Telegram app stands out from other Instant Messaging apps in its Speed and Security. This instant messaging app has grown into a business app over the years with a large developer community around it.
Heavily secured and super fast, this cloud-based multi-platform app has an unlimited storage facility. All your devices can be connected with single account login and allow users to set a timer on messages to self-destruct for security.
The telegram “end to end encryption” feature is used in special secret chats leaving no trace on servers by getting self-destructed and doesn’t permit chat forwarding. These secret chats are not a part of the telegram cloud as the functions will not be able to run the analytics on the data and can never be accessed.
In today’s world, data privacy is most crucial to consumers and needs special attention from app developers. As more than 80% of data thefts are due to issues with the app development rather than cyber attacks, a special budget for time and money is a must in developing a telegram like a messenger app.
Telegram app also provides you access to two accounts on the same android device as a telegram clone.
MESSAGING APP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Clarity on the overall process of developing a messenger app helps in understanding a ballpark budgetary requirement.
1. Conceptualizing
2. Designing
3. Choosing the Platform
4. Developing
5. Testing and Validation
6. Launching
7. Maintenance
Must-have Features of a Messaging App
Though the most widely used popular messenger apps like telegram have many distinctive features, some common and must-have features are found in all of them.
As the time spent on app development directly correlates with the quantum and complexity of features in your app, built-in features are critical for app development cost estimates.
1. Registration and User Login: Being a startup, it is best to adhere to the simplest user registration and login and use verification by phone number or through email or social networking accounts. Once the registration is over, the app will sync all phone book contacts automatically. Authentication normally includes third-party APIs and takes about 50 hours of development time.
2. Customization and Settings: we all love to make our messaging app space our own with a profile picture, wallpaper, or nickname. Profile and privacy settings as in telegram online along with account settings would need almost 100 man-hours to develop.
3. Real-Time Messaging: It is the central feature of your app and needs to include the following aspects that take around 150 hours for the front end and back end development.
1. Message Status
2. Private Chats
3. Group Chats
4. Quick Search
5. Broadcasting
4. Chatbots: Telegram is one of the first messenger apps to launch the bot platform that mostly uses Python software and can be developed simultaneously for voice messaging with real-time messaging.
5. Encryption: A system designed and developed to disable surveillance by a third party. Telegram is known as one of the safest and secure encrypted communication app today.
6. Cloud Synchronization: A great feature when you use multiple devices to access the app. Telegram offers complete cloud Synchronization except for secret messages with unlimited storage space. Enabling this feature will require you to budget for both service and resource charges and take around 50 hours.
7. Video and Voice Calling: It offers free calling and saves money on mobile calls. An important feature requiring almost 150 hours for both front and back end development.
8. Multimedia and Contact Sharing: A feature enabling sending and receiving contacts, video files, and photographs that need around 60 man-hours for development.
9. Location Tracking: This feature comes as a great help in an unknown place that locates and shares your location and takes 50 man-hours to develop.
10. Notifications: This feature allows the user to get notified on personal or group messages involving approximately 25 man-hours development time.
Factors Affecting The Cost of Developing a Messaging App Like Telegram
Money talks and here comes the most obvious question of how much money I would spend to develop a messaging app. The cost to develop a successful and functional messaging app like telegram depends on many variables and involves various tasks, and takes you through many developmental phases.
The key factors contributing to the cost of developing a messaging app are
1. Technology: The finances required to develop an app like telegram will depend on the technologies built into the messenger. While the front end will need a user-friendly responsive interface with an appealing design, the back end requires quick and quality work with databases. With limited users, no cost Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) can manage your back end requirements, however, as the number of users grows you might need to develop your database, push server, and web sockets needing cost considerations.
2. OS and Devices: It is never advised to spend a fortune on initial app development and it would be wise to stick to a universal multi-platform solution. MVP, costing around 500 to 1000 USD with minimum features would serve the purpose. The targeted devices, Mobile and Desktop like telegram desktop will also factor in the cost of app development.
3. User Interface: A ready-made less pricey template may serve your purpose initially however, the user interface will dictate if a user will love your app. It would be wise to engage some professional designer and consider his fees in the app development budget.
4. Location: As the hourly rate of the development team will vary depending on the development company’s location, a US-based company will need more financing in comparison to countries from East Europe or India.
TAKEAWAY
In India, a skilled software techie normally receives around 120,000 INR as a monthly salary which translates to an hourly rate of approx 1000 buck. Based on 600 manhours of development cost, a messenger app like a telegram may need around 600,000 INR of investment.
It is only a tentative cost and may vary considerably based on technology, geography, technical skill level and cost of the technical team, and many other factors.
