---
title: "How to Evaluate an App’s Quality"
locale: "en"
language: "en-HK"
published: "2014-08-08T03:42:04.000Z"
updated: "2026-03-19T20:32:27.012Z"
canonical: "https://accordhk.com/blog/how-to-evaluate-an-apps-quality-309"
---

# How to Evaluate an App’s Quality

As app development costs fall, businesses are taking a closer look at the value of apps. Assessing success requires looking beyond downloads to investment goals and users’ willingness to keep using an app.

## In brief

Evaluate an app by how it supports the intended return on investment and whether users continue opening it and browsing its content. Download numbers alone do not tell the whole story.

Mobile apps now serve a wide range of purposes, and even different types of events and companies[develop their own dedicated apps](<https://www.accordhk.com/>). They use these apps to attract potential customers and raise awareness, among other purposes. However, a magazine recently featured an article about the decline in app development costs.  

**“App Development Contracts Face Steep Price Cuts: From One Million to Just Fifty Thousand”**  

[http://realblog.zkiz.com/greatsoup38/43624](<http://realblog.zkiz.com/greatsoup38/43624>)

App development costs in Hong Kong are no longer as astronomically high as they once were. The article attributes this not only to competition within the industry, but primarily to “poor marketing effectiveness”. This has prompted businesses to take a more measured look at the importance of apps.

**But how do you judge the quality of an app?**  

Many people believe that download numbers clearly reflect an app’s quality, but downloads alone do not tell the whole story.

Some apps are used only a few times after being downloaded and are never opened again. Even for paid apps, the proportion of users still using them one month after downloading falls below 5%.  

An app’s quality should therefore be assessed according to how its developer or the business expects to recoup its investment. The focus should extend beyond download numbers and usage rates.  

Simply put, the main factors to consider when assessing an app’s quality are as follows:

[![APP](<https://www.accordhk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/APP-222x300.png>)](<https://www.accordhk.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/APP.png>)

The factors mentioned above do not necessarily apply to every app. The key, however, is to use them to assess an app’s quality from the perspective of a long-term initiative.

The key to a successful app is not how many people download it, but how many users open it after downloading and are willing to keep using it and browsing its content.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are download numbers enough to judge an app’s quality?

No. Some apps are used only a few times after downloading and are never opened again, so download numbers alone do not tell the whole story.

### What should businesses consider when evaluating an app?

Businesses should consider how they expect to recoup their investment in the app. The article also stresses assessing apps from the perspective of a long-term initiative.

### What does the article identify as the key to a successful app?

The key is how many users open the app after downloading and are willing to keep using it and browsing its content.

### Why were app development costs falling, according to the article?

The article cites competition within the industry and, primarily, poor marketing effectiveness. This prompted businesses to take a more measured look at the importance of apps.