How to Create an App Like Snapchat: the Best Tools & Methods to Use

We are certain, that even if you’ve never taken a selfie with a filter, you’ve seen others do it. Snapchat isn’t just another selfie app or numerous social network. With its outstanding machine learning technology, the application continues to be the market leader for almost ten years.

How to repeat its success story? How to build an app like Snapchat and how much money you’ll have to spend on it? Let’s discover together.

The Phenomenon of the Snapchat App: Why are Such Apps Becoming Popular?

If you are interested to know how to create a new app like Snapchat, first of all, let’s start with an overview of this popular application.

Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy founded the app Pictaboo and renamed it Snapchat back in September 2011. Initially, the app was launched as a messaging app with the feature of making messages disappear in one to ten seconds after being opened.

Today, Snapchat offers its users entertainment, news, and the opportunity to add photo filters, lenses, and other effects and share the results with friends.

Snapchat wasn’t the first app that offered media-based social networking features, but it is among those who managed to attract loyal users to its special communication style and to gain huge revenue. In 2021, Snapchat’s ad-selling revenue is likely to reach $2,6 million. Moreover, it is among the most popular social networks of teenagers in the United States for almost 10 years.

There are a couple of reasons what it could become that popular. We can think of a complete understanding of the needs of the audience and appealing UI/UX design what is always half the success.

Key Technologies for Building a Mobile App Like Snapchat

To create an app like Snapchat, you need to think through every detail with your development team. Key technologies should include

Machine learning

With help of a machine learning algorithm, the app analyzes users’ behavior, builds an algorithm to offer personalized recommendations and the most interesting content.

Augmented reality

It is a type of computer vision technology that works with any type of visual content adding virtual elements to it.

Face detection

The mechanism scans image coordinates when the user points a smartphone camera at the face ro create a static snap or animated story ( selfie or video)

Geolocation

With a user’s permission, the technology reports the current location of your computer, tablet, or phone in real-time.

Core Features that Need to be Developed in Apps Like Snapchat

Before creating a mobile app like Snapchat, let’s explore what the actual application is made of and what are key features of a Snapchat-like app worth considering.

Snaps

It is a key feature that made the app famous in the first place. Basically, it is a photo or a video with filters, graphics, and text captions that users can exchange.

Lenses

A lens is a real-time effect you can add to your snap with help of face recognition technology. Every day a user has a choice of seven lenses that he or she can apply to their picture and change their look with different face-filters. You can’t apply this feature to photos that have already been taken. You need to activate the lens before taking a picture.

Snapcash

With this feature, users can send money to their friends and pay with a debit card within the application. It became possible after Snapchat partnered with mobile payments company.

Messaging

Among other things, Snapchat is a messaging app, so it provides users with its own unique system: after a message is sent and has been read, it disappears in a few seconds.

Calls

Audio and video calls make Snapchat convenient for their users who can choose this app between Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, etc.

Stories

A story is a snap that is being published for 24 hours to all of your followers and then disappears.

Geofilters

Geofilters allow users to mark their exact GPS coordinates.

How does it work?

If you want to know how to develop an app like Snapchat, first, you should understand how it works. The user follows the next steps

• download the app
• sign up and pick up a nickname
• find friends
• create a snap (photo or video) and edit it if necessary
• send it to your friends or post it for 24h

Cost of creating mobile application Like Snapchat

Required costs to create an app like Snapchat depends on many factors:

• Development: In house or outsourcing
• Loсation: Nearshoring or offshoring
• Techstack: single developer or the whole software development team:
• • Business analysis
  • Project management
  • Backend development
  • Frontend (iOS/Android)
  • Quality assurance
  • UI/UX (iOS/Android)

  Here are a few questions that you should think about. The answers will influence the app cost directly:

  Which platform will the app be built on?

  Usually, there are two types of platforms to choose from Android or iOS (Native) or cross-platform.

  The difference and cost of the Native apps vs Hybrid platform, and React Native vs Flutter development

  What is the number of screens your app should have?

  Numbers (whether it’s 5 simple screens or more than 20 screens per your request) depend on the complexity of your app.

  How will your users sign up and login into the app?

  Email or id password, via social media, through invitation by other users, or with no verification at all. These features are important for security matters.

  How your app will be secured?

  With HTTPS, basic OS security policies or full protection (XSS and SQL injection for apps with sensitive data)

  Where your application data is going to be stored

  There are three options that require particular efforts and investments: Data cache, Cloud database, or Offline storage

  Which other features will you add?

  Here are a few options we advise you to consider:

  • In-app purchases
  • Push notifications
  • Camera/QR codes/scanners
  • Chat availability
  • Images/audio/video manipulation
  • Ratings and Reviews
  • Device sensor data manipulation
  • Bluetooth

  Of course, that’s impossible to determine a clear price without a specific idea, remember that the more complex your application features, the bigger the cost of creating an app like Snapchat For more convenience, feel free to use our App calculator and get pricing info with just a few clicks.

  Consider Inoxoft Your as Trusted Partner in Mobile App Development

  Inoxoft is an international software company offering clients from all over the world our mobile app development services (specifically android, iOS, and flutter app development services).

  With 7 years of experience in the global software development market, we know trends and possibilities in Healthcare, Education, Logistics, Financial, and Real Estate industries. Trust us with your software solutions as we:

  • Pay attention to details and respect your vision
  • Meet your requirement
  • Are the experienced app development team
  • Use innovative technologies

  Related: take a chance to discover our video sharing solution for networking.

  Final Thoughts

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  If you have an idea to create social media app or cool messenger for the young tech-savvy generation, we recommend learning from the best and get inspired by the best ideas. For instance, why not learn how to make an app like Snapchat?! Its high ratings and popularity prove that this app meets its reputation. We know that when you decide to proceed with an idea, you will have questions. So, contact our technical expert to solve all your queries.