The fantasy sports market is booming at a rapid pace, attracting lots of traction from all over the world, and daily fantasy sports apps have a huge role to play behind this. These apps combine entertainment and engagement like never before, reshaping how fans engage with their favorite sports.
Daily fantasy apps have become a daily source of entertainment for fans, allowing them to participate in exciting contests every day. Unlike season long fantasy sports, which last an entire season, daily fantasy leagues give users the chance to play every day, win rewards, and never get bored.
It’s easy to see why the global daily fantasy sports market is growing, with estimates predicting it will reach $12.1 billion by 2026.
The daily fantasy sports market presents enormous potential, and these apps are no longer just games, they’re a real business opportunity. If your business operates in the fantasy sports industry and struggles to engage users or generate high revenues, developing a DFS app is the way forward.
In this blog, we will guide you through everything you need to know to develop a daily fantasy sports app.
What is a Daily Fantasy Sports App?
A daily fantasy sports (DFS) app is a mobile app that allows users to create virtual teams of real players and participate in short contests, usually one day. Players earn points based on how athletes perform in real games.
Unlike season-long leagues, online daily fantasy sports apps let users play new contests every day, join paid or free tournaments, and win amazing rewards.
Why Should Businesses Build a Daily Fantasy Sports App?
Building a daily fantasy sports app can bring numerous benefits for both startups and established businesses. Right now, it is the best time to create a daily fantasy mobile app as:
1. Rapidly Expanding Market
One of the biggest reasons to develop a daily fantasy sports app is that it is a quickly growing market with huge demand and a large fanbase. Already, millions of fans use these apps, with 50% of users participating through mobile fantasy sports platforms.
In the future, more and more people will use these apps and this will create even more opportunities for business growth.
2. Massive User Engagement
Attracting users and keeping them hooked is a challenge many businesses struggle with. Daily fantasy sports app solutions, are known to boost engagement and user acquisition. Studies show that the average engagement time per user is 8.3 hours per week.
DFS apps fosters loyalty and retention, helping businesses build a dedicated base of returning users.
3. High Revenue Potential
With daily fantasy sports gaming applications, businesses have the opportunity to diversify their revenue model and generate year-round income streams.
Remarkably, top apps capture over 60% of the market share through brand sponsorships and partnership programs. Other revenue sources include subscriptions and in-app purchases.
Must-Have Features of Daily Fantasy Sports Apps
The features of a fantasy sports app have a great role to play in deciding its fate. The right set of features can make it succeed; otherwise, it risks losing users to competitors, which no business can afford.
In this section, let’s take a look at the essential features of daily fantasy app:
| Feature | Description |
| Easy Sign-Up | Let users register quickly in the app and create their profile via email ID or social media logins. |
| Quick Contest Creation | Allow users to create private or public contests instantly. This keeps them more engaged and encourages frequent participation. |
| Leaderboard | Show top scorers with rankings to motivate users to compete and see how they rank against others in contests. |
| Player Stats | Give detailed stats for all players so users can choose their team wisely and make smart decisions for better performance. |
| Live Updates | The app should provide real-time scores, allowing users to adjust their teams immediately and stay informed. |
| Support Multiple Sports | Make sure the daily fantasy app supports different sports like cricket and basketball to attract more users all year round. |
| Push Notifications | With this feature, the app sends timely alerts about match start, injuries or lineup changes to the user, keeping them engaged. |
| Multiple Payment Options | Offer various payment methods like cards, wallets, or UPI to make joining contests easy and avoid losing users at checkout. |
| Secure Admin Panel | Provide a strong backend for admins to manage contests, monitor users, track transactions, and analyze performance easily. |
How to Develop a Daily Fantasy Sports App?
The process to build daily fantasy sports mobile app requires following a series of steps along with the right expertise to implement those steps. It’s best to hire dedicated developers to develop your daily fantasy sports app, as they are experts in this field and ensure a secure and quality app is developed.
Below are the steps to create successful daily fantasy apps.
1. Market Research
The very first step is to validate your app idea’s potential; for that, you have to do market research. With research, you can identify your target audience, their needs, market trends and gaps.
It will also help you analyze your competitors’ apps like Fanduel and DraftKings, their features, what they miss, and what business model they follow, everything. This will create a strong base for the further app development process.
2. Identify Features
After research, you’ll have a clear understanding of current trends and what other DFS apps are offering. This will help you decide which features to include in your app. Be very careful when picking the features, as a great degree of your app’s success is dependent on it.
You can consult experts at a mobile app development company to help choose the best features. Avoid overloading your app with unnecessary features that could negatively impact the user experience.
3. UI/UX Design
In this stage, UI/UX designers will focus on creating a user-friendly and visually pleasing interface for the daily fantasy sports app. They will ensure the app not only looks good but also provides a great feel every time the user uses it.
Wireframes are also built to check the DFS app’s structure and layout, showing how it will look and work when all the elements are combined. If any changes in UI/UX are required, they can be made before actual application development begins.
4. Technology Stack Selection
Now, it’s time to decide what technology stack you are going to use to create a daily fantasy sports app. The tech stack selection varies as it depends on project needs, but the main technologies and programming languages daily fantasy sports app developers use are:
| Aspect | Tools and Technologies |
| Frontend | React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin |
| Backend | Node.js, Python, Java |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB |
| Cloud Hosting | AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform |
| AI/ML | TensorFlow, PyTorch |
| Payment Gateway Integration | Stripe, Razorpay |
5. DFS App Development
In this step, the actual coding begins, where daily fantasy sports app developers will create the frontend and backend of the DFS app. They will use the best tech stack discussed above and implement the best app development practices to ensure a quality app is developed.
Smoothly selected features are added to the app, and third-party integrations are also done to improve the daily fantasy sports app’s functionality.
6. Testing and Launch
If you think that after development you can directly launch the app, then no, there is still one important step left, which is testing. QA engineers will thoroughly test the app to identify and fix issues. Once it is done, you can deploy the daily fantasy app.
To ensure the app works perfectly at all times and on all platforms, keep monitoring the app’s performance. Check user feedback on how they feel about the app, take their reviews into consideration, and keep improving the app.
Cost to Build a Daily Fantasy Sports App
Understanding the cost of developing a daily fantasy sports app is one of the first concerns for businesses and investors. It makes total sense as it requires a significant investment.
The cost to develop a daily fantasy sports app is influenced by a wide range of factors, like app complexity, the platform chosen, the number of features, UI/UX design, the tech stack selected, and the location of daily fantasy sports app developers.
Considering so many factors, it is a bit difficult to determine the exact cost. However, as a ballpark estimate, building a minimum viable product (MVP) can start around $20,000, while an advanced app with features like AI and predictive analytics can cost $100,000 or more.
For clarity, the estimated cost ranges for different levels of DFS apps are shown below:
| App Complexity | Estimated Range |
| Simple App | $20,000 to $50,000 |
| Mid-Level App | $50,000 to $100,000 |
| Advanced App | $100,000+ |
Reach out to us today to get a personalized quote. For instant estimation, use our cost calculator.
Revenue Models for Daily Fantasy Sports Apps
Before you develop a daily fantasy app, you need to have a plan ready for how your app is going to earn money. There are many monetization models you can choose to generate revenue, which are:
1. Subscription Model
In this model, the app makes money by offering users monthly or yearly subscription to access exclusive features or benefits of the app. It works best to provide a steady income stream while building long-term customer loyalty.
2. In-App Advertisement
The DFS app displays the ads of third-party brands like sportswear brands or other gaming platforms to promote their products/services. In exchange, these brands pay the app based on how many people see the ad or click on it.
3. Contest Entry Fee
This is one of the most common ways to generate revenue. In this model, the user pays the app money to participate in the contest, and from that amount, a small percentage is taken by the app and the rest is distributed among the winners.
4. In-App Purchases
Users can make purchases within the app, such as performance boosters and additional lineup spots, to enhance their gameplay. Every time a user makes a purchase, the app generates revenue. This creates an opportunity to convert free users into paying ones by offering value-driven purchases.
Best Daily Fantasy Sports Apps to Know
For businesses planning to build their own daily fantasy sports app, it is important to check the leading apps that are ruling the market, as they are your competitors. In this section, we will discuss the best daily fantasy apps that are loved by sports fans.
1. DraftKings
DraftKings is one of the most popular daily fantasy sports app that allow users to join daily contests across sports like NFL and NBA. The app has 5+ million downloads, with 4.8 stars on Google Play and 4.9 stars on the App Store, showing strong user trust.
2. Underdog
Underdog’s daily fantasy app is known for its simple Pick’em games, where users predict player performance. It supports play in 40+ U.S. states, and players have won over $2 billion on the platform. The app is easy to use and available on both Android and iOS.
3. FanDuel
FanDuel is a leader in daily fantasy sports and has been loved by sports fans since 2009. This app lets users build new teams, participate in exciting contests, and win real money daily. The app has over 1 million downloads on Google Play and is trusted by fantasy sports players worldwide.
4. Sleeper
Sleeper is a DFS app that has gained immense popularity for both its daily fantasy games and season-long fantasy leagues. It stands out due to its social features that enable users to chat in the app and create community channels.
The app has a 4.7-star rating on the App Store and 4.4 stars on Google Play, making it a favorite among social fantasy players.
Key Trends in Daily Fantasy Sports App Development
Following the market trends is important to build a successful daily fantasy sports app that is loved and accepted by the users. One of the popular trends is use of AI in DFS apps to deliver the best user experience. These apps use AI to suggest players to include in the team and lineups.
Another emerging fantasy sports app trend is the integration of blockchain, especially where real money is involved in the game. Around 15% of daily fantasy platforms use blockchain to keep payments safe and prevent fraud.
The trend of real-time insight in daily fantasy app is also at peak as more than 40% of players prefer fantasy sports apps with features of live stats and player performance data. Real-time data helps users make quick decisions and feel more connected to the game as it happens.
Why Choose Helpful Insight to Build Your Daily Fantasy Sports App?
If you’ve decided to develop a daily fantasy sports app, you’ve made an excellent choice that can deliver significant results both now and in the future. However, it’s important to remember that competition in the fantasy sports industry is intense, with top leaders already holding a strong position.
To succeed, you need to create something extraordinary that captures market attention immediately and offers users a unique experience. That’s where our daily fantasy sports app development company can help.
Helpful Insight is a trusted fantasy sports app development service provider that specializes in building high-quality, secure, and out-of-the-box daily fantasy sports apps.
We have a team of professional fantasy sports app developers who have years of industry experience in developing different types of fantasy sports apps. When you partner with us, we will help you with:
- End-to-end app development
- Guidance on legal compliance in fantasy sports app
- Selecting the right technology stack
To know more about how we can help you, feel free to get in touch with our team today.
FAQs
The timeline to create a daily fantasy sports mobile app is affected by multiple variables, such as project scope, platform selected, customization level, feature complexity, UI/UX design, the number of sports, and third-party integrations. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the exact duration, but it can take approximately 3 months to 12 months or more.
Share your project details with us, and we will provide you with accurate timeline details.
Daily fantasy sports apps are generally legal in many U.S. states, although specific rules and conditions apply. Before building a daily fantasy sports mobile app, it’s important to check the legal compliance and regulations in the region where you plan to launch the app.
Yes, you can make a daily fantasy sports app for both Android and iOS platforms. You can opt for cross-platform app development, where DFS app for both platforms can be developed using one codebase.
Daily fantasy apps let users play new contests every day or week while season-long fantasy sports apps last the whole season, needing long-term team management and strategy.
