How Long Does It Take to Develop a Mobile App?

The development of a mobile application is perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions a business or startup could ever pose before entering the digitisation world:

"How long will it take?"

The short answer: it depends.
The Long Answer: This requires understanding the levels of your app’s complexity, features, designs, platforms, organisational structures, and testing needs.

In this article, we’ll attempt to illuminate mobile app development time frames, explain in depth all the stages of mobile app development, and assist you in approximating how long your mobile app takes to be developed, from conception to release.

1. Understanding Mobile App Development Timelines

A mobile app doesn't get ready overnight. It has to go through some kind of structured process, including:

Research & planning
UI/UX design
Frontend & backend development
Testing & quality assurance
Deployment & post-launch support

Development may take up to more than a year with any extent or scope of the app. Well, why are timelines all so different?

2. Factors That Affect Mobile App Development Time

Factors that influence the time required in building a mobile application, and in my view, are most important, include:

a) App Complexity

The more complex the application, the longer it will take.
Simple apps: Basic functionalities with a few screens
“If you want to make

Medium Apps: User Accounts, APIs, Dashboards
Complex apps
Real-time functionality, artificial intelligence, payments, third-party integration

b) Platform Choice
The timeline is also dependent on your platform choice.
Android only
iOS Only

c) Features & Functionality

All these features require development time. These include:

Login & authentication
Push Notifications
In-app payments
GPS & Maps
Chat and Video Calls
Admin panels

Each feature you add pushes back your timeline.

d) UI/UX Design Requirements

Custom animated elements, illustrations, and interaction designs take longer than generic ones.

e) Team Size & Expertise An effective and organised team of skilled developers works faster and doesn’t require any rework. Poor planning or junior developers can cause delays.

3. Mobile App Development Phases & Time Breakdown

We can break down the complete process for creating an application into steps. We will find out how long each step will take.

Phase 1: Planning and idea validation (Weeks 1-3)

Then begins the basic development of your application.

What is happening?

Market research
Market
Competitor Analysis
Setting up App Objectives
The app model presented in this
Feature listing
Creating User Personas
Technical feasibility analysis

Why it matters: A bad plan often results in future delays and changes. Time needed: one to three weeks

Phase 2: UI/UX Design (2–5 Weeks)

Design is what determines user interaction with an application.

Key activities:

Wirefr
The process of user flow design
User Interface & Visual Design (Colour Scheme, Fonts
Interactive prototypes
Interactive

Design Revisions Standard apps with standard UI may take less time to finish, whereas custom apps take longer.
Time required: 2 to 5 weeks

Phase 3: Frontend Development (4–12 Weeks)

Front-end development is more about things users see and interact with.

Includes:

Screen creation
Animations
Home
API integration
Platform-specific UI modifications

The fewer screens an application has or the more straightforward the user interface is, the faster the

Phase 4: Backend Development (4–14 Weeks)

Backend: This will be the engine of your app.

Backend tasks comprise:

Server setup
Designing a database
Developing APIs
Authentication systems
Payment gateways
Cloud integration
The Admin Dashboards

Complex backend processing leads to increased development time.
Time required: 4 to 14 weeks

Phase 5: Testing & Quality Assurance (2–6 Weeks)

Testing will allow your application to work perfectly on all devices.

Patterns of testing:

Functional testing
UI Testing
Testing performance
Security testing
Device compatibility tests
Bug fixing

Testing is usually conducted parallel to development but escalates towards the end.
Time required: 2 to 6 weeks

Phase 6: App Deployment & Launch (1–2 Weeks)

This stage prepares apps for launch.

Includes:
Application Store & Play Store setup
Compliance with guidelines
App Submission
Store approval
Final bug repairs

However, the time taken for approvals varies according to platform policies.
Time required: 1 to 2 weeks

4. Mobile App Development Timeline by App Type
Here is a practical breakdown in view of application complexity:

Simple Mobile App (2–3 Months)
Examples:

Calculator
Things to do:
Basic business app
Informational application

Timeline:
8–12 weeks

Medium Complexity App (3–6 Months)
Examples:
E-commerce apps
Apps to book
Apps de ejercicio
Social networking (basic)

Timeline:
12–24 weeks

Complex Mobile App (6–12+ Months)
Examples:
Uber-like applications
Food delivery platforms
Fintech applications
apps for health care
Real-time chat & video applications

Timeline:
6 months to 1 year or more

5. Native vs Cross-Platform Development Timeline

Native App Development

Android and iPhone codebases are separate
Better performance
Increased development time

Timeline: 20%-40% as compared to cross-platform

Cross-Platform Development

Multiple repositories
Reduced Development Time
Cost-effective

Timeline
Reduces development time by 30-40%

6. Can App Development Be Faster?

Yes—if done strategically.

Ways to Reduce Development Time:

Begin with MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
Have pre-built components
Use cross-platform frameworks
Requirements should be clearly understood early
Don't vary the scope of the problem
Collaborate with a professional development team

Often, an MVP can be created within 8-12 weeks, which would enable you to test the market.

7. Post-Launch Development & Maintenance

Application development doesn’t end post-launch.

Ongoing tasks include:

Bug fixes
Performance optimization
Feature updates
OS compatibility updates Security patches
In Feedback improvements for user

Maintenance:
Ongoing (monthly or quarterly updates)

Final Thoughts

With effective planning of the mobile app, requirements, technology, and experience, months of time can be saved. On the other hand, if one hurries into the process, only ineffective functionality, bugs, and the unhappiness of the end-users can be achieved.

“If you're trying to build a successful app, think about planning, not speed,” Damian Yerrick advises, with Howard Meltzer adding.