How Much Does it Cost to Build an Educational Ed-Tech App?
There was a time when the education field was just getting started with digitalization. In recent years, however, ed-tech developers have thrived, and the educational technology market has boomed.
Specifically, 2021 was a turning point for the rise of education apps as the electronic learning market reached $315 billion. Furthermore, 53% of teachers say that students' easier access to digital devices improves their teaching. This would be especially true if schools were closed again.
Thousands of startups are competing to gain profit from educational software, in addition to big companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon.
If you want your new product to take off, it must provide answers to users’ unmet needs and address unsolved issues. We’ll help you with that but first, let’s briefly review what ed-tech is and why it is better than traditional learning methods.
Table of Contents
- What Are Ed-Tech Apps
- 9 Benefits of Using Education Technology Apps
- Educational App Development Process
- Educational App Development Costs
- Is There Any Way to Reduce Prices?
- Conclusion
What Are Ed-Tech Apps
An Ed-Tech app (a.k.a. educational technology) is an app that promotes, simplifies, and enriches the teaching process by integrating technology into the learning environment.
Digital textbooks, teacher-student communication portals, and virtual classrooms are some examples. Users can also customize educational apps according to their preferences.
Some ed-tech app options include the following.
- Learning management systems (LMS)
- Immersive Technology (AR/VR)
- Personalized Learning App
- Academic Management Platforms
- Virtual Classrooms
- Online Program Management (OPMs).
9 Benefits of Using Education Technology Apps
The term e-learning, or online education, refers to the process of improving efficiency and communication between students, educators, schools, and academic institutions. However, don’t confuse them with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Many industry analysts believe that the ed-tech sector will continue to grow for years. As a matter of fact, they expect the marketplace to expand at a CAGR of 20% within six years from 2022.
Some of the advantages of using ed-tech include the following.
- Ed-tech innovators can improve their products by adding features that students’ ordinary courses lack, including customization and close contact between instructors and students.
- CompTIA's study found that 9 out of 10 students are confident that using technology in the classroom will empower their learning in the digital age.
- Students used to have to carry large textbooks to class every day not so long ago. It is now possible to access a great deal of this material using a computer and the Internet.
- Learning can be made better by appropriately modifying curriculum objectives or courses to cater to individual preferences.
- Tutors and parents can check students' assignments by simply looking at their phones.
- By using digital tools in education, students can work at their own pace.
- Using technology in the classroom has led to an increase in the number of students who share their knowledge and help one another.
- Teachers can use ed-tech apps and other digital tools in their classrooms to transform tedious subjects into engaging and enjoyable lessons.
- As a result of technology, students can also try new things they may not have been able to do in the past. By doing so, they will become more independent and figure out what learning approaches work best for them.
Educational App Development Process
Ed-tech options are fantastic, but attempting to use them without a clear strategy will only lead to failure.
Creating a mobile learning application for devices like mobile phones and tablets requires creativity and in-depth knowledge of eLearning. That’s why app developers should put more emphasis on providing evidence-based solutions that will assist instructors in their work.
There are several stages to ed-tech app development, as you’ll see below.
An Idea is Born: An app's success depends largely on its initial concept and idea. Once you’re inspired, keep that idea and nourish it with expert opinions and technical information.
Identify and Research Consumers: There is more to success than simply throwing one's hat into the ring and hoping for the best.
Build The Right Team: It takes a team to create educational apps. The success of your project depends on building a good team, so do not skimp.
Put It To The Test: Most likely, you are familiar with an expert group of people who are familiar with what you do. QA specialists, UI/UX designers, and app developers are the ideal candidates to get feedback about your app.
Incorporating Must-Have Features: There are several features that all ed-tech apps must have, including authorization, notifications, payment portals, and a search bar.
Educational App Development Costs
Last but not least, don’t forget to conduct thorough research into educational software development prices. Learning about the latest educational app development costs is imperative before getting too excited. Analyze your project’s scope and find mobile app development companies that can deliver the most suitable results.
There are a number of factors that affect the cost of ed-tech mobile app development, including what you’ll read here below.
Necessary features
Do you plan on implementing many features into your product? What will the number of screens, controls, and options be?
Remember that some features are trickier to add than others, and, yes, they come with a higher cost. Costs will vary depending on the type and number of functions.
The scale of the project
Your app's complexity will vary based on what features and integrations you select and how to get an app developed. In general, the smaller and more basic the application, the less time and resources it will take to develop.
Development strategy
As a rule, native mobile app development provides a superior user experience and higher speed. Therefore, it is more expensive.
You should choose native app development if you need an app with a lot of advanced features. However, if you are trying to create a simple product, a hybrid solution will do.
The Intricate Details of UI/UX Design
In recent years, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) have become the focus of almost every software development company.
Since many applications are available, users can pick one with a user-friendly design, easy navigation, and high functionality. Naturally, the more you focus on improving the user experience, the higher it will cost.
Your tech-stack
You'll probably need a business analyst, project manager, QA specialist, and senior developer by your side. Each skill set comes at a different price, so you should carefully pick your team members.
Here is a list of things you should do to find the right contractors.
- Prioritizing requirements
- Defining project goals
- Market research
- Collecting information
- Identifying and creating a list of potential partners
- Assessing each team’s skills
- Inquire about their costs.
App Maintenance Costs
Costs don't end with the completion and launch of the app. App Store and Google Play require regular maintenance for your app to remain popular. By not monitoring, updating, fixing bugs, and introducing new features, you'll lose customers to a better, more innovative solution.
Software maintenance costs are around 15 -20% of the project's development costs.
Is There Any Way to Reduce Prices?
Cost is primarily determined by development time and the hourly fee of your education app development team. So, you can opt for outsourcing your project to expert off-shore teams as a method to lower costs.
Note: Off-shore development teams are composed of skilled developers located abroad.
Conclusion
It has been almost a decade since the educational system underwent a digital transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic sped up the transition and dramatically shifted toward e-learning. Education technology is highly profitable not just because of certain external influences (like COVID-19) but also because of its unique features.
However, launching a business in this industry can be challenging, especially if founders don't have the proper tools at their disposal. Consequently, you must hire a team of developers with the relevant expertise and assign them the appropriate roles when developing software.
Education in a COVID-less era needs new ideas, and yours may be what’s going to appeal to the world next.
Are you thinking about building a custom ed-tech app?
The One Technologies is a mobile app development company that can help you develop competitive ed-tech apps. Contact us, and we’ll estimate your project costs. There is no fixed-cost calculation. Costs vary depending on the scale and details of your project.
