This article delves into how to make a location-based app that stands out on the market, including features, tech stack, and costs (you will find an estimate on time and costs at the end!).
Highlights:
- Geolocation apps contribute to a market that is expected to reach $2.15 billion in 2027.
- Real-time GPS tracking can improve delivery effectiveness and allow you to proactively manage delays.
- Location-based app development helps streamline customer engagement and opens the door for new revenue streams.
Geolocation technology has become a daily essential, as most people have a GPS navigation feature on their smartphones and actively use it.
Why should it matter to you?
Just imagine a real estate app that guides your users directly to nearby properties, or a fitness app that shows them the best running routes in their area. Such features are not just convenient, they can significantly improve customer satisfaction and engagement. So, by investing in a custom geolocation app development, companies can provide their customers with unique features and experiences that differentiate them from competitors.
However, the stakes are high, and with increased competition, you can’t afford to make mistakes. The right features, scalability, and user-centric design are crucial. And that’s when a reliable geolocation app development partner can make a difference.
Do you want to create an app like good old Foursquare or the next-gen geolocation masterpiece? Contact our tech team right away to discuss all the details.
Exploring the most common types of location-based apps
Location-based apps are extremely versatile, cater to various industries, and open numerous business opportunities. Here’s our list of the most impactful types as of today:
Navigation and mapping apps
Main goal: Help users reach the intended place with real-time guidance as well as traffic updates.
These geolocation apps provide users with real-time traffic updates, turn-by-turn navigation, and optimized routes. They are crucial for logistics, tourism, transportation, and more.
Examples: Google Maps, Waze.
On-demand service apps
Main goal: Connect users with nearby services as well as ensure timely delivery and/or assistance.
Such apps are geolocation-focused, meaning they connect users to services like food delivery, home services, ride-hailing, and more.
Examples: Uber, DoorDash.
Fitness apps
Main goal: Monitor the physical activities of users as well as discover new outdoor opportunities.
Location-based fitness apps mostly focus on fitness enthusiasts or outdoorsy people, and they use GPS for tracking routes, suggesting trails, monitoring users’ progress.
Examples: Strava, AllTrails.
Real estate/property management apps
Main goal: Simplify property discovery and management through location-specific navigation and insights.
Apps of this type allow users to faster and more effectively find properties based on their location, as well as build navigation for finding open houses and listed sites.
Examples: Zillow.
Retail and eCommerce apps
Main goal: Boost sales by attracting new clients to the nearby stores and through personalized deals and promotions.
Businesses use such apps mostly to engage with their customers using location-based promotions and in-store navigation.
Examples: Target, Shopkick.
Event and entertainment apps
Main goal: Improve user experience thanks to guiding them to events, concerts, or interactive games based on location.
Location-based apps within event and entertainment sectors rely on geolocation to help users get to events, concerts, or provide them with an interactive experience.
Examples: Eventbrite, Pokémon GO.
Healthcare and emergency services apps
Main goal: Ensure users can access nearby healthcare services or emergency help quickly.
Such types of apps are commonly used to effectively connect patients who search for help with nearby healthcare services or hospitals.
Examples: Zocdoc, GoodRx.
Mind Studios’ recommendation: If you want to build a geolocation app but don’t know for which type, we recommend you to start with defying your business goals, target audience, industry trends, as well as core problems you want to address.
Key features to include in your location-based app
How to make a geolocation app that truly stands out? To make sure your geolocation app brings both functionality and value to the table, it is crucial to understand the features that drive such apps.
Here, we have outlined essential and additional features for your location-based app.
Must-have features
| Feature | Description | Why it is important/its benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time GPS tracking | Tracks the user's location, provides accurate navigation and geolocation services. | Crucial for navigation, delivery, fitness apps. |
| User authentication | Allows users to create an account. | Useful to personalize your app’s features and save user’s preferences. |
| Interactive maps | Provides visual representation of both routes and locations. | Required for navigation, tourism, event apps. |
| Push notifications | Sends notifications and/or alerts based on the user's location or app’s activity. | Used for informing users about promotions, events, or some important updates. |
| Search and filters | Allows to locate specific places /items based on various criteria. | Very helpful for apps within real–estate, retail, on-demand services for enhancement of user experience. |
| Analytics and reporting | Provides useful insights into user’s behavior, app’s performance, and location trends. | Helps companies adjust their strategies as well as improve user experience. |
Additional features
| Feature | Description | Why it is important/its benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Geofencing | Allows for triggering notifications when a user is in a specific location/area (enters or leaves it). | Helps improve engagement in such sectors as retail or marketing apps. |
| Offline mode | Allows location-based apps to work without the internet. | A very important feature for navigation apps in remote areas. |
| Personalized recommendations | Suggests services, items, or places based on the location history of users or their preferences. | Helps increase user satisfaction as well as app engagement. |
| Augmented reality (AR) | Overlays physical environment and digital information through the device’s camera. | Creates immersive navigation and better shopping experience. |
| Integration with wearables | Syncs with other devices (like fitness trackers) to track and monitor user activity. | Important for fitness and wellness apps. |
How do you choose the right features?
Selecting the appropriate features is not about choosing what is trending or what your competitors offer. You should align them with your business goals, meet the needs of your target audience, and stay relevant to the market.
Choosing the right features always starts with understanding your goals, audience, and market. It is not a process of adding everything you want, as you should prioritize which features deliver the most value to your business. Working with a reliable tech partner is halfway to success as they can guide you through this process as well as ensure that every selected feature is aligned with your business objectives and improves user experience.
— says Dmytro Dobrytskyi, CEO of Mind Studios, on this matter.
Don’t know which feature to add to your geolocation app? Or ready to integrate some of the abovementioned features into your app? Get in touch with our tech team to discuss details.
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Building blocks for geolocation apps
To create a seamlessly working geo-powered app, you have to know the tech components involved. Each element plays an important role in building effective and, more importantly, accurate geolocation functionality.
Let’s discuss the most commonly used tech stack.
Tech component |
Technology/tool |
What it serves for |
|---|---|---|
Frontend |
React Native/Flutter — for cross-platform development; Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android) — for native mobile app development. |
Helps with development for high performance and integration. |
Backend |
Node.js, Ruby on Rails |
Handles server-side logic as well as API integrations. |
Mapping APIs |
Google Maps API, Mapbox |
Helps with real-time location tracking, navigation, interactive maps. |
Databases |
PostgreSQL, MongoDB |
Enables the storage of user data, app configurations, as well as location history. |
Geolocation services |
GPS, Wi-Fi/cell tower triangulation |
Provides accurate location data through network signals and device sensors. |
Push notifications / geofencing |
APNs (iOS), Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) |
Sends notifications that are location-based, triggers automated actions based on geofencing. |
Analytics |
Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics |
Helps track app performance and user behavior. |
Now that you know all the components, let’s shift to how all of them come together in action. Every technology plays a distinct role in the process.
Tackling the toughest geolocation app development challenges
When asking, “How to make a location-based app?”, you should be aware that this process is quite complex and involves overcoming technical, operational, as well as user-focused issues that may impact the app’s performance and user satisfaction.
Here, we are going to explore the most common challenges and provide our actionable insights on how to effectively solve them based on our experience.
Challenge #1: Ensuring accurate location data
Getting the precise location data is a tricky process that becomes even more challenging in areas with a weak GPS signal or high interference.
Mind Studios’ solution
We usually apply a hybrid geolocation approach to prevent such issues from happening, meaning we combine GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell tower triangulation. This ensures our clients always get accurate results, no matter if it is an urban or rural area.
Challenge #2: Managing real-time data
Both handling and processing large amounts of real-time data from multiple users can overload servers, which will slow down the performance of the application.
Mind Studios’ solution
To tackle this issue, we opt for scalable cloud solutions as well as robust backend architecture and technology (like Node.js) to process all the data efficiently, guaranteeing high performance even during peak loads.
Challenge #3: Maintaining user privacy
Collecting user location data can raise privacy concerns and may require compliance with regulations like GDPR.
Mind Studios’ solution
To prevent these issues, our tech team always implements end-to-end encryption protocols, anonymizes all the data, as well as ensures the apps we create fully comply with legal frameworks and regulations.
Challenge #4: Integrating third-party apps
Ensuring seamless integration with other third-party applications (like Google Maps or payment gateways) can be not so simple a task, especially if you deal with an inexperienced app development vendor.
Mind Studios’ solution
To minimize the risks of API limitations, compatibility issues, or unexpected downtime, we at Mind Studios always build an end-to-end API integration strategy. This process includes full optimization of APIs for such features as route optimization, geofencing, or real-time tracking. To prevent any disruptions, our team implements fallback mechanisms as well as rigorously tests API interactions in different scenarios. We also always implement only secure integration options to stay compliant with data protection standards (for example, we opt for Stripe or PayPal for payment gateways).
Addressing the challenges on your way is vital if you want to deliver a reliable and user-friendly geo app. However, it is equally important to partner with a trusted development partner like Mind Studios that will always lend you a helping hand. Afraid to fail with location-app based app development? Contact us for a free consultation.
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How much does it really cost to build a geolocation app?
For effective planning, it is crucial to understand the total cost and time involved. Below, you can find a detailed breakdown of time associated with building a geolocation application, as well as the stages required for location-based mobile app development.
Stage #1: Prototypes and specification parts
The first stage includes creating prototypes and detailed specifications to outline the app’s functionality as well as user flow. Basically, during it, we create a solid foundation for design and development.
Estimated hours: 80 hours
Stage #2: Design part
The next stage involves designing custom UX/UI tailored to your target audience, keeping in mind its user-friendliness and visual appeal. A well-crafted and user-centric design significantly reduces drop-off rates and improves user satisfaction.
Estimated hours: 120 hours
Stage #3: Development itself
Development is the heart of any geolocation app, and it is the stage when all your outlined previous ideas turn into functional features. This stage also includes extensive work on both frontend and backend of the system, as well as precise attention to detail to ensure a seamless user experience.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the required development effort for a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) for both Android and IOS platforms, with respective timeframes.
Frontend
| Key activities | iOS development | Android development |
|---|---|---|
| Places integration (lists of places, place details, filter places, the map) | 148 hours | 180 hours |
| Check-in (in-app location tracking, database if required) | 152 hours | 172 hours |
| Recommendations (favorites, saved places, lists of “recommended for you”) | 52 hours | 60 hours |
| User profile (info, rates, editing, people, preferences, etc.) | up to 76 hours | up to 76 hours |
| History (list of places visited) | 24 hours | 32 hours |
| Total hours | ~452 hours | ~520 hours |
Mind Studios insight: You may wonder why there is a difference between development for these platforms. The answer is pretty simple: Android development typically takes longer because it requires testing across a wider range of devices, while iOS development benefits from a more standardized ecosystem, so this significantly reduces the complexity. Plus, do not forget that the size of a development team involved can also affect the development timeframe.
Backend
Not a single native mobile app with location-based services could easily function without a backend development, where the server part is included. The backend part, preferably written on Ruby on Rails, would include the admin panel (created on HTML + CSS), database (made with PostgreSQL or MongoDB), and Node.js for the push notifications to be sent. Overall, the time required depends on the features needed in the MVP + the size of the development team.
Estimated hours: 320 hours
Stage #4: Testing the app’s performance
A comprehensive testing stage (that includes identification and resolving of bugs, optimization of performance, as well as enhancement of user experience) ensures that your app functions seamlessly across all devices and platforms.
Estimated hours: 100 hours
Note: We haven’t included here the post-launch improvements and updates, as these are the additional time and costs based on the scale and complexity of the app. However, we strongly recommend not underestimating this stage if you want your app to function seamlessly and stay competitive.
Summarizing the time required for all the stages, the total estimate would be:
- ~1,140 hours for Android
- ~1,072 hours for iOS
We discussed the time required to build a geolocation app, but what about the cost?
Hourly rates will always vary depending on the service provider (developers), platform, and contract you choose. Based on our experience, the average price for building an Android app in Eastern Europe would start at $57,000 (considering $50 rate), and respectively an iOS app would cost you $53,600 minimum.
If you need a precise estimate based on your app’s functionality and your business needs, contact us.
Could geolocation technology be your competitive edge?
Location-based app development certainly has its own peculiarities, the same as every other industry does. However, helping people discover the places around the world with a business directory app, helping deliver goods, or finding the best route for running has never been as relevant as it is now, in the digital era we live in now.
New places are waiting to be discovered, and new trips are to be planned, so maybe new products and new local businesses are also awaiting to be released?
At Mind Studios, our project portfolio speaks for itself. Over the years of our work, we've integrated geolocation modules into a number of our projects, and we are here to share with you how to build your own standout location-based app from scratch. Contact us for a free consultation.
