How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App Like SnapChat?

In addition, Snapchat recently got a doubtful glory after its founder, Evan Spiegel, had frankly said that the app is “only for rich people”. Not the best way to get fans. Since thousands of people sharing #UninstallSnapchat and #BoycottSnapchat you have good chances to take the niche by developing a similar app with less shady history. Don’t wanna miss this opportunity? Read on!

To snap or not to snap: what should you know about Snapchat?

Snapchat is a mobile messenger that lets users share videos and pictures, edit photos and chat with others. Nothing miraculous, isn’t it? So why has it become so popular?

Top 10 features that made Snapchat popular

Did you know, that just in 3 years Snapchat managed to triple the number of daily active users? Take a look:

It’s a financial addition to the original Snapchat app that allows users make payments and send money to their friends.

How does Snapchat generate revenue?

If you are interested how to make an app like Snapchat then you may also be curious about its sources of income.

So, to generate revenue Snapchat uses:

1. Paid advertising (which includes Discoveries from the popular channels). It costs may vary, but commonly Snapchat takes from 10 to 15 cents per view. Multiply this by 500,000-1,000,000 views daily and you will get insane sum.
2. Purchased content (e.g. some lenses or geofilters sets). McDonald’s was first to pay Snapchat for special geofilters to cover all restaurants in the USA. Nowadays many other companies create own geofilters for advertising purposes.
3. Advertising API. Additionally, Snapchat has opened ads API. It allows users to run large-scale advertising campaigns and transfers part of the revenue to the app.

Your step-by-step guide to creating a Snapchat clone app

All of the above is the Snapchat story. We may like this app or not, use it or not but we can’t deny it is the success story many want to follow. Read on and you will find out how much does Snapchat cost and what should you do to create a similar app.

I propose to start with a four-stage process.

Step 1. Find a team

Count it as done cause you are already on our blog :)

Speaking seriously, not only the success but also costs of your app significantly depend on the team you choose. While the rates of companies from the USA and Western Europe are from $60 to $200 per hour, teams from Eastern Europe can do the same job for $30-60 per hour.

As rule of thumb, a team consists of:

• a project manager (the one you talk to);
• 2 developers (ones who make all things work);
• a designer (the one who turns your app into a piece of art).

If your project scope is too large, you will have to hire more people

Step 2. Think about an MVP

MVP stands for a minimum viable product. What is it? It’s a product with a minimum set of features that solves a definite problem of users. It allows you to spend as little resources as possible to engage your first users and get useful feedback.

At this stage you should decide which features you consider as the most important ones. We advise you to start from small and scale properly in order to reduce risks and save your time, money and efforts.

Step 3. Choose a platform

Choosing the right platform to build a chat app like Snapchat is a half of success. Think of your potential users and your own goals. Here are a few useful hints for you.

Android:

• Owns 64% of the world’s mobile market (twice more than iOS).
• Brings higher revenue from in-app ads.
• It takes more time and resources to design an app.

iOS:

• Solid market share in the USA and Europe.
• Brings more revenue on the average.
• The publication process is more difficult and strict.

If you want to get more insights about differences between these 2 platforms, you can check our article “Android vs iOS Development: Which Platform is Better?”.

Step 4. Choose a contract type

Another point that directly influences chat app development cost is the contract type.

Fixed Price model is based on rigid planning. To have a deal both parties (a client and a vendor) should agree on the predetermined price of a project and explicitly define each other’s responsibilities before the work begins. However, it’s not the best choice for startups. Why? Because it’s almost impossible to get the perfect scope, especially if we are talking about big projects.

When using Time & Material approach you pay the actual cost of the work, which is usually measured in hours. The development process length is not so predetermined and the whole project planning is not so strict and immutable. And you don’t overpay, among other things.

You can also check our article “Time and Material vs Fixed Price Contracts” where we compare both models and share some useful tips on choosing between them.

What would be the estimation for a Snapchat clone app?