Each business owner or a product manager has this question whether they need a mobile app. Because it’s a new technical trend, there is a feeling of missing out a bus if one does not have an App.

Ask yourself following questions, and if answer is Yes then you would need a Mobile App.

• Are your customers interacting with your business via web-based applications?

• Is your clients need more than just email or phone?

• Are you selling your products online?

• Will you get more business if your customers could interact with you while they are not sitting on the desk?

• Will your customer benefit with quick updates on their smart phone about your products or services?

Before you decide to build one, you want to check if there is a generic Mobile App that can be a platform for your business. In such cases you may not need to build a new one. You can simply sign up as a service provider on such platform and consumers can get your services or products via generic Mobile App.

If your need is to display your web-site in a mobile phone so it “looks” like Mobile App then you don’t really need a Mobile App. We can convert your web-site in to a “Responsive” website that renders as per the Mobile Device.

If your website does not have any complicated interaction with the users then a Responsive Website should be sufficient for you.

Technically, there are two types of Mobile Apps – Native and Hybrid.

Native applications are developed using device SDK using programming languages that are platform specific. Apple Native apps are written in Objective-C and iOS SDK. Android Native apps are written in Java and Android SDK.

Hybrid Mobile Apps are developed using HTML, JavaScript and the code is portable from one platform to another. They are ported to iOS and Android using PhoneGap and other such tools.

When your app requires complex device interfaces and fast performing UI manipulation, Native apps are preferred. And if your app is simple database transaction and UI behavior of Hybrid is acceptable then Hybrid Apps can be less costly.

This depends on your client base. In USA there are almost equal number of people using iOS and Android. In several other countries Android is more prevalent than iOS. You can always build the app for one platform first and then build it for another one.

Though this may vary based on your need and complexity within the app; a simple app can be built within 4-6 weeks. And a complex app that requires building database, back end services can take 12 weeks or more. The time here does not include ‘team size’ – which depends upon the actual requirement. And this estimates are for comparison purpose only.

This will depend on who do you select to build your app. You may spend starting from 15K or more to create a native app. And as you add more features the cost will go higher. For Hybrid apps, the cost can be little less.

We, at AI Software, can propose a unique approach to architect the solution in US and develop and test in our offshore center to keep the overall cost lower.

In short “whoever pays to build it”. If you are paying to build the app from scratch, make sure your contract with your vendor indicates that you “own” the intellectual property of the app. If a vendor tries to offer you lower price to build it and keeps the IP rights, then vendor will benefit (and not you) when the app becomes successful.