Opposite to it, a small size team will charge less but take more time to develop the app and struggle to handle complex projects.
Meanwhile, a middle-sized team can do both and charge significantly. Many businesses onboard middle-sized teams to save costs. However, the final choice depends on your project requirements and timeframe.
| Expertise Level | Cost Per Hour |
| Junior Developers | Starting from SAR 100 (Approx USD 25) |
| Mid-Level Developers | Starting from 115 (Approx USD 30) |
| Senior Developers | Starting from 130 (Approx USD 35) |
| Specialized Experts | Starting from 190 (Approx USD 50) |
Geographical Location of Developers
In general, if you hire a mobile app developer located in major cities or technology hubs within Saudi Arabia, such as Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam, they tend to charge higher rates compared to developers in smaller or more remote regions. On the other hand, hiring app developers from regions outside of Saudi Arabia, including India, the Philippines, China, Southeast Asia, or Eastern Europe, can potentially lower the overall development costs. Usually, their average costs start from SAR 100 (Approx USD 25).
App Customization
Highly customized apps with unique features, complex user interfaces, and integration with various third-party services or data sources will generally cost more to develop than a more standardized or templated app. That’s because custom app development requires more time, specialized expertise, and additional infrastructure or tools to accommodate the unique requirements.
Customizations may include integrating with local payment gateways, adapting the app to comply with regional regulations, or incorporating cultural design elements and language support. Hence, the more complex the app is, the higher the development costs are likely to be.
Detailed Breakdown of App Development Cost in Saudi Arabia
Developing an app in Saudi Arabia involves several key phases, each contributing to the overall cost. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with these phases.
1. Pre-Development Phase
It is a discovery phase that includes planning, research, initial setup, wireframing, and mobile app prototype development. Experts conduct market research to collect insights about the target audience, competition, market demand, and ongoing trends. They refine the app concepts, outline requirements, and create wireframes and prototypes to visualize the app’s layout and flow.
For this phase, you may have to pay experts SAR 13,000 to SAR 37000 (Approx USD 3,500 to USD 10,000). However, the final cost would depend on the project scope and the hired app development company in Saudi Arabia.
2. App Development Phase
This phase covers the main app development process, including design, coding, and testing. It is the most intensive and expensive phase that focuses on various aspects,making the app visually appealing, user-friendly, and feature-rich.
To start, front-end developers translate these designs into code, ensuring the app is responsive and functional. Backend developers build the server-side logic, manage databases, and do API development.
Moreover, they integrate third-party services as per the requirements and test the app to ensure optimal quality. If we talk about the average development price, there cannot be an estimation for this phase as it depends on project scope and involved features. You must speak to the app development company in Saudi Arabia to get the estimation.
3. Post Development Phase
This ongoing process involves fixing bugs, responding to user feedback, and updating the app to maintain compatibility with new operating system versions. Usually, an established mobile app development company in Saudi Arabia offers free maintenance for three months and after that period they may charge SAR 100 (Approx USD 25) per hour for app maintenance. Alternatively, companies offer monthly or yearly maintenance plans, with prices varying based on the specific requirements and timeframe.
Remember, the true value of an app lies not in its initial cost, but in its potential to transform your business, engage users, and drive long-term growth. A well-conceived app isn’t just an expense—it’s an investment in your company’s future in the evolving ecosystem.
You must make an informed decision, and hire mobile app developers from a reliable company to create impactful apps that resonate with users and contribute to the growth of business.
MindInventory: Your Partner for Excellent Mobile App Development in Saudi Arabia
Mindinventory is an established mobile app development company in Saudi Arabia, offering a range of advanced development services that advance your project significantly. We specialize in building robust and scalable applications using high-end frameworks and cutting-edge technologies. We follow Agile development methodology to achieve flexibility and iterative progress throughout the project.
Our technical prowess is undeniable as we place a strong emphasis on user-centric UI/UX design. Our design team crafts intuitive and visually appealing interfaces that not only attract users but also enhance engagement and retention, ensuring your app is both functional and visually appealing.
FAQ on Mobile App Development
To calculate application development cost, break down the process into clear components. First, determine the total development hours needed by estimating the time required for each feature, design, and testing task. Then, multiply this by the hourly rate of each team member involved.
Total Cost = (Total Development Hours × Hourly Rate)
A simple app with basic functionality might take around 2-4 months to develop, while a more complex app, such as an e-commerce platform or social media application, could take 6-12 months or longer. However, the accurate time frame depends on app type, complexities, tech stack size expertise of the development team, and many other factors.
For a basic app with minimal functionality, costs typically start from SAR 50,000. More complex apps, such as e-commerce platforms or social media networks, generally begin from SAR 75,000. Highly sophisticated apps, like enterprise solutions or OTT platforms, may start from SAR 1,50,000 or more. However, the final price depends on many factors, and for cost estimation, reach out to a mobile app development company in Saudi Arabia.
The cost to hire dedicated app developers in Saudi Arabia varies based on their experience, expertise, and the complexity of the project. However, the starting cost is around SAR 100 per hour for junior developers, while mid-level developers may charge around SAR 115 per hour. Senior developers with extensive experience and specialized skills can demand up to SAR 190 per hour.
