DataMix Calculator: Easy way to Estimate your project without engaging developers

DataMix Calculator Guide

Our estimation calculator gives you a rough estimate of how much your project might cost you. The estimate includes all the services, functionality blocks, and other things you’ll need for your app. We’ll also have an accurate and transparent cost for each service together with timelines we need to develop them.

That said, you need to input a fair amount of information to get an accurate cost estimate. So, let’s dive into the details you must include in our calculations to make it easier to get a precise estimate!

Step 1: Estimation Settings

When you open our calculator, you will be asked to choose your estimation settings. These are the foundation of your estimate. So, it’s important to input accurate information and select the right options. That way, you can get a more accurate estimate.

Estimation Type: Standard vs MVP Estimate

The first consideration is the type of estimate you’re getting. Our calculator offers two options, a standard, and an MVP estimate. The MVP (minimum viable product) is your product in its most basic form. It is fast to launch, but unscalable in the future. This is great for testing your idea and covering the basics. The standard estimate is like an extended version of the MVP that considers more details and factors. It has scalable architecture and is ready for continuous development. 

Application Type

Next, you have to determine what kind of app you’re launching. You have two options for this: web or mobile. Web applications are designed to be used in web browsers, but they usually come with a mobile-friendly version. Mobile apps are specifically designed for mobile devices as standalone apps and use technologies such as Dart and Flutter.

Additional Options

Before proceeding with the next step, you have to input a few additional options. Our calculator will ask you if you want to choose the tech stack the app is built on and whether or not you wish to build a Web3 (decentralised) app. These two options can be confusing, so we’ll discuss the details in the next section.

If you are unsure what to choose, we suggest ticking off both options, as you will be presented with an additional step where you can choose between the different technology stack options we offer. This includes code, frameworks, servers, and databases.

Step 2.0: Tech Stack [Only Visible if You Want To Choose Your Preferred Stack of Programming Options]

A technology stack, or tech stack, combines all the different technologies you use when developing your apps. This includes coding languages, frameworks, databases, and more.

These can be quite difficult to understand, but it’s important to list down all the tech you’ll stack to develop your app to determine how much the whole thing will cost.

Back-end Preferences

Back-end refers to whatever happens behind the scenes of your app. This includes code and frameworks, servers, where this code runs, databases, etc. In other words, it’s everything you don’t see when you open the app. As Javascript full-stack developers we propose to choose NodeJS.

One of the main advantages of NodeJS is its high code execution speed due to the use of Google's V8 JavaScript engine. This makes NodeJS an ideal choice for developing web applications that need to quickly serve a large number of users. NodeJS also has a large community of developers and numerous community solutions that can be used for application development. The same situation is with NodeJS frameworks.

"If you want to be flexible when creating your MVP from scratch, NodeJS and a full stack team of JS developers is a nice option. The development will go faster and you as a founder will be more flexible. Each team member will be able to easily switch from back-end to front-end tasks and vice versa. Also, each team member can be easily replaced by other developers during vacation or any other reason, so your deadlines will not be shifted"

Maksym Osovitnii,

CEO, Co-Owner

Front-end Preferences

For the front-end preferences, you can choose between Svelte, Vue, and Vanilla Javascript/Typescript. The first two solutions work great, but if they limit your developers or if using Svelte/Vue is overkill for your needs - Vanilla Javascript/Typescript is the better option for your front-end needs.

Vue and Svelte are powerful solutions for creating front-end applications. They also have a lot of out-of-the-box solutions. Svelte is one of the newest and fastest frameworks on the market. It is also considered one of the most sustainable as it needs much fewer code lines than competitors. Vue is a great choice if you would like to have a full-stack team and to be able to work faster. Vue usually goes together with NodeJS.

Vanilla Javascript/Typescript is the classic approach for building any web application. Is it worth building applications without using libraries/frameworks? If speed is critical for you or you don't have a big app where using out-of-the-box solutions is redundant - you might want to consider this option. But if you just don't want to use out-of-the-box solutions for no particular reason - you'll get a lot of bumps on your forehead, because out-of-the-box solutions already take a lot into account and are designed and updated by big senior communities.

ML/AI Preferences

We’re slowly entering the age of machine learning and AI. Many apps on the market right now use machine learning and AI to boost their functionality further. The type of ML or AI you have in your app can influence the final cost. So, it’s best to include your preferences in our calculator for an accurate estimate.

You can choose between Pytorch and TensorFlow on our calculator. Pytorch is a deep-learning framework initially developed by Facebook. A number of famous deep learning apps are built on top of PyTorch, including Tesla Autopilot, Uber's Pyro, Hugging Face's Transformers, PyTorch Lightning, and Catalyst.

However, Pytorch is known for being a simple and easy-to-use framework, making it a popular option for many apps.

TensorFlow was developed by Google and it’s a very scalable and flexible framework for deep learning. This is an end-to-end framework, which makes it easy to tweak so that it can support various platforms. If you’re looking for an ML platform for dataflow programming, this is arguably the best option available.

Decentralised Applications

It’s becoming more and more evident that Web3 will take over soon. This is the phase of the internet that incorporates the blockchain and cryptocurrency. With these decentralised applications, you can bring your app to the next level.

Aside from allowing your app to incorporate the blockchain, decentralised applications can also affect your app’s functionality. This is because these apps don’t run on a single server. Instead, the server workload is spread out between multiple computers.

If you’re looking to build a decentralised app with DataMix, make sure to select the option on our calculator so we consider that when estimating the cost.

Step 2.1: Pick Your Functionality

The next step in using our calculator is choosing your functionality. Your app’s functionality consists of various functional blocks. Developers then stack these blocks on top of each other to create a fully-working app that satisfies certain needs.

That said, there are many different functionality options to choose from with our calculator. You don’t have to click all of them, and getting overwhelmed is easy.

So, here’s a breakdown of the different functionality options on our calculator to help give you the most accurate possible estimate.

General

General functionality blocks include the SRS (system requirements specification) writing. This is a write-up that consists of the detailed description of the app structure, functionalities, how they can be built and what clients and users can expect from this app.

These functionalities also include documents that describe your entire system, multilingual support, SEO support, and testing the workflow. This is a crucial part of the process, but you don’t need to do everything.

So, assess your app’s needs and choose the general functionalities that apply to you.

Design

Our design functionalities are split into two options; prototype development and UI-KIT & Design development.

Prototype development involves creating a rough mock-up of how your app looks and how clients can use it. This is a very integral part of app development as it allows you to gauge the app’s overall look and useability before launching it.

On the other hand, our UI kit is a collection of different graphic files to show how your elements will look in the final product. Your UI kit contains everything your product uses, from fonts and design files to buttons and design components. The complexity of your UI kit largely depends on your app, but having one gives you a bird’s eye view of your app’s design.

DevOps

There are six options when choosing DevOps on our website.

The first option is continuous integration. These operations involve regularly compiling and combining developer work to ensure all their code changes work smoothly and reduce the number of accumulated bugs.

The next option is continuous delivery. Like CI, continuous delivery involves constantly merging code changes and putting them in a testing environment. That way, you can spot any functionality and useability issues immediately. This can result in a much smoother development process.

Dockerize is another option readily available with Datamix. This is great for MVPs and complex products by placing different applications and processes in digital “containers”. It makes organising much easier while also simplifying the troubleshooting process.

We also offer front- and back-end monitoring DevOps. It’s important to constantly monitor your development so you know all the issues on both "sides" and how your apps are currently performing.  

Lastly, we also offer log aggregation. Basically, this is a clean collection and record of all the important events that happen in the app. That way, developers have an easy way of finding the source of problems and checking all the processes going on simultaneously.

Static Resources

Static resources are separate from your product. This is a complete website of your app where you can find all the information you need. You can even link your website to your log-in page to attract more visitors.

That said, you might already have a website for your product. If so, feel free to skip this entire portion of the calculator.

Authorisation

Authorisation means the way users can access your product. For example, you can require users to login and create an account from scratch. Or, you can also give them Single sign-on or SSO options so they can create their accounts using their existing Facebook, LinkedIn, Apple, or Google account.

You can even set up 2-factor authentication to further boost the app’s security. That way, your users need to prove their identity in two ways. This allows users to secure their accounts and stay safe from hacks.

Profile

You may want users to create profiles and identities on your product. DataMix offers services for that, which you can include in the estimate. You have full control over how users create and use their profiles on your platform, and you can choose whichever approaches are best suited to your app.

User Management

User management is very important for your product. You need to have ways to assign different roles to users. For example, you can have admins for your app or even separate how users can access the app depending on their subscription.

Payment

There’s a significant change that your app will require users to pay or conduct transactions. If so, it’s important that you have a property system built into your app to ensure the safety of your user’s funds as well as the functionality of your website.

E-Commerce

You may be planning to set up an online store in your app. This is a great way to bring in funds and boost income. However, setting up an e-commerce platform within the app can be complicated. So, it’s important that you include this in your estimate so that you have realistic expectations for the cost of developing the app.

Chat

Real-time chat is an essential part of apps. You can include various real-time chat options on your platform. This includes one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many communication channels. This aspect of development includes formatting the text and more.

Audio Chat

Audio chat is a great function to include in your app. You can set up audio chat the same way you do real-time chat. However, the cost of audio chat development is separate from real-time chat, so it’s important that this is included in your estimate.

Video Chat

Developers and founders can develop video chat functions for their apps. This is a great way to communicate, and this feature has many development options. But again, this cost is separate from other chat options, which is important to remember.

Search

If your app features a lot of content or different products, you might benefit from a search function. This will allow users to easily access different parts of the app, whether it’s the user and profile settings or other products or people on your platform.

Support

Your users may run into problems when using your app. No matter how easy and accessible your features are, there will likely be issues somewhere along the way. This is why it’s important to set up a support system that allows users to easily access help and find solutions to their problems.

There are various ways to set this up, from setting up a live chat system to setting up a ticketing system. You can choose either of these options on our calculator, and we’ll include it in the cost estimate.

File Storage

It’s great to set up a file storage system in your product. This can make accessing certain documents or files easier for your clients. You can set up cloud storage while determining the types of files you can upload, whether or not previews are allowed, and even dictate the access levels for different users.

Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence

This step refers to adding machine learning (AI) to your web application. To complete this section, please refer back to “ML/AI Preferences” which we have already covered.

Dashboard & Reports

A good dashboard is essential for any product. It allows users to view data, charts, and more. The goal of the dashboard is to give all the necessary information you need at a glance. When calculating the cost of your project with us, you have to include how many elements you need in your dashboard. This means the type of information you want to display in the form of charts, blocks, or widgets.

Custom Functionality Blocks

There are some blocks that we weren’t able to list down on our calculator. However, depending on your app's needs, you can always add more functionality blocks. We work to accommodate all of your preferences when building your product. So, you can also list down the number of functionality blocks you need for your product right on the calculator.

3rd Party Integrations

Adding 3rd party integrations adds to your app’s functionality. We can help you develop integrations for your application. The cost of this largely depends on the number of integrations you need, so just tell us how many integrations you need, and we’ll give you a rough estimate.

Email Notifications

You can set automatic email notifications in your app. For example, when a user does something on the app, you can notify them about that action. That way, the user always stays informed about what’s happening on their profile or account.

In-App Notifications

It’s important that you push certain notifications to users when they open your app. The cost of this depends on the number of triggers for the notifications. So, the more actions that trigger a notification, the higher the total cost.

How Do I Use the DataMix Calculator?

We want all founders to have an easy time using our calculator. Before building an app, it’s important to get a rough estimate of your project's cost. That way, you, the investors, and other stakeholders can build the funds needed to produce the app.

This is why we have a comprehensive calculator for our services. While it might seem intimidating to use initially, we assure you that it’s relatively easy once you understand the different functions you need to choose between. All you have to do is check certain boxes or options depending on your needs.

To start, you need to choose the type of estimate you need. We can offer a standard estimate or a standard estimate that also includes an MVP estimate. From there, you need to select your back- and front-end preferences; these are coding languages used to develop the product.

After determining the basics, you must determine the functionality blocks you need for your app. We work to make sure that your product meets all your needs and expectations. This is why we offer many options for founders when using our calculator. You input all the blocks you’ll need, from the design to notifications and integrations.

It’s important to check all the boxes that apply to your app. If you miss out on certain blocks, it will affect the final estimate. So, take your time when checking the functionality blocks you need, especially if you’re looking for an accurate estimate.

Once you’ve clicked all the options, you can submit the form. Our calculator works fast, and you’ll have the necessary information within a few seconds - without signing up for anything. The estimate includes all the services, functionality blocks, and other things you’ll need for your app. We’ll also have an accurate and transparent cost for each service.

This allows you to view exactly what you’re paying for if you decide to move forward with us.

While our calculator gives an accurate estimate, remember that things can change rapidly when developing an app. You can add more features and functionality blocks along the way, and this can add to the total cost.

So, the calculator will give you a decent estimate. However, be prepared for the price to vary a bit from the estimate when you start the development of your product.

Conclusion

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the details of the https://calc.datamix.space. However, it’s important that you go through all these details to get an accurate estimate of the development costs for your product.

Even if all the terms are intimidating, they’re pretty easy to understand if you use this guide as a little handbook if you’re unsure of something. So, now that you’re familiar with all the information you need to input in our calculator, all that’s left to do is head to the website and use the tool yourself.