Mobile App Development Costs and Timelines: Native vs Cross-Platform Comparison

The Growing Demand for Mobile App Development

With smartphone penetration exceeding 90 percent, mobile apps have become an essential business channel. Use cases range from internal workflow apps to customer-facing service apps and e-commerce platforms. Companies across the Shinagawa district and greater Tokyo are increasingly launching mobile apps alongside their existing web services to strengthen customer engagement. However, the wide variety of development approaches makes it essential to understand costs and timelines before committing to a strategy.

Native Development: The Benefits of Platform-Specific Apps

Native development uses platform-specific languages and tools, such as Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. The primary advantage is full access to the latest OS features and hardware capabilities. Device functions like cameras, GPS, biometric authentication, and augmented reality can be implemented with maximum quality, and the UI can fully adhere to each platform's design guidelines. The trade-off is that building separate iOS and Android apps increases both cost and development time.

Cross-Platform Development: React Native vs Flutter

Cross-platform frameworks generate both iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. React Native, developed by Meta, uses JavaScript, making it accessible to web developers. Flutter, created by Google, uses the Dart language and excels at delivering high-performance apps with polished, expressive UIs. Both frameworks achieve near-native performance while significantly reducing development costs compared to building separate native apps.

Cost Estimates by Project Scale

Mobile app development costs vary widely depending on feature complexity and scale. A simple informational app typically costs between three and five million yen, a mid-scale business or e-commerce app ranges from eight to fifteen million yen, and a large-scale app with advanced features can exceed twenty million yen. Choosing a cross-platform approach can reduce costs by 30 to 50 percent compared to native development. However, the decision should consider not only cost but also app requirements and future scalability.

Timeline Estimates: From Planning to Launch

A typical mobile app project spans six to twelve months: one to two months for planning and requirements, one month for design, three to six months for development, and one to two months for testing and app store review. By adopting an MVP approach, teams can bring core features to market within three to four months, then iterate based on real user feedback and gradually expand functionality.

How to Choose the Right Development Approach

Several criteria should guide your development approach decision. If the app requires extensive use of device-specific features such as AR, complex animations, or intensive 3D processing, native development is the better fit. If the app is business-logic-centric and speed-to-market and cost efficiency are priorities, cross-platform development offers clear advantages. Drawing on experience from numerous mobile app projects based out of the Shinagawa area of Tokyo, we have seen cross-platform development become the pragmatic choice for the majority of business applications.

Partner with Oflight Inc. for Your Mobile App Project

The key to delivering a high-quality mobile app within budget lies in making the right technology decisions from the planning stage onward. Based in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Oflight Inc. supports both native and cross-platform development, offering development plans tailored to your business goals and budget. Whether you are building a new mobile app or revamping an existing one, reach out to Oflight Inc. for expert guidance and a personalized proposal.