E-Learning App Development Explained: Process, Costs, and Best Advice

TL;DR

• The online education market is projected to hit $848 billion by 2030.
• There will be 995.9 million educational app users worldwide by 2029.
• Our Case Study: We developed a community-driven network for language learners based on a board game, helping our client gain global recognition.
• Developing a basic app can cost between $20,000 to $50,000; more advanced features may cost $100,000 or more.

Promising niches for an e-learning app:

• Corporate Learning
• K-12 and Higher Education
• Reskilling and Certification
• Microlearning and Adaptive Learning

Types of e-learning apps you can develop:

• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
• Language Learning Apps
• Tutoring Apps
• E-Learning Apps for Pre-K
• Educational Games
• Corporate Training Apps

Advanced features to include in your app:

• AI-Powered Personalization
• Gamification 
• AI-Generated Content
• Community Engagement
• Voice Search
• AI-Powered Dropout Predictions

Our app development process:

• Laying the Technical Foundation
• Defining the Core Architecture
• Creating an MVP
• Testing for Scalability
• Deployment and Monitoring
• Optimizing Engagement

From Board Game to eLearning App: How We Helped Our Client to Go Global

One thing is to build a digital app from scratch, and another is to adapt an existing physical solution. And we’d like to share how we managed to pull it off.

Having created a successful board game, New Amigos, the founder decided to go further and bring it into the digital world. In Norway, where the founder is from, the game was a hit and proved effective in improving vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. His concept for the e-learning mobile app was also promising—connecting language learners with native speakers through real conversations, cultural exchange, and board-game-like mechanics.

Challenges Faced

Right at the beginning, we had to answer a question: how do you scale an in-person experience to a global audience? Our first solution was a digital companion app with the following features:

• Digital flashcards for practice
• Audio pronunciation guides
• A virtual dice roller to recreate the board game experience

Shortly after the client released the game demo, the user group reported an issue: people loved the social aspect of the game, but it didn’t translate well to the digital version. Finding a mobile learning partner wasn’t easy. Without organic, real-time connections, engagement plateaued.

Our Solution

During brainstorming sessions with the founder, we asked, “What if this wasn’t just a companion app but a full-on social learning platform instead?” And that was it! We restructured the entire app to emphasize its best feature—human interaction. As a result, we created a community-driven network for language learners. Key features included:

• Intelligent Language Partner Matching – AI-powered algorithms paired users based on skill level, interests, and learning goals. 
• Real-time Chat (Text, Audio, Video) – A way for users to practice with real people.
• Social Profiles – Users could share their new skills, set learning goals, and connect based on interests.
• Gamified Challenges – Fun competitions, interactive quizzes, and group activities.
• Interactive Mini-Lessons – Quick, engaging lessons users could complete together.

Project Results

This collaboration was truly rewarding, as we knew we had created something meaningful and impactful, and the results showed:

• Massive user growth after launching the social features
• Thousands of successful language partner matches
• Improved app ratings and user feedback
• Expansion into new international markets

Drive real change with eLearning app development! Share your goals with us, and we’ll craft the perfect solution for you.

Business Models: Where Does Your E-Learning App Fit?

Before writing a single line of code, you need to figure out how your platform fits into the online learning space, specifically how it attracts customers. If you choose the right business model, you’ll have a huge advantage in a crowded market. Let’s look at some business opportunities with expert comments from our COO, Nazar Kvartalnyi.

Corporate Learning Platforms

Target market: Companies looking to train employees, develop skills, and stay compliant.
Revenue model: Subscription-based (SaaS model or company-wide licensing).
Examples: LinkedIn Learning, SAP Litmos, Coursera for Business.

Companies always need to train employees, and e-learning software makes this process 70% cheaper. That’s why corporate LMSs never go out of fashion. Plus, these platforms are sold directly to businesses rather than single users, so retention rates stay high—switching to another LMS is expensive and inconvenient for enterprises.

“Most app development startups target individuals, but the corporate training market gives you more revenue potential. When you sell learning management systems to businesses, you get long-term contracts, as these apps become very integral to companies’ operations and have much lower customer churn.”

Key Selling Points:

• HR & Enterprise Integrations (Workday, SAP, Salesforce)
• Compliance & Certification Tracking (SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA)
• AI-driven career path recommendations

K-12 and Higher Education Platforms

Target market: Schools, universities, and government-funded training programs.
Revenue model: Government contracts, partnerships, licensing deals.
Examples: Google Classroom, Blackboard, Moodle.

Since the pandemic and the shift to remote learning, we’re now used to virtual classrooms, augmented reality, and tutoring apps – statistics show that mobile learning will grow 25% annually until 2028. Modern educational institutions need platforms that support online learning, but most niche products focus on learning materials, which isn’t bad, but they’re forgetting about administrative needs. If you sell software with a strong content management system, automated grading, and accessibility features, be sure to find loyal clients for life.

“Business clients make decisions based on ROI, but schools and universities have different priorities. If you want to work in this field, be ready for bureaucracy and approval processes that take months. To get government contracts, you’ll have to prove the long-term benefits of your solution, stay compliant, and make it work with legacy systems schools still use. Here, you achieve success with patience, strong case studies, and an understanding of the public sector.”

Key Selling Points:

• Integration with the school IT infrastructure.
• Offline learning and mobile access for remote education.
• AI-powered tutoring and personalized learning paths.

Skill-Based and Certification Platforms

Target market: People looking to upskill, get certified, or switch careers.
Revenue model: Freemium model (free courses, paid certificates, course sales).
Examples: Udemy, Coursera, Skillshare, MasterClass.

People are giving up on the idea that a degree is the only way to a good job. With AI automation, companies like Google and IBM now hire based on talent and expertise, not diplomas, so millions need to reskill. E-learning apps and platforms with job-relevant courses and certification have a strong market (but come with their own challenges). Many sign up for courses but never finish them, so low retention is the biggest issue here. To succeed, you’ll need to find a way to make your app truly engaging.

“That’s the most competitive field, and the Customer Acquisition Cost is high. With LMSs, you lock in long-term contracts, but here, you fight for every learner. You’ll need a smart marketing team, a strong brand, and real career success stories people share. Customers aren’t just looking for knowledge, they want a structure that leads them to results. If your platform can’t prove its value, you won’t gain their trust.”

Key Selling Points:

• Career path suggestions based on job market trends.
• Partnerships with job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor.
• More interactive elements and social-driven courses that keep users engaged.

AI-Based Adaptive Learning and Microlearning

Target market: People who want a fast, gamified way to learn.
Revenue model: Subscription-based, freemium, or premium AI features.
Examples: Duolingo, Quizlet, Elevate, Blinkist.

Microlearning mobile apps break topics into bite-sized, interactive lessons that make studying more fun and easier to stick with. Duolingo, for example, increased daily active users by 80% with learning streaks, competition, and difficulty adjustment features. Meanwhile, most traditional educational courses use a linear approach that follows predefined steps and can’t adapt to users’ progress.

“Microlearning apps survive on user engagement. You can have the best AI system on the market, but if you don’t know how to keep your audience coming back every day, without making it feel like a chore, it’s not going to work. And when you do gain popularity, make sure your data infrastructure can handle the load.”

Key Selling Points:

• AI that adjusts difficulty and learning paths based on user progress.
• Gamification, progress tracking, and social competition (Duolingo model).

Comparison of E-Learning Business Models

Questions to Ask Yourself When Deciding to Develop an eLearning App

Statistics say education is the second most popular category on the App Store and Google Play, so investing in e-learning application development may be your golden ticket. But before going all in, ask yourself a few questions to see if this path is for you.

• Who are you trying to train? If your audience is younger or comfortable with technology, an online learning app could be a good idea. Mobile devices have already become a big part of their daily lives, so delivering educational content through the screens is a smart way to engage your students/employees in learning. 

• Is your content well-suited for a mobile format? Not all training materials translate easily to a smaller screen. Apps work best with interactive content—videos, quizzes, and short lessons. But if your training has multi-volume documents or interactive simulations, there can be some limitations. You may need to rethink how to present these materials.

• Do you have the budget and team for app development? Launching a mobile app takes the right people and resources behind the scenes. Will you need to find a mobile app developer, hire an in-house team, or partner with external development companies? Remember that this project is not a one-time expense, so you have to decide on these points before starting.

• Do you have a learning management system (LMS) in place? If you have an LMS, check if it can integrate with a learning app. If so, an app will become a great extension of your system, supporting its strengths and expanding its capabilities. If integration isn’t possible, you may need to think about updating it or finding another solution altogether.

What E-Learning Applications Can You Develop?

Online learning apps come in different shapes and sizes, depending on who they’re for and what they’re meant to do. Some focus on schools and universities, others are built for businesses or general users. Here are some of the most common types of educational apps:

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Target market: Universities, corporate upskilling, lifelong learners
Key features: Video lectures, quizzes, peer discussions, certifications
Examples: Coursera, Udemy, edX

MOOC apps offer free or low-cost courses on many subjects. They typically include video lectures, quizzes, discussion forums, and interactive learning materials. What’s great is that these apps make higher education a public good, letting anyone connect with a global community. Plus, teachers can experiment with and improve their teaching. Freemium access with certifications and enterprise licensing are the most common ways these apps make money.

Language Learning Apps

Target market: Students, travelers, professionals
Key features: Interactive lessons, speech recognition, real-world immersion
Examples: Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone

All demographics benefit from language learning, which is the fastest-growing segment of commercial eLearning apps. These teach foreign languages through interactive lessons, vocabulary exercises, pronunciation practice, adaptive difficulty levels, and language immersion techniques. Lately, many industry giants have been using AI-powered personalization and social learning features to keep retention rates high.

Tutoring Apps

Target market: Students, tutors, professional instructors
Key features: Live video sessions, class scheduling, secure payment options
Examples: Preply, Wyzant, Skooli

The goal of online tutoring platforms is to connect students with private educators and support them with key features like AI-based tutor matching, class scheduling, interactive whiteboards, attendance monitoring,  lesson recordings, etc. To use these platforms, teachers have to upload their credentials, such as a certificate or a teaching license, verifying their qualifications.

Skill-Based Learning and Professional Development Apps

Target market: Job seekers, professionals, freelancers
Key features: Hands-on projects, industry certifications, mentorship programs
Examples: Udacity, Pluralsight, LinkedIn Learning

Skill-based learning apps have courses, webinars, workshops, and resources for career growth in coding, business management, design, and other fields. They provide hands-on experiences where users can follow interactive learning paths, work on real-world projects, and get AI-generated career advice. Some platforms even connect to sites like LinkedIn or Indeed, updating users’ portfolios and sending job offerings.

E-Learning Apps for Pre-K

Target market: Parents, educators, early childhood learners
Key Features: Gamified learning, colorful animations, voice interactions
Examples: Lingokids, Kid-E-Cats, Bebi Family

Designed for kids, these apps make a unique segment of the market. They mix storytelling, colorful visuals, voice-guided lessons, and a game-like learning process to teach fundamentals like math, reading, spelling, and colors. The difficulty grows as a child’s skills improve, and built-in controls let parents select preferred areas of study and monitor the educational process. 

Educational Games

Target market: Students, casual learners, gamification-driven users
Key Features: Levels, challenges, point systems, AI-driven difficulty adjustments
Examples: Kahoot!, Prodigy, DragonBox

These apps use game mechanics to make learning feel like play. Levels, rewards, interactive storytelling, multiplayer quizzes, and AI-powered challenges motivate users to progress through the content and grasp subjects stress-free, at their own pace.

Features to Consider for Your eLearning App Development

When building a mobile e-learning app or any other software, you can stop at the core features—not all solutions need high-tech tools. But if your field is more specialized and complex, or if you bank on innovation, you’ll need professional expertise. Let’s break down what features, both basic and advanced, your app could have.

Essential Features of an E-Learning Mobile App

• Registration and login. To start using the app, you need to sign up if you are a new user or log in if you already have an account. This is the first step of basically any application.
• Push notifications. This feature helps the student to be in touch with all the updates, including new courses, new tasks, and upcoming events. Also, push notifications send alerts, so it’s easier for students to keep up with the schedule.
• Support for multiple languages. The more languages available in the app, the more students can use it. When the app is used worldwide, it gets a good promotion and more opportunities for further growth.
• Assessments and quizzes. Such a form of learning process is fun and innovative, enabling students to check their knowledge. It’s a great way to practice and memorize new information.
• Tips and How-To screens. Not every user is tech-savvy. Especially when we’re talking about EdTech, where teachers or parents might use an educational app for the first time. Clear onboarding screens and smart tooltips can walk them through key features without overwhelming them. These small touches help build confidence and reduce drop-offs right from the start.
• Accessibility Features. Creating an accessible mobile app means everyone can use it comfortably, regardless of disabilities. Important accessibility features include a color contrast ratio for readability, support for both on-screen and hardware keyboards, clear labels for UI elements, touch targets of at least 44 dp x 44 dp, simple gestures, and audio descriptions for video content.

Advanced Features to Implement in Your E-Learning App

• AI Personalization. Smart algorithms track how fast someone learns, what topics they find boring, and what they enjoy. Then, AI can create personalized learning paths, suggest courses that match interests, and even tutor in real time. For instance, LinkedIn Learning can recommend career courses based on a user’s actions on the platform.
• Gamification. Points, leaderboards, daily challenges, and streaks motivate students to stay consistent, while live quizzes and competitions add a social element to learning. Duolingo’s streak system is the most successful example of gamification in education and the main reason why millions log in daily.
• AI-Generated Content. Creating lessons and grading takes a lot of time, but AI can automate these tasks. It can build quizzes automatically, grade assignments with natural language processing, and even help language learners remove accents with voice recognition. Coursera already does this, freeing instructors for more productive activities.
• Social Learning and Community Engagement. Learning shouldn’t feel isolating, which is why students need community. And it’s not just empty talk—courses with peer discussions have 80% higher completion rates. Platforms like edX and Coursera figured this out a while ago. Their discussion forums and Q&A sessions, where people share their progress, have proven to be very effective in improving engagement.
• Voice Search and AI Assistants. Voice technology is a popular new feature, especially loved by people who learn on the go. You don’t have to click through menus—just say what you need, and AI tutors will give you instant answers, while speech-to-text tools turn lectures into notes. Quizlet, for example, uses voice interaction to help students memorize flashcards
• AI Dropout Prediction and Retention Tools. Teachers can’t give equal attention to every student, but an AI can! It can also notice early signs of dropout, like missed lessons, and send reminders before students completely disappear. For example, Udemy uses AI to keep course difficulty balanced. When something is too easy or too hard, people lose interest, and machine learning prevents that. 

Want to learn more about AI technology for your app? Schedule a free consultation with our experts and get answers to all your questions.

E-Learning App Development Process Step-by-Step

You’ll need more than quality content to build a profitable e-learning app. The technical side—things like scalability, compliance, and integrations—are similarly important. Here’s our detailed roadmap for app development, with expert comments from the Head of Delivery, Maksym Trostyanchuk.

Laying the Technical Foundation

“People have ideas but rarely analyze them or check if they’re viable. Before doing anything, we have a discovery phase, where we gather requirements, scalability needs, compliance demands, and user expectations. Without a technical blueprint, you could end up spending a fortune on patchwork.”

During this step, we ask our clients these and other questions:

• What kind of app are we building? A corporate LMS, a mobile-first platform, or a microlearning app? Each one needs a different setup.
• How many users are we planning for? A platform built for 10,000 learners won’t be structured the same way as one expecting 100,000+.
• Does the app need real-time features? Live classes and AI-driven tutoring take a lot more backend power than pre-recorded lessons.
• What compliance rules apply? Depending on your audience, you might need to follow GDPR, SOC2, or education-specific laws like FERPA and COPPA.

Defining the Core Architecture and Tech Stack

“Your technology choices decide how much you’ll spend on scaling. Commercial software may be cost-effective at first, but eventually, you’ll have to replace it with a more advanced version. That’s not very sustainable. We always suggest a modular microservices setup because it’s flexible and convenient in the long run.”

Key business decisions at this stage:

Do we need a cloud-native or hybrid infrastructure? 

• If the goal is global reach, a cloud-native setup on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud is perfect. 
• For a corporate LMS with internal hosting, a hybrid cloud with an on-premise model may work better.

What database suits us best? 

• SQL (PostgreSQL) for structured enterprise learning systems. 
• NoSQL (MongoDB) if you’re storing dynamic, interactive content (quizzes, gamification progress).

Do we need any third-party integrations?

• Video streaming (WebRTC, Vimeo API) for live courses.
• Payment systems (Stripe, PayPal, in-app purchases).
• AI engines (GPT-based tutoring, automated assessments).

Creating an MVP That Validates Market Demand

“Don’t add every feature to your app right away, there’s a good chance half of them won’t be necessary. Better start with an MVP. It’s a fast way to see what your audience likes and dislikes and what brings in the most and least revenue. Plus, you’ll test demand for the solution itself.”

Here’s how we approach MVP development:

• Decide on the smallest feature set that delivers value: A strong MVP just needs to get the essentials right. At a minimum, users should be able to register, access courses, track progress, and make payments. If development stays focused, this can be done within 3 to 6 months.
• Research the audience to understand if you need a mobile-first or a web app: If you’re targeting corporate learners, a web-first MVP makes more sense. If focusing on microlearning or language learning, a mobile-first approach (Flutter, React Native) is smarter.
• Launch first, optimize later: You should release the functional version to early users as soon as possible. Perfection can come later, but first, there has to be proof that people want your app.

Testing for Scalability

“Testing is not just finding bugs, there are lots of different tests. If your app can’t handle 1,000 users today, it won’t handle 100,000 tomorrow, so we check all the apps for scalability. Not the most exciting part, but a very important one, because if your app fails after launch, it’s costly.”

That’s what we do during the testing stage:

• Simulating high user loads: We check if your app can support lots of users logging in at once, accessing courses, and streaming videos.
• Cross-platform testing: Your app will be used on iOS, Android, desktops, and different browsers, so we optimize it for everything. 
• Data security & compliance: Last but not least, we confirm that the app encrypts data, meets GDPR guidelines, and follows SOC2 standards properly.

Deployment and Real-Time Monitoring

“You have to monitor the app non-stop after the launch. Minor problems, if not solved in time, can ruin the user experience, and we don’t want that. The only way is to fix everything before anyone notices— that’s how you keep users happy and reduce churn.”

How do we monitor your app after the launch:

• Automated deployment pipelines: CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) helps us push updates quickly and without errors.
• Performance monitoring tools: We use New Relic, Datadog, or AWS CloudWatch to track server performance, crashes, and response times.
• User behavior analytics: Our team tracks where users drop off, which courses they love, and what needs to be finalized.

Optimizing Engagement and Retention Post-Launch

“User acquisition can be really expensive, especially with microlearning apps, where the competition is really serious. You have to learn how to engage your audience, and I’d say updates that improve retention are more valuable than new features.”

Some AI retention strategies to consider:

• Personalized retention: Use AI to recommend courses and track habits to keep users coming back daily.
• Gamification: Add rewards like streaks, XP points, leaderboards, and certificates to keep users motivated.
• Smart notifications and re-engagement emails: If users haven’t logged in for a while, send them personalized reminders using AI.

Don’t do it all by yourself, find out how our expertise can speed up your project. Let’s talk. 

E-Learning App Development Cost

Costs can vary widely depending on location. For example, developing an app in the US or Canada tends to be more expensive than in Eastern European countries, where you can find high-quality solutions at more affordable prices. 

As a rough estimate, developing a basic app can cost between $20,000 to $50,000, while more complex mobile learning apps with advanced features may cost $100,000 or more, depending on specific requirements and functionalities. To ease your task, use our app cost calculator and decide if the development cost is good for you.

Consider Inoxoft Your Trusted E-learning Mobile App Development Partner

Building your app is an ambitious goal, and we know how to turn goals into achievements. See why you might like working with us:

• Our development process is fully compliant with GDPR, SOC2, and education-specific regulations, ensuring secure data management and storage. No legal problems guaranteed.
• We help you validate ideas with a feature-focused MVP development in just 3 to 6 months. You’ll be confident in the success of your product before even releasing it.
• Our team stays with you after the launch, monitoring performance and improving user experience to maximize your ROI.

With 10+ years of experience in the EdTech industry, we’re always ready to share our expertise and profound knowledge. Explore our success stories, and feel free to contact us for more information.

Final Thoughts

Educational mobile apps are opening up new revenue streams, and this is attracting the attention of investors and businesses worldwide. And you may be the one to catch this opportunity, too!

At Inoxoft, we take your ideas and bring them to life. Having 10+ years of experience, a perfect 5+ Clutch rating, and a portfolio full of real success stories, we’re excited to be your partner in this journey.

Don’t wait—let’s get started! Reach out for a free consultation and project estimate.