According to the official prediction, the software market of Saudi Arabia will grow to USD 14,923.3 million by 2025. Additionally, the market is rising at a CAGR of 5.7% during the period from 2025-2035. This means that companies are investing heavily in electronic products, particularly software solutions.
But with the coming of new technologies, software developers, and custom software requirements, the cost of development is also rising.
In this article, we will break down the actual cost of developing software and how you can optimize the same.
Most Influential Determinants of Software Development Cost in Saudi Arabia
Knowledge of the factors affecting software cost in Saudi Arabia is needed to ensure proper project planning and scheduling. Some of the major influences that affect costing are discussed below:
Project Scope:
The expense of software development would largely be based on the project scope of the software. If you are looking to develop a minimal MVP product, then it will be cheaper.
Complexity
Integration of advanced features like real-time analytics or chatbots will add to the average cost of software development in Saudi Arabia. These features take more coding hours, more rigorous QA testing, and longer development time, hence adding to the overall development cost.
Technology Used:
Your school of thought investment will mostly be complemented by the technology stack you will utilize. This particularly holds true since you require expertise, ML models, and custom data handling. If you choose to work with IoT and blockchain platforms, then you require more intricate infrastructure that increases both development time and cost.
Software Type
The platform you are planning to create the software for also impacts the cost. For example, the web and mobile app development cost in Saudi Arabia will differ from the enterprise-level software as it requires multiple integration and different infrastructure.
Breakdown of Software Development Cost in Saudi Arabia
Here we discuss the average software development cost in Saudi Arabia for various software products.
Web Applications
If you are creating simple websites or portals with not so many functionalities, then the development cost would be between USD 10k to 50K.
Mobile Apps
Creating a basic app with common features can cost from USD 20000 to 60000 and could take about 5 months to create.
Enterprise Software
Such software can be of any type, e.g., an ERP or a CRM, depending upon the project cost and complexity. It can take you around USD 190000 to 300000 and take 6 to 9 months of development time.
E-Commerce App:
Creating an e-commerce application, such as incorporating product catalogs, a payment gateway, and API integrations. Based on the complexity of the feature, custom software rates in Saudi Arabia could range from USD 20000 to 100000.
Industry Trends Impacting Software Development Rates in Saudi Arabia
Many technological trends also influence the cost of software development services in Saudi Arabia; therefore, being familiar trends is important. Here are some important trends:
Decentralized Development:
Emerging coding involves decentralizing the traditional software development, developing non-reusable software components. In this way, developers have started creating differentiated products instead of integrated solutions. This, in turn, impacts the development cycle and associated cost.
Growth of AI-Based Technology
The cost estimation for software projects in Saudi Arabia has also been influenced by the growth of AI-based technologies. With these technologies, most of the manual and repetitive tasks can be automated during development. In this way, it cuts down both development time and cost with less dependency on human inputs.
Focus on Software Centric Industries
Hardware-based companies are focusing more on software solutions to improve functionality and user experience. This would need a huge investment in software development that indirectly increases the development cost.
Change of Operating Business Models
The coming of generative AI has encouraged the service sector to reorient its business models. This helps businesses to accelerate their development cycle and optimize business operations, thereby offering significant cost savings.
Tips to Reduce Your Cost to Build Software in KSA
Go through the strategies below to develop a high-quality product by optimizing your budget.
Create MVP First
Do not build everything entirely at once. Instead, launch your software with core features. In this way, you can reduce your software development cost in Saudi Arabia while also accelerating the time to market.
Build in a Phased Manner
The phased development model can help you divide the cost and plan your resources better. Further, it also helps in managing cash flow and risk while improving flexibility.
Use Pre-Integrated Modules
Instead of creating everything from scratch, it is better to use third-party services or pre-built modules to speed up the development cycle and significantly reduce costs.
Select the Right Development Company
Choosing the right software development company in Saudi Arabia can help you in cost savings. The company would not only help you with development but would also guide you on strategy, compliance, and the architecture part to optimize your development spend.
Be Clear About the Scope
It is important that you are clear about the project requirements and features you want to incorporate in the software. However, if you have imprecise requirements, then there are higher chances that your cost of development would be higher.
Conclusion: Develop The Right Software at Affordable Prices with TechGropse
The software development cost in Saudi Arabia relies on several factors, as we have already observed in the article. But with the right approach and strategies, you can make your development cost optimal. You can also opt to collaborate with a development agency like TechGropse, where we provide high-quality app development without gouging your pockets. If you are interested in developing software at cheap prices, then please contact us.
