If you’re researching app maintenance costs, you’re already ahead of the game. Understanding the long-term investment in keeping an app running smoothly is just as important as the initial app development cost.
App maintenance ensures your app stays secure, functional and compatible with new smartphone technology.
In this article, I’ll break down the key components of an app maintenance plan and help you estimate a realistic budget for app maintenance.
The cost to maintain your app will vary based on its complexity, user base and infrastructure. Some costs are predictable, while others emerge over time.
What’s Included in App Maintenance
Let’s start with the common areas that require attention to keep your app running smoothly.
1. Routine Code Maintenance
You should plan to have your app development company on retainer for a certain number of hours to handle the routine code maintenance tasks outlined below.
Routine code maintenance costs include:
a) Compatibility updates
Both Apple and Google release major updates to their mobile operating systems (OS) every year. These updates introduce new features, security enhancements and performance improvements – but they can also cause compatibility issues with your app.
Ensuring your app works seamlessly with the latest versions of iOS and Android is a fundamental part of app maintenance.
Fortunately, Apple and Google release beta versions of their OS updates in advance. This gives developers time to test your app and proactively address any compatibility issues before your users are affected.
In addition to OS updates, new devices with different screen sizes, resolutions and hardware capabilities are released regularly. When this happens, your app’s layout and functionality may need to be adjusted to ensure a smooth user experience.
b) Bug fixes
You may not notice any post-release bugs if your app was well-tested before it was released. Or at least not any that are obvious or affect core functionality. But, the more complex the software, the more likely bugs will crop up. Even if infrequently.
Your team will keep track of these, prioritize them and decide which need to be fixed right away and which can wait.
c) Updates to third-party code libraries
Occasionally, a third-party code library used by your app will release a new version. It’s important to keep on top of these as they address bug fixes and security issues.
Your maintenance plan should include time to check and update any third-party code or components that your app uses.
d) Paying down technical debt
Technical debt happens when shortcuts are taken during development to speed up delivery – like going light on error handling or using a less than optimal approach to a feature in order to save time.
Another form of technical debt is skipping routine code maintenance – such as fixing bugs and updating code libraries. Over time, this “debt” accumulates into a backlog of necessary improvements.
Just like financial debt, technical debt must be managed. Ignoring it can slow down development, affect the app’s functionality and make it harder to maintain. Regular maintenance should include time for refactoring code and optimizing performance.
2. Hosting is Part of the Cost of Maintaining an App
Your app needs a hosting environment to store data, run backend processes and serve content to users. If your company already has access to servers or cloud services, your app may be able to piggyback on existing infrastructure. If not, you’ll need to purchase hosting.
Hosting costs can vary widely depending on your app’s traffic, storage needs and performance requirements. Most businesses opt for cloud hosting providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, which offer scalable solutions.
Some app development agencies also provide managed hosting, handling updates and server maintenance for you. If your developer does not offer managed hosting and you don’t have an internal IT team, you’ll need to find a hosting provider that fits your needs.
3. New Features Are Essential to Budget For
No matter how much planning goes into version one of your app, new features are inevitable. Users will have feedback, your team will come up with new ideas and the competitive market will continue to shift.
That’s just the nature of technology. Ongoing improvements aren’t just common; they’re essential. Setting aside a yearly budget for new features and enhancements helps ensure your app stays relevant and competitive.
This budget should be separate from your standard maintenance retainer.
Once the initial custom app development is over you will all have a better idea of what the next year of updates may look like. Your developer can also make suggestions based on their very thorough familiarity with your code base, your approximate yearly budget, user feedback and business goals.
4. User Support Should be Part of Your App Maintenance Budget
If your company already has a technical support team (or person), they may be able to handle app-related inquiries. However, as your user base grows, dedicated app support may become necessary.
Users, whether internal employees or external customers, will inevitably have questions or run into issues. Some may struggle with app functionality, while others may report technical problems (real or perceived). Either way, having a reliable support system in place is essential.
The more users you have, the greater your support needs will be. At some point, a dedicated technical support team may be necessary to troubleshoot issues, provide guidance and escalate bugs to your app development team.
If you don’t already have an internal support department, you have a few options:
- Hire dedicated support staff to handle app-related inquiries.
- Reallocate existing team members to assist with user support.
- Outsource your help desk to a third-party provider for round-the-clock assistance.
Choosing the right approach depends on your budget, support volume and how critical the app is to your business operations.
So How Much Does App Maintenance Cost?
The cost of maintaining an app depends on factors like app complexity, user base size, security needs and hosting requirements.
A general rule of thumb is to budget 15-20% of your app’s initial development cost per year for ongoing maintenance. This includes routine code maintenance and hosting, but does not necessarily include new features and user support.
A general rule of thumb is to budget 15-20% of your app’s initial development cost per year for ongoing maintenance.
This means that if the initial cost to develop your app was $100,000, you can expect to spend $15,000 to $20,000 per year to maintain it.
Below is a breakdown of estimated costs for each maintenance category, with ranges for small business apps and enterprise-level apps:
App Maintenance Cost Breakdown
| Maintenance Category | Small Business App | Enterprise App |
|---|---|---|
| Routine Code Maintenance | $500 – $2,000/month | $3,000 – $10,000/month |
| New Features & Enhancements | $5,000 – $50,000/year | $50,000 – $200,000/year |
| Hosting Costs | $250 – $1,000/month | $1,000+/month |
| User Support | $1000 – $4,000/month | $5,000+/month |
Factors That Affect Maintenance Costs
- App Complexity: More features, integrations and data storage = higher costs.
- Number of Users: Large user bases require more robust hosting, security and support.
- Third-Party Dependencies: If your app relies on external APIs or third-party libraries, updates will be necessary to keep them working.
- Security & Compliance Needs: Apps handling sensitive data (healthcare, finance, etc.) require more frequent updates.
- Customization & New Features: Adding features beyond basic maintenance will increase costs significantly.
Final Thoughts on App Maintenance Costs
The investment in custom app development is an important one, and getting budget approval will be easier when you have a clear picture of all the costs related to this investment.
Further, by budgeting for code maintenance, user support and new features, you’re making sure your app will continue to deliver value to your business, and your user base.
If you’re looking for an app development team to build a custom app from scratch, please reach out to our team at Big Fish. We’ll learn more about what you need and walk you through how we do things.
