A Comprehensive Guide for Social Media App Development

The social media landscape dominates not only our way of communication but also entertainment and brand promotion. According to Statista, in 2023 approximately 4.89 billion people are using social media accounts across the globe. This is an increase of 6.5% from 2022, and it’s predicted to reach around 6 billion by 2027. Looking at the popularity of social media, it’s high time you get your business a social media app development company.

In this article, we’ve formed a guide that will help you comprehend how social media app development takes place. Let’s begin!

Types of Social Media Platforms

Before you start building a social media app, it’s important to know which platform you are building it for. There are several types of social media apps that we engage with daily. Market research will help you evaluate your brand audience and the app that will be the most suitable for the promotion of your brand.

Here are the major types of social media apps:

• Social networks: The basic goal of these social media apps is to connect people across the globe. Facebook and LinkedIn are the leading players of this platform.

• Media sharing networks: These applications are where users can share any type of media content online be it photos or videos. However, you can no longer find the difference between social networks and media-sharing apps due to the latest features. The best examples of media-sharing apps are Instagram and Snapchat.

• Discussion forums: These apps allow users to raise queries, ask questions and share valuable information. Quora and Reddit are examples of such platforms.
• Content-sharing networks: Content-sharing apps such as Pinterest and Flipboard function similarly to bookmarking apps, allowing users to collect and organize diverse content resources.

Important Features of Social Media Applications

Features are what adds to social media app development cost. There are basically two categories of social media app features, MVP and Advanced. Let’s see what they are.

• MVP: The Minimum Viable Product includes some general features like

• UI/UX design
• Profile
• Feeds
• Connections
• Signup
• Chat
• Search bar
• Media sharing
• Push notifications

• Advanced features: Some advanced features that you can add to your app to make it stand out are:

• Location-based content
• AR filters
• Editing
• Admin panel

What is the Cost of Creating a Social Media App?

Budget plays a crucial role in deciding what features you can afford to get in your app. Estimating the cost of developing a social media app helps you make calculated financial decisions. On average, the expense of social media app development can fall anywhere between $100,000 to $250,000 or more. It varies with the intricacies and features of your app.

What Should a Social Media App Development Team and Tech Stack Include?

To create a social media app, you require a team of skilled developers. Your team must have the following professionals:

• Project manager
• UI/UX designers
• iOS/Android developers
• Backend/frontend engineers
• QA specialists

If your in-house team lacks any of these, you need not worry. A social media mobile app development company outsources all the expertise needed for such projects.

Stages of Social Media App Development

The development of a social media app is a complex job. One has to have a strategic approach along with the right skill set and tools. Given below are the steps that the professional is likely to follow.

1. Idea Creation and Conceptualization
2. Choose a Social Media App Development Company
3. Project Evaluation and Proposal
4. Wireframe and Prototype
5. Product Designing
6. App Development
7. Testing and QA
8. App Release and Maintenance

Concluding Thoughts

If you planning to set foot into the realm of endless possibilities and connections, then this guide is sure to help you in your journey of developing a social media app. Besides this, one critical thing is that you must partner with a reliable social media app development company. The right partner will make the process seamless for you.