How Much Does it Cost to Create an App Like Curb?
Taxi app development

How Much Does it Cost to Create an App Like Curb?

March 10, 2025

If you are thinking of creating an app like Curb, the first question that comes to mind is, “How much does it cost to develop a taxi app like Curb?”.

Creating an app with the same features and functionalities depends on various factors like platform choice, design complexity, features, and development team location.

Making a basic version of the app costs a few thousand dollars, and a full-fledged app would cost millions.

In this article, we’ll explore the factors affecting the price and give you a clearer picture of how much it will cost to create an app like Curb.

But, to do so, one of the important questions is.

What is Curb?

Curb is a popular taxi app that allows users to book rides through professional drivers quickly and easily.

The Curb taxi app can be accessible to Android and iOS users. The user is allowed to request a ride, follow the driver, and pay at ease using the app.

What makes Curb unique is their partnership with licensed taxi drivers ensuring that they're professionals, thus prioritizing the safety of their passengers.

Other features include fare estimates, options to pay using various means, as well as choosing the vehicle type.

The app is perfect both for regular commuters and those needing last-minute rides that would prefer taxi services over traditional ridesharing services.

While creating an app like Curb, it is necessary to focus on user-friendly interfaces, secure payment systems, and partnering with reliable drivers to create smooth experiences for customers.

If investors want to copy Curb's success, it might be a great decision. Making a taxi app like it could mean new ways to make money in the on-demand service world.

What the Stats Say:

  • More than 100,000 drivers across almost all U.S. metro areas connect through the Curb app, which is available nationwide, including major areas such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
  • The Curb claims to connect 90 taxi companies (35,000 cars) with for-hire drivers across 60 cities.
  • Curb's growth of active users has been over 300% in the last year.
  • Curb has raised total funding of $20.7 million over four rounds.
  • Curb constantly ranks within the Top 50 for the category of "Travel & Tourism" in the App Store and the Google Play Store.

Essential Features to Create an App like Curb

Whether you want to build an app like Uber or Curb? You gotta ensure the right features to make it easy to use, dependable, and appealing to riders and drivers.

A great ride-hailing app is all about blending the right features with a simple design so everyone has a good experience.

Here are some must-have features:

* User Sign-Up & Profiles: People need to create profiles to book or drive.

* GPS: Real-time location tracking is key for both riders and drivers.

* Ride Booking: Riders should be able to book rides super quick.

* Payment System: It needs to be a safe way to handle payments via cards and digital wallets.

* Ratings: Let riders and drivers rate each other after each ride.

* Notifications: Keep everyone in the loop with updates on rides, deals, or general info.

* Admin Panel: A way to manage users, rides, payments, and see how the app is doing.

As we are done with features, we need to talk about the estimated cost to create an app like Curb.

How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App Like Curb?

The estimated cost to build an app like Curb can range from $30,000 to $100,000+.

All of these costs will be based solely on the features and complexity of what you wish to develop your application.

The total cost to create an app like Curb would be based on which platform the app was being created for, iOS, Android, or both.

Further, it also depends on who you employ influences the price to build an app like Curb.

That being said, remember the cost to make a taxi app like Curb can jump quite considerably with more personalization and intense development.

However, this investment might be worthwhile, especially when your app is different and greets its users warmly!

Here's an overview of your taxi app development cost :

FactorEstimated Cost
Base Cost (Features & Complexity)$30,000 - $50,000
Platform (iOS or Android)$5,000 - $15,000 per platform
Platform (Both iOS & Android)$10,000 - $30,000
Development Team (Freelancers)$15,000 - $30,000
Development Team (Agencies)$40,000 - $100,000+
Customization & Personalization$5,000 - $30,000+
Intense Development$20,000 - $50,000+

Factors Affecting the Cost to Create an App like Curb

Create an App like Curb

When planning the cost to build an app like Curb, a number of factors will affect your total cost.

From platform decisions to feature intricacy, knowing these factors will assist you in keeping your costs in check.

Let's dig into what drives the cost to develop an app like Curb and how you can make smart decisions.

1. Platform Selection

Whether you should go for Android app development, iOS app development , or cross-platform development is one of the big decisions to take.

By sticking only to iOS, much money should be saved. However, the Android users would have been sidelined.

You can go for Cross-platform app development, but it can be costly because the development of each must work perfectly on both platforms.

In contrast, this ends up opening both platforms on the market simultaneously, potentially giving more users wider access and, thus, better user acquisition.

2. App Design

Your cab-hailing app design also heavily impacts the cost to develop an app like Curb. A simple but effective and intuitive design will definitely steer users towards the app.

Custom design will definitely increase the cost. While a tiny and simple design would be cheaper, it can also be less engaging.

Good UI/UX investment is a must, since bad design will lead to low retention rates. App design becomes costlier and costlier with every added complex element: thus is the Curb-like app development cost.

3. Features and Functionalities

The number and complexity of features directly influence the cost to develop a taxi booking app like Curb.

A basic app with ride-booking, GPS, and payment processing is relatively straightforward to build.

But, if you’re looking to add advanced features like ride-sharing, multiple payment options, or detailed driver and passenger profiles, the Curb clone app development cost will rise.

The more features you include, the longer the development time, and the more expensive it becomes.

To optimize your budget, prioritize your features during the On-demand app development process to avoid unnecessary expenses and focus on the must-haves.

4. Geographical Market

The place where your development team is based contributes significantly to the cost of creating an app like Curb.

If you recruit developers of a mobile app development company from the U.S. or Western Europe, you will pay much more than teams from India or Eastern Europe.

That being said, though lower labor costs may save you money, you should also make sure that the quality of work is good.

Remember that there may be times when communication barriers and differences in time zones delay the process.

5. Backend Development

Your app's backend is essential to its functionality. It processes ride requests, payments, user profiles, and so on.

The sophistication of your backend will significantly determine the cost of developing a taxi app like Curb.

For example, if you need custom servers, database management, and real-time processing, be prepared to pay more.

The backend is where your app functions smoothly, and problems here lead to a bad user experience.

Spending money on a good backend architecture will save you from long-term issues and expensive repairs later on.

6. Maintenance and Updates

In reality, post-launch maintenance is an ongoing cost that you can consider separate from the cost to build a taxi app like Curb.

Updating, fixing bugs and even adding new features make a significant impact to keep it alive.

The number of requests to deal with will grow, bugs to fix will pop up, and the odds and ends of security concerns to comb through will add up

Maintenance costs can scale to similar levels over time, but you must maintain your app if you want it to be current and reasonably bug-free.

And anyway, you should do it, well past launch.

7. Third-Party Integrations

Third-party integrations add to the functionality of your app, but wave a red flag over the cost to develop an app like Curb.

The integration of these payment gateway, maps, or SMS highlighting services will come in the form of an extended currency like licensing or subscription fee model.

This could save you valuable development cycles and make sure that your integrations are based on reliable and secure systems.

But you need to be a little careful while integrating the right stuff, because features come with a price, and a heavy integration also costs to create an app like Lyft or Curb.

8. Testing and Quality Assurance

This means that testing is an integral part of Curb-like app development costs.

These extensive tests are designed to identify and fix the bugs before the application is released.

Including validation of how the app works across devices, OSs, and network conditions.

If apps are complicated, there was a complicated amount of testing. It is involved if you have multiple features in the app, so a good amount of QA testing is performed on it.

While this makes the development more expensive, it is worth investing in a well-established testing stage to give users satisfaction and improve retention rates.

Time Taken to Build an App like Curb

As much as knowing how much does it cost to build an app like Curb, it’s important to time taken to build an app like Curb.

Development time for an app like Curb depends, besides other factors, on the complexity of specific features, targeted platforms (iOS, Android, or both), and the team's size.

Generally, building a simple taxi app takes about 4 to 6 months and a more advanced and customized version would require about 3 to 6 months or longer.

After all, designing and building an app today involves numerous stages – planning, design, development, testing, and deployment.

If your goals incorporate advanced features like real-time GPS tracking, payment gateways, and user account management, prepare for additional time for integration and testing.

Complexity will affect development time and, above all, affect cost. So, here is a breakdown of time ranges from a typical aspect:

Development PhaseEstimated Time
Planning & Design2 - 3 weeks
Basic Development (Core features)2 - 3 months
Advanced Features (e.g., GPS, Payment Integration)1 - 1.5 months
Testing & QA3 - 4 weeks
Deployment2 - 3 weeks
Total Development Time3 - 6 months

How Does the Curb Like App Make Money?

Top taxi apps use some kind of monetization strategies.

The strategies assist the app in making money while delivering useful services to users.

By targeting drivers and passengers, a Curb-like app can benefit from multiple streams of revenue, offering guaranteed income.

The secret to its success is finding the best monetization strategy for your business and leveraging it as your user base expands.

Monetization ModelDescriptionRevenue Potential
Ride CommissionCurb takes a percentage of each ride fare, usually between 10-30%.Consistent, based on ride frequency.
Surge PricingDynamic pricing during peak times or high demand periods.Higher fares during high demand hours.
Subscription FeesCharging users or drivers a monthly subscription for additional benefits.Recurring, stable income stream.
Booking FeesA fixed charge added to each ride to cover operational costs.Predictable, minor fee per ride.
AdvertisingDisplaying ads within the app from third-party companies.Additional revenue from partnerships.
Premium ServicesOffering premium ride options like luxury vehicles or faster service.High-value services at premium prices.
Driver Signup FeesCharging drivers to join the platform and start offering rides.One-time fees per driver.
Data MonetizationSelling insights from app usage (e.g., trends in demand, routes, etc.) to businesses.Revenue from selling aggregated data.

How Techanic Infotech Can Help You Develop an App like Curb?

The ride-sharing sector is expanding speedily, and there is no better moment than now to get your Curb-like app off the ground.

To fulfill your dream, you require an honest development partner. Techanic Infotech is the best taxi application development company .

With success and experience with Curb-like app development, we can offer you a dependable, easy-to-use platform.

From smooth ride-booking functionalities to safe payment integration, our experts make your app scalable and successful in the competitive marketplace.

Let's make your app concept a reality with creativity!

Conclusion

By implementing the right features and designs along with development strategies, your app can stand out in a growing market of ride-sharing services.

However, the Curb-like app development cost depends on various factors, including the platform used, features offered, the design of the app, and the development team you decide to contract with.

While buying into such an investment can cost a pretty penny, ever so often, that cost turns out to be the long-time return on investment for a well-done application.

Finding the right development company like Techanic Infotech guarantees that your app will be developed as per your total expectations and, most importantly, scalable for the future.

Therefore, if you are ready, it's now the time to turn your dream into life!

FAQ's

It can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000+, based on features, platforms, and complexity. Basic apps might cost less, and feature-rich or custom-designed apps will be costlier.

Factors are platform selection (iOS, Android, or both), complexity of design, features, backend development, and geographical market. All these factors go into the final cost.

Essential features are ride booking, real-time GPS, payment integration, ratings, user profiles, and an admin panel for management.

Yes, you can add services such as ride-sharing, or premium ride services to add functionality and provide distinctive value to users. This will, however, add to the cost of development.

Generally, it can take 3 to 6 months to create a Curb-like app based on the complexity of the app, features, and expertise of the development team.

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