How Much Does It Cost to Build a Mobile App Like Snapchat in 2026

Why is an app with vanishing messages worth billions of dollars? The answer lies not just in playful AR lenses but in the psychology of digital communication and the engineering systems that power it. Before creating your own Snapchat-like product, it’s crucial to break down the mechanics that keep users coming back daily.

Why is Snapchat so popular?

Snapchat is a mobile app for quick photo and video sharing with fun filters, stickers, and effects. Some people see it as a social network, others as a messenger with creative features, and it works well as both.

Its main appeal comes from disappearing content. Snaps and chats vanish after viewing or after 24 hours, which gives users more privacy and freedom. You also get notified if someone takes a screenshot, making communication feel safer and more authentic.

Source: Snap Newsroom

Snapchat is easy to use, entertaining, and extremely popular among teenagers in the US. If your product targets a young audience, creating a Snapchat-like app can be a smart move.

Although the app originally became known for sending playful selfies, it has grown into a full social platform with content from major brands, fashion labels, and media companies. Its AR filters and lenses are now iconic and a big part of its identity.

Here are a few reasons why users love Snapchat:

• disappearing photos and messages;
• creative AR lenses and filters;
• a large and active young audience;
• built-in privacy features;
• simple and fun communication.

Snapchat also continues to advance in augmented reality. Partnerships like the one with Amazon Fashion allow users to try on products digitally, while brands use AR tools for engaging marketing campaigns.

Large media companies, such as Warner Bros. Discovery, even produce exclusive short-form shows for the platform to reach younger viewers.

With so much going on, it’s easy to see why Snapchat remains one of the most popular places for quick, visual communication, and why many brands choose it for marketing.

Top Snapchat stats

Snapchat continues to demonstrate steady global momentum, both in audience growth and in its relevance among younger users. Below are the latest insights based on fresh Statista data.

Daily active users keep climbing

As of Q3 2025, Snapchat reached 477 million daily active users worldwide, increasing from 469 million DAU in Q2 2025.

The platform has shown consistent quarterly growth since early 2019, reinforcing its position as one of the world’s leading visual communication apps.

Source: Statista

Global user base exceeds 900 million

By February 2025, Snapchat surpassed 900 million monthly active users globally, securing its place among the largest social networks worldwide.

This growth especially impacts advertisers, as Snapchat’s audience continues to diversify while staying highly engaged.

A teen favorite and a youth powerhouse

Snapchat remains deeply influential among younger generations:

• In fall 2023, U.S. teenagers ranked Snapchat as the second most important social network, ahead of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
• 48% of U.S. internet users aged 15–25 actively use Snapchat - the highest penetration of any age group.
• Snapchat retains strong weekly engagement: a significant portion of U.S. users post content at least once per week, outperforming most competitors except WhatsApp and Facebook.

Strong user satisfaction

According to consumer surveys, Snapchat achieved a user satisfaction score of 72 out of 100 in 2025, placing it ahead of Facebook and X (Twitter) and slightly behind Pinterest and Instagram.

Top countries by Snapchat audience

As of July 2025, the countries with the largest Snapchat audiences were:

• India: the biggest user base.
• United States: second-largest audience, with over 106 million users. Additional strong markets include France, the UK, and Saudi Arabia.

These rankings highlight Snapchat’s dominance not only in Western markets but also in rapidly expanding regions like South Asia.

Best features to add to Snapchat-like app

Every successful Snapchat-like app development project starts with a straightforward question: what keeps people opening a social app several times a day?

In many cases, the answer hides in small but decisive details, the speed of the camera, the comfort of the layout, and the ability to send something without hesitation. When building a photo and video messaging app, the focus shifts toward features that encourage real activity, not passive watching.

Below are features that have proven their value in apps centered around quick visual communication. They support consistent engagement and give users tools that match the pace of everyday conversations.

Snaps: short-lived photos and videos

Snaps remain the simplest way to keep a real-time camera app alive. The moment the screen opens instantly, people feel free to capture whatever is happening without planning. Short-lived content removes pressure and fits the habits of younger audiences.

Speed, clarity, and reliable deletion form the technical backbone here. When these elements work predictably, users send multiple snaps a day without thinking about it, a clear sign of healthy engagement in any mobile communication tool.

Lenses: playful effects that feel immediate

People often launch a social media app just to see what kind of AR filters appeared this week. The idea seems light, yet it drives a steady stream of interactions.

Source: Snapchat

To support this feature, the system needs fast face tracking and smooth rendering on common devices. A well-made lens doesn’t need heavy instructions; it should react instantly. When the experience feels natural, it becomes part of how users express themselves.

Adding friends: quick discovery without friction

A social app grows through connections, not content alone. Simple friend discovery, similar to scanning a Snapcode, solves this early barrier.

A reliable scanning system and clear identification help people connect during events, offline meetups, or casual situations. This reduces the drop-off rate during onboarding and speeds up early engagement.

Stories: a timed window into daily life

Stories give users a place for effortless sharing inside any mobile app design focused on visual updates. Since each story disappears automatically, the posting rate rises naturally.

Stable playback, smooth segment transitions, and clear insights into views help creators understand what their audience reacts to. This is where a large portion of daily activity gathers in a social media app.

Source: Snapchat Newsroom

Discover: curated content from creators and brands

If your project includes a social media content feed, Discover-like sections can highlight material from creators and publishers. It works best when recommendations adjust fast enough to match viewing patterns.

The challenge is to avoid overwhelming people with unrelated posts. A clean structure usually results in longer viewing sessions and higher interaction with featured content.

Video and audio calls: communication when text isn’t enough

Many users rely on apps that offer versatile mobile communication tools, and quick calls form a natural extension of messaging. Smooth transitions from text to audio or video help people stay inside one platform instead of jumping between apps.

Low latency and stable performance during movement, commuting, walking, and using mobile networks make this feature practical.

Source: Snapchat

Chatting: light messaging with expressive tools

A photo and video messaging app benefits from a chat system that mirrors natural conversation rhythms. Stickers, short recordings, and instant replies create a flowing dialogue.

This feature matters because it tethers the rest of the app together: people send snaps, react with messages, and continue the conversation without switching modes.

Geofilters and location sharing: local context with personality

Location-based filters add a social layer to everyday moments. When done well, they give users a sense of presence and context, especially during events or travel.

Accurate location detection and a clear choice of visibility levels are essential. Many youth-focused apps rely on this feature to create shared experiences around specific places.

New AI-powered experiences: smarter, faster, and personal

Recent updates in the industry show that users respond well to AI-powered lenses and tools that interpret photos. Age transformation filters, AI-enhanced memories, or instant recognition of signs and objects help people interact with the world through the app.

This area demands high accuracy and fast responses. When the system behaves consistently, trust grows, and people return to explore new options.

Bitmoji-style digital identity

A digital avatar gives users a safe, flexible way to represent themselves. This feature has become common in youth-focused apps, especially those mixing social communication with personal branding.

To keep the avatar system interesting, many teams introduce themed accessories, seasonal items, or partnerships with clothing and tech brands.

How does Snapchat generate revenue?

Snapchat’s business model has grown around one principle: advertisers want access to an audience that reacts fast and interacts often.

The platform offers this through a mix of high-speed ranking systems, machine-learning-driven ad placement, and formats designed for short attention spans. For anyone planning a similar product, understanding these revenue channels helps shape a realistic strategy.

Below are the main ways Snapchat earns money today.

Snap Ads: short video campaigns with direct actions

Snap Ads appear between Stories, inside Discover, and in other high-traffic areas. Businesses use them to drive quick actions, opening a product page, joining a mailing list, or downloading an app.

The platform supports several video formats and interactive add-ons, so brands can adapt campaigns to different goals. Because ads appear inside a fast, full-screen experience, they often achieve strong visibility among younger users.

Source: Snapchat Ads

Branded filters and location-based campaigns

Geofilters became one of Snapchat’s earliest revenue sources. Companies can launch filters tied to specific locations, stores, events, and venues.

Pricing depends on two factors: the area covered and how long the filter stays active. This makes the format accessible both to global brands and small businesses. Many companies use filters to promote openings, seasonal campaigns, or local events. Performance data inside the app helps them track how often the filter was used and viewed.

Lenses sponsored by brands

Some brands invest in custom AR lenses. These experiences run on Snap’s advanced camera technology and attract large audiences during product launches and entertainment campaigns. The format works especially well in the beauty, food, entertainment, and retail sectors, where visual play increases brand recognition.

Creator monetization and affiliate partnerships

Snapchat has a monetization program for creators whose content appears in prominent sections like Stories or Spotlight. Revenue comes from ads shown around their posts.

Creators can also promote products, share reviews, or collaborate with businesses. Brands often choose Snapchat creators because the platform still has one of the most active youth audiences.

Business pages and brand content inside Discover

Discover remains a strong revenue source because publishers and media companies can promote paid content, series, or interactive stories. Advertisers fund these placements to reach an audience that prefers short-form visual formats over traditional media.

If you're building a similar platform, the same revenue channels can work for you: short video ads, location-based filters, branded effects, creator payouts, and curated content spaces. These streams scale well with user activity and allow businesses of different sizes to participate.

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A step-by-step guide to making the Snapchat clone app

To guarantee your project's smooth functioning and growing customer demand, this app must go through certain development stages. How to make an app like Snapchat? Let’s talk about each of the phases in detail below.

Step 1. Product discovery

At this stage, it is essential to define your future application's functional and non-functional requirements. At Codica, we started the software development life cycle by conducting the Product Discovery Session. With these sessions, we quickly validate the client's ideas and needs. Also, we provide the client with a detailed technical proposal for product development.

There are several important tasks in a product discovery phase:

• Explore the subject area;
• Identify bottlenecks;
• Discuss high-level solutions to the expected challenges;
• Define priorities and discuss a project scope;
• Develop prototypes;
• Create the roadmap of the project;
• Provide project cost and time estimate and form project documentation.

Based on the product discovery outcomes, the team plans how to create your app like Snapchat. In particular, they plan your app's key features, architecture, and design.

Below is a short video that helps you learn more about the product discovery sessions in the mobile app development process.

This stage also involves creating prototypes for your platform. With these prototypes, you can see how an app like Snapchat will function during the app development process. For example, it is about the arrangement of your application's menus, fields, and buttons. Also, prototypes are helpful since they simulate user interaction.

At Codica, our UX and UI designers have colossal experience designing custom software products. For instance, we like how the sign-up form looks on a particular website so that we can adopt something from this idea.

Below is an example of a prototype that our team developed through research.

This prototype represents the user interface of a social networking platform to share one's dreams and desires. This site will allow users to post their desired experiences, such as bungee jumping or skydiving, and get connected with others sharing similar goals, therefore building a community centered around the fulfillment of personal ambitions.

Step 2. Building UI/UX design

Based on the prototypes, designers work on creating an attractive UI/UX design for your platform. Creating a custom app design is one of the most critical development stages, as the overall success of your app largely depends on it.

With our UI/UX design services, we are always in touch with the clients to create the highest quality product they want. For instance, it is about specific colors for their project. So on this step, we have more often calls to avoid misunderstandings between our designers and the client.

First, our UX designers execute a portrait of the target audience, conduct user research, and build a working software prototype. Then, UI specialists create the style throughout the website and consider the state and appearance of all UI elements and the font hierarchy. Also, they develop a guideline to collect all the elements above for ease of development.

Our goal is to make your project trendy on the market. So, we are always keeping up with the new design trends.

Step 3. Product development

At this stage, the developers integrate all the features into your platform. Depending on the functionality of your project, you can also build an MVP version of the app first.

It is essential to understand that the MVP (minimum viable product) is an integral part of testing your business idea before full release to the market. With MVP web development services, you will have a ready-made basic web solution that can be further developed into a fully functional product. The MVP model is ideal for any business, whether a startup looking for potential business opportunities or an established firm launching a new product.

For instance, Codica is a top MVP development company. Whether you need a web solution or a cross-platform one, we've got you covered. We have a team of 70+ seasoned experts to help you with all the stages of the MVP app development process: UX and UI designers; software developers (frontend and backend); QA engineers; project managers; and DevOps engineers.

At Codica, we recommend our clients start the app development process with a minimum viable product because of its numerous advantages. We apply our vast multi-domain expertise. Thus, we deliver your MVP within your budget and timeframe expectations.

When building MVPs, we apply the Build-Measure-Learn approach, which is part of the Lean Startup Methodology. With its help, you can eliminate uncertainties, save costs and release your product faster.

Step 4. QA control

At this stage, the QA specialists perform various testing procedures to ensure that the application does not contain bugs. They study the specification document and ask clarifying questions from the point of view of the sequence. After analyzing the product, the quality assurance specialists create a testing strategy representing guidelines that will direct all testing-related decision-making.

The QA engineers establish the only possible vision to release the client's request. Otherwise, developers risk making bugs. Generally, the testing stage is close interaction with the client to exclude ambiguous interpretations of their vision.

As a reliable QA software testing company, we thoroughly test the solution to ensure it works correctly. Moreover, code reviews and refactoring are also our imperatives at this stage. These elements allow us to speed up and stabilize your application. As a result, we ensure the smooth operation of your business idea.

Further reading: How Automation Testing Increases Execution Speed, Test Coverage, and Effectiveness

Step 5. Maintenance and deployment

When your application has already passed the stage of the development process and testing, our team provides the customer with the necessary support and maintenance of the platform. This ensures that the app performs properly with different devices and operating systems.

Our DevOps engineers and developers have in-depth knowledge of the software maintenance sphere. Therefore, we can help make your software product highly performed.

This stage also involves the release of the application by the development team in the workspace. As a result, our clients get customized solutions that their users prefer.

Obviously, you want your project to run as smoothly as possible with a great user experience. Therefore, you need to find reliable specialists to guarantee the success of your project. Professional developers can help you make your application beautiful and neat.

At Codica, our mobile app development experts help implement our clients' business ideas. Our team provides these clients with high-quality, customized mobile solutions that attract users and increase sales.

How much does it cost to build an app like Snapchat?

Creating an app with the capabilities of Snapchat demands a sizable budget, since the work involves design, complex camera features, real-time messaging, and a stable backend. The final cost depends entirely on the team’s rates, the depth of functionality, and how ambitious the first version needs to be.

Summarizing the table above, you can now understand that various factors affect the overall cost of Snapchat app development. This is primarily about the complexity of the app, the list of features, the UI/UX design, and much more.

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Codica: 10+ years of development experience

Of course, you want to bring your product to market quickly, with a high level of security and a user-friendly interface. With extensive development experience in individual app solutions, Codica experts will help you create a high-quality project that will attract users and increase sales.

You can rely on Codica as an experienced mobile app development company. Over the years, we've built a list of development tools that help us create high-quality, engaging apps and help businesses scale. Thanks to our efficient app development process, these tools allow us to keep the development time and cost of our mobile app development services within our customers' expectations.

Codica always strives to get quality results and ensure the success of your business. Therefore, we have implemented more than 100 successful software projects, and the same number of clients were satisfied with the results.

Among the outstanding ones, we’ve developed a Fitness Progressive Web Application. The application connects trainers with their clients with ease, hence enabling users to easily assign and track personal training and nutrition programs.

Key features:

• Cross-platform access. The application is designed to work seamlessly on both desktops and smartphones to ensure users access their training programs any time and from any location.
• Exercise library. One can add more than 400 exercises while creating fitness plans.
• Performance tracking. It supports the tracking of over 2000 workouts, hence helping the users track their performance.

Results:

• Enhanced user engagement. The user-friendly interface and responsive design significantly improved user engagement and satisfaction.
• Scalability. Built as a Progressive Web App (PWA), it allows for quick updates and feature additions without the need for extensive app store approvals.

To learn more about our successful projects, refer to our case studies page.

Ready to make a Snapchat-like app?

Many media companies see enormous potential in the Snapchat app. Leading brands cooperate with the company, especially those related to sports, entertainment, food, or pop culture. Unique video and photo materials are created for Snapchat because advertisers have direct access to the target audience, which is ready to give feedback.

Snapchat is primarily intended for entertainment and fun to share enjoyable photos and videos, or chat in an informal atmosphere. So if you want an app with similar functionality - creating an app like Snapchat is one of the best options.

Thanks to this article, you now understand how Snapchat allows you to get the most out of it and create a source of passive income online. Therefore, contact us if you decide to make your app like Snapchat.