Want to get an app built - how much?

iwb

I need a price to get an app developed for Android and iPhone. It needs to read a number plate and use it to query a database. Where do I start to get a price for something like this? Does anyone on here want to develop it for me?

srsly78

e1000/day

days = ??? bout three fiddy, or as much as developer can sell to you.

Serious answer: Nice idea, pretty easy to code for someone with the relevant domain knowledge. Technical problems however lie with camera capabilities, do you expect it to automatically zoom in on a number plate from 50 meters? Some olders phones don't even have autofocus -.-

The Corinthian

Firstly, the bare-bones, core, use case of this app is:

1. Access the device camera to take a photo.
2. Apply OCR to successfully convert part of that photo into text.
3. Query an online database, with this text, to return information to the user.

Secondly, your app has to be multi-platform (at least for both iOS and Android).

Given the above, it is questionable whether you will be able to find a multi-platform framework that will allow you to achieve the functionality (at least consistently) for step 2 above. Such frameworks are fine for simpler apps, but once you start to push the device capabilities or employ complex business logic, they start running into problems.

This leaves you with having to develop the app natively - essentially twice - once for each OS. To find either someone with the skills to competently develop in both natively will narrow the field and accordingly increase the price. Otherwise you may need to find two separate developers, in which case maintaining a consistent UI and functionality will need to be managed, again increasing costs.

I'd suggest going down one of three roads:

• Find a developer with competent development skills in both iOS and Android.
• Employ a development firm/consultancy that has those skills in-house and will manage them.
• Find a developer who is experienced in one OS and has analysis experience. Either use them to find a second developer in the other OS or find one yourself. Let the first take ownership of the app functionality and UI, so that this is maintained consistently across both versions.

As to how much it will cost you, it's impossible to say; certainly in the four figures at least. However, the above will probably demonstrate that to get what you want may take a bit more than you'd originally envisaged.

Draco

+1 to what the The Corinthian said but I'd also ask if getting the user to enter a number plate would be acceptable? It would cut down on the complexity.

There's already an iPhone app called Irish Car Check that does roughly what you're asking for. The OCR would be nice though.

The Corinthian

the chinese will do it for ya for little or nothing €1 k

In my experience, outsourcing is not as simple as that. Indeed, you're very unlikely to get it done for €1k.

Do you have experience in this, or is it just something you heard somewhere?

iwb

Thanks for the replies. I will have to think about this a bit more. I will no doubt have more questions later.

Dean_Mc

Just to add,

It might be an idea to develop this as a service + apps. That is you could develop a backend service which takes the input via REST and sends back the result. That way at the very least you could lease out the service to pay for the apps. In any case I would split them up just because, as Corinthian stated you will end up repeating yourself.

I know that Microsoft offer free Azure (Cloud Resources) if you fancy trying to set up a business, they even have the facility to look for angel investment. The requirements are quite flexible and they aren't in it to shaft you. check out BizSpark for more.

FWIW: I don't work for Microsoft.

iwb

Thanks for that Dean. I am still going through the process and this is another good suggestion to take on board. I hope to hear back from a developer in the next few days and will run this by him also.