How to calculate the cost of a project (mobile application)?

Question

Mobile development

I have matured the idea of ​​a mobile application (on the theme of a taxi). I have a model in my head of how everything should work - from route calculations to UI, monetization source, etc.
I could write the simplest application for Android myself, but I'm far from being an expert in mobile development, and I would also like a multi-platform application, at least Android and iOS for a start.
In principle, I have a certain amount of free funds that I am ready to invest in developers. But here the mechanism of "licensing" of the application is not very clear to me. Organize an individual entrepreneur / LLC and hire developers? The application, of course, should be in the Play and Store.
How to understand how long it will take to develop? Pay "deal" or hourly? Where to look for developers? Maybe give it to the Indians in general - less likely to be thwarted))?
In addition, I live in the distant West of the Moscow Region, so the work, most likely, will be remote.
It probably sounds childish, but that's how it is. There is no one here to consult

Answer 1

Well, if you don’t have experience in development, then specialists should deal with it accordingly, I’m talking about assessment.
On the same freelansim, you place an order, where you indicate the necessary data for the project and ask to evaluate the timing, price, risks, etc.
For me, it is usually enough to evaluate the functionality, the ui of the application and the description of the api, according to these data, in principle, it is possible to make a preliminary calculation of the implementation cost.
You receive answers, evaluate them and get a preliminary cost of implementation.
At the expense of the transaction or hourly payment, then as agreed. But from personal experience, I’ll say that for a transaction there must be a very detailed TOR, firstly, in order to determine the timing and cost as accurately as possible, and secondly, so that all subsequent “Wishlists” not reflected in the TOR are additionally calculated and added to the selling price.
With hourly pay, here, of course, everything is more flexible.
As for licensing, I can’t say for sure, I worked with Kyiv, I also made an application for a taxi, they worked in general on a gentleman’s agreement;). I worked with a Cypriot company, everything was through contracts, where the confidentiality clause was quite large. Here, as you wish, it is clear that not every freelancer can / wants to work through a contract.

Answer 2

You shouldn’t get into this topic at all, for many reasons, I can explain by phone, write in scrap, there are a lot of nuances.