How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Social Media App Like TikTok?

TikTok changed the social media industry by offering a platform for the general masses to edit their videos with feasibility. The video editing and sharing feature won the market and changed the perception of social networking apps.

From creating a brand-centric video to showcasing their personal aesthetic, people can build everything and share it with their community while sharing the same video with other social media platforms.

Businesses that followed the footsteps of TikTok benefited from the adaption. For instance, social networking app like Instagram, initially built for sharing your moments with filters, adapted the video-editing and sharing features. Sooner or later, the adaptation becomes the primary reason people use Instagram to generate video-centric content and engage with their audience.

Considering adoption is essential for businesses to stay relevant in the market, now is the right time to create a social media app like TikTok. The demand makes it necessary for businesses to build such an app.

The Rise of Social Networking Apps Like Tiktok

With millions and billions of active users, TiTok is a video-sharing app that functions as a social media platform. Its ability to offer users accessible editing features has placed it in a higher position for comparison worldwide. The user finds it hardly replaceable except for Instagram’s Reels features.

The multi-feature app on Android and iOS is leading the world of millions of users. It entertained the world and coined the term influencers for the next generation.
A social media app like TikTok allows businesses, not the general masses, to target their audience with features that help them appear on relevant audience feeds. Considering that the age of YouTube is gone and such apps are the primary entertainment focus for people, it is high time for businesses to invest in video-sharing apps like TikTok.

Also Read: How to Develop an App Like Discord?

Create a Social Media App Like Tiktok: Market Overview

In recent years, TikTok has entered the global market with almost 1.50 billion users and has become a widely accepted social media app worldwide. Out of all the primary video-sharing apps, it holds nearly 50.3% of the market in the United States, according to Statista.

The app’s flexibility in video-sharing and content consumption makes it interactive enough for people to discuss the content. With features like a chat messenger and shareability on different platforms, people are considering developing a social media app like TikTok. Since businesses and enterprises plan to build video-sharing apps like TikTok, they prefer to understand the capital investment first.

This blog will allow you to comprehend the TikTok app development costs and the different elements that influence the development costs of a platform like TikTok. The blog will also present technical aspects and company-based variations that affect expenditure social media app development.

App-Based Factors Affecting the Cost of Tiktok-Like Social Media App Development

This section brings the factors based on the technical aspects and their effect on capital investment to the forefront.

1. App Platform

App platforms, whether iOS or Android App Development, are essential in cost estimation. Mid-sized businesses and established enterprises decide on the best platform for their needs. According to the target audience and targeting approach, they choose their platform from iOS, Android, hybrid, or web apps.

Prior platform planning is necessary considering the budgeting for a TikTok-style app development. For a better understanding, let us find out the platform-based cost estimation:

Platform	Cost
Native Development (iOS or Android)	$60,000 – $100,000
Hybrid Development	$50,000 – $80,000
Web Apps Development	$40,000 – $60,000

2. UI/UX Design

Other elements that affect the app development expenses for a TikTok-like app are the UI/UX designs. From the design layout to accessibly placing the information, different projects require diverse UI/UX understanding and market research. A sound design converts the prevalence among users. It may improve the capital investment needed to produce a social networking app like Instagram.

Keeping the UI/UX, let us bring clarity to the estimated development cost:

UI/UX Type	Cost
Android UI/UX	$5,500-$6,000
iOS UI/UX	$6,000-$7,000

3. App Complexity

Another factor influencing the cost of mobile app development is the complexity of apps like TikTok and predecided features. While an app with basic features costs less and takes less time to build, the range rises when you add advanced features. The more features there are, the higher the capital investment.

App Complexity Level	Estimated Cost	Estimated Duration
Simple	$35,000 to $80,000	3 to 6 months
Moderate	$80,000 to $150,000	6 to 9 months
Highly Complex	$150,000 to $300,000	9+ months

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4. App Maintenance

App maintenance and support services expenditures influence the cost, and businesses should not avoid them when devising a budget to create an app like TikTok. These elements are routine procedures that should always be considered. The fact that the app needs regular maintenance and feature upgradation to ensure scalability is a constant part of the ever-evolving technologies.

App maintenance and support services depend on different organizations, and businesses must plan them before finalizing the development team.

5. Technology Stack

The technology stack is one of the cost factors for building a social media platform. Different languages require the assistance of other developers with proper industry and language knowledge and prior experience. The technology stack has to be organized to sustain this tier of creation and scalability. A powerful technology stack is directly proportional to the overall cost of TikTok app development.

Considering the different needs, we have listed a few technologies that can help you.

Need	Tech Stack
Frontend	React Native
Backend	Python
Database	Popstgre SQL
Cloud	AWS, Google Cloud Storage, Azure
Media Server Configuration	HTTPS, RTMP
Video/Audio Transcoding	FFMPEG, Amazon Elastic Transcoder

6. Feature List

As mentioned below, the more features, the higher the estimated cost. Every feature requires a certain amount of effort from social media app developers. Feature-rich apps captivate users and keep them engaged with their never-ending functionalities.

Here are some elements you must consider to create an immersive and pondering experience for users.

Features	Approximate Cost
Login & sign in	$4,500-$5,000
Upload Video	$1,500
Filters & Effects	$9,000
Video Editing	$6,000
Likes & Comments	$5,500
Sharing	$3000
Notifications	$2,500
Admin Portals	$2,500
User Interface	$10,000

The technical aspect of capital investment addresses factors directly related to applications. To find out which factors can significantly change the cost, let’s examine factors based on social network app development companies.

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Development Company-Based Factors Influencing the Cost to Build a Social Media App Like Tiktok

Regarding the comparative analysis of TikTok app costs, another segment influencing the expenditure is the social network app development company’s location, team size, and hiring cost. Everything contributes to providing businesses with the estimated budget investment.

1. Development Team Size

The size of the mobile app development team also influences your comprehensive budget. Hiring freelancers may appear cost-effective, but it brings risks of different kinds. Hiring a team from an app development agency is one way to avoid risks and get your video-sharing app right on time. Finally, their experience and understanding of managing such projects will be worth it.

You can employ freelancers at lower development expenses, but their lack of experience can affect the likelihood of app maintenance, eventually maximizing the entire budget.

To understand the cost of development, one must understand all the professionals needed for the process:

• A Project Manager
• UI/UX Designers
• Social Media Developers
• Quality Assurance Analysts
• Project Coordinators
• Database Experts

The cost of essential professionals needed for the TikTok app development process as per their hourly rate.

Professional	Cost
Frontend Developer	$55 – $80/per hour
Backend Developer	$55 – $80/per hour
Cloud Architect	$65 – $90/per hour
Designer	$30 – $40/per hour

The Rise of Social Networking Apps Like Tiktok

2. Development Company Location

The location of an app development is one factor that significantly affects the cost. Consider the economic situations of countries while finalizing the company. For instance, India’s mobile app development cost differs from the United States.

For a better understanding, let us provide you with the price range of different countries to help you make a wise decision.

TikTok App Development Cost
Country	Years of Experience	Hourly Rate ($)
USA	2-3	30-50
	3-4	60-90
	5+	90-140
India	2-3	15-25
	3-4	25-55
	5+	55-90
UK	2-3	40-70
	3-4	70-90

In the above section, we have summarized the estimated cost of app development for established enterprises looking for app development, depending on the company and the facilities it provides to businesses.

Concluded the Video Sharing App Development Cost

To offer mid-sized businesses and established enterprises a conclusive budget idea, developing an app like TikTok costs between $40,000 and $350,000. The overall cost can increase or decrease based on the factors mentioned above.

Whether Android or iOS App Development, one must understand that both platforms can cost differently as multiple factors affect the final development cost.

Why Choose SparxIT as a Leading Social Media App Development Company?

At SparxIT, we believe in bringing innovative solutions to our clients and guaranteeing their satisfaction. Our social media app developers are proficient with immense experience and industry knowledge to build video-sharing apps like TikTok.

Businesses and enterprises can benefit from choosing SparxIT as a social media app development company. With a track record of providing businesses with innovative solutions, SparxIT stands out for its experience formulating engaging social media platforms that meet their needs.