By Bhaval Patel
Want to learn how to make an AR app from scratch?
You are on the perfect blog.
Before that, imagine this.
You want to purchase sunglasses online for yourself. You do not have any idea how it will look on you. But having AR technology will enhance your shopping experience. With a few taps, you can try different sunglasses on your picture to see whether the desired sunglasses look great on you or not.
Isn’t it impressive to try on virtual 3D glasses through the Warby Parker app? Surely it is. Many entrepreneurs have already started to grab this opportunity, including Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook.
In 2019, CNBC reported that Facebook started working on glasses that allow people to project digital images onto the physical world.
Thus, if you have also decided to build your own AR app for your business but do not know how to create an augmented reality app, then this blog is for you. Shall we start?
Table of Contents
How to Develop an Augmented Reality App for
Android and iOS
Taking smaller steps at a time will help you to make an app even with new technology. Being an entrepreneur, consider mentioned steps for developing your app. Let’s see all the steps one-by-one.
Market Research
The best way to research the market is by checking related applications on Google Play Store and App Store. Download related apps to check their features, and make a list to see where you can improve.
Check their performance, UI/UX design, speed, feedback, and ratings. So, you will identify where they are lacking and find ways to improve the features that you can include to give the best user experience to your customers.
Additionally, you can also get feedback from friends, coworkers, or anyone whose opinion is valuable and trustable to you. Check whether they find the idea helpful, and according to them, which features are missing.
Set Your Requirements
Once you do market research, set your requirements. Here is the list of requirements that you need to consider for app development. It will also be easy for you to explain your requirements to potential app developers.
- Features that you want to include
- The type of mobile app, such as native and hybrid
- Your choice of platform, such and iOS, Android, and AR platforms
- Any specific technology, programming language, or tools like (Vuforia, ARKit, RealityKit)
Start Working on Your App
At this stage, you will need to contact the AR experts, who can understand your requirements and also fulfill them as suggested. But before that, you will need to hire a professional company that has hands-on experience in developing AR apps.
To select the best AR development company, consider the following factors.
Once you hire developers, you and developers can start working on your AR application to give your potential customers the best solutions. Please ensure you have clarified your queries with the development company and made them understand your requirements. Thus, it will be an essential stage of the development process.
Publish Your App
- Title
- Description
- Category
- Keywords
- Launch Icon
- Screenshots
The process to submit your app to App Store may take a few days, depending on the app’s quality and the way you have followed the iOS development guidelines. On the other hand, Google Play Store doesn’t have a review process, and your app will be available within a few hours after the submission.
Build Your Augmented Reality Application
Have an idea? Not sure where to start? Book a free call with our technical AR expert.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop an AR App?
Various factors influence the app development cost of an AR application, and one of them is the types of AR apps. Find out the cost for each type of AR app.
Note: Please know that this is a rough estimation from one of our technical experts. He estimated the rough cost based on different features and functionalities of an AR app type.
| Type | Features | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Marker-based AR |
| $2000 – $4000 |
| Marker-based App with Animation |
| $2600 – $3500 |
| Marker-less AR |
| $10,000 – $11,500 |
| Projection-based AR |
| $6000 – $8000 |
| Superimposition-based AR |
| $7000 – $8500 |
| Outlining-based AR |
| $4200 – $5000 |
| Recognition-based AR |
| $2600 – $3500 |
| SLAM AR |
| $10000 – $12000 |
Now, we will check the app development cost based on the complexity. Where a simple AR app can cost around $10,000 to $25,000 and a complex app will charge you $200,000 – $2,000,000 due to advanced features. The mentioned cost is the estimation that varies, depending on the app size, features, and functionalities you want.
| App | Features | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Simple App |
| $10,000 – $25,000 |
| Complex App |
| $200,000 – $2,000,000 |
We have discussed some of the factors that influence app development costs. Moreover, there is another significant factor, which is the location of developers. Yes, the location-based factor also plays an essential role in the app development cost. Let’s quickly find out the cost based on the different locations.
| Location | Estimated Cost of App Developers |
|---|---|
| USA & Canada | $100 – $250 per hour |
| Western Europe | $80 – $150 per hour |
| Eastern Europe | $25 – $100 per hour |
| Asia | $20 – $50 per hour |
After analyzing the data, an AR app costs you between $2,000 – $2,000,000. But what about the timeline to develop an AR app? Do not worry; we have covered that in our next section. Please take a look.
How Long Does it Take to Develop an AR App?
We have shared a rough estimation for the timeline to develop an MVP (minimum viable product) AR app. Refer to the table, where we have shared the top features of an MVP app and stated the average number of hours to develop an iOS and Android app.
| Feature | Estimated Man Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | Android | |
| Sign in/Sign up | 18 hours | 14 hours |
| Catalog | 24-50 hours | 24-50 hours |
| Sharing | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| Cart | 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Employing 3D Models | 2-3 hours | 2 hours |
| Image Recognition System | 50 hours | 50 hours |
Apart from the features, we have also shared the timeline based on various factors. Check out those factors in the next table with their estimated timelines.
| Factor | Estimated Man Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | Android | |
| Programming | 50+ hours | 45 – 50+ hours |
| Designing and Wireframing | 15+ hours | 15+ hours |
| 3rd Party API | 15 hours per API | 15 hours per API |
| Back-end Development | 10 – 12 hours | 10 hours |
| AI-based Recommendation | 100 – 150 hours | 100 – 150 hours |
| App Launch | 8 – 48 hours | 4 – 24 hours |
This list does not just end here. We have also shared an estimated timeline based on the types of AR mobile apps. Please take a look at their estimated timelines.
| Type | Estimated Man Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | Android | |
| Marker-based AR | 80 – 200 hours | 80 – 200 hours |
| Marker-based App with Animation | 110 – 250 hours | 110 – 250 hours |
| Marker-less AR | 400 – 510 hours | 400 – 510 hours |
| Projection-based AR | 240 – 360 hours | 240 – 360 hours |
| Superimposition-based AR | 280 – 400 hours | 280 – 400 hours |
| Outlining-based AR | 160 – 250 hours | 160 – 250 hours |
| Recognition-based AR | 100 – 150 hours | 100 – 150 hours |
| SLAM AR | 400 – 450 hours | 400 – 450 hours |
Next, we will see how apps have used AR technology to advance their features. Please find some of the best examples of AR apps in the next section. Let’s check them one-by-one.
Develop Augmented Reality App
Have an idea? Not sure where to start? Book a free call with our technical AR expert.
Who Needs an AR App?
Today, prominent companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook are investing huge funds in developing AR applications. Google is likely to spend $14 billion, whereas Facebook will spend more than $5 billion on AR technology for developing AR glasses.
Moreover, AR’s best thing is that it can be used in various fields and not just entertainment technology. It includes education and research, military, manufacturing, e-commerce, and many more shared in the following image.
Source: Statista
Video games hold the maximum share amongst all by 2025, which is USD 11.6 billion of the market. Pokemon Go, a gaming application that uses GPS, is an example of AR technology, and its downloads crossed 1 billion in 2019. A pretty huge number, isn’t it?
This technology is all about giving a rich user experience as well as enhancing communication between customers and your brand. In other words, AR technology would bring you closer to your customers.
Now, check the augmented reality app development cost. We have classified the cost into different segments for better understanding. Shall we start with each segment?
Required Tools for AR App Development
Here are some of the best tools based on their ratings, price, platform support capabilities, and features. Ensure that you make a better choice of a tool based on your business requirements. Let’s see all the tools for AR one-by-one:
| Tool | Ratings (G2) | Features | Price | Platform Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuforia | 4.2 45 REVIEWS |
|
|
|
 ARKit | 4.3 55 REVIEWS |
|
|
|
 RealityKit | – |
|
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 Unity | 4.5 220 REVIEWS |
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These mentioned tools make the developing process easy. Now let’s see some examples of AR applications.
Best Examples of AR Apps
Here are the best examples of AR technology with their top features and download links.
| Logo | App | Features | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
 | ASOS – Virtual Catwalk |
| Android – iOS |
 | IKEA |
| Android – iOS |
 | Pokémon Go App |
| Android – iOS |
 | YouCam Makeup App |
| Android – iOS |
 | Google Lens |
| Android |
 | GIPHY World |
| Android – ios |
Most of the AR app examples in the above table also use machine learning algorithms to improve the user experience of their app. For example, the IKEA app uses computer vision and machine learning to place 3D models of IKEA furniture in a customer’s physical space, allowing them to see how the furniture would look in their home.
Similarly, the Google Lens app uses machine learning to recognize objects in real time, providing users with information about what they are seeing, including product information, translations, and more.
So, these days using ML and AI in mobile app development is pretty common. If you want to include such advanced features in your app then you should get in touch with an artificial intelligence development services provider.
Still have questions about the price to develop an AR app for Android and iOS or how hard it is to build an AR app; then here is a list of FAQs. Ready to get started?
Frequently Asked Questions about AR App Development
How much does it cost to develop an AR app for Android?
Based on the above estimation, it can be concluded that the AR app development cost for Android could be ranged from $2000 – $2,00,000 based on different factors, such as features, complexity, and the location of the Augmented Reality developer.
How much does it cost to develop an AR app for iOS?
Based on the same estimation, the AR app development cost for iOS could be ranged from $2,500 – $2,00,000. This estimation will vary based on different factors, such as features and functionalities, types of the AR app, and the app’s complexity.
How hard is it to make an AR app?
Much of the complexity would depend on how well versed you are in developing AR applications. Also, it depends on how complex you want your app to be. You can develop an AR app using software development kits, such as Reality Composer and Vuforia (augmented reality SDK) to simplify the AR app development process. Here is how you can get started with Vuforia (AR SDK). Take a look at this tutorial.
How hard is it to program augmented reality?
Initially, designing a great AR/VR app requires tools that are specifically built for AR/VR design. Tools that allow you to design 3D interfaces, create interactive prototypes, and enable you to perform testing prior to writing your first line of code. Additionally, to develop AR/VR apps, you should be proficient in programming skills and IDEs/SDKs.
Mainly, the AR program development highly depends upon how comfortable you are working in 3D space as well. For example, Lenevo Star Wars have launched their own AR app with hardware like a lightsaber controller to offer the ultimate experience to its users.
How to design augmented reality apps?
If you are not sure of how to develop AR applications by coding, you can start designing the AR apps using tools like Vuforia, and Wikitude. You may follow these simple steps to design augmented reality apps.
1. Perform competitor analysis by looking at different AR apps of your competitors
2. Research about the development platforms or the tool using you will develop an AR application
3. AR development revolves around 3D modules, therefore you need to either make the models yourself or download the existing models.
4. You need to create a 2D tracker for a picture to get placed on the surface and scanned by AR-based devices.
5. It is time for you to design pictures, texts, and 3D models.
6. Complete the development process by adding all the elements in a choice of your platform
If it is challenging to develop a complex AR app or you are not sure how to get started with your app idea, contact our AR experts team. Our team has hands-on experience in developing AR apps.
Ready to Build an AR App?
To sum up, this blog has helped you to find the best tools, essential steps, cost, and time to develop an AR app, the best examples, and the most asked questions.
Being an augmented reality app development company, we will help you to make your own augmented reality application. In case, if you need help from AR experts, who comprehend your business and suggest the best possible solution accordingly then, Space-O Technologies is a leading augmented reality app development company in the USA, and Canada.
Our team of mobile app developers has developed over 4400 apps, and just like Google Lens, our expert team has developed a Picture Translator App and QR Scanner App, an application that scans the code.
If you also want to discuss your idea with us about AR/VR or want to hire augmented reality developers, just fill-up the contact us form to reach out to our experts. One of our technical experts will get back to you and provide the best solution.
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