How to create an app like Signal has become a new inspiration for entrepreneurs but what’s the cost of developing such an app?

On January 6th, WhatsApp made an announcement which caused a massive uprising against the application across the world.

The announcement which asked users to share personal information with Facebook led to a massive number of the app’s users turning against it and instigating mass uninstallation.

We are going to find answers to the one question that a number of entrepreneurs have started asking – How much does the Signal app costs?

There are a number of features that contribute to the process when you build a chat app like Signal. While 80% of them are the same as any messaging platform, there are a few elements that make Signal special as every social networking like mobile app development company Dubai would tell you.

1. Invite friends

2. Real-time messaging

3. Sharing features

4. Video and in-app call

5. Notifications

6. Privacy settings

7. End-to-end encryption

And Signal’s protocol system of the temporary keys – where it constantly replenishes keys for every user – enables the app to get new shared keys after every message.

The Signal app development cost range is dependent on a number of factors. Like every mobile app development cost estimate, four key factors contribute to the overall price quote.

Features-set Mobile app design Team size Location of the agency.

When we talk about Signal specifically, imitating the same feature set will prove to be on a higher side. So what we recommend is to create a messaging app MVP and add the encryption protocol in it. This way, you will be able to test the waters before launching a full-fledged application.

It is extremely difficult to answer how Signal makes money because it doesn’t. It is a non-profit business meaning they stay afloat from government funds and donations. While this is a noble stance, it can make it difficult for entrepreneurs to enter the space.

But then with in-app advertisement out of the picture, since that is what raised havoc on Facebook in the first place, what other options do entrepreneurs have?

An option that you can explore is extending your brand to enterprise users. You can create a version specifically looking into business communication needs with features like third-party integrations and on-premise deployment.

The key to whichever way you finalize to make money from your app, ensure that it doesn’t go against the moral value of the application. It should not put users in an if this then that situation. You should have a workaround to give users the same experience whether or whether not they share their data.

The creation of a Signal-like app is in many ways different from building any other messaging platform, both on a business and ethical level. You will have to ensure that the application respects people’s privacy and that there is no loophole for data to flow out from. Let us help you create a business plan, contact our team of social media experts today.