How to develop an app like Clubhouse, and how much does it cost?

By Snigdha | August 22, 2022 5:36 pm  | 5-min read

Clubhouse is a social media app that is unique in keeping the membership to an invitation-only format. However, its uniqueness does not end at the joining in process. The app is essentially a live-stream social audio app. The app can also be referred to as an audio chat app with social aspects like conference calls, group audio chats or discussions, and talkback radio. Users can use the app to start new discussions or join in and listen to ongoing discussions.

Though the app was popular when it launched, it shot to fame after Elon Musk used it and gained around 2 million new users overnight! However, this was not a fluke, as its success continued even after the buzz died. In February 2021, the number of weekly active users was 10 million.

It makes you wonder whether you can create an app like Clubhouse. With Appy Pie, yes, you can!

In this blog, we will discuss the cost of developing an app like Clubhouse, the features you must add to create your own app like Clubhouse, and most importantly, how to develop an app like Clubhouse.

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

The cost of creating apps like Clubhouse for Android alone might be between $30,000 and $40,000 if we were to only include the basic features. If, however, you want to include all the advanced features and develop an app for multiple app stores, the cost may go up to $90,000.

Here are the top factors that define the cost of developing an app like Clubhouse:

• App Platforms or Stores – the cost of developing an Android app will be more than developing an iOS app. If you are worried about the costs, it may be a good idea to start by developing an app for just the iOS platform and then go on to create the Android version when you have better finances.
• App Design – The UI/UX of your app is instrumental in how your app is perceived or received by the app users. The simpler you keep your app design, the lesser the cost of creating your app will be.
• Size of the development team – If you plan to create your app by hiring an entire development team in-house, you will have to include the salaries, hiring process, infrastructure, including devices, space, utilities, etc.
• Development agency (if hired) – The cost of hiring a development agency varies according to size and expertise. The cost of hiring an app development agency may vary from $10 an hour for a small agency to $250 an hour for an enterprise-level company.
• Features – Each feature you add to your app would require work and time investment. With each added feature, the cost of the app would increase, so the more features you add, the more time and money you will have to spend on it.

Top features you must to an app like Clubhouse

Clubhouse is a unique social audio chat app that is popular because of the specific features it offers to its users. If you plan to develop other apps like Clubhouse, the following features are a must-have.

1. Registration & Login

   Add an integral registration feature to your app so that the users would be able to create an account and log in to your app so that they can access the rest of the app. You can simplify the entire registration process by letting the app users register through email or social media. The easier the process, the more people will go through it!

2. Profile & Interests

   After the registration process is complete, let your app users create their own profiles where they can indicate their interests. Based on these interests, the users can be directed to the right rooms where they join ongoing discussions and contribute if they want.

3. Feed – Clubhouse Halls

   The user feed or the Clubhouse Hall will show the app users all the events or discussions related to their interests or the people and topics they follow. Make sure that when you add the feed functionality to your app, the entire experience should be simple and straightforward.

4. Clubhouse Rooms

   Any Clubhouse user can create rooms to hold conversations – private or public. The app users can decide whether to communicate publicly with anyone who wants to join in or have a private conversation with specific users.

5. Clubhouse Clubs

   Clubhouse Clubs are much like groups on most social media platforms. By joining Clubhouse Clubs they like, users can also connect and interact with other users with common interests. The club members can view other members in the club, add more members, and even make recommendations on the chat topics.

6. Topics

   Topics for rooms are more like tags on any other social media. When you make an app like Clubhouse, ensure that you offer an extensive list of topics so that you have something for everyone. The speakers can assign topics to the room when they create it, and other app users can find the right rooms using these topics. Adding Topics as a feature makes the entire app experience more fluid and intuitive.

7. Moderators

   For any video-based, text-based, or voice-based platform, the role of moderators is critical. Not only should the room owners have moderation rights, but an app admin should be able to monitor any user reports and ban any rooms that encourage bullying or any kind of hate speech.

8. Audio streaming

   The app is an audio chat app, which means you must have a high-quality audio streaming feature. There should also be enough moderation features and rights. Apart from that, the users could also request to speak while they are in a room or a club on the app.

9. Alert and notifications

   On an app like Clubhouse, there is no option to record or store live conversations. Hence, adding alerts and notifications can help you notify the app users whenever their favorite speaker goes live, or a discussion starts in a topic-based room. This will ensure that your app users won’t ever miss content they want to hear.

10. Search

    The search function on your app will enable your app users to search for content on the basis of the topics they like, speakers they want to listen to, and even clubs they know by name. The search functionality makes it easy for users to get to their favorite content faster.

How to develop an app like Clubhouse?

We have already talked about Clubhouse, the cost of developing an app like Clubhouse, and the top app features for an app like Clubhouse. Now is the time to get to the real question – how to create your own app like Clubhouse.

For someone new to technology and without experience with app development, it can be intimidating to create an app from scratch. However, Appy Pie’s no-code app builder lets you create apps like Clubhouse in minutes!

1. Enter the name of your app

   Choose the relevant app category, design theme, and app layout. Add your brand logo and create brand consistency with the right colors, fonts, and more!

2. Add the right features

   Choose every feature in the list above and add it to your app with just a click – no coding needed!

3. Test your app and launch it

   Edit the app as per your preferences and liking, then test on real devices. Your app is now ready to launch on app stores of your choice!