Tarun Nagar 
When the pandemic hit the world in the most unprecedented ways, video conferencing became the new utility tool. Be it school, work, or entertainment, video calls were the manna from heaven for the entire world as everyone was confined to the walls of their homes. Read this blog to know more about cost to develop a video conferencing app.
This was not an easy task but somehow, a few applications rose in popularity and usage like never before. Applications like Google Meet, MS Teams, and many others were used for having multiple features that benefitted us all to communicate and work efficiently.
But the one app that took first place in the video conferencing app development race has to be the Zoom app developed by Zoom Video Communications.
The zoom app was used abundantly at the start of the pandemic and gained momentum for its unique features. The video streaming app development done by Zoom Communications gained popularity because of having the first-mover advantage and the right marketing. Features like a 150 person room for video conferencing and audio and video designs made it extremely popular.
Table of Contents
What is Video Conferencing?
Video Conferencing is when two or more people can have a conversation over two devices in two different locations and can not only hear but also see each other. The technical term for this is ‘video-telephony’, according to which video conferencing is the technology of transmitting audio-video over two devices at different locations by users in real-time.
When the pandemic hit, IT companies were forced to work from their respective homes, and hence the team effort to further one’s organizational goals was disrupted.
Therefore IT companies turned to these video streaming apps since all of them could not hire dedicated developers and build their software. A video conferencing app has many special features and benefits that have helped people from all over the world to continue their studies or conduct business operations even if they are in two different corners of the world.
Video conferencing apps are loosely based on the sharing principle that was adopted by the music streaming app development company. All developers wanted to enhance the video streaming experience by adding sharing features and data-saving benefits. Let’s take a look at a few features of video conferencing applications.
Features of Video Conferencing Apps
1. Virtual Hand Raising
This is one feature that even mobile app developers for hire could not compete with. To make sure that the video conferencing app provides the sort of experience that is close enough to actual reality, the hand-raising feature was introduced.
Therefore, in a video conference consisting of a large number of people the presenter or moderator can conduct the meeting peacefully by asking people who wish to speak to raise their hands. This has helped in the conduction of online classes for schools and colleges in an orderly manner.
2. Screen Sharing
If we are talking about classes and meetings on a video call, then the need for a blackboard cannot be eliminated. Whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation or lectures, screen sharing helps to showcase modules or presentations.
Therefore, the attempt at creating an app that is so close to real-time operations is commendable. Any mobile app development company can make good use of this and conduct or even launch new products. The business operations may have slowed throughout this pandemic but fortunately did not stop altogether because of such video conferencing apps.
3. Chat
This feature completes the whole package. With this feature, the whole social media experience is now conducted in a professionally deo conferencing app containing the feature of chat along with audio-video calls.
With this feature, participants can share links, chat, and communicate effectively without having to cause interruptions in the meeting. The need to altogether switch to other apps is eliminated because of such features. This has taken video conferencing apps one step further than simply sharing as done through chatbot app development.
4. Record Meeting
Any person who is a part of a meeting on video conferencing apps can record the whole meeting for further references which has also made it easier for students and employees to take notes.
Features like this one have elevated the standards for on-demand app development. This has also enabled courts to hold hearings and hospitals to conduct conferences across the world.
5. Conduct Polls
Events like debates, panel discussions, and seminars can also be conducted through this app, and participants and the audience can feed their responses through the poll feature. How more convenient could it be for a mobile app development company to make an app comprising these many features!
6. Mute Participants
We have all heard of uninterrupted listening or adding free videos. But how to take care of disturbances that are not virtually embedded and are happening in real-time? The answer is very simple – mute them.
Background noises or interruptions through other participants can be muted by the host of the meeting. One need not hire dedicated developers to add extra features since it’s already there.
7. User Features
The basic features like video and voice calling along with turning the camera off or switching the mic off are available to each participant.
8. Admin Features
Video conferencing apps also offer features to the admin of a meeting like advanced analytics and dashboard, multi-payment integration, creating sub-admins, allowing creates subdomain creation, etc.
Benefits of Video Conferencing Apps
1. Diverse Use
All kinds of industries and offices need to communicate with their employees that are based in several parts of a city or even abroad because services are now heavily outsourced.
In such a scenario, communication is made easier with video conferencing apps. Healthcare, education, IT, HR, and many more sectors can take benefit from these apps to ensure the smooth functioning of organizations.
2. Added Value For Customers
Work demos and showcasing app presentations through video conferencing are facilitated with the help of multitasking apps. A company can minimize costs without compromising its consumer relations easily by using video conferencing app. Also, the presentations can be made more innovative since the entire operation would be conducted through the internet.
3. Personalized Features
A company operating through Zoom can easily set up their company profile on the video conferencing apps and also choose the color and company logo to showcase their company’s profile.
Separate backgrounds portraying the company in any way can be chosen for the presenter or attendees and all this can be done with a minimal development cost and with a subscription for unlimited meeting time.
With this, we have looked at the plethora of tasks one can perform through video conferencing apps. The need for an on-demand app development company is reduced and more can be done from the comfort of one’s home and not risk life in the situation of a pandemic.
The business operations, courtrooms, classes, and lectures have all are being conducted through video conferencing apps for almost a year now and the results are favorable. The next obvious question would be how does one create such a multifunctional app and how much does it cost. The answer can be found in the forthcoming sections.
How To Create A Video Conferencing App?
The team structure for developing a video conferencing app includes a business analyst, project manager, app developers, designers, and Q&A developers.
All these come together to create an app like Zoom and this is only about the development stage, more people will get involved in the launch and maintenance stages. The details of the technology used cannot be explained in brief, however, the basic development process is as follows:
1. Back-end Development
The first step is to create and develop all the server portions of the app to ensure that the app runs smoothly. The video conferencing app is more complicated than what mobile app developers usually create for other apps. Therefore, creating the app’s server is advisable to ensure efficient functioning.
2. UI/UX Design
The UX design is about intuition and depends on how a video conferencing app development company wants to take on. UI design, on the other hand, is about making it catchy and aesthetically pleasing to attract customers.
3. Coding And Transfer
Next step is to code the whole program and transfer it to either an iOS-based system or an Android one or both. For this, the developer must carefully choose the programming language. Since some apps are cross-platform apps and run on both software, then the decision must be made carefully.
Technology Stack For Developing A Video Conferencing Application
1. UI/UX Design
The first is always the UI/UX design for which one can use software like Google Sketch and Photoshop to build an attractive design profile for the app.
2. Programming Languages
Next, is the choice of the programming language, which depends on whether the app is a native app like Facetime for iOS or a hybrid app like Instagram reels. If it’s a native app, then Java, Kotlin, Swift are good choices. On the other hand, Flutter and React Native are great choices for hybrid apps that run on both operating systems, i.e., Android and iOS.
3. Survey-Based Data
Next, would be data research or surveys to get potential information about user needs and preferences.
4. WebRTC Connection
This is to facilitate real-time communication with the app. This can be done through tools like RTC Peer Connection, Media stream, etc.
5. Push Notification
Lastly, a developer needs to integrate push notifications like Fireball, Twillo, etc. After this, the framework can be worked on by using software like Laravel, Symphony, Angular, etc.
All these technologies and software can naturally not be expected from one freelancer and hence a team effort is required for the same.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop A Video Conferencing App?
It is not possible to make an exact estimate of how much it will cost to create a video conferencing app. There are multiple steps performed by certified mobile app developers for hire to create the application from start to finish.
The several changes that take place from the ideation to the deployment stage and then finally to the delivery of the app can increase the costs as well.
Therefore, an exact figure is difficult to put forward, however, an overall idea can be calculated based on countries and respective industries. The cost is calculated for a minimum viable product (MVP) and a full-feature set.
| Country | MVP | Full Feature Set |
| USA | $96,000-116,000 | $140,000-192,000 |
| UK | $84,000-101,500 | $122,500-168,000 |
| Germany | $72,000-87,000 | $105,000-144,000 |
| Ukraine | $36,000-43,500 | $52,500-72,000 |
| India | $8,000-18000 | $15,750-23,000 |
Conclusion
With this, we have discussed the meaning and development of video conferencing app like Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, etc. The concept of video calls has existed since before the pandemic hit. But during that time, Skype was the only true application to conduct professional meetings in the virtual world. Skype also had its limitations as per capacity and features.
But with the video conferencing app development industry getting more advanced apps like Zoom, they started to be widely used throughout the world by all types of professionals to conduct meetings and by students for online classes. Many students who had gone back to their homes due to the pandemic could now continue taking classes in international universities.
The technology for such apps is different from the technology used in video streaming app development. It is much more complex and is developed on its server. The technology is different and is capable of providing many more features than one can expect from other video conferencing platforms. These apps allow the participation of up to 1000 people in one meeting.
Therefore, not only classes but seminars, competitions, panel discussions and all can take place without worrying about the spread of the disease. This has certainly changed the way the world will operate from now on. Even when the world returns to its normal pre-covid life, all businesses and institutions will have a strong back-upbackup plan for any unprecedented situations the world may face.
