How much does it cost to build an art app?

Standard price for an art app: $49,250

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What is an art app?

An art application is a web, mobile, or desktop application that enables artists to share their work with the world. Art apps may include tools for setting up galleries and displaying artwork, as well as private spaces for artists to discuss their work with each other.

Art apps are similar to other creative app types like photography apps, video apps, and music apps. The most popular art apps include ArtStation, Behance, Dribbble, and DeviantArt.

Here are some recent art app examples built with Crowdbotics:

  • An MVP and basic design platform that enables users to search through a database of artists, select the right fit, communicate with the artists via chat, and commission artwork from them.

  • A video platform art gallery.

What is the typical cost to build an art app?

An art app usually costs $49,250 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $20,000 or as high as $100,000. An art app with a low number of features (also known as a "minimum viable product", or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.

For example, here are some recent art app price quotes from Crowdbotics:

  • $38,500

  • $60,000

How long does it take to build an art app?

An art app usually takes 657 hours to build. However, an art app can be built in as few as 267 hours, or in as many as 1,333 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, or non-standard release platforms.

For example, the most recent art apps built with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:

  • 560

  • 1,333

How to successfully grow your art application

An art app can grow by using a freemium model in which users can download the app for free, but only pay for premium features. An art app can also grow through customer referrals by offering users who invite their friends to join the app free content. In order to generate viral growth, an art app needs to offer unique features that differentiate it from other similar apps on the market. These features could include integrations with social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, or they could be non-visual components such as a chat feature that allows users to collaboratively discuss art and artists.

Risks and challenges of building an art application

An art app faces legal and reputational risks related to the handling of user-uploaded content. It is important to perform routine security audits to ensure that your application is secure and does not allow malicious users to tamper with artwork uploaded by other users. You will also want to consider how you handle the licensing and payment of licensed artwork. For instance, do you plan on maintaining a database of licensed works, or will you be providing a feed of artworks from external sources?

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Some of the descriptions on this page were completed with AI assistance. Learn more here.