How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App like Whatsapp

How Much Does WhatsApp like App Cost?

WhatsApp is the most popular social chat app in the world, allowing you to send text messages and images, make voice and video calls, and share files, documents, contacts individually or in a group, regardless of location. It has changed the way how people share their thoughts and communicate with their friends, relatives and communities.

Crazy towards the messenger app similar to WhatsApp force you to create an app like to be one of the top instant messaging companies.

In this blog post, we would like to provide in-depth information about several key topics, such as how to build an app like WhatsApp? How to create design for your WhatsApp-like app? What is the list of MVP features your WhatsApp should include? What are the steps to create an app like WhatsApp? And how much it costs to create your own Whatsapp like app?

So, continue reading to know in detail process of the complete mobile app development.

1990, It is a time where instant messaging is a new concept, but exactly after 19 years, it becomes a revolution in information technology.

“If you want to succeed faster, double your rate of failure.”

By Brian Tracy

It may be weird for some people after seeing the above statement. However, it is the reality of life. The reason is that failure will always help you to pound back forcefully.

The same thing happened with the Life of WhatsApp founders. The top social media giant Facebook rejected one of the founders of WhatsApp to offer a job. It made him start an application, which is called WhatsApp.

It made a great revolution in the market of instant messaging apps. Facebook acquired it in 2014 by $19 Billion. It is called Success.

Recommended Reading: 10L+ people have benefited from this article (App Development: Expert Guide On Mobile App Development )

Overview of WhatsApp:

WhatsApp is the world’s most popular instant messaging app owned by Facebook messenger. Brian Acton and Jan Koum founded it in February 2009. It is an instant messenger app used to exchange messages in real time. All you need to experience and enjoy the app is your Whatsapp application in your mobile, your phone number with OTP and internet connection or Wi-Fi.

This app allows users to send messages through text or voice. Instant location, image, and multimedia file sharing are major advantages of this app. Without call cost, you can make voice calls or video to your friends/family/relatives though you are in foreign countries. WhatsApp is so popular all over the world because it is available for free on all operating systems.

It has changed the way how people share their thoughts with their friends, relatives, and communities. Following its trend, there are hundreds of chat apps have come to the market for app monetization with the same like WhatsApp’s architecture or more innovative features.

It has reached to the roots of the countries too, because of its vast features. WhatsApp has made its presence in cutting edge devices to non-smart phones.

FuGenX, a global mobile app design & development company in India, helps individuals or businesses to develop WhatsApp like app with innovative features.

Market Growth of WhatsApp iOS downloads worldwide Q3 2020, by country

The below statistic provides the ranking of the nations with the highest number of WhatsApp downloads from the iOS (Apple App) Store by the third quarter of the year 2020. As per the reports, Egypt is the leading in the WhatsApp market as the iOS downloads of the instant messaging mobile application has further increased over 162.5% compared to 2nd quarter 2020.

How Does WhatsApp Work?

WhatsApp uses Ejabberd (XMPP) server, which is an open source Jabber server programmed in Erlang language.

Erlang language quickly adapts to the instant updates and hotfixes, which makes communication seamless.

XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is a protocol used by WhatsApp

How Does Whatsapp Make Money?

The largest social media platform, Facebook bought WhatsApp for $ 19 billion in 2014 and it has opened several new doors for the WhatsApp messaging app. It also gave the answers to ‘how much does it cost to use WhatsApp’ and ‘how app similar to WhatsApp earn money’?’

WhatsApp earns its revenue in two different ways: The first is WhatsApp for Business API and the second is click for WhatsApp Ads.

WhatsApp Business Application helps companies to serve customers, with terms to create product catalogues as well offers excellent customer support. Though WhatsApp is free to use for business, WhatsApp earns money via WhatsApp for business API.

India’s biggest tech companies such as Uber, Netflix, Wish and other 100 more firms have started using WhatsApp Business API just after a month of its launch. How wonderful it is!

WhatsApp generates revenue by charging money from registered businesses for slow replies to teh customers. If businesses will respond to users messages within 24 hours, it charges nothing. But, if business gives a reply after 24 hours, it charges a fee.

WhatsApp messaging app also earns money via Click to WhatsApp ads, which are shown on Facebook social media app, but not on WhatsApp. These ads will redirect to app users to WhatsApp from Facebook only.

Now, we will discuss about the whatsapp development cost. Generally, the development cost of android chat application like whatsapp source code is depends on the number of basic and advanced features that you include on the WhatsApp clone.

Key Features of WhatsApp App:

Auto synchronization of Phonebook, search, broadcast and group chats etc.

Options to capture and share images, audios, videos, and contact sharing

Tick sign to notify sent, delivered, and read messages, and info on last seen etc.

Set wallpaper, block, clear conversation, email conversation, etc.

Help on using an app, profile picture uploading, and set the status

WhatsApp on the web, which allows users to access WhatsApp on PC through the web browser, by visiting web.whatsapp.com and scanning the code using WhatsApp Web option inside WhatsApp in the phone.

FuGenX, a global mobile app design & development company in India, helps individuals or businesses to develop an app like WhatsApp with innovative features.

Tools and Technologies in WhatsApp:

WhatsApp Servers: Ejabberd & YAWS (Multimedia storage), which is an open-source Jabber server programmed in Erlang language.

Language: The messaging service app uses Erlang language, which quickly adapts to the instant updates and hotfixes, which makes communication seamless.

Operating system: This social media app uses FreeBSD as the operating system.

Database: Mnesia

Offline Database: SQLite.

XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is a protocol used by WhatsApp.

Impressed with the WhatsApp process? You also need a messaging app like WhatsApp? Intend to create a WhatsApp clone? Well, here we will let you know how to make app like WhatsApp.

How to Create a Messaging App like Whatsapp in 4 Steps?

Below are the four important steps that you should follow to make a WhatsApp alternative app.

Step 1: Select App Platform

Select a mobile app development platform either Android or iOS or both (Android & iOS) based on your geographical location, target audience, and demographic profile.

Step 2. Select the app features

Make a list of important chat application features and add MVP features to create your own WhatsApp.

Step 3: Set up App budget

WhatsApp clone development cost depends on the number of basic and advanced features you would like to integrate on your app platforms.

Step 4: Choose the Best Mobile App Development Company like FuGenX

The most important step is selecting the right instant messaging app development team that meet your requirements and quality, fulfills your dreams and makes app within timeline and budget.

How Much Does an App like WhatsApp Cost?

The average cost of WhatsApp like app depends on following three major factors:

App Platform (Android, iOS (iPhone), or Windows etc.):

The WhatsApp development platform is the first thing that you have to consider when developing WhatsApp alternative app. There is a significant difference between the platforms in terms of the cost of the app.

If you want to operate your WhatsApp clone app in Android, iOS, and Window, you can choose cross-platform app development. If you want to use your app in a single platform (either Android, iOS or Windows), if you can opt for native app development. Cross platform app costs higher than native apps.

App Design:

Since user-interface and user-experience is everything in the app, user-friendliness of the app plays a vital role in the app success, which requires an increased cost.

WhatsApp UX/UI design is very important for a mobile app, which attracts and engages users.

App size:

The cost of creating social media app similar to WhatsApp is varies on variety of features or a total number of features and functionalities included in the mobile application. If you add only basic features, it costs less. But, if you use advanced features and functionalities, it costs obviously high.

Team Required To Develop Whats app Like Messenger App

Now, it’s time to know how to create a chat application like WhatsApp. Even a small and basic app should be done by a mobile application development team rather than an individual, so it gives a better user experience. It will be more qualitative and very fast in the end, as each and every employee is responsible for their own part of the app development project. Certainly, complex mobile apps require more number of employees to be involved in the mobile development process.

So, choose highly skilled mobile app developers’ team that writes coding for whatsapp application perfectly, creates messaging app architecture, clears Whatsapp app like login problem if any, estimates exact whatsapp cost, and finally create Whatsapp app beautifully.

FuGenX Technologies fulfills all your app needs.

The best mobile application development team include:

1 Project Manager

1 UI/UX Designer

1 Programmer

1 QA Engineer

Extended development team:

1 Project Manager

2-4 App Developers

1 Back-end Developer

2-3 UI/UX designers

2 QA Engineers

1 System Administrator

How much FuGenX charges to develop WhatsApp like app?

One more thing you should think is the geographical location and the size of the company when you are opting for the developers.

Developers in India: $10-80/hour

Developments in Eastern Europe: $30-150/hour

USA developer cost: $50-250/hour.

The charges will differ from a small company to a multinational company.

The total cost of the mobile app will depend on the above factors. The total cost will vary according to the requirements and functionalities of the app.

It will cost around $10,000 to $20,000 for one platform. If you need advanced features, it will cost you more $25,000. The cost depends on the cost of the developer multiplied by the number of hours required to develop.

Don’t get cheated by fake advertisements “Build a WhatsApp like an app in 24 hours” because it will take around 1620 hours to develop a full-fledged mobile app.

I hope you are satisfied and got a clear view of the cloning of the WhatsApp mobile app. If you are still stuck with any doubts regarding features, functions, and cost of the development, please reach for us.

We are happy to serve you.

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