Want to help people get active and fit using just their phones? Fitness app development is a smart way to do that! As more people care about their health, these apps are growing fast. And why not? They help people exercise, eat right, and reach their health goals without needing to go to a gym. Their popularity is evident, as the global fitness app market size is expected to reach $120.37 billion by the year 2030. These numbers clearly show how much people care about their health and are using mobile apps for the same.
As a business in the fitness industry, if you have made up your mind to invest in fitness app development, then you have made an excellent decision. Fitness apps can help your business grow and reach more customers. Worried about fitness app development cost? Being a reputable custom fitness app development company, we totally get your concern about the cost, that’s why we have brought this detailed guide to help you out.
In this blog, we will discuss how much does it cost to build a fitness app, factors impacting and tips to reduce cost of fitness app development.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Fitness App?
Before starting the fitness app development process, it’s smart for a business to know how much does it cost to make a fitness app. This helps plan a budget and avoid spending too much. The total fitness app development cost depends on a number of factors, so that makes it a little tricky to give an accurate answer.
But on an average we can say that the cost to develop a fitness application can start anywhere from $15,000. But this amount can go up or down based on what kind of app you want. A simple app with basic features will cost less, while a more advanced app with lots of features will cost more. If you choose to make an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) first, the cost will be lower.
Now, let’s explore the fitness and healthcare app development cost on the basis of different levels.
1. Simple App
The cost of developing a fitness app that is simple usually costs between $5,000 and $10,000. This type of app has easy features like signing up, setting fitness goals, and getting reminders. It might also allow users to share progress on social media and make small payments inside the app. Because these apps are basic, health and fitness app developers spend less time building them, which keeps the cost low.
2. Medium App
A medium-level fitness app costs from $10,000 to $15,000. It has all the simple app features plus more options like workout plans, videos to follow, and location tracking. These best exercise apps also support online doctor or trainer talks and connect to fitness devices like smartwatches. They include better security to protect user data, making the app more helpful and safe.
3. Complex App
A complex fitness app development costs over $25,000. It has everything from simple and medium apps features. These include a personal coach powered by AI, fun challenges to keep users motivated, live streaming workouts, and video-on-demand lessons. Because these apps are more advanced and need lots of work, they cost much more to create.
The table below shows the breakdown of the fitness mobile app development cost on the basis of different stages of development.
| Development Stage | Estimated Cost | Description |
| Market Research | $3,000 – $7,000 | Understanding user needs, competitors, and app goals. |
| App Design | $3,000 – $12,000 | Create easy-to-use and attractive fitness app screens and flows. |
| Mobile App Development | $15,000 – $60,000 | Building main app features like tracking, goals, and login |
| QA & Testing | $3,000 – $10,000 | Finding and fixing bugs to make the app work smoothly. |
| Launch & Store Submission | $800 – $2,000 | Deploy the fitness app on Google Play and the App Store. |
| Support & Maintenance | $6,000 – $15,000 | Regular bug fixes, new features, and app improvements. |
| Marketing & Promotion | $3,000 – $8,000 | Promoting the fitness app to reach more users after launch. |
Factors Affecting Fitness App Development Cost
As we have mentioned in the above section, the cost to create your own fitness app is influenced by so many variables. Let’s dive deeper into these factors and see how they affect the overall budget for your fitness app development services.
1. Fitness App Type
The type of fitness app you choose to develop will affect the mobile app development cost. For example, workout apps for women with exercise routines might cost around $10,000 to $15,000. However, a diet and nutrition app, which includes meal tracking and health advice, could cost between $15,000 and $25,000. The cost difference comes from the type of content, the amount of data, and how often the app needs to update or interact with users.
2. App Complexity and Features
The more features you add into your fitness app, the higher the development cost will be. It’s not just about adding more things to the app, it’s about how complex those features are. Simple features, like tracking steps or logging workouts, are cheaper to add, costing between $5,000 and $8,000. However, advanced features, such as personalized workout plans powered by AI, are more expensive, ranging from $15,000 to $35,000.
3. Mobile App Development Platform
The platform you choose to develop your app also impacts the cost to build a healthcare app.
It is important to understand that each platform has its own development needs. Cross-platform tools like React Native or Flutter can save time, but may not provide the best performance, especially for fitness apps. Native development (building for each platform separately) costs approximately 60-80% more, but offers better performance. As a fitness app development agency, we suggest you to start with one platform, then later expand.
4. UI/UX Designing
The UI/UX design services also impact custom fitness app development cost. If you choose a basic design, using ready-made templates, the cost will be lower, say around $5,000. But if you want a unique, creative design with custom features and animations, the price can rise to $15,000 or more. More complicated designs with extra details and effects will cost more because they take longer to create and require more skilled app designers.
5. Tech Stack Selected
The tools and technology chosen by the wellness app development company are the backbone of app development. It also greatly affects the development cost. Using programming languages like Kotlin, React Native, Swift, Node.js or Django usually costs between $10,000 and $40,000.
An app that can handle lots of users and works without problems will cost more than a simple app with fewer features.
6. Development Team’s Location
Next, important factor that influences the cost to develop fitness is your fitness mobile app development company‘s geographical location. Always remember that different countries have different wage rates and development costs. For example, hiring developers in the USA can cost around $30 per hour, while in Asian countries, it might only cost $15 per hour. This difference happens because of the cost of living, demand for developers, and local wages, which all vary by region.
7. API Integration
API integration is vital when making an app as it helps fitness apps like Aaptiv connect with other services, like showing weather or tracking steps from smart devices. The cost depends on how many APIs you use and how difficult they are to add. For example, using a simple free API might cost less, but adding many paid or complex APIs can increase the cost of developing a health app.
8. Support & Maintenance
After you launch your fitness app, you also have to pay attention to its maintenance. You’ll need to fix bugs, glitches, add new features, optimize the app and much more. These things cost money and are part of maintaining the app. Usually, mobile app maintenance costs about 15-20% of the app’s total development cost every year. For example, if making fitness app costs $30,000, you might spend around $4,500 to $6,000 yearly to keep it running well.
The factors discussed above impact the fitness mobile app development cost. Using our cost calculator will help you calculate the cost on your own, so it’s worth a try.
Tips To Reduce Fitness App Development Cost
Now, you know how much does it cost to create a fitness app. The good news is, you can lower these costs without losing quality. Here, we will share simple tips to help you save money while building a great fitness app.
1. Validate Your Mobile App Idea
Before beginning the fitness app development process, it’s smart to check if your idea will work or not. For example, if you want to build a sleep tracking app, find out if people need it. You can ask questions through a survey. This helps you plan better, avoid mistakes, and reduce the cost by focusing only on what’s needed.
2. Begin With MVP Development
Making a simple version of your fitness app called a minimum viable product or MVP can help save money. MVP focuses on only important features that solve users’ main problems. It helps find issues early and gets real user feedback. This way, you can improve the app step by step without incurring too much cost in building a fitness app.
3. Outsource Development
Hire dedicated developers from other countries is a smart and cost-effective approach. Outsource the app development to countries where the cost of living is lower and hourly rates are cheaper. Even though it costs less, you can still get great-quality work. Many experienced offshore app development companies offer good services at lower prices without lowering the quality.
4. Use Pre-Built Templates or Library
To save time and money, you don’t need to build everything yourself. You can use ready-made tools like plugins and libraries. Things like login systems, payment options, and alerts are already available as third-party APIs, so use them to minimize the cost. These tools help make your fitness app faster and cheaper to build without starting from zero.
5. No-Code\ Low-Code Development
If your fitness app idea is simple, you can use no-code or low-code development platforms instead of doing full coding. These tools are easy to use and can save a lot of money. While they have some limitations, they work well for basic apps and can cut fitness app development costs to a great extent.
Develop a Highly Successful Fitness App With Helpful Insight
People today are using their phones for almost everything, even staying fit and healthy. From tracking steps to following workout plans, fitness apps have become a big part of daily life. A smart and creative fitness app can help people while also making good money. But to really stand out, your app must be unique, not just like all the others. That’s where we come in to help.
Helpful Insight is a reputable health and fitness app development company known for delivering secure, scalable and premium-quality fitness apps at cost-effective prices. We have a proven track record of building various types of custom fitness apps for different needs. Our team is skilled in using top-tier technology and is always eager to learn new tools like AI and cloud computing to build future-ready applications.
We start by learning about your needs, the market, and your users. This helps us make an app that works great and avoids problems. We’re open about costs and plans, so you always know what’s going on and how much it will cost. For app development, we follow a clear and transparent approach and will clearly share all costs details, so there are no surprises and no hidden costs.
Please feel free to reach out to our team to discuss your app idea and we will provide you with a detailed quote estimate.
FAQs
Q1. Is fitness app development profitable?
Ans. Yes, it is, if done in the right direction. If your app has helpful features and keeps users coming back, it can earn a handsome amount of revenue. Working with the right fitness mobile app development company also helps you grow faster as they possess deep expertise in this domain.
Q2. What features make fitness app development more expensive?
Ans. Adding more features like video lessons, live chat, or AI can increase the cost. Simple apps cost less, while advanced ones need more time and money to build.
Q3. Is outsourcing fitness app development cheaper?
Ans. Yes, it usually costs less. Hiring expert teams from other countries with lower rates can save money. Just make sure to choose a trusted company for reliable services.
Q4. Can I reduce the cost of creating a fitness app?
Ans. Yes, you can. Starting with only important features and using ready-made tools can help save money in the beginning without lowering the app’s quality.
