Creating apps is a demanding process that requires determination and effort. It can often feel like an endless journey that continues even after the initial phase is done. Therefore, app hosting cost is often one of the first questions businesses think about. So let us begin by understanding what it exactly is.

App hosting, also known as application hosting, is a service that allows businesses to run their applications on a third party’s infrastructure, either on servers or in the cloud. This process provides the necessary services and infrastructure to deploy, run, and manage an application’s server-side components.

There are numerous factors to manage this cost, from infrastructure and scalability to operations and security, to ensure that your app is well-received by users and costs stay in check. 

Factors that Affect App Hosting Cost

The cost of hosting a mobile app varies based on its size and complexity. Apps are typically classified into three categories:

1. App size

Small applications have limited functions. They are designed for a single platform and are without API integration or backend development. At the same time, medium apps are developed for a single platform with custom user interface design and payment features, or for multiple platforms with less complexity. 

Large apps are complex applications with features like multi-language support, third-party integrations, professional design, extensive backend development, and more. 

2. Simple & complex apps

The type of app significantly impacts the hosting cost. Simple apps are less expensive, while gaming, hybrid, or native apps increase hosting costs. Furthermore, picking Android apps vs iOS apps, also decides the final costs.

3. Platforms & Devices

The cost also depends on the platforms and devices the app is built for. Hosting for one platform is cheaper than for multiple platforms.

The Average Cost of App Hosting 

Hosting mobile apps is a different experience for everyone. The final cost depends on the unique requirements of each business. So consider your app’s needs and budget before starting.

For instance, a news app with minimal data storage (around 5GB) and a moderate user base (10,000 daily users, consuming 2MB/user/day) might find a budget-friendly option like DigitalOcean suitable, costing around $50 per month. On the other hand, a high-traffic gaming app with moderate data storage (around 20GB) but a massive user base (500,000 daily users, consuming 100MB/user/day) would likely need a more robust provider like Google Cloud Platform, even if it comes at a higher cost, potentially reaching $5,100 per month. 

By carefully estimating your data storage and traffic volume, you can select a hosting provider that offers the best value for your app. This ensures your app is reliably hosted without breaking the bank. Just remember, a little planning goes a long way!

Top Hosting Service Providers

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

This suite of cloud-based services is built on the same infrastructure that powers popular Google products like Search, Gmail, and Drive. Its intuitive, web-based interface allows users to efficiently manage cloud resources and products.

A significant advantage of GCP is its integration with Google’s advanced machine learning capabilities, enabling faster app development and providing valuable business insights to your team.

Additionally, Google Cloud platform offers robust security protocols to protect your projects and provides access to Google’s integrated applications for seamless collaboration, including video calling, email, and document sharing. You can start using GCP for free and pay as your usage scales.

AWS Amplify

AWS Amplify is designed to work to develop full-stack, scalable mobile and web applications. It is built on Amazon Web Services, leveraging its robust infrastructure.

Amplify boasts an impressive list of features, including easy management of app backends, instantaneous deployment of static web applications, and the ability to manage app contents outside the AWS console. It supports a wide range of web and mobile frameworks, ensuring compatibility with various development environments.

While AWS Amplify may seem like a basic script platform, it excels in providing robust mobile backends.

Firebase

Firebase, a Google product, is a reliable mobile hosting service and backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platform. It provides development methods and solutions that enable developers to build mobile and web applications without the need for server-side programming.

It integrates with a variety of Google and third-party services, including authentication, hosting, analytics, and cloud messaging. It has a pay-as-you-go model, making it a cost-effective option.

Heroku

Heroku is a cloud application platform, offering a container-based service that has evolved to support multiple programming languages, including Java, Python, Node.js, and more. It provides a flexible and elegant solution for developers, abstracting away infrastructure management complexities.

With Heroku, applications run inside smart containers in a fully managed runtime environment, ensuring optimal performance and security. Setting up databases is straightforward, and PostgreSQL is both reliable and secure, offering continuous protection with database forking and encryption.

Heroku also offers a range of pre-integrated services, such as New Relic, SendGrid, and Fastly, to enhance and extend your applications’ capabilities effortlessly.

Digital Ocean

Digital Ocean is an open-source, comprehensive cloud computing platform designed to help developers build and host applications rapidly. It provides a wide range of pre-packaged services, including computing, storage, databases, and networking tools, giving developers the flexibility to control their infrastructure or opt for managed services.

With products like Droplets and floating IPs, developers can take full control of their website and mobile app infrastructure. Alternatively, Digital Ocean also offers managed infrastructure services, including load balancers and managed databases, to simplify your workflow.

Digital Ocean’s simple APIs, CLIs, and UI streamline application development, allowing developers to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure setup. Its monthly billing cycles and pay-as-you-go model make expense management more accessible as your business grows.

How to Reduce Your App Hosting Cost

Move services to the edge

Relocating services to the edge and offloading data can significantly curb cloud hosting expenses. This approach also reduces processing and bandwidth costs, as data doesn’t need to travel as frequently to the server hosting the site. Distributed footprints even reduce potential outage costs: While a cloud server outage takes down websites, traffic can be rerouted if an edge node fails. 

Implement strategic partnerships

A reliable method for reducing web hosting costs is to devise and execute a robust partnership strategy that enables transactions across various partner channels without incurring additional hosting expenses. This ensures deep penetration across customer segments without any loss of sales potential. 

Stay informed about market rates

Keep a close eye on the market value of cloud-based services by regularly reviewing your ISP’s billing practices. While you may not want to switch providers frequently, staying informed about the latest rates can help you negotiate better deals or identify more cost-effective options. 

Optimise media

Images and videos can significantly increase bandwidth and storage requirements and slow down your website during peak hours or on slower connections. Optimize these media assets to reduce hosting costs and improve website performance. 

Choose the right plan and provider

Carefully assess your traffic and potential traffic to select the most suitable hosting plan and provider. For example, consider using AWS for your back-end infrastructure, as it offers benefits tailored to these use cases, and opt for a flat-fee hosting plan for your front end to manage costs effectively. 

Embrace cloud-native architecture

Adopting a cloud-native web application architecture can help optimize web apps and reduce costs. This involves creating lean, lightweight web apps (e.g., single-page apps) and running business logic and heavy processing, such as content optimization, within microservices that communicate with the web apps via APIs

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hosting is an important part of every app. And, the app hosting cost varies for every application. A successful app with millions of daily users may need a more robust configuration and potentially more expensive user resources than an app that has just launched and is gaining traction. This provides you with an estimate of standard application hosting costs to help you plan accordingly. There are many cloud service providers each offering different plans for different needs. Scale your hosting costs as your application grows. 

Some platforms offer free tiers and extensive resources, making it ideal for startups and small deployments. So, when choosing a hosting provider, you should consider your current and future application needs, your user base, and the level of service you require. So make an informed decision about hosting costs by going through the guide above and ensure your mobile app has the resources it needs to succeed.