How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Messaging App Like WhatsApp?

Today, people spend most of the day in the vicinity of their smartphones and open Wi-Fi networks, so it is not surprising that we receive SMS from banks mostly, but for communication with friends, we use various messengers. The most common of them is WhatsApp. According to Statista, monthly it is used by 1 billion people worldwide. Furthermore, WhatsApp is the most popular app in 109 countries around the world. How much does it cost to develop an app for messaging, and how to create a WhatsApp? Let’s face it.

You may use our calculator to estimate the approximate cost of app development

How to Make a Messenger App: The Technical Architecture of a Messaging Platform

How to make WhatsApp with a convenient design? It’s hard to miss that all modern messengers are made like a blueprint. Believe it or not, but it is after users' own heart: in such a standard design, cues are clearly separated, recent conversations are displayed at the top of the contact list, so it’s very easy to find what you need.

Here is the design of a few popular apps for instant messaging:

The Server-Side Backend Architecture

How does WhatsApp work? To allow users to exchange messages, a mediator is needed that will store and transmit them. Such a mediator is a server.

First, WhatsApp used the XMPP-server Ejabberd but then switched to the in-house solution. Erlang was used as the main language, but for PHP, there was a place. Service stores the data using a SQLite database.

Instant Messenger App Development: Key Features to Include

• Registration, using the number of mobile phone;
• Real-Time Events;
• Files and images sharing;
• Recording the voice mail;
• Voice calls.

First, we shall take a closer look at functions. You need to create a clone of WhatsApp, and then determine the price of WhatsApp development.

User Registration and Phone Number Verification

Because WhatsApp messenger and similar apps replace SMS, which we send to friends and acquaintances, they usually use a phone number (unlike apps for single ones who prefer social networks). Besides, it is quite convenient: in most cases, people register from a smartphone that contains a SIM card with their number. When you check on it receives an SMS with a confirmation code.

To implement the registration via number, our server will need to send SMS messages to the numbers of users who are registered. In turn, the mobile client,s having received this S, MS needs to read the verification code and pass it back to the server. To automate this process our developers have implemented the library.

Real-Time Messaging and Chat Events

The development of WhatsApp includes the implementation of notifications and events in real time, which is a UI responsibility. For this purpose, such technologies as push notifications (preferably when the application is in the background or not active) and WebSocket (for the implementation of a permanent bilateral connection while the application is online). Events, such as receiving a new message and adding friends,s have a high priority and are transmitted on both channels (push and WebSocket) depending on the current state of the application. In its turn, the statuses «online», «print», «read», etc., are only transmitted via WebSocket and in real-time, and directly manage the application’s UI. Creating a corporate messenger thismo for our client, we have used:

• The WebSocket Protocol
• Mobile database Realm
• Library DataBinding
• RESTful API
• Library Retrofit 2.0
• Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications

File, Document, and Image Sharing

The days when chat rooms existed solely for the exchange of text messages and emoticons are long gone — now the users send each other photos, videos, and various links. To add a file to the chat of your application, you will need to implement several algorithms, it is due to differences in operating system versions, and it may take significant time to debug. Fortunately, our developers have realised library, which will greatly help to speed up the process.

Voice Notes and Audio Message Recording

When there is no possibility to make a call and to print all you need will take much time, the ability to record a voice message gives a helping hand. Therefore, in a WhatsApp-like messenger functions of voice recording and sending. In addition, the message should be played directly in the chat window, without opening external programs, andallow for a pause and rewind. File entry is done using a standard set of OS functions. The file is then sent to the server, waiting for the moment when it will be taken by the recipient. In this case, the server is the intermediary between client applications.

Voice and Video Calling Capabilities

Voice calls, perhaps, are the most difficult and expensive task when creating an application like WhatsApp, as voice quality depends on many reasons, and most of them need to be considered and tested. You can even not add the voice communication at first, and do it later, as did Slack, which offers this option only to premium subscribers. For Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality WhatsApp uses PJSIP library, providing multimedia communication.

Hoping you have figured out how WhatsApp works and what you will need to create it. Now let’s move on too more pressing issues. What will be the cost of WhatsApp, considering the functions outlined in this article?

How Much Does It Cost to Build a Messenger App?

Development of applications for instant messaging like WhatsApp will cost $50000:

• Prototyping — from $5000
• Applications development (iOS + Android) — from $28000
• Backend — from $17000

You shouldn’t forget, also, about such WhatsApp functionality as cryptography and ccalls the cost depends on the options of the implementation of this functionality.

If you need a version without voice calls, it will cost $32000. Of course, that’s the estimated cost of WhatsApp-like messenger development, and for a specific project, it can vary depending on the specifics, required technologies, etc.

WhatsApp Messenger is simpler to develop. But there is another problem: the market offers many similar solutions. Here is where niche matters. Therefore, the alternative to WhatsApp shot, you will need to find your own unique niche, as it has done. Its developers took the well-known idea, but while creating a functional product, they were focused exclusively on companies and small teams, who care more about corporate communications than just friendly chatting.

Stfalcon has experience with messenger app development, but we have created the open source library ChatKit - a set of UI elements, for the simple realization of moderately complex chats. It contains users’ dialog list, message thread, and message file,d and is designed for easy implementation of chat representation logic.

Library of UI elements for easy chat implementation