A complete understanding of how to develop Instagram clone app

Before talking about how to make an Instagram clone app, let me tell you a secret as per 2019 August, soon Instagram will change its name to ‘Instagram from Facebook’ as Mark Zuckerberg suggests.

Now, let’s see the changes Instagram brought about in society. Only a photographer can understand the need for having a completely different platform for posting pictures.

However with Tumblr and Pinterest that was a reality but as it was slowing losing the essence, making the platforms centrally for quotes the photographers were quite deprived of having a platform centrally for photographs. Even though personalities like Raghu Rai won’t come down for using these platforms as he has earned enough popularity in his field.

Nevertheless, budding photographers found a platform entirely dedicated to pictures. 

A number of photographers like Bobby Joshi are delighted to express their newfound popularity derived from Instagram. This platform is also responsible for turning the torpid group of people into real travelers.

For this exceptionally unique popularity of Instagram, the market has noticed that a photo-sharing app is equally competitive in terms of digital marketing.

Even though it does not have any physical products its colors are being featured in a lot of physical items like the one I came across sitting in my office in Vyrazu Labs which was a brake caliper posted by Brembo brake.   

The recent trend shows that clicking selfies has become a core part of everyone’s life. Not only the generation z but also, the baby boomers and baby busters are equally involved in these trends of clicking selfies and posting online.

So whoever told you that making a photo-sharing app won’t be as profitable as it seems, tell them to crawl out of their caves and start looking at the apps like Snapchat, Swipe, Vine, Flickr, Camera, etc who are doing as good as Instagram in terms of profit.

Making money from free apps is not a myth anymore with the business structure these apps follow, find out how free apps make money. There is the active involvement of sponsored ads, video ads and featured ads that allow a smooth and elephant-like revenue flow. 

Let us start talking about how to make an Instagram clone app considering how your app will work and how the actual Instagram works.

The Practical know-how for knowing how to make an Instagram clone app.

While we are focusing on making an Instagram clone app we have to keep in mind certain factors that will help you to make such an app. Don’t we all know what goes down on Instagram?

Yet, still you are here, as having a basic knowledge will just generate the idea while completing the process of making Instagram clone app will need an in-depth understanding of what the features exactly does, how is Instagram a multi-tasking platform which enhanced the app, making it popular among the youth.

You might know that Instagram to way to attractive for any of us to resist the content it offers. The cost of making such an app mainly depends on the features and design you will opt for however, the platform you choose to launch your app as well as develop your app is also equally important. 

Before we start talking about the features or the factors which might be forming the blueprint of your app let us discuss what are the extra benefits you will be getting, with an Instagram clone app you can control your own social media platform which will not only bring revenue in your bank as well as make you popular. Nowadays what common men are unable to accomplish an Influencer can do it in minutes. 

However, you must have a solid business plan that will rule your plan so that it doesn’t start trembling down like a house of cards within a couple of days of its release. For avoiding such instances you must understand the dos and don’ts of developing an Instagram clone app. 

Let us begin with the features that we see on Instagram which you might or might not include completely in your app.

How to make an Instagram clone app? | The features involved 

Even though Instagram does not have any physical product it is very concerned about the engagement of its users. The more time their users spend on the app more money they make. Our today’s topic is how to make an Instagram clone app, adding features to such an app is the most relevant topic to be discussed. The making of the app is equally important but knowing which features should be included is most essential here. 

1. The Registration Page

The registration page is what your user will see when they first visit your app and we know that the first impression is the last, hence making of this page should be discreet as well as capable of drawing as much information as the uses can offer. Natheless, you as the owner of the app should keep in mind that you can’t bore your user by asking them to fill out pages after pages of information. What you can do is, follow Facebook in this matter, as the user registers he has to give out minimal information while later they ask their users to add other information like contact number, preferences, etc.

2. The amalgamation of Social Media

We know that an individual is always lesser than an association. While you are learning about how to make an Instagram clone app, you must know the importance of amalgamation of social media, once you join hands with social media platforms like Facebook, your users will feel the breeze of joy beyond words. As your users are going to post the same media on other social media apps and they don’t want extra work when it comes to sharing the same image on other social media platforms.

3. Push-Notification feature

You must remember a simple fact that your users utilize your platform for entertainment. They look forward to staying updated with whatever their friends are uploading, be it stories, feeds, etc, they have to know! So, your app having a push notification button will help them stay informed about who is uploading what and accordingly they can go and check as you are not the only one with a social media platform, the competition is huge so you will have to keep them updated on who is doing what.

4. Stories

When we are learning how to make an Instagram clone app, we must understand that nowadays, all the other social media apps like What’s App, Facebook, Instagram have introduced this feature to keep their users involved in the stories of those they follow, so keeping this feature will enhance the use of your app.

5. Direct Messaging Service

Even though your app is going to be a photo-sharing app you still have to include the direct messaging facility, this will allow your user to stay engaged in your app as that is the prime attention in this case, however, if you could add a DM service in the stories section then nothing like it, your users are going to stay occupied with these activities staying engaged in your application.

6. Search

In a photo-sharing app search is the MVP feature, this helps the user to search out other users, with the introduction of filters users can also search out pages. The search page shows recommended posts liked or followed by a user’s followers or who the user follows, an algorithm is created to identify what the user likes and according to that the search page shows the results.

7. Activity Feature

The activity feature allows you to view your activities as well as the activities of people that you follow. This feature is given to feed the curious minds of the users and oh! How wonderfully it works.

8. Geographical Maps Feature

Your users will give anything to notify people about their whereabouts this also is a conversation starter and also allows the user to upload their exact locations for everyone to see where they are what they are doing.

  9. The TV feature

The TV feature is an advanced feature which you can add later when your app gains some popularity, however, the introduction of this feature in your app will definitely pull traffic and they will invest time looking at what the TV is offering, this will again, help you to maintain the engagement of the users in your app.

 10. Cross-Platform Affinity

Instagram has difficulty in loading all its features when accessed from a website, however, you can invest in making a proper webpage so that your users are able to access this platform from any device they like.

Knowing the different roles of Instagram  

Instagram work as a multi-tasking platform that provides almost anything a curious social being is asking from a social media portal. For understanding how to make an Instagram clone app knowing how Instagram works’ is necessary. 

Instagram as a photo/video editor app: 

Instagram has a good reputation when it comes to editing photos or videos, it allows its users to edit their pictures, add filters with editing options like managing the hue, brightness, contrast, saturation, etc. It also allows basic edits in the videos which the users upload like cropping a video or adding filters to that video. However, we can not forget that Instagram was the one who introduced Boomerang which also came out as an app and is extremely famous among the users of Instagram.

Instagram as an eCommerce portal: 

Rather a “Social Commerce” portal. As the users of Instagram spend a lumpsum amount of time browsing through Instagram it is time for the brand to show up and start by saying why you should use their product, with a decorated ad, generally a video or photo ad, attracting its user to click on the link. 

Instagram as a digital marketing portal:

Instagram allows it’s users/non-users to post their ads such as video ads, pictorial ads, sponsored ads, featured ads, etc, this definitely helps Instagram to generate a truck-load of revenue however letting the other brands make good business using Instagram. 

Instagram as a chatting app:

Nowadays, you can find a chatting feature is almost any app. It doesn’t matter if it is a gaming app or a photo-sharing app the chat service will amaze you. Direct messaging definitely involves the users to spend some more time connecting with their followers, as just surfing through their feed or stories can get boring after a while. However, the stories posted on Instagram are often conversation starters for many. This, however, is the MVP feature of a social media app.

Instagram as a sharing app:

This, however, is the prime identity of Instagram as it is responsible for sharing photos, videos, stories, and also with the introduction of IGTV it lets it’s users stay connected with the TV networks who are running laughter clubs or tutorials, etc this again is an engaging factor for Instagram’s users.

The revenue flow of Instagram

What Instagram does is, it focuses mainly on the demography and what it will allow in the app, as it is also a digital marketing sphere it deals with brands coming in for posting their advertisements in Instagram, while knowing about how to make an Instagram clone app, we must know that they have a keen interest in increasing their income hence they execute a marketing strategy which involves:

1. Sponsored post
2. Sponsored ads
3. Video ads
4. Featured ads
5. Carousel ads
6. Social Commerce

How to make an Instagram clone app? | Steps involved

The Team

For understanding how to make an Instagram clone app, we have to know a few basic things such as, who is going to make this app? What are the platforms that will be used for making such an app? How much time it will take in designing such an app? And many more questions will cloud your mind as you start the planning process.

If you are a developer and you have your own team of developers and designers you will not need any assistance, I suppose, however, if you need software development outsourcing we will provide you with our experienced team in creating such apps.

There is a possibility that you will want to make a custom app which will be developed according to the features, a design that the owner provides but there is another way by which it can be designed, i.e. by relying on that company depending on their expertise and making the app as per they feel fit, later approve it by you. 

The Software 

The software which will be involved in this process is vital, as we are learning about how to make an Instagram clone app, we must have an in-depth knowledge of these technologies that we have to use.

For Data and Application, we need:

1. React 
2. Rednx.js
3. React Native
4. Objective C
5. Python 
6. GraphQL
7. Javascript
8. Memcached
9. Java
10. Cassandra
11. Nginx 
12. Unicorn
13. PostgreSQL
14. Immutable
15. Redis 
16. Gearman
17. Django

The Developmental Operatives: 

1. Webpack
2. Babel
3. Sentry
4. HAProxy
5. Jest
6. Fabric
7. Nuclide

This should sum up the process of building the app, as in how to make an Instagram clone app, now you know about the features that are to be added, who will make the app and how they will make it. However, how your app will stand out among the rest of the apps will be the next topic so that even though you are borrowing the idea from someone else, who would not want their work to be unique.

The Uniqueness of your app 

A great number of social apps are already in the market and they have reached a popularity that they called for, on the other hand, among these apps you have to emerge victoriously. In this market, giving your app its USP will be hand-made by you.

If you focus on having an apparent revenue model that will not see the morning’s sun yet. Those apps who have a bigger revenue flow will require video ads, sponsored ads, etc for having a better engagement in the eCommerce sites. By now you have got an idea of how to make an Instagram clone app. 

Now, what you need to know is how your app will grow as big as Instagram. For building such apps you need to leverage the users by keeping them engaged in your app, for that you need to have critical planning from the start till the end.

If you plan in detail right from the development process you should be able to have your app with lesser difficulties. In the initial stages, your app should focus on being a simple photo-sharing app, while you carefully understand the market demands and go on updating your app accordingly. However, your uniqueness should come out with the correct use of UI/UX which will enhance your app to your users. 

These points will help you understand who are the players that will make your app unique:

1. Clean UI/UX design
2. Feed personalization
3. Easy photo-sharing feature
4. Navigation which is user-friendly
5. The visuals and graphics should be mesmerizing
6. A simple photo-editor should work initially     

How to make an Instagram clone app | The Costing

This is a general question that triggers everyone, we think of making something but sometimes the capital that is involved scares us. So, while we are having a better understanding of how to make an Instagram clone app this factor is propelled in our minds.

At first, you will have to focus on the ROI, to figure out the expected income. After that you have to carefully deduce the required resources you will be needed, and eventually your cost will be clear. If you go for outsourcing, then you will have a different type of cost model that is either based on a fixed price model, scope based model or has a fixed time pricing. On the other hand, if you are going to do it yourself you will have a different cost line up.

Keeping in mind, the features that have to be added either to customize it or you let the developer do it for you, the cost will be determined accordingly. If you are not adding advanced features your cost will be less. The operating system where you will launch this app has to be deduced after market research. Another most important factor that will influence your costing is the technologies that you use. 

Let’s have a look at the rough sketch of how your cost line up should look:  

• If you are opting for the basic design containing the basic features along with a clean design of UI/UX then your pricing should be $8,500 this app will have a low maintenance cost.
• If your app is a melding of advanced and basic features then the pricing can rise to $20,000 to $30,000
• Suppose you want your app to be filled with the advanced features your pricing will be quite high and it can reach up to $60,000 to $70,000

Summing up

All the necessary details have been added in this article that you will need to make an Instagram clone app. Instagram also allows you to start your business as it works as an umbrella for online business platforms, by which it earns a commission which later adds up in their revenue system. If you think I have not mentioned anything which was a mentionable topic please comment as I appreciate your critical reviews on my blog.

I will learn only if you review my work, I am looking forward to having a conversation with you as you call for a consultation regarding software development issues. Your review, comment, feedback is most important for me as a writer. I hope you do not hesitate you type a comment or call us if you need any kind of help we are here to help you.  

So, are you ready for building an Instagram clone app? I hope this article feed you with enough information on how to make an Instagram clone app, I was wondering if even you like me have this desire of making an Instagram clone app, so here I filled in with the necessary information that I found after I researched on this topic.

It is not that complicated of a job that it looks, we at Vyrazu Labs have worked on making apps like Instagram, Airbnb and other such apps that our customers praised us for. We are quite experienced in this field, however, even though we have faced difficulties while achieving this height, now we are one of the leading software developers in the market, our customers recommend us to different companies and individuals for helping them in building their app.