If you are reading this blog post, we know you are coming here with some questions and ideas. Your mind is thinking of creating something new in this digital world. You have a clear vision and plan to make something new to accelerate this digital era.
Upon investigating the on-demand economy, one is presented with a picture of expansion in which companies utilizing this model have achieved great success and have gradually gained investor favour.
Today, many distinct categories comprise an on-demand ecosystem: food delivery, ride booking, at-home services, and even job on-demand.
When you look at the on-demand taxi booking app market, you’ll notice that apps like Uber and Lyft dominate a large portion. However, when it comes to Eastern nations such as the Middle East, Careem is the clear market leader.
Creating an app like Uber typically ranges from $70,000 to $100,000 for just one iOS or Android platform. If you want to add more platforms or features, the development cost increases accordingly. In this blog, we cover everything from the start to discuss each factor of the cost of developing an app like Uber.
How Does Uber App Work?
The main thing that affects how much it costs to make an app like Uber is what it can do. Even though it seems like just one app to users, it has many different parts.
Let’s look at what the app can do, for instance.
Depending on where you are, people using Uber can choose from different kinds of rides:
- UberX: This is the regular option for booking a ride for up to 4 people.
- UberXL: This is for bigger groups, up to 6 passengers.
- Uber Black: This is a fancy taxi service.
- Uber Black SUV: These are premium rides for up to 5 passengers.
- Car seats: These are cars with seats for kids.
- WAS: These are rides in vehicles that are easy to get into for people in wheelchairs.
But Uber isn’t just about rides. It’s significantly grown and now includes other services like Uber Eats and Uber Rent.
So, how much it costs to make an app like Uber depends on all these different things, and we’ll look at all the critical factors.
The Number of Apps Needed
Did you know that creating an app like Uber actually involves making not just one, but three different apps?
Here’s what we’re talking about:
1. Driver app: This app is specifically for drivers. They use it to accept trips, see trip details, get paid, and keep track of their earnings.
2. Passenger app: This one is for people looking for rides. Passengers use it to book drivers, find nearby drivers, pay for their rides, and rate their experience.
3. Admin panel: This is like the control centre for your app. It lets you manage everything, from users to payments to reports and analytics.
And remember, all these apps rely on a backend system to work properly. So, when you’re thinking about the cost of making an app like Uber, don’t forget to include the backend development too.
Want to Explore All Aspects of Uber App Development?
Uber app development includes different aspects. It includes technical aspects, business aspects, and marketing aspects. Each has various cost factors and requires a unique approach to calculating its value and determining the cost of Uber app development.
So, these aspects clear your mind to choose the correct option in development.
1. Type of the vendor
When it comes to developing an app like Uber, you’ll need to choose the right type of vendor to help you. Here are the three options you can choose from:
Freelancers:
You can hire individual freelancers to work on your app. While this might seem cost-effective initially, there are challenges. You may have little control over the development process, and quality’s not guaranteed.
Plus, if issues arise, you might have to start over. Freelancer costs vary widely, but you might expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $150 per hour, depending on their expertise and location.
In-house team:
Another option is hiring developers to work directly for your company. However, this comes with its own set of challenges. You’ll need to pay salaries regardless of whether there’s work for them, and there are additional costs like office space and dealing with HR matters. This might work well for larger companies but could be risky for startups with tight budgets and deadlines.
Outsourcing to a app development company:
This can often be the best choice. By outsourcing, you hand off the development work to a third-party company. They handle everything, including ensuring quality and meeting deadlines. Costs for outsourcing can range from $50,000 to $140,000 for one platform (iOS or Android), depending on the complexity of the app and the company you choose to work with.
This option can be desirable to avoid the hassles and bureaucratic issues of managing development in-house.
How to find the best software development vendor?
Choosing an Uber app software development vendor not only affects your app development cost but also impacts the quality and success of your project.
Researching vendors’ portfolios, client reviews, and communication styles can help you find the best fit for your needs and budget. Consider scheduling consultations with potential vendors to understand their expertise and software development approach better.
2. Number of supported platforms
Choose the right operating system between Android and iOS. Everyone chooses both at the start of development, but then it becomes somewhat costly, and in the end, it increases more than the budget sometimes. We prefer the option to try MVP testing to find the right platform; this helps you so much with marketing and upgrading your app like Uber and is more helpful than it.
Now, why not develop for both platforms? That’s an option if your users are evenly split between Android and iOS and if you’re ready to invest heavily in development without testing the waters first with a minimum viable product (MVP).
3. Uber Application Features
The app uses GPS technology to detect the user’s location, allowing for precise pick-up and drop-off points and a hassle-free experience. The Uber application offers diverse ride options, including UberX, UberXL, Uber Black, UberPool, and UberWAV, catering to various needs and preferences.
You need to concentrate on the safety features for user and driver satisfaction. Must focus on features like real-time tracking, requiring users to share their trip details with trusted contacts, and driver background checks to verify their credentials.
A critical factor in high security is the availability of multiple payment options in select regions, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets, and cash.
Fare estimates and transparent pricing ensure that users know the cost before confirming their ride. Extra valuable features like the Uber app add feedback and rating features, allowing users to provide valuable insights and maintain service quality.
4. Technology
Choosing the right technology according to your budget and adding artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) features to your app can make it super bright. Still, it can also cost more to develop.
Developing and fine-tuning the unique algorithms your app needs, plus setting up the tech to make it all work, also adds to the cost. Testing and ensuring everything runs smoothly is also important, which adds to the bill.
All the ins and outs of AI Development
AI development includes problem definition, data collection, preprocessing, model selection, training, evaluation, fine-tuning, deployment, and ongoing support. All these cutting-edge features required professional development teams and new technology.
This step became costly.
For AI development, you must have sound data about customer development and your application requirements.
Also, it needs to be cleaned, organized, and prepared for analysis. Developers must do deep research on AI worlds and learn about patterns and relationships within the data, adjusting its parameters to minimize errors and improve performance.
5. UX/UI design
Give full importance to the application UX/UI designs. Choose the proper layout that is more accessible and flexible with users. Only the right colors, layout designs, and good-looking interface are not measured in UX/UI. It combines good information structure, interface layout, page hierarchy, and user flow.
You can only create an excellent UX and UI design if you understand your target audience. Like creating logos and other branded elements, audience analysis also drives up the cost to build apps like Uber.
6. Quality assurance & testing
Quality assurance (QA) is like giving the app a final check to ensure it’s good to go before it’s released. QA engineers test the app and all its parts in different situations to find any problems.
Their goal is to catch bugs so that the app runs smoothly and doesn’t have any issues that could bother users. They check if everything looks good, works right, and doesn’t slow down.
They also make sure the app works well on different devices and platforms. This process usually costs between $5,000 to $20,000, depending on the complexity of the app and the extent of testing required. By doing this, they ensure that people can use the app without any trouble when the app is out.
Cost to Build an App Uber – Like: Features for Passengers
When you think about building an app like Uber, it is divided into three phases. Passenger App(user app), Driver app (Customer app), and Admin app (Main app). These three different applications combine to create a whole app that works as an Uber.
Understanding each feature and the developing time and cost makes it straightforward to make changes and upgrade some features in your plan. Start with understanding passengers’ features one by one.
1. Registration & login
The main door for customers is registration and login in your app. It creates the first impression of your application. Ensure the registration process is simple and doesn’t take long for the customer.
Connect with other accounts and social media to log in with one click to make it more straightforward, such as Google or Facebook. This will streamline the registration process and make it more convenient for users.
This takes around 50 to 160 hours to build up, and as per the development rate, it costs you around $4000 per location and development team selection.
2. User profile
Users should be able to edit their data, including phone numbers, credit card information, profile pictures, and any other pertinent information, based on the final set of features. This functionality typically requires a development time of 50–60 hours, totaling $2500 to $3000.
3. Geolocation, routing & direction
Uber depends on GPS technology for tasks like tracking drivers, users, car movement, distance, and pickup location, ensuring efficient and accurate transportation.
You can expedite the development process by integrating your app with the Google Maps SDK for Android and MapKit for iOS. The installation of these features typically takes 100–400 hours, ranging from $6000 to $25,000, depending on the complexity and final feature set.
4. Payments
You will need to put in some effort and figure out how your app will be paid for as you work on making it similar to Uber. Here are some facts you have to focus on.
- Base fare: A flat fee is charged at the beginning of each trip.
- Cost per minute: Charges incurred based on the duration of the trip.
- Cost per mile: Charges based on the distance travelled.
- Surge pricing: Additional charges during peak hours or high demand periods.
- Sales ride fee: Additional fees or taxes that may apply depending on the region.
If you want to integrate cashless payments into your app, you must concentrate on financial data protection. PCI compliance is required for securely storing and processing credit card data. Secure payment gateway takes under 100 hours with the best software development team and costs you around $5000 to $6000.
5. Notifications
Any mobile app must have push notifications to notify users of updates. To successfully implement this functionality, you will need to use platform-specific services.
6. Apple Push Notification Service (APNs):
This service helps send push notifications to iOS devices. By connecting with users on iOS devices, you can keep them interested in your app’s newest features and updates.
7. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM):
Firebase Cloud Messaging is the go-to solution for Android app development. Users can be informed about significant app-related events using its reliable and efficient push notification system to send messages to Android devices.
Push notification functionality can be provided across both iOS and Android platforms using APNs for iOS and FCM for Android. Building this feature takes around 80–100 hours and around $4000.
8. Rider-driver communication:
Create a path where the rider or driver can communicate and share the location and any vital message if needed. It helps customers quickly find each other with straightforward navigation in any area. This feature costs around $3000.
9. Scheduling rides in advance
Ride scheduling is a more demanding feature in this fast-paced world. It is beneficial, and customers and riders also get more benefits from work and time management.
The application offers advanced features, surpassing other driving apps, costing between $5000-$6,000 to boost popularity.
10. Booking rides for others
This feature is excellent and advanced to use in this application when someone can send a ride to another friend or family member to be picked up for some good reason, and without any problem, they get a good treat for the loved one.
The feature, though time-consuming and costing over $6000, is highly recommended for integration into your application.
11. Splitting a fare
You also have to think about these features that cut the cost of customers and give reasonable trips to the user, the same as a local fair.
This feature increases the risk of using your application for students and people who need help to afford the high-paying riding online app. This feature will cost about $7000.
12. Penalty-free ride cancellation
You can think about both types of customer rides, and users must follow ride cancellation rules to save on extra penalties and feature improvements. Uber allows riders to cancel a ride within two minutes without facing penalties or fees issues. This feature will cost around $2500.
Here, we explain the features provided for passengers in apps like Uber.
With the lump sum cost of developing each future for this application, you can add more features to make this application more flexible. Contact our team to explain your idea for making more implementations of these features and cost-related queries.
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Uber App Features for Drivers:
You’ll also need to design an app for drivers as part of your Uber-like app development. The cost of developing such an app can be substantial.
Let’s review some of the fundamental and advanced features you’ll need to develop for drivers.
1. Registration
Just like for the passenger profile, the sign-up and sign-in options are required for drives. Also, you can integrate the driver app with social media and google for a fast sign. This is the same process we use in the passenger app. This costs around $4500 because of some extra details and security.
2. Personal profile
All driver data will be kept in a personal profile, allowing drivers to manage other pertinent details, upload and edit profile photos, and update personal information.
This profile is a centralized repository for driver-related details, allowing for seamless updates and maintenance of accurate records. Building these features will cost around $4000 and 50-70 hours.
3. Push notifications
Like a passenger app, push notifications are also crucial in the driver app, or you can customize and provide eye-catching pop-up notifications. It takes around 40-60 hours and costs around $4000.
4. Ride cost estimation
Drivers can also be aware of the cost of the ride and route. This feature helps drivers decide the right path and choose the right one if they get more than one offer. The feature of the cost estimate takes only around $3000 and is easy to build up.
5. Driver Reporting
Passengers rate drivers based on their experience, identifying potential issues. Provide driver reports based on their previous work and build a strong profile to get many more rewards and customer trust.
Administrators can ban low-rated drivers, promoting excellent service. High-rated drivers receive priority rides. The estimated cost of the feature is $3500, and it takes 20-30 hours to build.
6. Route optimization
A smooth and straightforward route optimization finds the short way for both driver and passenger. An app can help with the work by making route optimization recommendations based on traffic data collected in real-time. This is why an app should be linked to mapping services.
7. Active/Inactive option
We should provide the option to the driver to turn on/off the working time for any emergency work or lunchtime. This feature not only helps drivers but also helps the system to not make sure the other drivers have inactive their location. It will cost around $2000 with the right budget team.
8. Driver-passengers communication
Direct communication between drivers and passengers is most necessary for standing out among the market competition. Using this feature, the driver and passenger can communicate whenever needed. It cost around $3500.
9. Heat maps
Heat maps help find the location where drivers can get high demand for taxi services and great ride deals. The heat map feature is handy for riders to get more payments in cost depending on your recommendation and requirements.
Driver-side features are most important and should be more accessible to users. Improving the driver side helps to get more business in the competitive market.
Uber Features for Admins
After creating passenger and driver apps, you need an admin application to control both. The application panel is where you oversee the entire app and its users. You can add features as needed for your business, but each new feature adds to the cost.
Here are a few essential features that you may need to include:
- Main admin profile (super admin that can manage other admins)
- Adding and deleting admins for big business
- Managing admin access
- Drivers’ verification and selection
- List of drivers based on filters
- Updating drivers’ data
- Managing price rules for rides
- Passenger control (booking history, payment history, profiles)
- Driver Control (booking history, payment history, profiles)
Advanced features include a revenue dashboard, data filtering capabilities, advanced analytics, and any other functionality your company requires.
Back-End Development to Create an App Like Uber
Developing the back end of an application can be much more expensive than creating all its features together. Apps like Uber have a complicated back-end that links the driver app, passenger app, and the admin panel.
The back end handles communication between different parts of the platform. It needs to be built with scalability in mind so you don’t have to overhaul the entire app architecture later due to scalability issues.
Typically, the back end takes care of tasks such as:
- Authentication and authorizing users
- Running algorithms for ride pricing, driver recommendations, etc.
- Storing data and files
- Managing payments, subscriptions, premium features, etc.
The development process for the back end usually takes between 2,500 and 3,500 hours and around $ 100,000.
Overall Time to Design an App Like Uber
The app development process doesn’t start with code creation. It starts a lot earlier with the creation of UX and UI design. You’ll also need to create designs for passenger and driver apps.
Design for a passenger app:
- Wireframes (UX) – 70 – 100 hours
- Mockups (UI) – 50 – 70 hours (for one platform)
Design for a driver app:
- Wireframes (UX) – 40 – 60 hours
- Mockups (UI) – 50 – 70 hours (for one platform)
Costing Table for building an App like Uber
The table below provides the time and cost of developing an app like Uber for a single feature.
Driver App :
Customer App :
Admin Panel :
This timing and costing estimate number is according to the overall world developing costing and rates, so remember you can get many different costing as per choosing development company and location base. Additionally, the location where you outsource the development determines costs.
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How Addevice Can Assist with Uber-Like App Development
If you’re considering building your app like Uber, our team at Zennaxx is here to help you through the process. One crucial step is more than just focusing on Uber as the benchmark in the industry. Instead, it’s wise to brainstorm and develop a unique app idea that sets you apart.
- Ensuring passenger safety
- Tracking the journey
- Checking rates before booking
- Implementing an online payment system
- Automatically registering drivers with licences
- Incorporating a rating system
Our team successfully developed the minimum viable product (MVP) for Taxi App in a few months. This allowed our client to test their idea in the real world and gather valuable feedback. If you’re interested in creating a unique app like others, we’re here to assist you every step of the way.
Do you want to create an app like Uber?
If you want to create an app similar to Uber, our team can help you develop a customized solution that meets your needs and requirements. Zennaxx is an experienced app development company with the expertise and experience to bring your vision to life and create a successful app that stands out in the market. Contact us today to get started on your mobile app development journey.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BUILD A TAXI APP?
- Our experienced talents have completed 700+ IT projects for clients in a wide range of industries. We have experience developing mobile apps, web apps, SaaS apps, or any other software product your business needs.
- WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE UBER-LIKE APP DEVELOPMENT COSTS?
- Complexity of features, the number of platforms (iOS, Android), the choice of development team (freelancers, in-house team, or outsourcing to a development company), the technology stack used, the design requirements, and the need for backend development.
- WHERE SHOULD I OUTSOURCE UBER APP DEVELOPMENT?
- Look for companies with a proven track record, positive client reviews, expertise in relevant technologies, and good communication skills. Countries like India, Ukraine, and Eastern European countries are popular outsourcing destinations known for their skilled development teams and competitive pricing.
- HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD AN APP LIKE UBER?
- The time required to build an app like Uber can vary depending on factors such as the complexity of features, the number of platforms, the development approach, and the availability of resources. Generally, it can take anywhere from a few months to a year or more to develop a fully functional Uber-like app.
