A standard software development requirement for an app is communication or the chat features for in-house interaction to engage customers and communities. Latest market share of video chat apps is an astounding 90.7% of global internet users. However, the process to Live video chat app begins with defining how you wish to use it. Besides, the magnitude of developing chat features in an app is very challenging – ensuring it to be secure and fast; that safeguards privacy to the standards of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Slack. Hence, options that comes over here is much to do with large-scale investments
Building a chat app or Buying a chat API
When building a chat app – you subscribe to a provider like Intercom or Drift. These providers support you with a user and customer services interface.
When buying a chat API – you can customize services since there is a lot of flexibility offered by an API. They offer multiple channels for communication; analyze data, allow you to own the data besides ensuring privacy on the app.
In comparison, a basic chat app does not have such flexibility or support.
But arriving at a decision about which of the above options can be chosen, let us learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of both and arrive at an informed decision.
How to build your own real time video chat app?
When you are planning to build a chat app from scratch, there are several resources needed like opportunity costs, capital investment, infrastructure and time.
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What are the types of costs incurred?
Financial costs of building chat apps like infrastructure costs, maintenance costs, hosting costs, exigencies and salaries of personnel. The components of capital investment are as follows:
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Choosing the Right Infrastructure
App infrastructure needs to be selected based on stored chat history. Exchange of files is secure, VoIP calls, rapid, higher frequency in technology updates, privacy is prioritized, and encryption features are included. Additional costs for features such as video calls, bots too are likely.
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Costs towards development
Chat is typically an add-on feature in an app and hence budgets will have to be set aside for this feature development. The budget should also include costs for network layers, servers, VoIP, messaging protocols, client platforms scaling, hosting, DBMS, encryption, chat bot and user experience/interface design.
Hence, the basic costs incurred when you toy with the idea of how to build your own real time video chat app are discussed in detail here, so making your decisions becomes easier.
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Developer Costs
The number of developer engineers required to develop the software needs to be calculated. Developers should have exposure to all the three mobile platforms, hiring a UI designer, devOps, building APIS and websockets is good.
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Hosting Costs
Since chats require high-speed hosting, costs will be high as the application will be feature-heavy.
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Opportunity Costs
This is the estimated spending towards personnel, budgets for chat development and the whole software development team for the chat app alone.
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Time Investment
The development of a full functional chat with needed features is time consuming and includes many aspects. Time needed for chat app development, time needed for actual development and time needed for upgrades, maintenance and troubleshooting. Testing the app involves further time.
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Infrastructure
Cost wise this would be the most expensive as it involves investing in a variety of components and resources needed every day.
Hence, the above discussion gives an answer to the question on how to build your own real time video chat app, helping you make informed decisions. Should you be building your own video chat app? Key aspects you must consider when you make your own video chat website or application Crucial points you can’t afford to miss while you make your own video chat website or application
Key Factors to Checkout for Before Building Video Chat App for Businesses
The option of building your own Group video call app is recommended only for companies. For anybody else, including start-ups and small technology companies it would not be good ROI. Besides, it is not the solution when companies need a quick additional chat feature in the shortest time possible.
In order to buy a video chat app the considerations are as follows:
- Considering the time the resources and the technology input required for building a chat app
- Allocation of resources and time for maintenance and upgrading the chat app along with the technology
- Value raised from the technology for further innovation in this segment
- Will the chat be a product for the app and not as a feature for the app
- Can handle the risk with security and privacy for the chat real-time data and archived data.
Let’s Explore whether to Buy Or Build A Video Chat App
Purchasing or buying chat API – is one of the most viable alternatives. This is because an API is typically a feature-rich chat app with the software development kit. This acts as a bridge between the application and the server infrastructure allowing you to build the necessary chat services for your app. This can be used in an application or in a game and alternatively for live streaming on the website and other allied services.
In order to buy a video chat API the considerations are as follows:
- Identification of the chat features that are required for you
- Techstack that you would use currently and the compatibility with platforms for the chat using Android and iOS
- Advanced integration needed along with customization
- Estimation of the number of users as well as business for the app
- Identification of privacy security encryption of the chat data
Thus it is clear by the above comparison that buying a chat API is a simple process, with far-reaching advantages over that of buying a chat app.
Buying Video Chat API: Cost and time estimates
Chat API gives the shortest turnaround time to build such a feature into the app. It follows the plug and play sequence and hence cannot be compared with the building of your own app. An example for a chat API with SDK provider is CONTUS Mirrofly.
Chat will effectively be deployed in just two or three days, subject to the considerations of the integration needed. This shall not be a complicated process, if there is no code required to be implemented by the end-user. The maximum turnaround time of 5 to 10 minutes is all that is needed to set-up the chat feature.
Cost of implementing a chat API can be estimated by the service provider and will be calculated on the basis of key features:
- of VoIP call, video calling , Chat encryption
- GDPR, SOC2 and HIPAA compliance free of cost
- Plans offered could include paying for 25 active users in a month
Thus, it will cost very less when compared with building a chat app entirely on your own. The costs will depend on the number of users, rates of plan changes. No additional development is needed, allowing you to scale easily to any type of plan your app needs.
Invest in a video chat API if you are a company
Who And All Can Go Buying Video Chat APIs? Let’s See!
Startup company that is considering building the chat API will benefit by using a free coded chat API with the SDK. The types of companies that would benefit from buying the chat API are as follows:
(1) A company or a Startup that is in its pre-launch stage – In this case they will not have to invest large amounts, don’t have much time so can simply add a chat feature to their app or website and make a move.
(2) A company that has no tech team expertise
(3) A company needs a one-time solution, such as a product launch
(4) If loss of revenue for a company is high, when it is in the development stage, is higher than savings from its own chat app, chat API is the right option.
Conclusion
Video chat is now a standard communication tool that connects consumers with businesses and supports infra-organizational communications. Including a video chat feature in your app should be an easy process and at price points which bring-in great ROI.
