Member Avatar for sfrider0

An auto dealer has asked me if I would create an Android app for them. They already have a good website with images, prices, details, etc. I'm not really sure what all they would want, but for now, I'll will mostly deal with letting the users search through the cars and maybe adding a calculator and a couple of other small features.

I have never written anything for anybody before. They are wanting me to give them a flat price, then pay some each month to keep it updated. How much do people usually charge for something like this?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by chrishea

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A short, practical checklist for before you give a flat price: clarify how the app will get inventory (CMS export, JSON/CSV feed, or a new API), who owns the images, whether listings must work offline, what exact search filters and calculator logic are required, and who will publish/manage the Play Store listing. Those architecture choices (use existing data vs build a backend) are the main cost drivers.

Put everything into a one‑page SOW and acceptance tests the client signs. Break the SOW into small features and estimate hours for design, development, QA and project management for each line. As recommends, iterate the spec with the client until both sides agree. Request a sample data feed and representative images up front — they remove most guesswork and cut rework.

How to turn hours into a price: pick an hourly rate that supports your target income (a simple rule is target annual income ÷ ~1,000 billable hours), then multiply by your estimated hours. Offer a phased fixed bid if the client wants a flat price: MVP (search, detail view, contact, basic calculator) first, then paid phase‑2 for integrations or extras. Use milestone billing (deposit, beta, final) and offer a monthly retainer that covers a fixed number of update hours with a clear overage rate.

Include contract essentials: precise scope and acceptance criteria, number of included revisions, who supplies inventory/API access, Play Store account & fee responsibility, IP ownership, a short warranty window, and SLA for bug fixes. Keep the first engagement intentionally small, ship an MVP quickly, and use a clear change‑request process so you’re paid for any scope creep.

Member Avatar for chrishea

There are two ways to approach this. You can try to get a handle on how much they are willing to pay, charge them that and hope that the number of hours that it takes results in more than minimum wage; or, you can use the more traditional scientific approach.

Either way, you need to get their agreement to the requirement before you can come up with a cost. I suggest that you write down your current understanding of what they want (and/or what you are proposing) and have them review it. This could go back and forth a few times before you get there. If you are going to be scientific, once you know what has to be done, do an estimate of the time to do design, development, testing plus all of the customer interface time, then add a healthy fudge factor for the unknowns (and potential re-work once they see it and decide they need changes). Once you have the number of hours, then you need to come up with an hourly rate. Someone may suggest a good rate for an Android developer. If not, then you need to come up with a number that is somewhere between minimum wage and $100 / hr. Your experience, your location and what the market will bear all come into it. Your hourly rate will probably be in the $25 - $60 / hr range.

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