What is a Mobile App Development Quotation?

A mobile app development quotation helps app developers to translate an app development inquiry into a business transaction. It outlines the pricing details for a potential project—it essentially informs the client on what they can expect to pay for your services.

Developers usually send these quotes to potential customers willing to build mobile apps and win with application development services for mobile devices.

Note: Sign up to Bonsai to create a free mobile app development quote and get started. Help kickstart your project faster and save time down the line with templates for all your business needs.

Why do You Need a Mobile App Development Quotation Template

Whether you’re a solo mobile app developer or working with a team, you want to make sure you have a scalable closing process for creating quotes and other app development related templates in a flash. 

These templates help you to create polished quotations for clients looking to work with you on a mobile app project. 

Here’s why you should use Bonsai’s mobile app development quote templates:

• Easily attach relevant documents to the quote
• Free and customizable templates for quick quote creation
• Flexibility to add different fee structure choices for customers
• Templates with pre-designed sections containing industry-specific information
• Quickly integrate with other business management products for a seamless experience
  

Plus, it’s super simple to use and you can sign up for free.

It saves time

When you start with a blank page, there’s a lot of thinking to do. Not only do you have to focus on the content, but also the format and layout. Well-thought out quotation templates help you to pay attention to personalizing content instead of focusing on quote format and layout. 

A template also comes with consistent

• Margins
• Cover page layout
• Fonts and font sizes
• Headers and footers
• Heading styles and sizes
  

You can easily change sections and content structures without the fear of missing important details. 

It’s more professional

Quote templates make you look professional with crisp designs and bulletproof sections. You can simply make small changes before sending quotes to clients, allowing for a speedier turnaround between initial interest and quotation. 

When you’re being contracted to develop a mobile app, you want to make sure you showcase your eye for design. Using templates allows you to check all these boxes with pre-designed graphical elements and content sections. You can also add your branding throughout to really make it your own and further drive home how serious about the project you are.

It keeps everything in check 

Quote templates enable you to plug and play, and get a headstart on the quote creation process. Designed by expert freelancers, these templates come with industry-specific sections that your clients want to see. 

You never have to worry about missing key sections or important details that could end up converting a potential client into a paying customer. Bonsai highlights the customizable text in your quote templates so you don’t have to spend hours skimming through it to find what you need. 

If you’re looking to simplify workload, increase efficiency, and create mobile app development quotes faster, give Bonsai a try today!

What to include in the Mobile app development quotation

A quotation is your opportunity to showcase professionalism, offer services at the right price, and portray the value for money of your services. You can tick all these boxes by adding the right sections. 

Consider adding terms, conditions, and pricing of your mobile app development services to the quote. To create a clear and concise quote, understand the clients’ preferred platform, features, timeline, and budget before drafting your quote.

Don’t forget to create a legally binding mobile design contract before starting the application development work. Although a signed quotation could be enough to hold you and the client to terms, you ideally want a contract.

Whether you’re going for android app development or iOS app development, here’s what to add to make your quote truly appealing.

Summary

An impressive summary briefly covers the entire quotation in a digestible chunk. Think of this as the cover page that hooks your client at hello. Use this section to mention important points that they’ll find more detail on further into the quote.

Scope of work

Scope of work specifies the groundwork for an app development project. This section should summarise key details like:

• Project tasks
• Payment terms
• Project outcomes
• Deliverables 
  

A well-defined scope of work helps a developer and a client have clear expectations on  the project and meet on the same page. Scope of work statements also help freelancers to protect themselves in case of scope creep—when a client requests more of your work yet is not willing to pay for it, and presumes it’s part of your pre-agreed services.

Project details

Before you go on to develop an app, you want to offer a complete picture of the project. Project details show the client your grasp of the project. This is where you’ll need to add key project details, necessary background information, potential problems, requirements, needed analysis, and a conclusion. 

For example, if a company is developing an eCommerce mobile application, you’ll need to know about the expected traffic load for creating and maintaining the app’s servers. The more you know about the background of a project, the better you’ll be equipped to handle the project and deliver an app that delivers for your clients.

Company overview

The company overview  is where you’ll provide your potential client with background information about yourself and your company. App developers should use this section to talk about:

• Services: that they offer to clients
• Strengths: that distinguish them from other app developers
• Track record: of working on other notable mobile applications
• Target market: that they prefer to work in
• Team: that they work with and will be a familiar face for the client
• Mission and vision: on why the company started, and where it’s going 

Project objectives

In this chapter you’ll need to state the aim of a project. Use this section to specify the motivation behind the project. 

Before you write these objectives, don’t forget to take inputs from your prospective client. They can help you to understand the tangible and measurable goals that you should use to gauge project success. 

Consider using the SMART framework for your project objectives:

• Specific: so you know what you’re running after
• Measurable: to make project objectives quantifiable
• Achievable: for identifying steps to accomplishing the client’s objective
• Realistic: to ensure that the goal is practical and attainable
• Time-bound: to specify the timeline by which you should achieve the end result

Project deliverables

Project deliverables refer to the output elements you’ll be delivering at the end of your project or contract. It’s a good idea to create a project delivery schedule along with a work breakdown structure to help you plan this a little better. 

To understand and identify the right set of deliverables, you need to ask the right questions. 

For example, consider asking questions like:

• What’s the reason for developing this app?
• What’s the end goal of this app?
• How much time and resources will you have to complete this project?
• How will the client evaluate project success?
• Will you have to develop both the UX and user interface of the mobile app?
• What’ll be your contribution to branding the app? 
• Will you work with the client's internal team during the development phase?
  

Understanding these questions will help you to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and work towards achieving those key goals to keep your client happy and your work successful.

Project milestones

Once you have your deliverables set, you need to set the milestones for the entire process. These milestones will help you to monitor tasks, stay on track, and show key event dates the client will need to be available for. 

For example, some key project milestones to consider are:

• Project start and end dates
• Key delivery dates
• Client approval dates
• Important meeting and presentation dates
• Key outages that may cause delays
• Payment dates

Project fees

In this section you’ll need to cover project costs for completing your application development contract. Use this section to clarify the cost of your services along with the cost of different milestones and resources you’ll need access to. 

You can also break down the project fee into multiple categories, based on the project needs. For example, if a client wants you to develop and host an application, you can specify the proposed cost for different items in the mobile app development process: 

• Application development
• App hosting
• Fixing bugs
• Annual maintenance
• Ongoing support for existing digital platforms
  

Bonsai top tip: Don’t forget to add your payment schedule, preferred mode of payment, and late fees in this section.

Terms and conditions

This chapter mentions standard terms and conditions for both parties to agree and follow during the project. 

For example, you can include project acceptance criteria, payment conditions, and obligations of both parties in this section. 

You can present these terms and conditions in more detail in your mobile app development contract.

How to Write a Mobile App Development Quotation

Understanding what to add to your mobile proposal is half of the job. To make your quotation truly appealing and land a gig, you’ll need to master the art of writing a quote. 

Here are some simple rules to follow for writing an effective quotation:

Find out exactly what the client wants

A prospective app development client isn’t just looking for a project proposal document from app developers. They are in search of qualified mobile app proposal from app developers who have: 

1. A solid understanding of the software development process
2. Have the know-how of the latest app development technology
3. Have worked on similar projects and can deliver the project at hand on time
4. Have a good knowledge of the client’s target user base
   

Decoding the client’s expectations is key to creating a convincing proposal. It’s super important to research and talk to your client as much as you can early on in the process. 

If a client is hiring you for a developing a mobile app, it’s best to start by understanding:

• The idea: to find the reason behind the app
• Target audience: to understand who will be using the app
• Deadline: by when you must deliver the final app
• Dependencies: risks and outside dependencies that you’ll have to deal with during the project
• Budget: to understand if the proposed payment meets your expectations
• Key stakeholders: to understand whom you will be talking to for approvals on ideation, app build, prototyping, testing, and release
• Business objectives: to help you understand what core features are needed for the end-user
• Competition: to gauge what’s already available to the market and study their applications
• Number of releases: to know if you’ll have to produce multiple versions of an app
  

Once you have a better understanding of these questions, you can use a proposal template to convince potential clients that you’re just the freelancer for the job. 

Highlight what sets you apart 

If you’ve come this far, you’ve already done the heavy lifting.  Now it’s time to show the value for money of your services. Consider showcasing your commitment, skills, and can-do attitude to nudge your potential client toward saying yes.

Bonsai top tip: Don’t forget to include previous work you’ve completed to back up your claims.

Add a CTA

After having put so much effort into creating a quotation, you’ll need to let your reader know what’s next in the proposal process? Clearly map out next steps. Do you want clients to get on a call or sign on the dotted line? 

Creating a Mobile App Development Quotation is Simple with Bonsai 

Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned pro, Bonsai is here to help you ease the process of creating quotations for your freelance business. 

With Bonsai, you can customize the mobile quote templates available and manage them through the entire customer quote lifecycle. 

Here’s how to get started:

1. Sign up for free to Bonsai
2. Find the most suitable mobile app proposal template
3. Edit and customize your quote
   

Once you’ve created your app quotation, you can send it on its way and track your client’s moves with it. See when clients have viewed your proposal, schedule automatic reminders to sign it, and integrate it with your billing process further down the line. 

Mobile app development quotation FAQs

What is a mobile app development quotation?

A development quotation is a document that app developers use to convince clients to use their services. An effective quotation addresses client expectations, specifies project details, and showcases the value of money for a developer’s services.

What should you add to a mobile app development quotation?

Here are the key elements you’ll need to include in every mobile application development quotation, no matter who your client is:

1. Summary
2. Scope of work
3. Project details
4. Company overview
5. Project objectives
6. Project deliverables
7. Project milestones
8. Project fees
9. Terms and conditions
   

Use free proposal templates on Bonsai to create quotes and templates for your next mobile app development project, and streamline your business processes while looking professional every step of the way.