It is not wrong to say that fantasy sports applications have taken the sports world by storm. They are a great source of entertainment but always a thriving business opportunity. In simple terms, fantasy sports apps are digital playgrounds for sports enthusiasts, allowing users to create their dream teams, test their sports knowledge and compete with their friends. Thus, the demand for such apps is becoming high. If you want to build your own app, you have to know the fantasy app development cost.
No doubt that the fantasy app development cost may be different and everyone needs more money to make an investment. In such a case, you have to be aware of the cost that will help you in deciding whether the selected company will work on your project within your budget or not. Therefore, when deciding to choose a fantasy app development company, you have to look out for their plans.
In this guide, we will discuss the factors that influence the fantasy app development cost. We will delve into the nitty-gritty details so you can get a clear pick of what you are signing up for. While you want to know an exact figure, you will get all the information under one roof that will help you make an informed decision about the fantasy app project.
Table of Contents
What is Fantasy App Development Market Size and Growth?
Fantasy app development resides in the fantasy sports segment, and the market size is big. A report shows that the fantasy sports market size was valued at $25.99 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach 50..7 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 14%.
In the present scenario, the market size of the fantasy sports market is 9 billion, which may increase to 12 billion in 2025. As a result, the fantasy sport app development market has great potential worldwide. As a result, you have to invest in fantasy app development. It will provide a good return on investment as well as profit.
Most Used Fantasy App in Global Market
Once you decide to invest in fantasy app development, you have to look out for the most used fantasy app. It will give an idea of what features you have to include in your application and what tech stack is suitable for you. As a result, you have to look out for the top apps that are well-accepted by a worldwide audience. Take a look at these apps:
1. ESPN Fantasy Sports
ESPN Fantasy Sports is a leader in fantasy gaming, providing a comprehensive experience across multiple sports. From soccer to basketball to baseball and more, ESPN’s platform allows fans to build their dream team, participate in exciting tournaments, and enjoy strategically defined action. Intuitive interface, ensuring a smooth drafting process and effective list management.
With real-time updates, in-depth player analysis and customizable settings, ESPN Fantasy Sports caters to casual players and die-hard strategists. The platform’s mobile app facilitates on-the-go decision-making, allowing users to stay connected with their team wherever they are. ESPN Fantasy Sports remains the premier destination for those looking for the perfect blend of competition, camaraderie and sports expertise in fantasy gaming.
2. CBS Sports Fantasy
CBS Sports Fantasy is a must-have platform for fantasy sports fans, providing a comprehensive and user-friendly experience. With a beautiful interface, it caters to various fantasy leagues, including football, basketball, baseball, and more. Players can build their dream team, manage their squad, and participate in competitive tournaments with friends or participate in public competitions. CBS Sports Fantasy provides real-time updates, expert analysis and customizable scoring options, enhancing the game’s strategic depth.
The platform’s mobile app ensures managers stay connected on the go, make last-minute decisions, or track player performance transparently. Whether you’re a seasoned fantasy veteran or a newcomer, CBS Sports Fantasy provides a dynamic and engaging fantasy sports environment for an exciting season of competition and camaraderie.
3. Yahoo Fantasy Sports
Yahoo Fantasy Sports is a dynamic platform that brings the thrill of fantasy gaming to many sports enthusiasts. Yahoo’s fantasy sports service covers soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, and more, allowing users to create and manage their fantasy teams easily. The platform’s user-friendly interface ensures a seamless writing experience, and powerful features enable in-depth list management and strategic decision-making.
Yahoo Fantasy Sports offers an engaging and competitive environment with customizable scoring options and real-time updates. The mobile app allows managers to stay connected on the go, making tracking player performance and adjusting lineups easier. Whether you’re a fantasy sports veteran or a newcomer, Yahoo Fantasy Sports offers a vibrant community, expert advice, and tons of options to take your fantasy sports experience to the next level.
4. DraftKing
DraftKings is the leading name in the world of daily fantasy sports, providing an exciting platform for sports fans to engage in dynamic, fast-paced competition. Covering a variety of sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and more, DraftKings allows users to create lineups, participate in contests, and compete for daily or weekly cash prizes. The platform’s innovative scoring system and salary cap format add strategic depth to the gameplay, appealing to both casual fans and seasoned fantasy veterans.
DraftKings also offers a seamless mobile experience, allowing users to manage their teams and follow the action on the go. With a user-friendly interface, real-time updates, and various competition formats, DraftKings continues redefining the fantasy sports landscape, bringing excitement and the possibility of big wins to Fantasy sports fans everywhere.
5. FanDuel
FanDuel stands out as a premier destination for daily fantasy sports, delivering fast-paced, engaging gaming experiences. Specializing in soccer, basketball, baseball, and more, FanDuel allows users to create fantasy teams, participate in contests and compete for daily or weekly cash prizes. The platform’s unique scoring system and salary cap format require strategic decision-making, appealing to both casual players and die-hard enthusiasts.
FanDuel’s intuitive interface and real-time updates improve the overall user experience, ensuring players stay engaged and informed. The mobile app further expands accessibility, allowing users to manage their teams and participate in competitions anytime, anywhere. With a commitment to innovation and a vibrant community of fantasy sports enthusiasts, FanDuel continues to be a pioneer in daily fantasy sports, delivering excitement and the prospect of winning big for its dedicated user base.
Factors that May Affect Fantasy App Development Cost
Whether you want to invest in custom fantasy app development or native app development, there are several things that may affect fantasy app development cost. As well, all are aware that building a fantasy sports app is a complex procedure with hundreds of elements and many steps included in the development procedure.
By understanding the factors, you will get an idea of the fantasy app development cost. For your help, we highlight some factors below:
1. App Platform
Before you search for an on-demand app development company, it is important to make sure which platform you want to build your app. No doubt that Android and iOS are the two most popular platforms to build an app. However, each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which is why it is essential to choose one. Well, the platform choice depends on the project’s preferences and specifications.
Cross-platform or hybrid app development is the best option if you want the app to work on both platforms without building two separate apps. Once you determine the fantasy app development cost, you must consider this. Moreover, you must look for a mobile app development company with good years of expertise and knowledge.
2. Tech Stack
An app has a set of tech stacks per the project’s requirements. No doubt that AR/VR, IoT, Metaverse and AI in sports are some examples of such technologies that can highly affect an application’s performance and the total fantasy app development cost. Therefore, you must check the technology stack suitable for mobile app development.
3. Types of Sports App
Another factor that may affect the fantasy app development cost is the type of fantasy app you want to develop. The cost of each app is different. So, it isn’t easy to estimate the selected Android app development company charging the same for a fantasy football and cricket app development as the features are totally different.
Moreover, many other sports, such as baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, rugby, etc., have different needs and functionalities to build. Therefore, the fantasy app development cost may differ as per your requirements.
4. Location of Development
The app developers’ location is another factor that affects the fantasy app development cost. For instance, app developers in countries such as the US or Canada charge Approximately $30-$80 per hour, whereas the developers in Asian countries in India work on around $15-$25 per hour. For an idea, we list a table that helps you know when you hire dedicated developers based on different locations.
| Region | Average Hourly Cost |
| United State | $80-$150 |
| Western Europe | $60-$80 |
| Eastern Europe | $30-$70 |
| South America | $20-$50 |
| India | $15-$30 |
However, you have to keep in mind that these are ballpark figures, and fantasy app development cost may fluctuate based on factors such as project complexity, the developer’s expertise and the hiring platform used. Always consider the developers’ skills and experience, including your project’s budget constraints.
5. App Maintenance
App maintenance is another essential factor you have to consider that may affect fantasy app development cost. Maintaining a fantasy application involves regular bug fixing, server maintenance, technical support, new feature development, and security updates. Henceforth, it is essential to budget for app maintenance from the start of development to ensure that the application remains up-to-date and continues to offer a seamless user experience.
| Maintenance Aspect | Average Monthly Cost |
| Server Hosting | $50-$500 |
| Database Maintenance | $100-$300 |
| Technical Support | $500-$1,500 |
| Bug Fixes and Improvements | $300-$1,000 |
| Security Updates | $200-$500 |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $100-$300 |
Note: This is a rough estimate, and the actual cost may vary based on different factors.
6. App Features
This is another influential factor affecting the fantasy app development cost. Some numerous features and functionalities include the complexity of app development. If you include more features in your app, the more complex it will be, and the more development time and effort it will take, the higher it will cost to build a fantasy app.
| Feature | Average Development Cost (USD) |
| User Registration and Profiles | $1,000 – $3,000 |
| Fantasy Team Creation | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| Player Statistics Integration | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| Live Scoring | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| Payment Gateway Integration | $3,000 – $8,000 |
| Push Notifications | $1,000 – $3,000 |
| Social Media Integration | $1,000 – $4,000 |
| Admin Panel | $4,000 – $10,000 |
| Multi-platform (iOS/Android) | $5,000 – $15,000 per platform |
| Chat/Communication Features | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| In-app Purchases | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| Real-time Updates | $2,000 – $5,000 |
These estimates are approximate and can be based on the complexity of the features and the hourly rates of development teams. Apart from this, keep in mind that these costs are for development only and do not include ongoing maintenance expenses. It’s recommended to work closely with a development team to get an accurate estimate on the basis of the specific needs.
A Complete Guide of Fantasy App Development Cost
Developing a great app involves many features and considerations that contribute to its overall cost. The app’s complexity, the features it offers, and the region where the development team is located are the main factors influencing the budget.
This process usually starts with basic features like registration and user profiles. This involves creating a system for users to register, log in, and manage their profiles. The cost of this platform can range from $1,000 to $3,000. Then, creating a great team, an indispensable feature, can cost between $2,000 and $5,000. This feature allows users to build their virtual team, an essential aspect of fantasy sports apps.
Integrating player statistics is important to provide real-time data to users. Depending on the depth and complexity of the integration, this feature can cost between $2,000 and $6,000. In-person grading, another necessity, typically costs between $2,000 and $5,000. It allows users to track the performance of their fantasy teams as real-life games take place.
Payment gateway integration is required to facilitate in-app transactions, costing between $3,000 and $8,000. Push notifications, which improve user engagement, can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000. Social media integration allows users to share their activity and can add $1,000 to $4,000 to development costs.
An admin panel is required to manage application content users and ensure smooth operations. Developing an admin panel typically costs between $4,000 and $10,000. If the app is for both iOS and Android platforms, the cost can increase, averaging from $5,000 to $15,000 per platform.
Additional features such as chat/communication, in-app purchases, and real-time updates may contribute to the total cost, which ranges from $2,000 to $6,000 per feature.
It is important to note that these figures are approximate and may vary depending on the complexity of the desired features and the hourly rate of the development team. These estimates are for development costs only and do not include ongoing maintenance costs.
In short, developing a great app is an investment that includes various features that provide users with a rich and engaging experience. Collaborating with a qualified development team and carefully defining your application requirements will contribute to a more accurate estimate of overall development costs.
The Last Note
When it comes to building a fantasy app, it is required to know the fantasy app development cost. This will help you determine how much you must spend building a functional and easy-to-use application. If you need to know how much it costs to build a fantasy app, you must look at the information listed above.
This will help you in knowing the fantasy app development cost. However, you also have to contact mobile app developers for hire who are well-versed and experienced in crafting a functional app. Once you hire dedicated developers, they will ensure customer satisfaction.
FAQs
1. What factors influence the cost of developing a great app?
- Features and functionality
- Platforms (iOS, Android, cross-platform)
- Design complexity
- Third-party integrations (payment gateways, APIs)
- Testing and quality assurance
- Warranty maintenance and support
2. How much does basic software development cost for a great app?
A basic fantasy app can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000. This includes essential features, simple design, and basic functionality.
3. How does platform choice affect costs?
Developing for iOS is often more expensive than Android due to the need for a Mac system. Cross-platform development tools can help reduce costs.
4. Are there costs incurred after initial development?
Ongoing costs include server hosting, maintenance, updates, and customer support. Plan your budget to ensure your app runs smoothly after launch.
5. How to reduce costs?
- Prioritize features based on MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- Choose a cross-platform development approach
- Consider outsourcing development to regions with lower labor costs