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Guide to Building an App Like PayPal for Seamless Online Payments

If you are thinking about how to build payment platforms like PayPal then this blog will help you learn about the basics of building online payment mobile applications like PayPal.

Undoubtedly, payment apps like PayPal have transformed the way payments are sent or received across the world. Also, with the growth in technology, the payment app market is flourishing rapidly.

So, before diving into the process of on-demand finance app development like PayPal, let us know more about PayPal.

More About PayPal

Certainly, PayPal is one of the secure and widely used online payment gateways that operate in more than 200 markets worldwide.

PayPal helps merchants and consumers to receive funds across 100 currencies.

Users can withdraw funds in almost 56 different currencies with PayPal. The users can also hold funds in 25 currencies using PayPal. Let us look at some amazing features offered by PayPal

  • Works as a personal payment gateway as well as merchant payment system for online stores.
  • Users can link their credit cards, bank accounts, or debit card with PayPal.
  • Caters to the needs of personal payment to online stores.
  • It can be incorporated into POS features and shopping carts
  • Enables consumers to perform peer to peer payment transactions with the help of PayPal.
  • PayPal operates under strict regulations stated for the finance industry and has a powerful KYC process.
  • PayPal app comes with robust security features which include address screening, fraud screening, and encryption
  • Money can be sent by app users anywhere in the world and manage the money transaction records easily.
  • Faster payment process.
  • Affordable processing fees
  • PayPal can be accessed via iOS, web, and Android.
  • Higher security when it comes to saving credit card details

Now, let us move further to learn the steps to follow to build an online payment app like PayPal.

Steps To Help You Develop An Online Payment App Like PayPal

1. Define The Scope Of The Project

Determine the scope of your project which includes solutions for creating iOS, Android, or web versions of your peer-to-peer app. Identify the main features that are must for creating merchant and user accounts, balance reporting, online payment transactions, etc

2. Pick The Appropriate SDLC Model

Start by defining an MVP model which selects the particular geographical location and number of features. You can also improve your app gradually after you start getting feedback from the users.

3. Create A Planned Roadmap To Development

When it comes to online payment app development, make sure you either choose MBaas or PaaS for mobile or web apps accordingly. The main features can be integrated with the help of APIs and SDKs. Make sure you utilize IDES & frameworks to accelerate your project.

4. Appoint A Scrum Crew

Smart projects need scrum techniques. So, you need to hire the best talent which should have the following in the team

  • UI Designers
  • Business Analysts
  • Android Developers
  • Web Developers
  • iOS Developers
  • Testers & Project Manager

5. Obtain Cloud Services

If you do not want to invest in a huge IT set-up, then cloud service platforms prove to be a convenient option for start-ups. With cloud services, you can get started with the development process as the services offer amazing features like

  • Off the shelf infrastructure
  • Storage
  • Networking server
  • Middleware
  • Runtime environment
  • Operating system

6. Go with an Online Payment Solution

An API/SDK solution is needed for creating PayPal app. You can incorporate it as one of the main online payment features. This built-in feature will help you start processing the payments instantly. Normally, these platforms support iOS, Android, and web.

7. Get a solution for ID Verification

While creating online payment apps, you need to be obedient to regulations defined for financial institutions. To do so, you need to acquire an ID verification solution that helps verify the IDs provided by the government. It means the solution should be efficient enough to manage AML and KYC processes.

8. Enroll for a CRM Solution

After your payment app development is done, you need to embed spectrum business activities. To accomplish this task you need a strong CRM solution.

9. Purchase a bulk SMS Solution

Once your app is established, you would want the user engagement to grow. For this, you can go with Push notification which is a smart option. With the help of a bulk SMS solution, you can send uninterrupted push notifications to the users.

10. Download & Establish IDEs

Well, you need to utilize some development tools. To access them you can download the IDEs mentioned below

  • Android Studio – For Android app coding
  • Xcode- For iOS app development
  • IntelliJ IDEA- For web app development and with the Node.js plugin

11. Go ahead and test your app

Testing is a must before you launch a mobile or web app. You need to test your app on different devices and browsers before launch

12. Build Web App

After you decide on SDKs/APIs & development tools, start working on the web application development. Make sure that you utilize js for web app coding to scale your app.

13. UI Design for Mobile App

Make sure that the user interface is easy to use and at the same time, it should be visually appealing. So, your app should be a combination of smart technology and impressive design. To do so, select the navigation format wisely with the right themes, color schemes, and icons.

14. Code, Test and Install Android App

Once the developers start working on your Android app, you can speed up the coding process with the help of Kotlin which is a robust and feature-packed programming language. Next, you can embed SDKs/APIs into the code. Now, test the app and be prepared to launch it on the Google Play store.

15. Development for iOS App

When it comes to iOS app development, it needs coding to be done with Swift which offers highly functional and faster apps. You can build this app with Xcode and later test it on different mobile devices. Include 3rd party apps plus SDKs & APIs. Submit the app to the Apple store keeping in mind the guidelines led by the Apple store.

Must-have Features For Online Payment Apps

Let us have a look at the must-have features that need to be included in online payment app like PayPal

  • Send and Request Money
  • User Digital Wallet
  • Send Bills/Invoices
  • Unique ID/OTP
  • Push Notifications
  • Transfer to a Bank Account
  • Multiple Currency & Automated Conversion Process
  • Chat
  • Track Payments & Check History
  • Admin Panel
  • Messaging
  • Secure Networks

How To Monetize Your Online Payment App?

Certainly, once you invest in online payment app development to build an app like PayPal, you want it to monetize. You can choose from the following revenue models :

1. Premium Service

2. Affiliate Marketing

How Much It Would Cost To Build An App Like Paypal?

Creating an app like PayPal is a complex process wherein you need to focus on a lot of parameters like security etc. So, the online payment app development cost entirely depends on different aspects like

  • Location of developers
  • Features integrated
  • 3rd party integrations
  • Size of the team working on your project and many other factors

Also, you need experts who help you with multiple payment gateway integration services so that your app supports different payment methods

Conclusion

Creating P2P may not be so common, but looking at the popularity of the PayPal app, you can surely decide on creating a PayPal-like app. Certainly, the process may not be simple and you need expert help to build an app like PayPal. With the help of talented developers, you can accomplish the goal to build such a high-end project.

If you are looking for a reliable mobile app development company having vast experience in working on high-end projects, associate with Apps on Demand to build an app like PayPal. We have a team of expert developers to assist you with white label payment app development as well as custom app development. We follow the best practices and utilize the advanced technology to give you a payment app that facilitates seamless payment transactions online.