Multimedia Messaging App Development Like Snapchat [Clone App Cost]

Do you wish to develop a multimedia messaging app like Snapchat? But you don’t know about Snapchat in detail. Don’t worry! here we are to solve your problem.  The article will cover every point of Snapchat you need to know before developing your app. First, you should know what Snapchat is. 

What is the Snapchat App? 

The Snapchat App is a multimedia messaging app that allows users to share images and videos. The images are usually short, self-destruct within seconds after being viewed, or the camera will deactivate. The most recent update to Snapchat has introduced a feature called Snap Map, which shows where someone else has been on the app at any given moment when using it as a GPS tracking tool. Snapchat also offers filters that overlay stickers and photos onto users’ photographs post-sharing.

It was developed by Bobby Murphy, Evan Spiegel, and Reggie Brown while they were students at Stanford University. Snapchat was released on July 1, 2011. It rose to prominence in 2013 when the app was rumored to have surpassed Twitter in daily active users and became the most downloaded free application in the App Store history.

Snapchat at a Glance, Multimedia Messaging App 

• Founder:– Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Reggie Brown 
• Founded:- September 2011
• Developed by:- Snap Inc. 
• Operating System:- Android, iOS 
• Type of services:- Photo sharing, instant messaging, Video chat, Multimedia 
• Website:- http://www.snapchat.com/

Latest Snapchat Trends you should know about 

The number of users on Snapchat is increasing daily. It had over 293 million active users worldwide in the second quarter of 2021.

 

• There is an estimation that over 4 billion snaps are posted each day. 
• It holds 6th rank in the most popular messaging app and 12th position in the most popular social media platform. 
• As per the report in the second quarter of 2020, Snapchat had opened 30 times per day by the average user. 
• Every day over 210 million Snaps are created.
• Females use Snapchat more than males. Around 56% of users of Snapchat are female, while only 44% are male. 
• The largest age group that uses Snapchat is between 25-34 years old, approximately 22.3% of the total user base. 20.5% of Snapchat users are between 13-17 years old. 
• The US is the country that has the most Snapchat users, around 105 million. After the US, India comes second. India has 99.8 million Snapchat users. No other country comes close to both countries. 
• Snapchat has reached $33 billion in revenue. 
• The estimated revenue of Snapchat for 2021 is $2.62 billion. 
• During holidays, Snapchat users spend 280 million more hours. 
• The most followed Snapchat creator is Kylie Jenner. 

How Does Snapchat Make Money? Business Model Canvas 

Many companies have taken the initiative to create on-demand mobile applications like Snapchat, you should know how it works and what business model it follows. These things will help you to get challenging ideas while developing your mobile application. Let’s see the model canvas of Snapchat. 

Key Partners 

• Snapchat community 
• Publishers, media companies 
• Investors 

Key activities 

• Presenting a platform where users communicate and share memories with friends with the help of images and videos. 

Marketing 

• Public relations 
• Customer service 

Key resources 

• Millions of daily active users 
• Lenses and Geofilters 

Value Proposition 

• Communicate through unique lenses to make creative and fun photos & videos 
• Living the moment 
• Expressing yourself 
• Knowing the world 

Creates Urgency 

• Private messaging through self-destructing messages. It means the content is deleted quickly after reading without privacy concerns. 

Customer Relationships 

• Community-driven app with users creating and sharing stories and snaps,
• Fun & friendly interaction with customers.
• Machine learning technology to understand customer behavior better. 

Acquisition & retention 

• Snaps are directly sent to users’ inboxes to keep updated with news and events.
• The apps can run on both platforms, i.e., Android or iOS. 

Customer segments 

• Advertisers and marketers 
• Young people aged 13 to 34 

Cost Structure 

• Fixed costs- customer service, app development, and maintenance 
• Variable costs- marketing & development,  Research & Development, Public relations, etc. 

Revenue Streams 

• Advertising ( sponsored Geofilters and lenses, Discover) 
• User purchase 
• Partnerships 
• Channels 
• News apps 
• Social media 
• Word of mouth 
• Video platforms 
• Celebrity endorsement 
• App store and Google Play 

Core Technologies of Snapchat Clone App 

The followings are the core technologies of the Snapchat clone app- 

• Augment Reality 

To make pictures more attractive and creative, Snapchat provides augmented reality filters to its users. 

• Machine learning

Machine learning is an artificial intelligence technology that executes in many Snapchat operation sections. 

• Face detection

 It is one of the essential features of Snapchat that plays an integral part in framing and editing photos and videos. 

• Geolocation

A feature in Snapchat known as Snap map gives you data on your friends’ current locations. Anyone can see only if someone permits them to see their locations. 

How do Monetize Multimedia Messaging  Apps like Snapchat? 

Following are the essential ways to monetize social media apps like Snapchat. Readout all the parameters carefully. Moreover, the apps will be based on building cross-platform application methodologies. 

1. Branded Geofilters

Snapchat allows brands to build Snapchat filters of their own. Users can search for fun augmented reality filters depending on the geolocation. The filters stay free for 30 days. The app prices businesses $5 for coverage of 20,000 square feet. 

2. Advertising

The primary revenue of Snapchat comes from advertising. These ads are designed mainly for upward mobile screens. These ads show in the form of 6-10 seconds videos. These ads are engaging & interactive, allowing users to swipe up and enter videos, app downloads, or blogs. Snap will charge around $3,000 per month for ads. 

3. Discover Section

If you aim to build an app like Snapchat, you should choose it as your primary option. It will display the moments in your story so nobody can miss them. According to the user’s situation and choices, Snapchat’s algorithm shows systematized content. 

4. Sponsored Lenses 

This approach is comparable to Geofilters. It fluctuates according to day like- 

1. Ad charges for ads are around $4,50,000 per day if the ads run from Sunday to Thursday. 
2. It will charge you around $5,00,000 daily for running ads on Friday and Saturday. 
3. The price will rise around $7,00,00 for celebrations and special occasions. 

What are Famous Snapchat Terms? 

Some terminologies used generally in Snapchat will confuse you if you are new to Snapchat. If you aim to build a Snapchat clone app, you should add these terminologies to make your app look more attractive and appealing. The followings are some popular terminologies of Snapchat- 

1. Snapchatters- Snapchatters are the users of Snapchat.
2. Snap- Those videos or photos taken on Snapchat are known as Snap.
   3. Snapback- If somebody sends you a Snap, you respond on the Snap. It is Snapback.
3. Story- It may be a video or photo your followers will see for 24 hours. 
4. Score- It shows the number of snaps received and sent by you.
5. Here- It is an option given by Snap to go live video chat with a person if the person is online. 

How to Make a Multimedia Messaging App like Snapchat? 

The followings are the step that you should follow to make a multimedia messaging app like Snapchat- 

1. Do Market Research for Snapchat Clone App 

It is the initial and significant step to follow. You have to consider things before starting your app development. You should study the market and discover who your competitors are. In the initial stage, you should keep the following things in mind- 

• About your target audience 
• Who are your competitors? 
• What are the needs of your business? 
• What is the budget? 
• The requirements of your app and the features you want to include 

2. Start Prototyping 

Prototyping is the step where experts build rough wireframes that show you how your app will look and the functions of your app so that you can solve the impurities and problems of your app before the final stage. 

3. Select your desired platform 

In this step, you must consider which platform is beneficial for publishing your app. It might be Android, iOS, or both. It depends on your budget and your target audience. It will be beneficial if you choose both platforms for your app because it will be available to many audiences. 

4. UI/UX Design of Apps like Snapchat 

In this step, you design your app. It is responsible for the attraction of your app. A better design will attract more users. You must ensure that your app is attractive, appealing, user-friendly, and engaging, just like Snapchat. 

5. Coding 

After designing your app, you can start coding. You can add desired features to your app with the help of coding. 

6. Testing 

It is a crucial step. It is responsible for finding bugs and errors in your app. This step will help you in rectifying your mistakes and add more functionalities. 

7. Marketing strategy 

A good marketing strategy will make your app popular and help you to make your app available to a broad audience. Market your app on social media and other influential platforms. Always make a strong marketing strategy at least two months before the launch date. 

8. Launch time 

It is your final stage. Launch your app in both the play store and the app store. Also, market your app on social media so that the users will know about it from the beginning. 

Top features of Snapchat 

Some top features of Snapchat that you should include in its clone app. The followings feature are- 

• Fascinating stickers 

Features like fascinating stickers are suggested to make your communication more impactful and exciting. 

• Adding new friends 

Everybody likes to meet new people and make new friends. Snapchat gives you this feature not only in a conventional way, but you can also add it through SnapCode and Add nearby functions. 

• Stories and Discover option 

It is one of the most common features used by every social media. It is a function where a user shares a video or photo for 24 hours in their profile. Users’ followers and friends can see it. 

• Video and audio call 

It is another feature that is highly used by many social media. You can communicate with friends through audio or video calls.

• Snapcash 

If you are 18+, you can use this feature. Under this feature, you can send money to your friends. 

Best Snapchat alternative apps for 2022 

The followings are some best Snapchat alternative apps- 

• Instagram 
• Wickr 
• Telegram 
• SnapSeed 

How much does it cost to develop an app like Snapchat? 

It is not fixed and fluctuates as per your need. It depends on what types of features you want to add to your app. It is estimated that it will cost you approximately $45,000-$60,000. 

Conclusion 

In the article, we discussed multimedia messaging apps like Snapchat. We covered all the points that you need to know before developing a multimedia messaging app like Snapchat. Hope that the article will help you to understand the critical points related to development. You can also check the ultimate mobile app marketing stats.

FAQs

1. How much does it cost to develop a messaging app?

This depends on a lot of factors. Primary among these are the features. A simple app with basic features will cost less that a complex app with advanced features such as encryption, multimedia sharing, and real-time messaging.

2. What features should I consider including in my Snapchat clone app?

Some features are must-haves. These include multimedia messaging, real-time messaging, filters and lenses, stories, in-app purchases, and social sharing. 

3. How long does it take to develop a Snapchat clone app?

Ideally, it should take 3-4 months to build a Snapchat clone app. However, this is only an estimate. The project timeline can vary depending on requirements, features, and target audience expectations.

4. How do I ensure the privacy and security of user data in my Snapchat clone app?

There are a number of ways to secure user data in a messaging app. These include: 

• Encryption, 
• Secure login and authentication, 
• Data backup and recovery, 
• and Privacy settings for users. 

5. How can I monetize my Snapchat clone app?

There are several ways to monetize your Snapchat clone app, such as:

1. In-app advertising: Place ads within the app and charge on clicks or impressions.
2. In-app purchases: Charge app users for exclusive features like AI- filters or lenses, premium stickers, etc.
3. Sponsorships: Collaborate with brands or influencers to promote their products or services.
4. Subscription model: Offer a subscription-based model to access premium features or content.
5. Data monetization: Offer insights on user behavior/trends and generate income from data monetization.