Video Chat App Development Like Zoom; Process, Features, And Cost Estimation!

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a slew of requests and orders to stay home. And work remotely as much as it is possible to slow the spread of the deadly virus. This absolutely resulted in using video chat apps more often to stay in touch with the people in and around the professional and personal space.

On the other hand, the pandemic curve has raised the demand for video chat applications in every possible industry, and it is expected to be worth more than $50 Billion by 2026.

As the entire world is under lockdown, technology has stepped forward to let businesses run their operations through the video chat app. If you’re planning to create the next video chat app unicorn and willing to enter this market, then it is the right time.

This post will help you take a look at the nitty-gritty involved in converting this billion-dollar app idea into a reality. Let’s read this post ahead…

Core features required to build a video chat app like Zoom

• Sign up/Sign in- It is the basic but most important feature, but you need to keep it as short as possible so users don’t get irked filling the information.
• Profile creation- Eventually this feature gives the option to users to create and manage their profiles, where they can out their picture, put other relevant information.
• Contact list- In this feature, users get the option to sync their phone contact list or create a contact list based on their personal and professional usage.
• Video and voice calls- This feature enables users to use the video and voice feature simultaneously, and share files and other data on it.
• Status- This feature reflects the status of the users, they can out it idle, busy, available, and so on.
• Push notifications- As the name suggests, this feature enables users to receive messages or any other information that is important.
• Group calls- In this feature, you give your users an option to have a group call with a large number of users and it won’t lag the app functionality through any means.
• Text chat- If the user fails to connect on video due to low bandwidth or any other technical issue, the text chat feature gives them an option to share their views and opinions in-time.

Advanced features

• Geolocation- This feature enables the users to find someone who is in the vicinity.
• Cloud synchronization- With this feature, users can synchronize the information between different devices, and view messages and listen to recorded calls effortlessly.
• Screen sharing- This feature is a must-have, letting different users share their screens with each other to collaborate in an efficient manner.
• Emojis and stickers- With this feature, users can get access to out-of-the-box stickers and emojis to be part of their app usage.
• Virtual background- This feature would certainly change the game for your app, and would help you to get a hold onto the engaging background and replace the existing background.
• Automatic backup- It lets the information to save a backup in the cloud server automatically.
• Virtual noise cancellation- Considering the surge in demand for these apps, it would be a good idea to integrate the background noise cancellation feature, so users can enjoy using the app anywhere.
• Filters- Although, this very feature is a part of the entertainment social apps, but by adding them in your video chat app, you create an engagement factor and encourage users to use the app beyond their professional usage as well.

The business model for video chat app like Zoom

The monetization part has to be searched and decided upon, before taking the final plunge. So here we are to help you get the information about the right monetization strategy.

• Freemium – Well, this is one of my favorites, and is quite popular among developers. In this feature, users can access the basic features of the app free of cost, but to get access to additional features, they need to pay a certain amount to unlock.
• Advertisements – With this mode, you can offer app free of cost to the users. And you can generate revenue through the PPC, by placing ads inside the app. The revenue can be generated through per click, per ad view, per action, etc.
• Paid calls- In this mode, users get the option to make free video calls, for a limited number of time, and to increase the limit, they need to pay a certain amount.

Tech-stack to build a video chat app

• For Android

• Programming languages- Java, Kotlin
• Toolkit- Android Studio, Android Developer Tools
• SDK-Android SDK

• For iOS

• Programming Languages-Swift, Objective-C
• Toolkit- Apple Xcode
• SDK- iOS SDK, Cocoa Touch

• Database servers- MySQL
• Programming languages- Python and PHP
• Framework – Angular, React Native
• Cloud server- AWS
• WebRTC- An open-source API to secure video and voice calls
• Push messages- Twilio
• Payment- Apple Pay, Google Pay, Braintree

How much does it cost to make a video chat app?

This is the question I always look forward to answering, as there is nothing as such FIXED cost for the app concept, unless you are replicating the existing solution, and I hope you know, there is no benefit to be taken out of it.

To start with, you should know that the cost to create a video chat app depends on a number of factors, such as: features, functionalities, number of platforms, type of technology, app development company among many others.

Hence, to give you an accurate numerical figure, these factors need to be assessed. On the other hand, the price of building an MDP (minimum delight product) for a video chat app starts from $45,000 to $75,000, but this is just a rough idea, and the actual cost can go beyond this, based on your requirements.

Final takeaway

This was the quick rundown of video chat app features, process, and cost estimation, we’ve practiced while building the most successful app solutions for the biggest enterprises in the US and Europe.

Curious how did we help some of the biggest US enterprises to find their deserving recognition?

Schedule a call with our experts and reap the benefits of the video chat app concept.