Online dating app development cost with Flutter (a cross-platform framework) in 2022?

The development cost for a dating app with a cross-platform framework(Flutter) varies widely depending on the custom features your app needs. Every dating app is unique and it is not practical to give cost estimate to every possible tailored solution, so we assume that your custom dating app (or MVP - Minimum viable product) will be going to have at least the following features, so we have some common ground to make cost estimation.

Moreover, development is sub-divided into two major groups one is a consumer-facing mobile app (Android & iOS ), which is accessible by the customers to find suitable matches. The other one is Client facing web app where the employees of the company will act as moderators & receive feedback from customers.

1. Consumer-facing Mobile App (for Android & iOS).

Following are the features considered for Android & iOS mobile app for cost estimation.

• Mobile number verification - Every user before registering themselves in the platform must verify their mobile number, this will reduce multiple accounts per single user & thereby spamming ( it's easier to have more email's in any part of the world than more than 02 mobile numbers).
• Basic details about the users - Here we show users a few of the entries to collect details like name, date of birth, location, gender, work details, education details, smoking & drinking habits, height, etc., and their dating preferences.
• Images & Videos - Here we will ask the user to upload their profile photos, videos (if they wish), and a selfie image to reduce fake accounts. Here users were also provided with an option to write about themselves & what they are looking for on a potential date.
• Preferred Matches/Dates - Based on the user set preferences, the app will show appropriate member profiles. Here we could add the functionality to show only a set number of profiles per day per user so that it won't become a swiping game & this will improve the chances of users actually meeting someone. It also includes a like & unlike button and shortlisting option which will save the member details for later reference.
• Connect through chats & video calls - Once two users like each other they could be able to chat with each other, of course after they become PRO members and we could also add video call functionality & additional subscription charges may be collected from the user to avail this facility.
• Report malicious users - Whether you like it or not dating app attracts a lot of spammers & unwanted guests. Verifying all the users by yourself is quite tedious, so if the users come across any of the spammers, they will report. But, if two users were already liked each other & are chatting, and if one of them becomes abusive, we will give the option to other users to block them right away without your intervention.
• Promoted profiles - This is a fancy way of telling advertising paid member profiles. Here, users are provided with an option to boost their profiles by purchasing specified PRO plans.
• Locations to meet offline - Once the user has started chatting with each other, they could very well meet whenever & wherever they like. However, to improve user safety, we provide them the option to meet in public places pre-vetted by your staff or community. Further with partnering with local pubs/diners, you could add one more revenue stream also.
• In-app purchases & verification - Play store & app store consumable and subscription purchases will be integrated into the app so that to enjoy pro features & benefits user has to pay the premium. Further authenticity of all the purchases will be verified in the cloud so that there will be no chances of fraud.
• User setting & partner preferences - This is to provide an option to users to update their profile details and partner preferences (which were added while creating the profile).
• Alert or notifications - This feature will make our backend send a notification to the respective user when someone liked them or sent them a chat or video call request. This also includes taking appropriate permission from the respective mobile operating systems.
• Account deletion - This feature provides the option to users to delete their account along with all the related details we have collected from them within the app - This feature is mandatory for iOS apps.
• Feedback - A system to provide feedback & to raise complaints within the app.
• Privacy policy and Terms & Conditions - I don't think, we have to explain this.

2 Client-facing web app.

This web app will only be accessible to the entrepreneur & employees. Through this staff can check & update the following.

• Action on reported profiles - Details of the profiles, which are reported as malicious by other users are shown here, so that staff will check those profiles & decide whether to block or unblock the member.
• Feedback from users - All the feedback was given by users is shown here, so that proper action can be taken from the company end.
• Reports Dashboard - To view in-app purchases made on a particular day/month along with total revenues, number of mutual likes, etc.

So here is the final cost you will likely to incur to get your custom dating app or MVP developed with the above-explained features.

Other costs

Even though these are minimal in nature and not a part of development, however having the knowledge of these, is not going to hurt, so here are few of those...

• Developer Account - To release the app to iOS & Android platforms, you must have a developer account. If you do not have one, a play store (for Android) account will cost you $25(one-time) and an app store (for iOS) will cost $99/year.
• Uploading of Apps - To upload the apps to both the play store & app store, you should write a catchy title, subtitle, with SEO description(for play store), list of keywords(for app store) with screenshots. For our clients, we provide this at no extra cost.
• Backend costs - This is to store the details about members along with their photos and whom they liked, chat details, and infrastructure for video calling. This is a variable cost and depends on the number of users & their activities, so getting an exact figure is quite difficult, but come on if more people are using your app, the backend costs may be high, so your revenue.
• Regular updates & maintenance - Again this varies depending on how many new features, you try to add to your existing app.

If we use a cross-platform framework like Flutter to develop the apps for iOS, Android & web cost will always be justifiable without any deterioration in quality, however, if we go with native coding (means separate codebase for each platform) to build the app, the cost will always be 2x-3x more than what we have proposed here. On a side note, we deliver a custom dating app like this to suit your unique needs & brand aesthetics within 02 months.

Further note that, not all agencies are created equal, so do your research before ordering your app. Or you could avoid that risk by letting us build the app tailored for your vision so that you will have more time to get new users & expand your app reach.

Customer journey and order processing in e-commerce or online shopping app or website in 2022.

How much it cost to build an online fitness or Yoga app with Flutter (cross-platform development) in 2022?