During the COVID-19 lockdown, the use of video chat apps has spiked, resulting in global downloads of Zoom and Skype by over 100%.
Global downloads of Zoom and Skype increased by over 100% from February to March of 2020.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a video chat app, right now is the best time to pursue the idea.
Today, the industry of solutions for video conferencing and chatting is promising. At the same time, the video chat app market landscape is oversaturated with such names as Zoom, Skype, Meet, and so on.
How can you make a video app that will have a chance to stand up against all these leaders?
We created this article to help you understand how to make a video app, avoid costly mistakes, and pave the path to success more easily.
The guide includes information about many elements for video conferencing software:
- Industry overview and video conferencing market state
- Key types and unique features of video apps based on the examples modern video calling apps [Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype]
- How video calling works [key tech insights]
- Step-by-step process to build a video chat from a business standpoint
- Tech stack and features needed to create a chat app
- Cost to make a video calling app [key spending patterns + influencing factors]
- Infographic on video calling app development
Let’s start our journey and figure out how you can create a video conference call app or something similar.
Market State of Video Chat Apps
Video conferencing tools started gaining popularity many years ago. This year, video calling became a primary solution for communication for many people for personal and business activities.
Here you can see key statistics that prove that the market of video calling apps is flourishing:
- Zoom app downloads worldwide grew from ~5 million in February, to 26.9 million by March. Skype also saw a rise in demand – from ~3.5 million to 6.2 million. (Statista)
- Six in ten (57%) Americans are currently using video calling platforms for work and social reasons. (Ipsos)
- Video chat platforms are widely used to see friends and family (73%). (Mozilla)
- In the USA, the most popular live video chat apps are Zoom (66%), FaceTime (48%), Facebook Messenger (31%), Skype (27%), and Google Hangouts/Meet/Duo (22%). (Mozilla)
- After the pandemic is over, 75% of review participants say they will continue to use video conferencing apps to see friends and family. (Mozilla)
Video chat apps can be used for a number of tasks and reasons. People worldwide rely on video conferencing to interact with friends and family, as well as for use in the business sphere.
As the situation with the pandemic remains uncertain, many companies are shifting to remote work. We can expect video chatting solutions to gain more popularity and prominence.
Want to learn more from experts about video & audio apps for communication?
Get in touch with our team to discuss your video calling idea. Our team of experts knows how to turn ideas into a prosperous startup with an ongoing evolvement, as well as provide a rough estimate for development.
Types & Unique Selling Points of Video Chat Apps
Before we move on to explain how to make a video chat app from both the business and technical points of view, let’s first identify the main solution types.
This can help you understand the differences between options and clarify your intentions for a similar project.
There are three main types of video calling application, including apps for video conferencing, communication, and entertainment.
Let’s discover each video chat app type.
Conference Video Call Apps
Video conference call apps improve collaboration and speed up the process of communication between colleagues, especially when it’s needed to support people in different locations.
These video conferencing services allow users to have around 500 participants at the same time. The main requirement for building this kind of solution is high-quality video and audio calling, and the adjustment based on the speed of the internet connection.
Examples: Zoom, Google Hangouts, Google Duo, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet
Video Calling Apps
This type of apps for video conferencing allows for face-to-face video calling in everyday life. These solutions for video calling have limited capabilities. In most cases, you cannot use these grouped video calling apps for work; therefore, they are best suited for personal communication.
For example, WhatsApp only allows for four participants, and Facebook limits the number to eight at a time.
Examples: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram
Video Chat Apps for Entertainment
Video chatting apps can also be used for entertainment or even online dating. You may also check out how to make a dating app that utilizes instant messaging.
A great example is Houseparty, a video calling app serving as a networking service for group video chats between friends. Users receive a notification when their friends are online and available for a group video call.
Examples: Houseparty, Discord
If you are not sure why or how to make a video chat app of any of the above types, look at the table below, which provides insight into their operations, USPs, and features.
| Service | Platforms | Launch year | Number of DAU | Monetization | Unique selling points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | 2013 | 12.9 million | Freemium model Payment for additional attendees Ads |
Ease of use and high-quality audio-video output |
| Google Hangouts | Web, desktop | 2013 | 120,000+ | Free | Up to 25 participants |
| Google Meet | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | 2013 | 3 million | Part of G-Suite ($6-$26 a month per user) | 250 participants 100,000 live stream viewers |
| Google Duo | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | 2016 | 1 billion installs on Google Play | Free | Up to 12 participants |
| Microsoft Teams | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | 2017 | 75 million | $0-$20 a month per user | Low pricing, multi-language support, file storage, application integration |
| iOS, Android, desktop | 2009 | 1 billion | Free | File sharing option Voice messages |
|
| Facebook Messenger | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | 2011 | 1.79 billion | Ads, sponsored messages | Send texts to non-messenger users Chat Heads (chatting while in other apps) Free international calls |
| Viber | iOS, Android, desktop | 2010 | 260 million | Ads, Viber Out | Viber Out (video calling regular phone numbers from the app) |
| Telegram | iOS, Android, desktop | 2013 | 13.33 million | Free Donations |
Secret chats Self-destructing messages |
| Houseparty | iOS, Android, desktop | 2016 | 10,000,000+ subscribers | Ads | Group video calls with friends |
| Discord | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | 2015 | 14 million | Self-branded merchandise Add-ons for $4.99 monthly subscription plan |
Communication tool dedicated to gamers |
How Does a Video Chat App Work, Technically?
Video calling is very similar to regular phone calls. In addition to hearing the other person’s voice, you can also see them. Many video calling apps also provide some additional services, including video sharing, group video calls, etc.
From a technical point of view, WebRTC is the most popular technology used to build video chat applications.
WebRTC (Real-Time Communication) is an open-source internet protocol that allows users to arrange real-time video calls using simple APIs.
This technology is used to implement a Peer-to-Peer connection without the help of a third-party web server. At the same time, WebRTC can transmit media content.
In a nutshell, WebRTS can be used together with four APIs:
- MediaStream – this API enables chatting between clients using either a microphone or a video camera.
- RTCPeerConnection – this API is responsible for the security of video calls, as it enables audio and video data transfer with encryption support and access control.
- RTCDataChannel – this API provides a Peer-to-Peer communication network for data generalization.
- OpenTOK – this is actually not an API, but a PaaS platform and an open-source library that can be used to enable cross-platform video chats.
If you want to know more about video call app development like Google Meet, the technology described above powers this solution.
Below, you can see how video calling works with a Peer-to-Peer connection structure:
Here is how the connection between two clients is established:
- The first client sends a so-called Offer to another client via a server (PeerConnection Observer).
- The second client (Remote Peer) sends a reply to the Offer via the server as well.
- The Peer-to-Peer connection is established between the clients.
After the initial exchange of Offers, the server may then allow for further development into a video chatting app, as the data can still be transferred even with the disabled server.
The next involvement of the PeerConnection Observer is required only to properly close the connection, add new members to a group video call, and to perform actions that go beyond information exchange between two clients.
How to Make a Video Chat App: Strategy Development [Steps 1-4]
The process of video calling app development consists of 8 major steps:
- Defining the value proposition
- Creating a business plan and defining the monetization strategy
- Hiring a software development company
- Selecting video chat app features
- Designing user-friendly UX/UI
- Finding the right tech stack
- Promoting your own video conferencing app
- Testing the ready-to-release application
Let’s investigate each of the defined steps for video conferencing creation in more detail.
Step 1: Define Your Video Chat App Value Proposition
When you start exploring how to create a video chat app and turn it into a business, creating a Google Meet or Zoom copycat might seem like a great idea. In reality, these sorts of applications are doomed.
The best thing you can do for your own app is to define your unique value proposition.
Before you proceed with app development process, please be sure that you can answer the following questions:
- Who is your target audience?
- Who are your competitors?
- What features would you like to implement?
- Why should users choose your video chat app?
Understanding what your main features will be is the key to success.
For example, Google Meet allows for 250 participants and 100,000 live stream viewers. This feature has made the app a primary choice for big companies and turned it into one of the most popular conference video calling apps.
For the first version of your video conferencing app, you can choose one or two flagship features to test your idea with real users. As the app grows, you can expand the functionality.
More information on how to create a profitable application can be found in the article: How to Make Your App Successful: A Detailed Step-by-Step Guide.
Additional Tip: you can define your USP by answering questions: “What?,” “Who?,” “Do what?,” and “How?”
For example:
Google Meet (What?) helps big companies (Who?) conduct big conferences (Do what?) by allowing a big number of participants (How?).
Step 2: Create a Business Plan & Choose a Monetization Model
The next step in the journey to explain how to make a video chat app is to finalize your USP and strategy by employing the Business Model Canvas.
This model covers the following areas and helps businesses to structure all the strategic information, namely:
- Key activities
- Key resources
- Key partners
- Value proposition (USP)
- Customer relationships
- Customer segments
- Channels
- Cost structure
- Revenue streams
Defining the right monetization strategy is no less important than knowing how to make a video calling app from a technical standpoint.
The following video chat app monetization strategies can be used:
Advertisements – this model allows you to make your app free for users, as it implies that money will be made from advertisements. You can use different PPC integrations or work with brands directly. By placing ads inside your video calling app, you will be able to make money per click, per ad view, per action, etc.
Paid calls – you can make the key features of your app paid services. You can provide users with the ability to make video calls for free for a limited time, allow them to increase the limit on participants for payment, to increase the number of viewers, etc.
Freemium – this is the most popular app monetization strategy among businesses. You can provide some basic features for free, and additional features, like blurring or changing the background, adding stickers, sending text messages and files, for a fee.
Do you want to learn how free apps make money?
Check out our article where we explain the main strategies to turn your free application into a profitable business: How Do Free Apps Make Money?
After you have implemented all the features from the plan for the first app version, you can continue increasing the video calling features, functionality, and platforms covered.
After you have implemented all the features from the plan for the first app version, you can continue increasing the functionality and platforms covered.
For example, you can start with a mobile app and then integrate video conferencing into a website or the other way around.
Do you need help with video app development?
Get in touch with our team for a free initial consultation. We’ll discuss how to make a video chat app and turn it into a successful product as well as provide you with a rough budget estimate.
Step 3: Promote Your Video Chat App
A properly developed and implemented marketing strategy ensures the future success of your video calling app. It’s recommended that you start working on app promotion as early as possible.
You can utilize some ideas that will help you promote your app long before it hits the market:
- Launch a landing page and a blog
- Post demos and teasers
- Communicate with early adopters about the first version
- Continuously work on SMM
- Participate in local events and promote your app there
- Reach out to industry influencers
After you have launched your video conferencing solution to the market, you can move on with your marketing promotion plan.
Usually, this consists of the following parts:
- Marketing campaign – create paid ads and launch them upon app release
- Influencer marketing – build relationships with influences who will promote your video calling app among their audience.
- SMM – social media marketing remains one of the best ways to communicate with current and potential users.
- Partners – you can ask your partners to promote your app.
- SEO – search engine optimized blog posts can help you promote your solution, even to a broader audience.
Step 4: Hire a Capable Software Development Vendor
Out of thousands of companies providing app development services, you need to choose the one that knows how to make a video chat app in the best way possible. The future of your project fully depends on the decisions you make at this stage.
You can start your search with word-of-mouth recommendations or by browsing such platforms as Clutch, ITFirms, the Manifest, etc. These platforms provide lists of the best IT service providers with reviews and client feedback.
List 2-3 companies and move on to the next step – prospect evaluation. You can perform the following approach to narrow down the list of prospects even more by checking:
- Background
- Portfolio
- Clients reviews
- Capabilities
- Culture and talent
- Development standards
- Used tools
Based on the collected data, select the company that has relevant experience, has been on the market for 5+ years, has successful projects, and follows the latest development standards.
More information on the benefits of working with dedicated development teams can be found in the article: How to Hire a Development Team: Everything you Need to Know about the DDT Model.
How to Make a Video Chat App: Functionality & Tech Stack [Steps 5-8]
Now that you know a lot about video call app development from a business point of view, it’s time to decide on some technical aspects.
You need to choose a tech stack that will allow the app to withstand high loads, easily scale, and provide users with the latest solutions.
Let’s examine each of the steps in more detail.
Step 5: Select Video Chat App Functionality
The next step in the video chat app development process is to decide on the functionality of your video calling application.
In the tables below, you can see an overview of possible basic and advanced features.
| Feature | Short description |
|---|---|
| Registration | Registration can be optional for users with the possibility to add a user’s name. Additionally, you can allow them to create a user account so that they won’t need to provide their personal details before each call. |
| Profile management | Users need to have the ability to manage their personal data, i.e. names, emails, passwords, and other data. For apps with a subscription plan, the personal account needs to have a section dedicated to payment details. |
| Status | This feature needs to display the status of a user, i.e. online, offline, busy, and so on. |
| Contact list | Users need to have the ability to create their contact lists. This feature should be combined with a robust search system so that the contact list will be automatically pulled from the contact list in the phone. |
| Video and voice calls | This is the main feature of any video chat app. A combination of video and voice calls will make your app more competitive with such apps as Telegram, Viber, etc. Video and audio calls should be clear and of high quality. |
| Text chat | This is a nice-to-have feature for situations when making a call is not an option or in places with poor coverage. Texting will be a life-saving feature. |
| Geolocation | Geolocation can be useful for entertainment video chat applications to help find someone who is near to you. |
| End-to-end encryption | Protocols like AES-256 and HMAC-SHA-256 are used to make a video chat app secure. |
| Push notifications | With this feature, the app will automatically notify users about new missed and upcoming calls, new messages, etc. |
| Cloud synchronization | Information synchronization between devices allows users to use your application on any device. By syncing data, they will be able to view messages, listen to recorded calls, etc. |
| Automatic backup | Information backup to the cloud will ensure that no data is lost in case of unpredictable situations. |
| Advanced feature | Short description |
|---|---|
| Group calls | This is a must-have feature if you want to create a solution that will be in high demand. Conference apps for video calling need to support at least 50 participants. For personal communication, the number can vary from 5 to 10 participants. |
| Screen sharing | This is a must-have feature if you want to develop video chat app that will be in high demand. Conference apps for video calling need to support at least 50 participants. For personal communication, the number can vary from 5 to 10 participants. |
| Virtual background | Replacement of the user’s background with a picture is very useful, especially when working from home. By replacing the background, users will be able to hide a mess or anything that they don’t want others to see. |
| Virtual noise cancellation | Background noise can ruin any conversation. Thus, your app can have a special feature reducing background noise with the help of software. |
| Custom emojis and stickers | Allow users to expand the provided out-of-the-box stickers and emojis with custom options. Users will be able to share jokes and highlight points with stickers and emojis that they seem the most suitable for a situation. |
| Custom masks | The ability to create custom masks can be great for entertainment video call apps and even conference solutions. Snapchat and Instagram provide a great example of how this functionality can be implemented |
Step 6: Create a Customer-Centric UX/UI Design
If you want to know how to build a video chat that users will love, start by creating a user-friendly interface of your solution. You should pursue a minimalistic, intuitive, and attractive design.
There are three main factors that you should consider when designing a video and voice call app:
UX/UI design
This refers to user experience and user interface. Designers usually start with the creation of wireframes (UX) that define how users will interact with your application. As well, it is possible to combine this step with UI design, which allows you to save money and time needed for the development process.
Stylistics
You need to stick to the same design style throughout your video conferencing application. Even if you create a mobile app, a desktop version, and a web solution, it’s vital to ensure design cohesiveness. This way, users won’t have any problems using your application when switching between platforms. Additionally, it will help you create brand recognition and a better brand identity.
Responsiveness
As you are exploring how to make a video chat app, one of the most important things is to ensure its responsiveness on all screen sizes. As your app can be used both on a smartphone and on a tablet, it’s important to provide the same smooth user experience across platforms.
The Google chat video call app for G-Suite Google Meet is a great example of a clean and uncluttered user interface.
Step 7: How to Make a Video Chat App: Tech Stack
Before jumping to the development stage, the first thing to decide is the technology that your new video chat app will rely on.
You can combine a number of technologies into a single application. The technology stack should align with your business goals and the video calling functionality.
| Android | iOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Programming languages | Java, Kotlin | Swift, Objective-C |
| Toolkit | Android Studio, Android Developer Tools | Apple Xcode |
| SDK | Android SDK | iOS SDK, Cocoa Touch |
With further app improvements and business growth, you might want to add another platform and build both Android and iOS apps for video conferencing.
Below, you can see a table describing the technology stack needed for front-end and back-end web development.
| Web front-end development | |
|---|---|
| Programming languages | JavaScript, TypeScript |
| Markup languages | Text |
| JavaScript frameworks SDK | Angular, React, Vue, etc. |
| Web back-end development | |
|---|---|
| Programming languages | Ruby, Elixir, Python, PHP, Java, etc. |
| Web frameworks | Ruby on Rails, Phoenix, Django, etc. |
| Database servers | PostgreSQL, MySQL |
| Web servers | Nginx, Apache |
| Cloud server platforms | Amazon Web Services (AWS, EC2, S3, etc.) |
You might also need to add some other integrations and video calling APIs.
| Streaming protocols | Description |
|---|---|
| WebRTC | A free, open-source API by Google that provides secure video and voice calls. |
| RTMP SDK | Provides optimization of video and audio data transmission and is suitable for low-latency content transmission. |
| RTP | Technology is used for low-latency scenarios and provides limited features compared to WebRTC. |
| Encryption protocols | Description |
|---|---|
| AES-256 | Symmetric key cipher, which uses the same secret key for both encryption and decryption. |
| HMAC-SHA-256 | Encrypts the data into small parts of 256 bits. |
| API & SDK | Description |
|---|---|
| Twilio | Cross-platform SDK that enables a text chat. |
| Vonage Video API | Helps to embed high-quality interactive video, voice, messaging, and screen sharing functionality into web and mobile apps. Fully integrated with WebRTC. |
| Wowza GoCoder SDK | Powerful media server primarily used for live video streaming applications. |
| Socket | Enables an interactive connection between the app and the server for real-time information exchange. |
Below you can see a list of some additional integrations that you might need for a successful video chat app creation.
| Service | API |
|---|---|
| Mailing services | Gmail, SendGrid, ZeroBounce, MailGun, TempMail, FastMail, Firebase Cloud Messaging |
| Push notifications | Twilio, Nexmo, Plivo, Sinch, Apple Push Notifications Service (APN), Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) |
| Social media | Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Viber |
| Payments | Stripe, Braintree, Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal’s SDK |
| Analytical tools | Flurry, Google Analytics, Firebase, MixPanel |
For these apps, you need to ensure a secure exchange of data between your servers and devices, as well as the encryption of sent and received data. Additionally, you need to think of good network connectivity and provide the ability to use your video chatting software even with poor connectivity.
Step 8: Test Your Video Chat App
Quality Assurance is a vital part of developing an application that won’t have any issues when it comes to video calling functionality, performance, and security.
Depending on the type and complexity of your project, you might need to perform a number of software testing services, including user acceptance testing, automation testing, load testing, stress testing, etc.
After you launch your application for video conferencing to the market, you will get a lot of real-user feedback.
This data provides the most valuable insight into what your target users are expecting from your application and what their needs are. The insight you receive should be used for further app development and improvement.
How Much Does it Cost to Make a Video Chat App?
Now that you know how to create a video chat app, it’s time to learn the most important information – app development cost.
The cost to create a video chat app depends on a number of factors:
- Pre-development stage, or how well you study competition, market stage, features to implement, etc.
- Time spent on discussions and identifying business needs
- Number of platforms you are going to target (iOS, Android, or both)
- Use of high-tech functionality such as AI, Machine Learning, etc.
- App design complexity (custom themes, animations, etc.)
- Software development vendor you have chosen
The price of building an MDP (minimum delight product) for a video chat app starts from $60,000 per single platform (iOS or Android or Web).
The table below provides an overview of the services and development components. These make up the total price to create a chat app at $40/hour.
| Basic version (minimum feature set, 1 platform) | Full product (more features and design of a larger complexity, 1 platform) | Large app (complex app design, development, and support, 2+ platforms) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UX/UI Design | $5,000+ | $15,000+ | $25,000+ |
| Custom Development | $40,000+ | $95,000+ | $200,000+ |
| Quality Assurance | $5,000+ | $15,000+ | $25,000+ |
| Project Management | $7,500+ | $15,000+ | $35,000+ |
| Business Analysis | $2,500+ | $10,000+ | $15,000+ |
| Total setup | $60,000+ | $150,000+ | $300,000+ |
| Time | ~3-6 months | ~4-9 months | 9+ months (ongoing) |
Please note that the above costs are an approximation, and the final cost for a real project could be quite different. The cost presented is based on the average set of features that is required to release the first working version of your product.
Please note that the above cost is estimated based on an average hourly rate of $40 for software development services in Ukraine.
The costs listed above are also based on the key services that usually constitute video chat app development, namely business analysis, UX/UI design, development, QA, and project management.
How to create your own video chat app based on innovative technologies?
Receive a consultation on video chat app development right from our best experts. As well, we can provide you with a more accurate project estimate based on your needs and requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions:
👨💻 What technologies did you use to create a video chat application?
The technology stack necessary to create a video chat app consists of programming languages: Java or Kotlin for Android; Swift or Objective-C for iOS; Toolkit: Android Studio, Android Developer Tools for Android; Apple Xcode for iOS; SDK: Android SDK; Streaming protocol: WebRTC; Encryption protocols: AES-256, HMAC-SHA-256.
💡 What are the first steps to create a successful video application?
With dozens of new apps appearing every day, you need to carefully evaluate your app concept, research your target audience, study the market state, and research all your competitors. These steps will help you make a data-based decision regarding your future product.
💰 How can I monetize my video chat app?
You can earn money with your video chat app by using a few monetization strategies. Advertisements – paid placing of ads inside your app. Paid calls – the ability to make paid group video calls. Freemium – providing basic functionality for free and some additional features for an extra payment.
🚀 How do I select a capable software development company?
There are thousands of companies providing software development services worldwide. However, you can make the right choice by analyzing the following factors during the research stage: background, portfolio, client reviews, capabilities, culture and talent, favorable location, tools used, and development standards. For example, Ukraine is known for providing high-level professionals at an average $40/hour rate, which makes it a great destination for software development outsourcing.