Since we have started building Mobile Apps for companies, whether they are private or public, we've come across five questions that are almost always asked. I hope you will find this information useful, and if you have additional questions not answered please don't hesitate to contact us.

1. Should I build a mobile App, or a mobile website?

When you consume content via a smartphone or tablet, you are likely utilizing a MOBILE APP which takes advantage of deeper integration of the device like accelerometers, ingrained video capabilities, cameras and location-based services (GPS). MOBILE WEB is used more often for research, and looking things up on the fly while on-the-go. With the increasing demand for mobile web, it makes sense in many cases to build both.

2. Which platform should I choose?

It's really important to first identify your audience and who will be using the app. Mostly business, email-heavy users? Blackberry can often be the right choice, although this market share is currently decreasing. iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad) currently has about 59% of the market share of mobile web consumption and is primarily a multimedia-heavy audience. Android, being cross-platform compatible to a larger number of devices than iPhone is rapidly growing, and the number of app downloads as of December 2011 exceeds 10 billion.

3. How much will developing a mobile app cost?

Most Apps can cost anywhere between $6K and $50K, depending on the unique requirements and feature specifications. This is for a typical custom developed app for your store, sports club, school, college, news portal, trade show, etc. This price is for iPhone, Android or Blackberry (each is built separately; however in many cases some of the code can be repeated to save time and money). Overall, the price depends on the level of complexity which can only be determined by specifying exact functionality and reviewing with a Development Director.

4. How long does an app take to develop?

Your average mobile app takes anywhere between 1-4 months. It basically looks like this:

1. 1–2 weeks to map out specifications, app flow, and initial wireframe

1. 2–3 weeks for designers to design your app and hand it over to developers

1. 1–3 months to develop the beta version of the app code

1. 1–2 months to test, build out any change request and publish updates

5. How will people find my new mobile app?

Your new mobile app will be published in the app stores, and you should also take the opportunity to promote it via social media and your website. AppStore and Android Market are the Googles of the mobile phone and allow users to find, download and review your app. It can also be helpful to promote your app via email campaigns to your user base.

5. How I can make some money with this app?

In many instances, if you have created a unique app that is applicable to a specific industry with a smaller potential user-base, you can charge a higher price, and to determine how much, it is important to research the threshold for your particular vertical. You can give away your app for free, and use the iTunes in-app purchase feature and sell some exclusive content within the app: it is proven that it is easy to get people to buy some content in their mobile apps, contrary to your website where they may never spend a cent. There are also mobile ad networks, but most of them will generate pretty low revenue for your app and users will dislike it.