How Much Does a Diet and Nutrition Planning App Cost?

Conscious eating and adequate calorie consumption are the few takeaways of a sustainable behavior change. Tracking the nutritional benefits associated with food, daily protein intake, and physical activity has become mainstream for the health-conscious population. With increased health awareness, the popularity of diet and  nutrition apps has escalated to a new level. This article will revolve around the diet and nutrition app development cost and how entrepreneurs can profit from the same.

Diet and nutrition apps enable users to keep tabs on their nutritional consumption, the number of calories they intake, the kind of food they eat, etc. These apps have gained extensive recognition from health enthusiasts, and the latest market statistics prove their growing demand. 

Here is the summarized version of the latest market growth and statistics of the diet and nutrition app, as per multiple sources:

• The overall market size of diet and nutrition apps will witness a growth rate of 11.81%, resulting in a market volume of $7.60 Billion by 2027.
• As per Grandviewresearch, the global mobile health market will reach a market share of $130.6 billion by 2030. 
• According to a report by Statista, major users between the ages of 18 and 29 use a health app to track their daily diets. 
• The number of health apps on the Play Store surpassed the 55,000 mark in 2022. 
• Total user penetration will hit 4.96% by 2027.

The demand for diet and nutrition apps is so much so that they have become one of the key players in the US fitness app market. On average, the diet and nutrition planning app costs around $25,000 to $200,000, depending on the feature list, complexity, and more. 

We highly recommend defining your target audience first if you want to build a sustainable business with a diet and nutrition app and monetize it. Apart from this, you must consider the latest market size for the diet and nutrition app. A feature-rich app that offers a personalized user experience can help you seek value in the cut-throat market. 

Before we get down to the technicalities of the application type, let us look into some of the top apps in the nutrition app development category. These apps are the key inspirations looked up by entrepreneurs wishing to enter the domain and get an estimate on a diet nutrition mobile app development cost.

Top Players in Diet and Nutrition App Market and Their Estimated Development Costs

• Noom
• MyPlate Calorie Counter
• MyFitnessPal
• Lifesum

Noom: It is a health app based on behavioral science, which in turn helps individuals to take control of their health. From a macro calculator, calorie calculator, stress management, weight loss management, interactive lessons, and a personalized quiz, the features of this app take personalization to a whole new level. This diet nutrition tracking app development costs around $20,000 to $60,000. The total cost of the app may vary according to the development cost per hour, location of the developers, app complexity, and feature list. 

MyPlate Calorie Counter: It is a diet and nutrition app that has worked wonders to create a sustainable diet plan and lay the foundation of a balanced diet. The app uses the world’s largest food database, which offers users a quick guide on the calories, nutritional data, and serving sizes of millions of food items. This diet tracker app development costs around $25,000 to $120,000 based on the number of features and complexity.

MyFitnessPal: Another nutrition and health app that has made it big in the diet tracker app development market is MyFitnessPal. The app allows users to eat mindfully by tracking their meal intakes. In addition, the users can set personal nutrition and fitness goals on the app and discover foods that support their goals. Developing such an app costs  around $17,000 to $90,000. 

Lifesum: It is a weight loss app for people struggling with the same. The app allows the users to log in to their daily intake and count the calories of the food they prefer based on an extensive food repository. Apart from this, the feature that makes it one of the most sought-after health apps allows users to track their macros and body composition. The cost of such an app may vary between $19,000 to $100,000. 

The apps mentioned above belong to different sub-categories. Still, entrepreneurs looking to understand the diet and nutrition app features and get a clear idea of the diet and nutrition planning app costs can consider their cost as a reference.  

Defining the Target Audience of Your Diet and Nutrition App 

The first stage of determining the mobile app development cost is defining the app’s target users.  

Since our article revolves around creating an MVP of the application and thus we will be focusing only on one target audience, i.e., users in our features and technology section. However, apart from this, fitness centers and nutritionists are also target audiences in a diet planning app. 

Since the diet plan app development cost is different for different target audiences, understanding how choosing the right one can make a difference. Let us take a look at how they can be defined at par. 

1. Users 

These applications usually involve recording daily diet habits and suggesting nutrition intakes. An ideal app in this category contains ways to track meals and help users remain updated about weight loss or gain. People looking for a healthier lifestyle are more likely to install these applications. The diet meal plan app development costs around $70-$250 per hour. 

2. Fitness Centers 

Multiple fitness centers offer their clients applications that help them track their food intake and nutrition. Creating a diet and nutrition app helps fitness centers establish a competitive advantage.  

3. Nutritionists 

People are becoming more aware of nutrient-rich food’s health benefits, so they are turning to professional nutritionists to help them create a diet chart. As an extra mile, nutritionists are also getting their diet planning app developed by skilled diet and nutrition app development agencies to help their patients understand their meals and manage calories effectively. One of the most vital features determining the mobile app development cost for nutritionists is the live chat box that helps them stay connected with their patients or clients. 

Establishing the target audience detail is the first step in getting your app off the ground, and the next is to finalize the feature list that would go into developing a diet and nutrition app. The stage is the most significant contributor to the diet nutrition mobile app development cost. 

Must-Have Features of a Diet And Nutrition Tracking App

Whether we are developing a full-fledged application or simply deploying an MVP to test the market first, we work on both the user and admin side of the application. The features and challenges of the app and its overall complexity determine the total cost of the mobile app. 

Let us, keeping with the tradition, look into the feature sets for both versions: 

Diet and nutrient planning app user-side features

1. Registration

Like other applications, social media integration in the login stage helps in the case of diet planning apps. But beyond this, a questionnaire should help people create a user profile

Some of the questions we suggest our clients to add are:

• Users’ age
• Height
• Current and desired weight 
• Allergies
• Food Choices
• Goals, etc.

2. Calorie Counter

While it can be a good idea to have a QR code integrated into the application to help users scan and know the calorie details of an item, it can get expensive. So what we recommend at an MVP stage is to make users put in the calorie details manually.

3. Progress Graph

There should be a progress graph in the application which shows the users how far they have come in their diet plan journey and if they are on track with what they set out to achieve.

4. Push Notifications

You should give push notification features in the application to notify users when their progress graph is ready or use it as a marketing mechanism to keep them hooked on the application and become return users.

5. Social Media Integration 

The app should have a social media integration feature enabling users to share their progress with their network and connections.

6. Food and Activity Logging

The primary goal of a nutrition app is to keep account of what you consume in a day and the activities you do to remain healthy. So, this is the next must-have feature of a diet planning application.  

The app should have input fields to help users enter their food consumption and activity details. 

Besides these MVP features, some features give the app a level up in the competitive space. 

• Wearable Integration 
• AI-backed Diet Suggestions
• QR Code Scan 
• Live chat with nutritionists

Admin Panel Feature List

1. CRM Integration 

It helps administrators keep track of the user’s experience within the application and the problems they might face. It also allows them to solve users’ queries in real time.

2. Real-Time Analytics 

The feature helps the admin check real-time data, live dashboards, reports, etc., which can help make strategic business decisions.

3. Dashboards 

The admin dashboard will feature a cumulative view of the app’s performance and the required maintenance.

Tech-Stack Required for Developing a Diet Planning App

Besides the features we covered, the tech stack is another factor that counts as pivotal when estimating the diet plan app development cost. The mobile app’s price may vary based on the tech stack used. Apart from this, feature integration, the platform used, and other overhead costs affect the total cost of diet and nutrition apps. 

Determining the Diet and Nutrition App Development Cost

The cost of developing an app in the diet and nutrition category depends on the feature list and technology stack details you read above. In addition, the cost would also be affected by the development company you partner with. The size of the agency and the team working on your project, the number of hours dedicated, the cost per hour, and the agency’s location will also play a role in the final valuation of your mobile app. 

Simply put, the total cost of the mobile app is the total number of hours it takes to complete every development process multiplied by the total number of billable hours. 

The average cost of developing a simple diet and nutrition app is $3,800 – $91,000. A simple app usually includes the most basic features, such as a user dashboard, log creation, and a simple admin dashboard. 

On the other hand, a medium complex app can cost between $55,000 – $131,000. This app can offer monetization opportunities and include standard plus advanced features such as social media integration, audio/video streaming, secured payments, etc. 

Coming to complex apps, the development cost for them can vary between $91,000 – $211,000. These apps feature the latest technology, such as AR/VR and AI. The extensive feature list makes it one of the most sought-after apps capable of offering a lucrative edge to its owners. 

Factors Affecting the Cost of Diet Planner App Development

There are multiple factors affecting the cost of diet chart app development. Understanding these factors can help you maximize conversion while at the same time keeping an account of the total overhead cost.

1. Feature Integration

It is a foremost factor affecting the diet plan app development cost. A simple diet calendar app development process will include a basic feature list, costing around $4000 to $90,000. This overall app development price will keep increasing with an increased feature list. More is the number of features and functionalities in the app, and more is the total cost. 

It is usually advisable to get an MVP developed first that will only include the app’s core features and  help get initial user feedback on the product. The basic feature list will consist of a user profile, diet logs, a calendar, and a basic admin panel. 

2. UI/UX Design

The next potential factor that can help determine the healthy diet app development cost is user interface and user experience design. A custom UI design is bound to increase the overall cost of the app development as compared to the standard UI design. Similarly, offering a quintessential UX to the user base can improve the app’s success; thus, the better the UX design, the more the associated cost.

3. Wireframing

Wireframing involves creating a visual architecture of the app before the design and development phase. A wireframe features all the app elements and is designed with the help of tools like Figma, Photoshop, Balsamiq, etc. Since every wireframe goes through multiple stages of testing, the cost can vary between $500 to $2,500.

4. Platform

App platform is another factor that affects the overall diet app development cost. The clients can design an app for Android and iOS platforms or choose a cross-platform app. The cost of app development can increase if the app is developed for both Android and iOS platforms. Thus, startups are usually recommended to start with a single platform app and then gradually shift to other platforms in the future.

5. Development

Development cost is one of the most preeminent factors affecting the overall cost of diet and nutrition apps. The total cost of the development phase varies as per the developers’ hourly rate and the app’s feature list. In addition, the app development timeframe and the developers’ location also affect the total development cost.

6. Maintenance

Even after handling all the overhead associated with the development process, the charges for the app maintenance will loom as per the changing market requirements, device upgrades, additional feature integration, and more. From bug fixing to implementing design changes, the total app maintenance cost can be summarized as 20% of the total development cost. 

Other factors affecting the cost of diet and nutrition apps include quality assurance, code reusing, licenses, app-store publishing, app security, etc. 

Since people worldwide are now more conscious of their diet and fitness regimes, the overall scope of diet and nutrition apps has increased tenfold. Thus, it is a great time to dive into the market with an exclusive mobile app and captivate your target audience. It is not always easy to keep up with a quantum jump in business, but our healthcare software development services can help you easily determine the best route to bring value to your vision. If you are planning to design a diet and nutrition app and looking to get a rough estimate on the overall cost, get in touch with us now!   

FAQs

Q. How do you make a nutrition app?

A. The first step of nutrition app development includes researching the target market and choosing a viable platform. The next step is to hire a diet planner app development company and have them build an MPV. After successful bug fixing and penetration testing, the next stage is submitting the app to an app store and gradually tracking its performance.

Q. How diet and nutrition apps help users?

A. Diet and nutrition apps help users eat mindfully and keep track of their daily calorie intake. In addition to supporting the users to manage their stress and anxiety levels, diet and nutrition apps help them synchronize their physical activity to get personalized recommendations.

Q. What is the total cost of developing a diet and nutrition app?

A. Determining the exact cost of a mobile app is impossible due to several underlying factors mentioned above. On average, a simple diet and nutrition app can cost around $3,800-$91,000, while a more complex app can cost anywhere between $91,000-$211,000.

THE AUTHOR

Amardeep Rawat

Co-Founder and Director