What is a social network app?

A social networking application is a web, mobile, or desktop application that enables users to create profiles and communicate with other users of the app. Social network apps typically include features such as user profiles (with photos), status updates, messaging, friend lists, groups and group chats, photo sharing and photo tagging, news feeds and notifications. Most social network apps are similar to other social media apps, such as messaging apps, photo sharing apps, and blogging platforms. Facebook and Instagram are the most popular examples of social network apps today. Examples of social network apps built with Crowdbotics:

• Social media app for traders and investors. Users can create specific groups and share content about stocks.
• A networking app for entrepreneurs and investors to connect with one another. It also accepts cryptocurrency vs cash as payment.
• A basic food-specific social media app. Users would essentially keep track of all of the different restaurants they try & tag them with pictures. There would be comments and likes, but no DM/chat functionality.

What is the typical cost to build a social network app?

A social network app usually costs about $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. A social network app with a low number of features (also known as a minimum viable product, or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality. For example, here are some previous social network app price quotes from Crowdbotics:

• $40,000
• $45,500
• $30,000

How long does it take to build a social network app?

A social network app usually takes 513 hours to build. However, a social network app can be built in as few as 267 hours, or in as many as 667 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your specific app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, complex logic, or non-standard release platforms. For example, some previous social network apps build with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:

• 533
• 607
• 400

How to successfully grow your social network application

A social network app can grow rapidly by making it easy for users to find and connect with people who share their interests. In order to achieve viral growth, a social network app must create incentives for users to share the app with each other, such as status updates that reflect the user’s current mood or profile picture changes that reflect the user’s current activity. These updates encourage users to interact by commenting on each other’s posts and sharing photos and comments back and forth.

Risks and challenges of building a social network application

A social network app risks legal and reputational risks related to the storage of sensitive personal information, bullying and harassment, and data breach. It is recommended that social networks provide robust mechanisms for user reporting of abuse incidents and conduct routine security audits to prevent unauthorized access to user data.