We are living in a time where the stigma once associated with getting your mental health checked is slowly dissolving and it is coming at par with the need to keep a check on your physical health. So much so that it has been massively brought on a stigma-free platform: mobile apps. The revolution that first started in 2001, is today joined by over 10,000 to 20,000 applications globally.
What started with helping patients connect with mental health experts online has today expanded to AI-powered bots talking to people in their time of need.
One such bot-powered application that we are going to discuss today is Wysa – a mental health application that gives its users a listening ear at the time of their immediate need while giving them the option to connect with real mental health experts.
Now before we deep dive into the features and technicalities of the Wysa app model, let us answer the key question you are here for. What is the cost of a Wysa-like AI mental health app?
The cost of an AI based mental health app like Wysa can cost anywhere between $90k-$120k to build from concept to execution. How we got to these numbers is what we will discuss in great detail in this article.
Table of contents
The must-have features of a mental health app like Wysa
Typically, a mental healthcare app like Wysa is made up of three versions – Patients, Therapists, and Admin. Let us look into the individual feature set of these three application versions.
On a high level, when you, as an entrepreneur are looking to develop AI based mental health app, here are the features you should aim for.
End-users version
The patients-level version of the mental health app like Wysa is made up of multiple functionalities and features aimed at giving them a listening ear, long-term guide, or medical assistance. Let us dive into those features.
Questions
Wysa mental healthcare app directly starts with the app asking users questions about their mental, physical wellbeing, and what they expect to achieve with the application. Based on these questions, the application suggests the user of guides and exercises.
AI chatbot
The primary feature of the Wysa mental health app is its AI chatbot. The bot is built to interact with users around their well-being, if they need to share something, suggest exercises, or even initiate a conversation with a therapist.
The app also comes with an SOS feature that guides people toward local and national crisis care helplines, while giving them the ability to create a personal safety plan and practice grounding exercises.
Exercises
The Wysa mental healthcare app has multiple guided exercises that the users can follow to lead a mentally peaceful life. These exercises generally vary from overcoming anxiety, having good sleep quality, handling difficult conversations, and improving productivity.
Therapist
This is another one of the critical Wysa-like mental health app features. Here, the users can talk to a therapist from inside the application and work with them for motivational interviewing, behavioral activation, cognitive reframing, etc. The wait time that Wysa coaches generally maintain is a few hours.
Journal
Wysa also comes with a journal feature where the users can make entries about their day, how they are feeling, and whatever they want to share in an encrypted, secure platform. These journals can also be shared with the therapists during the sessions.
In-app payments
The AI based mental healthcare app charges users for accessing features – with extended functionalities such as 150+ therapeutic exercises, access to the complete library of sleep sounds, stories, meditations, etc.
Progress report
An app similar to Wysa can come with a progress report feature where the users can track the progress they have made in the in-app exercises, have daily check-ins which record their mood, and the times they have shown up for scheduled sessions, etc.
Notifications
When in the mental health app development space, it is critical to focus on notifications. The idea is to not overwhelm the users by sending too many notifications or not sending them important updates at all. Your push notification mechanism should be well-timed to align with the users’ needs.
Multiple language support
The application, to be more localized, has expanded its language offerings from English and is constantly adding more to the list. This move works great when you operate in a region where there are multiple language-speaking nationals.
While this is from the end-users end, let us look into the feature sets specific to the other two stakeholders – Therapists and Administrators.
Therapists version
Compared to the patients’ version, the therapists’ side of the application has limited functionalities. It is majorly made up of the following features set.
Initiate conversations
The therapists can initiate conversations with the app users after getting notified that somebody wants to have a session. The session typically is of three types – audio call, video call, and in-app messaging but what is unique with the Wysa mental healthcare app is that the users and therapists can converse between sessions as well.
Report a message
The in-app therapists also get the option to report a message or mark SOS when they feel that the users require immediate attention.
Admin version
The last version of mental health app development that businesses should focus on is the one that the admin team will use. While it is difficult to know the exact features of this version, here are some that we believe should be a part of an app similar to Wysa.
App performance
The admin should be able to view and track the app’s performance in terms of new customers’ onboarding, their in-app sessions, feedback, etc.
Memberships view and management
The application should make it easy for the admin team to view memberships – active, about to expire, and canceled. This set of information will help the team in planning respective marketing efforts toward keeping the users involved in the application.
Therapists’ view and management
Managing – adding and removing therapists from the application – should be made easy in the application with the help of a single view in the dashboard.
FAQs management
As the application grows, the FAQs and privacy policy should be constantly updated to answer users’ queries. This is where FAQ and policy documents’ management becomes important.
Reports and SOS management
Managing issues and SOS requests on time is also a key part of Wysa-like application development. Admins should have the functionality where they can track all the app issues and manage the SOS requests from within the dashboard.
Now that we have looked at the biggest factors of AI-powered mental healthcare app development, let us look into the stage-wise cost of developing an app like Wysa.
Stage-wise Wysa Mental Health App Cost
Estimating the cost of developing an AI chatbot-powered mental healthcare application like Wysa involves multiple factors and can vary significantly based on the complexity, features, and development rates in different regions.
Below is a high-level breakdown of the different development stages, along with approximate costs and development hours:
Project Planning and Research
- Hours: 40-80
- Cost: $2,000 – $4,000
UI/UX Design
- Hours: 80-160
- Cost: $4,000 – $8,000
Frontend Development
- Hours: 200-400
- Cost: $10,000 – $20,000
Backend Development
- Hours: 300-600
- Cost: $15,000 – $30,000
Integrating AI in mental healthcare app
- Hours: 400-800
- Cost: $20,000 – $40,000
Integration with Mental Health Tools
- Hours: 80-160
- Cost: $4,000 – $8,000
User Authentication and Data Security
- Hours: 120-240
- Cost: $6,000 – $12,000
Testing and Quality Assurance
- Hours: 160-320
- Cost: $8,000 – $16,000
Deployment and Launch
- Hours: 40-80
- Cost: $2,000 – $4,000
Post-Launch Support and Maintenance (first year)
- Hours: 200-400
- Cost: $10,000 – $20,000
Please note that these figures are rough estimates and actual costs can vary based on specific project requirements, the geographic location of the development team, and any additional features or integrations.
While we have looked into one aspect of the Wysa-like mental health app cost – features set, let us look into another factor that is a part of this cost range.
Technology stack for Wysa-like application
The technology stack for an AI-driven mental healthcare application like Wysa can vary based on specific requirements and preferences. However, here’s a generalized technology stack that could be suitable for developing a similar application.
Frontend
React Native or Flutter: For cross-platform mobile app development.
JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3: For building the user interface.
Backend
Node.js or Django: For server-side application logic.
Express.js or Flask: As a lightweight web application framework.
Python, JavaScript: For backend programming.
Database
MongoDB or PostgreSQL: Depending on the data structure and requirements.
Firebase: For real-time data synchronization and storage.
AI and Chatbot Integration
Natural Language Processing (NLP) Libraries: Such as spaCy or NLTK for text analysis.
Machine Learning Frameworks: TensorFlow or PyTorch for training and deploying machines learning models.
Dialogflow or Rasa: For building conversational AI/chatbot capabilities.
Authentication and Authorization
OAuth 2.0 or JWT: For secure user authentication and authorization.
APIs and Third-Party Integrations
Twilio or Nexmo: For SMS notifications and reminders.
Payment Gateway Integration: If the app includes premium features or subscriptions.
Real-time Communication
Socket.io or WebSockets: For real-time chat functionality.
Cloud Services
AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Azure: For hosting, storage, and other cloud services.
Firebase Cloud Functions: For serverless computing.
Security
SSL/TLS: For secure data transmission.
OAuth/OpenID Connect: For secure API authentication.
Version Control and Deployment
Git: For version control.
Docker: For containerization.
CI/CD tools: Such as Jenkins or GitLab CI for automated testing and deployment.
Monitoring and Analytics
Google Analytics or Mixpanel: For user analytics.
Logging and Error Tracking Tools: Such as Sentry or Loggly.
This is a comprehensive stack, and the choice of technologies may depend on factors like the development team’s expertise, scalability requirements, and specific features of the mental healthcare application. Moreover, compliance with healthcare data regulations should always be considered a priority, and the technology stack should align with those requirements.
Now that we have looked into the number side of the business model, let us get down to the USP aspect of the application. What would give your Wysa-like app a leg up in the market.
Having worked on similar projects in our AI app development services portfolio, we have gained not just technical expertise but also a deep-level understanding of the mental health industry. A skillset that can help you get a massive edge over your competitors.
How to get a competitive edge?
Considering the fast-growing mental health app market size, it is critical to launch an application which is built to take the existing apps in the market, heads-on. Here are some ideas that we would suggest to our clients looking to enjoy the benefits of mental healthcare apps.
Virtual Reality (VR) Integration
Explore the use of VR for immersive therapeutic experiences, creating virtual environments that aid relaxation and mindfulness.
Wearable Device Integration
Connect the app with wearable devices to gather additional health data, providing insights into users’ physical and mental well-being.
Social Support Communities
Build a community within the app where users can connect with others facing similar challenges, fostering a sense of support and camaraderie.
These are only a few ideas of how you can get an edge over the other players in the market. Talk to our business consultants and be a part of an extensive discovery workshop session where more such ideas will be discussed along with dedicated support for end-to-end application conceptualization, development, and deployment.
Partner with our healthcare app development company to get your Wysa-like app idea to life with a product that is not only advanced and efficient but also compliant with all the necessary rules.
FAQs
Q. What factors influence the cost of building an app like Wysa?
A. The factors which can influence the cost to build an app like Wysa include-
- Design system
- Features
- Number of platforms
- Technology stack
- Development time and resources.
Q. What are the common features that I should consider to build a Wysa-like mental health application?
A. Wysa-like app is typically made up of three versions, each with their own feature sets. Let us dive into them.
- End-users version
Questions, AI chatbot, Exercises, Therapist, Journal, In-app payments, Progress report, Notifications, and Multiple language support.
- Therapists version
Initiate conversations and Report a message
- Admin version
App performance, Memberships view and management, Therapists’ view and management, FAQs management, and Reports and SOS management.
