How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Fantasy Sports App? [Roadmap + Costing]

Introduction:

With the growing craze of online gaming platforms, the fantasy app has also secured its own place in this competitive app development market. The demand for Fantasy sports games are  increasing daily as it keeps its fans happy with exciting prices. According to a business research company, the fantasy sports market is expected to grow up to $47.02 billion in 2028. You might be stunned to hear that 23% of the 18-plus American population do sports betting on fantasy apps.

If you want to learn about cost to develop a fantasy sports app then this article is for you. In this article, we will guide you about the cost of developing a fantasy sports app and the informative roadmap including features and other aspects. Let's dive in!

Brief and Importance of Fantasy Sport Applications

Fantasy sports applications are highly trending for sports lovers as they allow them to earn money, exciting bonuses, and prizes on the team winning. The popularity of these fantasy sports has increased so much over past years and developed a wider user base over the period of time ultimately this has also benefitted the app development market because of millions of people have become the part of this fantasy sports app.

What are the Steps for Building a Highly Successful Fantasy Sports App? 

It's important to decide the proper sequence of steps before you develop a fantasy sports app, as this is the very first step for successful app development. Below, we have researched the proven steps you must consider.

Step 1. Define Your Sport App’s Objectives

You must know your objective behind building the sports app. Evaluate whether your focus is user engagement, gaming experience or monetization, or any other business objectives. This way, you will get rough idea and work accordingly on design, development and plan your marketing strategy for it.

Step 2. Conduct Market Research

Go for market research and know who are your competitors, and add the features different from your competitor apps during the development. This will help you to fulfill the user's needs accurately.

Step 3. Outline App Features and Functionalities

After competitor research, you might have an idea about what a wide range of users seek, and plan the features and functionalities accordingly which will help you drive more ROI for the app.

Step 4. Design the UI/UX

The app should be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and highly responsive. So invest in high-quality UI/UX to provide a satisfactory user experience and retain the clients for a longer time.

Step 5. Choose the Right Technology Stack

AI, AR, VR, gamification, blockchain, etc are commonly used technology stacks for sports or gaming apps. Other than this you must choose the right one by keeping scalability, compatibility of all devices, maintenance, and other things in mind.

Step 6. Develop the App

Begin with writing a clean code on the decided technology. The development phase includes the integration of functionalities and connecting various modules one by one.

Step 7. Integrate third-party APIs

Choose a suitable API according to the app goal such as social media integration, payment, fetching real-time data, and more.

Step 8. Implement Robust Security Measures

Security is the #1 factor for any app development to retain user trust. best security measure and implement encryption, and security authentication, and run regular audits and checks.

Step 9. Perform Thorough Testing

Test the entire code of the app and see if there is any bug or issue while running. Prefer testing the beta version with real users to get feedback and make necessary improvements in the application before the official launch.

Step 10. Launch and Promote the App

It's time to launch now after the testing. Use marketing channels such as email campaigns, social media, and partnerships with influencers to reach out to your intended customers.

Step 11. Gather User Feedback and Iterate

Lastly, after post-launch, you should continue to gather feedback from users to learn about their preferences and needs. You can use this feedback to make continuous improvements, adding new features or refining existing ones.

Factors Affecting the Cost To Develop A Fantasy Mobile App

To avoid unusual surprises, it's always a good idea to analyze the factors that will add up to the cost of fantasy app development. Below are 6 main factors that will answer your douts on how much does it cost to develop a fantasy sports app.

#1. App Size and Complexity

Complexity and size will have an enormous effect on the cost of developing your fantasy sports app. Simple apps with basic features cost less and complex versions with advanced features cost more, it's as simple as that. Also, it depends on factors you add, technology, third-party, customization, and many things that will add up to the cost of the whole development.

#2. App Features and Functionality

There are various types of fantasy sports apps with a variety of features. Simply understand, the complex and time-consuming features will cost more while simple features like user registration, player selection, and live scoreboard will cost comparatively can be developed within budget. 

Consider advanced features such as real-time analytics, social sharing, or third-party API integration which may drive up costs substantially.

#3. Platform Type

Be clear about Platform selection such as Android or IOS as every platform uses different tools and resources, hence cost can vary. If you are specifically focusing on one platform, then the app development can be completed at an affordable price but if you are thinking of long-term scalability then developing a cross-compatibility app can be a better choice for the long-term.

#4. Developer’s Team Composition for a Project

The cost of app development also depends on whether you hire Android app developers on hourly rates, freelance the projects, or assign them to your in-house developers. Depending on the complexity of the project, you will need to assign an experienced team or developers to work on it.

#5. Security and Compliance

The fantasy app should comply with legal regulations like age verification, gambling laws, and local access. It must also get the necessary license to operate the fantasy sports app efficiently and safely. The app should also follow robust security protocols, encryption methods, and authentication to keep users' sensitive data safe. 

#6. App Maintenance

Lastly, don't forget to consider app maintenance costs because they affect the entire fantasy sports development cost. You should also include pre- and post-consultation, random bug fixes, necessary updates, ongoing support, and other things.

Basic Features Must-have in Fantasy app

To make your fantasy sports app stand different from others in the market , make sure to add the best features that are useful to users. Below we have made list of the top features that you must add in the app. So , basically there will be two categories of features that is admins and participants. Lets read!

Features for Admins:

Admins should enjoy using your fantasy sports app, so we have listed some of the necessary features below.

1. Dashboard and Analytics

Dashboards and analytics help admins track key metrics and monitor user activity while using the app. They also give ideas about revenue generation, contest participants, results, and other trends. Analytics is useful for making data-driven decisions by looking at the usage pattern.

2. User Management

User management handles all the user related to task like account registration, verification, access controls and role assigning, permissions and other security aspects.

3. Content Management System (CMS)

CMS is basically a content management system. CMS helps super admins edit, delete, and publish the desired content.  Users can promote the contest, and materials and share content via CMS

4. Payment Modes and Finance Management

Integrate secure payment methods and implement finance management practices. Flexible payment modes will help users to pay subscription fees, participate in contests, and receive contest prizes and other payouts hassle-free.

5. Notifications and Alerts

Notifications and alerts are useful features of any app that provides updates and real-time status regarding various sports and games. They also warn admins about any security issues, server downtime, data breaches, and more.

6. Personalized Configuration

This feature allows admins to customize the look and feel of the sports fantasy apps. Admins can improve the layout, configuration, and other things to align the app with the business objectives over time.

Features for Participants:

Participants should enjoy using your fantasy sports app, so we have listed some of the necessary features below.

1. User Registration:

Registration is a common functionality of every app. It allows users to sign up or register using a mobile number, email, or social media account.

2. User Profile:

Users can edit and modify their profiles by adding a picture, adding bio information, etc. They can also see their scores, earned prizes, and other essential details there.

3. Advanced Search:

Search functionality allows participants to search for specific sports.

4. Contest Details:

The contest details tab includes ongoing and upcoming contests with day and time information. Participants can also see how many have taken part in the contest.

5. Join Contest:

The join contest feature allows participants to take part in sports contests by paying a specific amount of fees.

6. Profile Settings:

It allows users to personalize their profilee. They can check reward points, scores, bonuses, referrals, transaction history, and much more.

Ways to Reduce the Fantasy Sports App Development Cost

App development can be expensive but luckily there are ways you can reduce your sports app development cost.

1. Hire Offshore Company

You can hire an offshore company that offers affordable services. If you have limited app development projects, instead of hiring an in-house mobile app developer, go for offshore company hiring.

2. Get Multiple Quotes from Vendors

Explore various vendors in the market and analyze the multiple quotation provides , like what services are included,  does it benefit you in long-term or not.compare multiple quotes and bargain smartly to get the best deal.

3. Utilize Free Technologies

There are many open-source tools and technologies that does the job well. You can use free libraries and code. Also you can take help from community support and use little bit of your expertise to carry the sports app development well.

4. MVP Model

Follow the MVP approach and implement only core features that are essential for running the app. Avoid adding unnecessary features just to show off. This can make the app look clean and reduce the cost of the entire development.

Fantasy Sports Monetization Strategy – How To Make Money From The App?

1. Paid Contests: You can sponsor any brand and ask users to pay entry fees to participate in a specific contest. 
2. Running Target Ads: You can run video or dynamic ads on your app and earn commission per click and view.
3. Freemium Model: It is a combination of free and premium. For example, you can offer basic app features for free at the beginning phase and ask the user to upgrade to premium to try advanced features.
4. Subscription Fee: You can offer a subscription model for your app, such as a one-time payment, monthly payment, or annual charge to use the fantasy sports app.
5. Sponsorships and Partnerships: you can partner with a reputed brand and give promotional discounts and exciting offers to users.
6. In-App Purchases: Users can purchase advanced player stats, entry to high-stakes leagues or virtual goods. This model increases engagement while creating revenue beyond initial app downloads.

Why Choose Manektech as Your Sports App Development Partner?

Manektech is an award-winning android app development company specializing in developing all types of apps. Our dedicated developers can help you to develop robust fantasy sports apps tailored to your needs. With a years of diverse experience, we have a hands-on grip on cutting-edge technologies to craft user-first apps. Our skilled team ensures user-friendly interfaces and adheres with industry standards.

If you are looking for the best fantasy sports app developer, ManekTech can be your go-to mobile app development solution whom you can trust. Share your specifications with us, and we'll design an impressive app using cutting-edge technology suited to your budget.

Conclusion

So thats all folks! Hope you have got idea about the cost to develop fantasy sports app. Sports App development can turn out to be expensive if not done carefully. Consider above factors and plan the fantasy sports app development wisely.

Also, feel free to drop your mobile app ideas or comments that can help to reduce the mobile app development cost. We would love to consider it.