How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App like Netflix or Youtube?

About Netflix Video Streaming App:

Netflix is the world’s leading subscription service for watching TV episodes and movies on multiple platforms. It streams licensed content and rents content on DVD and Blu-ray discs via mail. Users would pay fees on a monthly basis (for streaming and discs) and can stream or rent an unlimited amount of content.

Netflix has around 86 million users globally, including 47 million users in the U.S. The company is worth US$ 6.78 billion. Netflix app is available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone platforms. The app is free to download, but charges for in-app purchases.

Today, in this blog post, we would like to discuss key points including how to start a streaming service like Netflix / YouTube? How to make a video streaming app? How much it costs to make apps like Netflix / YouTube but free?

Before that, let’s learn the advantages of on demand video streaming services like YouTube/Netflix.

Benefits of Netflix like App

With the Netflix alternative app, users can instantly watch as many TV episodes & movies as they want, as often as they want, anytime they want.
Users get one month free trial for unlimited access to shows and videos.
Users can watch thousands of new episodes immediately after the telecast.
Contents are synchronized across various platforms, so users can start watching on one platform, i.e. mobile, and resume watching on another, i.e. desktop.

Now, let’s look at the statistics of streaming services like Netflix / YouTube.

Statistics of Netflix:

Netflix app accounts for 71% of the global streaming video-on-demand market.
The average time a user spends watching videos is now just 25 minutes per day.
The video service is projected to touch $ 73.9 billion by 2024
Netflix will be available in approximately 114m homes.
60% of Millennials and Gen Z watch streaming videos every day.

Essential Features of Video Streaming Apps like Netflix/ YouTube

With the Netflix app, users can instantly watch as many TV episodes & movies as they want, as often as they want, anytime they want.
Users get one month free trial for unlimited access to shows and videos.

Users can watch thousands of new episodes immediately after the telecast.
Contents are synchronized across various platforms, so users can start watching on one platform, i.e. mobile, and resume watching on another, i.e. desktop.

User Registration & Profile Management: Important features of the on-demand video streaming apps like Netflix are the easy user registration and comprehensive management of the user profile. User registration through social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., is best because in that case, integration with social media platforms does not need to be done separately.
Live Video Streaming: If your video streaming service like Netflix offers engaging content such as stand-up comedy, health and fitness, TV series, etc., the ability to stream live TV video is a must.
Video-Sharing: You should include video sharing feature in the list of Netflix / YouTube system requirements. Users can share their favorite videos on social media or directly with friends.
Content Search: Through searching features, users can easily search for their TV channels, TV series, movies and TV shows. Companies like Netflix / YouTube makes it easier to filter original content on other criteria such as style, product country, language, etc., it can become its USP.
Reviews and Ratings: Instead of trusting your words, users prefer to trust other users’ ratings and review about the video streaming apps similar to Netflix / YouTube /CBS all access (cbs.com). Your application should be designed to prompt users to give their ratings and reviews while using the mobile app. However, care must be taken not to irritate or overeat the customer.
Secure and Reliable Payment Gateway: Secure and Trusted Payment Gateway: As data security and privacy gain more traction among users, your app should offer a reliable and secure payment gateway. You need to include Netflix / YouTube payment online feature for better user engagement.
Netflix Roulette: This is an important feature that enables users to choose a format and style and then click on the spin button to check a list of randomly selected content that meets user criteria. This feature is famous among users since it enables them to explore original and new content and see old suggestions depending on their browsing history.
Multiple Devices and Language Support: Many consumers are using multiple digital devices, such as laptops, smart phones, and tablets. Your application must support video streaming across multiple user-owned devices on just a single subscription. If you can support multiple languages, that’s an added benefit.
Download Feature: Netflix has the facility to download online and then view content offline. It is the best features for users which saves their data and time. So, it’s better to include download feature while creating an app like Netflix / YouTube/ Amazon prime video.

Factors that Decide the Cost of Netflix or YouTube like App

Netflix and YouTube apps come under database category apps, which requires a heavy backend for break-free data streaming, which is one of the major cost deciding factors. Other major factors that decide the development cost of Netflix like app are as follows:

App features:

The more the features, the more would have cost. It is better to keep only core features in version 1 of the app to reduce the cost. You can add the secondary features in the next version once the app is geared up.

App design:

Complex apps wouldn’t encourage people to use the app. So it is important to keep design simple and standard. So users can easily get the content they’re looking for and get hooked to the app.

App platform:

There would be a considerable difference between Netflix like app development for Android and the same app for iOS in terms of cost. First movie streaming service app for Android would be relatively costlier than iOS, as it needs to be considered for various devices of miscellaneous screen sizes.

App developers:

The development cost of online entertainment app like Netflix is relatively cheaper in India compared to the USA market. Especially, entertainment mobile app development companies in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai are the most preferred companies.

Mobile wallet:

If you have a mobile wallet integrated into your free app like Netflix / YouTube, it takes less time to make payment for users and also eliminates many probable payment hassles.

Features and Functionalities that Impact the Cost of Netflix like App

The cost to build a video streaming app like Netflix or any other entertainment service app is estimated on the following basic and advanced features apart from the factors mentioned above.

How Much Will It Cost To Build An App Like Netflix?

The cost of Netflix-like popular video streaming application development will be around $25,000-$35,000 on a single platform. If you would like to invest in cross-platform or hybrid mobile app development, then the cost of Netflix clone app development with mid-level complexity in design will range from $35,000 to $60,000.

Further, the cost of the Netflix mobile app by integrating AI or ML features like personalized video content recommendations might reach $150,000.

However, as discussed here, the actual cost of Netflix-like video streaming app development will depend on various factors such as mobile app type (native, cross-platform, or hybrid), features added, design complexity, app development platform (Android and iOS), technologies and tools used in the development procedure.

Accordingly, the location and hourly charges of custom mobile app developers that you hire will also impact the cost of Netflix app development. App maintenance and support services are a few hidden charges that impact the development cost of the Netflix clone app.

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