How Much Does a Server Cost For an App

Once you have dived into the process of app development, you soon realize the need to have a server for your app that will support the content your app users will be accessing. If you are developing a new app or trying to save the costs of servers for an app, you definitely need to check the costs so you can make sure that you are not only budgeting accordingly but also pricing your software as per your server costs.

The answer to this question depends entirely on your app. Let’s say the cost of Netflix’s server costs millions of times more than that of an app that has just started to grow. In this article, we will try to list the factors which effect the server costs of the app, however, it is impossible to list all factors as there may be many third party APIs or systems that your app might be using.

Why Do You Need a Server For an App?

You need server space for your app to serve your application content to its users. You don't need to have a server for your app only if it requires zero connectivity and all the content available on your app is in the form of downloadable files. The reason why most of the apps require an external server is that they are Cloud applications and need the server to generate app functionality. To do so, your app may probably need more than just one server. 

Other than showing app content to users, a server acts as a central repository for app files via development tools like Docker and Gitlab. Using these tools, you get complete control of your software.

Cost Of a Server For An App

Every month, the cost of a server for a mobile app can range from $35 to $160. However, this cost depends largely on various factors which involve the content served to users, the number of active users, and projected growth. Details about these factors will be given in the coming sections of the blog. 

Quantity and Kind of Data Being Served

When you are looking for what type of server you need for your app, consider the quantity of data you will be serving to your users. Does your app send and receive data in audio and visual form, or is the data largely based on text or static content? 

The larger the data your app will be serving, the larger the server CPU, memory, and disk space you will need. This is what will lead to increased server charges for the app. However, determining the exact app server hosting cost is pretty tricky. The best way to do so is by setting up a server and sending users towards it. As for gaming apps, your server must be fast and spacious.

Amount of Data Stored

Apps like Facebook and Twitter are well-known for needing a lot of storage space because of the massive amount of user data they have to store. Their server requirement is from exceptional cases as they need to store account information, photos, preferences, and other social media account information. 

While launching the beta version of your app with an estimate of the amount of data your users will be using, you can able to find the speed at which your server space is filling up and the limit it could reach. A better idea for doing so is by putting caps on the amount of storage you will allow your users to use.

Number of Active Users and Projected Growth

The number of active users and the amount of storage each will be using will determine the resources required for an app. This can be done by setting up a server and then measuring the active users and the space they are using. 

The important thing to consider here is that when your app is new and it’s in a growing phase, it will be needing server changes frequently. The greater the number of your app users, the greater will be the number of server resources you will need. 

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Top Mobile App Server Hosting Providers

Knowing about the best app hosting providers will help you choose the right server for your app and your budget. In this section, you will have a brief introduction to the top ones.

AWS

AWS, also known as Amazon Web Series, is one of the best and most popular mobile app hosting service providers. Its easy setup and configuration are the reason for attraction. Some of the world-famous companies like Netflix, Adobe, Comcast, Airbnb, and the like use AWS. it is considered the most reliable app hosting service provider with unmatchable security options. 

One of the advantages for people using it is that they only have to pay for what they are using, which helps them reduce the cost of infrastructure. 

It is free of charge till its user reaches a specified limit for every service. It has three types of offers/subscription plans, i.e. 12-month free tyre, always free, and short-term trial. 

Heroku

Heroku allows its users to have hassle-free app deployment, scaling, and management. It offers a wide range of programming languages like Java, Ruby, PHP, Node.js, Python, Scala, and Clojure.

The cost of using Heroku varies depending on the number of virtual machines used by the app. This option is considered in comparison to other options. For business-focused apps, its cost starts from $25 per month to $250 and up for advanced apps.

Digital Ocean 

Digital Ocean is a purely US-based Cloud service provider offering mobile app hosting services. It lets its users deploy their apps faster with easy scaling. It offers various plans, and each has proper features. The most basic server setup costs $5 to $160 per month for advanced apps.

Conclusion

Just like a lot of other factors affecting the cost of your app development, app server hosting cost is also a notable factor. Within the server cost, there come further important factors to consider to determine the final cost of the app. The above-mentioned app hosting service providers are the best service providers from which you can choose depending on your requirements and budget. 

We have worked with our customers to help them save up to 50% of their server costs by optimizing their servers as well as helping them identify optimization in their apps to reduce the usage of servers, third party apis, etc.

Schedule a 30-minute session with our Expert to see How you can Reduce and Optimize your server Cost

FAQs

Why Do I Need to Buy a Server For My App?

If you want your app content to be available to its users, you need to have a server for it. No matter the platform of an app, you will need a server for your app. In today’s time, the majority of the apps are Cloud applications that need external servers for functionality. 

What Importance Does the Server Hold For An App?

An app server acts as a modern form of platform middleware. It is system software that resides on three sides i.e. operating system, external sources, and user’s application.

What Are The Advantages Of App Hosting?

The advantages of app hosting are scalability, flexibility, and disaster recovery. 

Do Offline Apps Need a Server?

Well, this depends on the offline app type. Not all apps will require a server. Besides, if they need a server connection, they don’t need it to be strong and consistent.