I run a small app development agency and we’re normally asked for simple apps like Uber apps. however I have a client who requires a social media app where a lot of user generated content e.g. short videos (1 minute) and images will be produced. I want to integrate with AWS to serve the video and images and have the admin panel built on Bubble. How can I price Bubble for such an App - it could have 10,000 users within 6 months? Also, if I say it’s for hosting then my client will ask why am I paying twice for hosting? Finally - and I’m sure many agencies experience this - how can I calculate the costs to my client. For an agreement the client needs certainty. They don’t want to be tied in to a costs that could escalate dramatically. Clients need some element of certainty or at least a way of forecasting costs.
Hmm, like you, I’m hesitant in giving any absolute answers to this…
I’ll try to separate my reply into a few different questions that you’re asking:
Hosting
It sounds wise to separate Bubble hosting and video hosting, and I wouldn’t think it’s weird in any way to present “double” hosting costs for that. Video streaming is a very specific and demanding kind of hosting, and it wouldn’t make any sense to try and build a platform for that by yourself.
Users
It’s hard to say whether 10.000 users will bring up the hosting costs or not. It completely depends on what your app does. The first question I would ask is not how many users you have in total, but how many you expect using the system at the same time, and what kind of searches and data processing they would be doing. If each user will take a significant toll on your capacity, then 10.000 may quickly exhaust your plan. If your app is very “light”, or if the users are spread out over time, then it won’t matter much if there are 5 or 50.000 users.
On a general note, I advocate transparency with clients. If you can’t predict what hosting will cost, tell them, and let them know why. How they want the app to behave can throw off your predictions wildly in both directions.
If you’re unsure, go with a higher number than you need, and explain that you Bubble can easily scale with added capacity. They’ll never be mad that the cost is lower than you told them.
Hi there, you should consider Wasabi > AWS
It’s fixed pricing for consumption, there is no api fees like AWS. It uses the same technology and is much cheaper.
The Wasabi plugin is awesome 
Can anyone tell me how bubble will calculate costs, does their file storage limit include files held at AWS? I just want be sure the client isn’t going to be charged twice - that would be a deal breaker. This App will be like TikTok.