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Ever wondered how our lives changed, from waiting every day to watch a cartoon or a serial, to just opening an app now and watching whatever we want, whenever we want to?
Ta-dum!
VoD or Video on Demand streaming applications were on their way to becoming musthaves much before the pandemic. But, post 2020, adoption of such apps have exploded.
Why? All because people want to forget about their worries with some shows, movies or serials.
According to sources, the global video streaming market is projected to reach $416.84 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 21.5% as compared to 2024. This is driven by the explosion of digital content consumption, with Netflix alone having over 260 million subscribers globally.
The vast expansion of Netflix has drastically changed the entertainment experience and expectations, with users inclining towards instant streaming and consuming content more conveniently than before. Not just consumers, but entrepreneurs and enterprises alike have understood the demand and the potential of such video-streaming applications and are eagerly exploring how to build on-demand video apps like Netflix.
There is no doubt that Netflix has revolutionized the video streaming experience for users of all age groups. Unlike traditional television, apps like Netflix offer user-centric features and meaningful advantages that keep their audience happy and loyal.
Mentioned below are some of the advantages that apps like Netflix offer that truly set them apart.
Forget old-school TV shows and movie telecasts, Netflix is here to save the day!
Unlike traditional programs, Netflix has allowed users to consume content without obligations, and when it’s convenient to them.
These apps let the user decide what to watch, when to watch, which show to pause, when to discontinue or renew subscriptions or watch two movies simultaneously.
With this power, users can stream multiple awesome shows and movies without worrying about the geographical locations, time zones, past episodes or missed gossip.
Netflix boasts a vast library of thousands of movies, TV shows, documentaries, and serials that form the heart and soul of the application. This repository offers an abundant and practically never-ending supply of consumable video content, where, for example, users can watch a movie like The Godfather from the 1970s as well as a TV show like Breaking Bad from the 2010s at once.
Netflix’s proprietary content recommendation system (more about it later) enhances this process further by offering personalized video recommendations to the users. This elevates Netflix and other video-on-demand (VoD) apps from the normal television era and improves user experience levels across the demography.
Why wouldn’t users want to use an app that plays shows on a click and streams movies as smoothly as a hot knife through butter?
Netflix has the simplest login and needs only a stable broadband connection to function.
It remains one of the primary apps that is pre-installed on various stock devices such as iPads, smartphones and tablets.
Even at low internet bandwidth, Netflix optimizes its functions via dedicated microservices to offer the best possible experience. This is why Netflix-ers chill.
Another major advantage of apps like Netflix offer is multi-device video streaming – the ability to log in and consume data from the applications via multiple devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs.
This allows users to watch their favorite shows and movies remotely from any device and location, as long as they are logged in to their account.
Can you imagine the level of power viewers have in their hands now? No content on Netflix is inaccessible if you have even the tiniest compatible device.
The video streaming arena is bursting at seams – every day, new on-demand video apps are being developed to ride the user-focused content-driven terrain.
With its overreaching popularity, Netflix has inspired its peers and competitors to launch solutions in the industry with the help of mobile app development that pertain to the same ideas and ethics. With dozens of well-established OTT platforms besides Netflix, the rivalry is now on the source and originality of the content, its quality, and the ease of accessibility for it.
But where does Netflix stand?
Netflix pioneered the subscription-based streaming model and now operates in over 200 countries with more than 260 million subscribers. It spends over $17 billion annually on content production and licensing, streaming both original productions and blockbuster movies and shows from around the world. Bam!
Below are some of the most popular competitors for Netflix. If you want to build an app like Netflix, be sure to check what it offers differently from its rivals.
Now that we know why Netflix is a success and how many competitors it has, it’s time for us to know what truly sets it apart from everyone else. Let’s dive into the top features and functionalities of Netflix-like video streaming app development.
Rome was not built in a day, and neither was Netflix.
Developing video streaming apps like Netflix is more than just coding – it is about understanding user demands and engineering scalable solutions that last for years. Video streaming app development is all about the user, and not just the hardcoded dev-side.
To achieve such quality and adoption, every step of the development process needs to be planned and mapped organization-wide; from concept to final deployment, strategic insights and intuitive thinking pave the way for such video streaming app development.
Below is a step-by-step guide for building an app like Netflix.
Wouldn’t it be easier if you knew what your audience wanted in the first place?
Before starting any development, conduct extensive market research to understand who you want your audience to be and what they want. A deep understanding of the target audience is crucial when building such customer-facing apps.
With a myriad of video content overflowing everywhere, it is important to consider interest and specific niches for better app adoption. For example, even though Netflix boasts a wide array of content, platforms like Crunchyroll, Shudder and CuriosityStream took advantage of pioneering in particular niche, namely anime, horror and science, to gain relevant users.
With a clear niche and target audience persona, video streaming app development companies can find it more convenient to build solid roadmaps for their app, develop necessary and coveted features, and position the brand to attract returning customers from the start.
What questions can you ask yourself?
You now know what your audiences love and prefer and what experience they expect from the app. With this insight, it is time to develop the key features in the app.
At its core, any live video streaming platform like Netflix will have the following features that must be implemented to offer a smooth and impactful user experience:
However, it’s important to consider special features and functionalities that can make your app stand apart, like AI integration and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities, offline downloads, video quality selection, preview thumbnails, subtitles, etc.
With the features in place, it’s time to evaluate what’s on the plate and introduce a befitting business model for the organization.
Revenue is, after all, what fuels future growth and innovation.
Like Netflix, app development companies can use a fully paid, subscription-based pricing model where the users have to pay to watch any content.
Companies can also use a freemium model where the user gets to view basic content for free and has to pay for premium shows and movies. This has a higher adoption rate as it does not mandate payment early on.
For monetization, app developers can follow either of the following 3 models:
Choosing the right business model helps organizations in live streaming app development by creating a suitable roadmap that is aligned with the business goals and budget, promising to scale and expand over time.
Just imagine – you want millions of people to use your app and consume content, but it does not appeal to the audience, neither in convenience nor in design. How would you expect your app to achieve mass adoption?
Awesomeness is the center of the entertainment industry and what proves to be the differentiating factor for any binge-worthy app is the user interface and experience it offers. Netflix, over the years,has developed and revamped its app design to bring forward visually immersive and stunning content, intuitive navigation, and use of microservices for optimized screen times, search and recommendations.
When designing a video streaming app, follow the most loved and UI elements and leverage user muscle memory data to implement features; develop the app interface that is recognizable and easily accepted with little components that make the difference.
Mobile streaming app developers can use tools like Figma and Adobe XD to create interactive app prototypes for early testing. When aiming for top-notch user experience and retention:
Remember Joker asking Batman,“What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?”
The backend is pretty much the same, where amazing design meets reliable coding and the foundations of a great app are laid down.
The backend is the engine that makes the whole app run smoothly, handles large data loads, responds to user inputs and provides relevant information and content to multiple users at once. For video streaming apps like Netflix, appropriate backend development is crucial to strengthen the infrastructural backbone of the app as well as make it scalable and secure in the future.
Some of the key backend functionalities that a Netflix clone app should have are:
Although frontend and backend seem similar, there are major differences that set them apart. Developers can use technologies like Node.js, Python and Java with REST APIs or GraphQL to transfer data and information between the frontend and backend. This ensures that the app is reliable and ready to handle millions of concurrent users and user requests simultaneously, without even the slightest jitter.
The era of video buffering is over – no one likes to wait for video loading and long intervals.
For video streaming platforms like Netflix, offering the best possible video output is pivotal to increased user satisfaction. To bring this to life and provide seamless and streamlined video streaming, development companies need to integrate Content Delivery Network or CDN with their app. This fetches the video content from the nearest server to the user’s location and helps avoid unnecessary lag.
To ensure a fast and responsive video experience and allocate video quality based on bandwidth, developers are recommended to use video compression and formats like H.264 or H.265, and protocols such as HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)
For CDN implementation, developers can have two options:
Coming to the fun stuff now!
Ever wondered what a video streaming platform would look like without any engaging video content? It would look empty!
Video content is the heart and soul of any app like Netflix. Even with the best design and unparalleled user experience, if your app does not offer engaging, relatable content to the users, the app fails.
Netflix users spend a total of 50,000 hours of viewed content every 6 months, and it’s growing. From movies from Paramount, Disney and Marvel to originals like The Squid Game and Stranger Things, seamless video streaming has enabled users with more content at much more convenience.
Depending on the strategies and business model you have selected, there are two ways to go about video streaming:
It’s also important to consider the protection and security of the video content your app is handling and bringing to your business. DRM or Digital Rights Management solutions like Google Widevine, Apple FairPlay and Microsoft ReadyPlay can help organizations protect their licensed and original content safely, away from piracy, leaks and corruption.
Personalization is at every step and what makes Netflix users stay with it is its hyper-personalized, AI-driven recommendation engine. Unlike most other video streaming platforms, Netflix uses its own set of microservices to fetch and recommend relevant video content based on user preferences, watch history, audience behavior, releases and ratings.
App development companies aiming to build apps like Netflix need to aspire for a better and more intuitive user experience via AI-powered content search and recommendations. Tools like Amazon Personalize and TensorFlow can be used to implement live video streaming features like:
Once your video streaming app is ready with features and functionalities, it is time to test the app thoroughly before launching it in the market. Proper quality assurance and testing are pivotal to subsequent development and success. This testing ensures you have a smooth and seamless app at launch.
When testing apps like Netflix, perform:
Automation tools like Selenium, Appium and Postman can help in the test process for app responsiveness, browser compatibility and connectivity speeds.
Congratulations!
Your stunning video streaming app is ready for the users. But the journey has just begun.
Don’t rush into a product launch. Rather, build an MVP or a beta version of your app with all the core features and functionalities and allow access to limited users to test app adoption, response and feedback. With this feedback, you can now enhance your app accordingly and make a full-blown product launch.
After launching your app, ensure to:
App developers and business owners should know that building a video streaming platform is never really done. It needs constant development and innovation to stay on top of things. With changing and evolving user trends and interests, it is evident that video streaming apps like Netflix will need to constantly iterate their development process to be in tandem with user expectations and market demands.
The cost to build a Netflix clone app generally ranges between $60,000 to $200,000+, depending on factors such as features, complexity, architecture, team location and platform compatibility (iOS, Android, web). To get an accurate estimate of how much a Netflix-like app development can cost, it is imperative to define the scope of the application, consult with leading mobile app development companies with requirements and assess components that affect cost directly.
The below chart will help you clearly understand the timeline required to either build an MVP or a full-scale app like Netflix.
| Development Phase | MVP Timeline | Full-Scale Timeline |
| Discovery & Planning | 2-3 weeks | 3-4 weeks |
| UI/UX Design | 2-3 weeks | 4-5 weeks |
| Frontend & Backend Development | 6-8 weeks | 10-16 weeks |
| Content Integration & AI Setup | 2-3 weeks | 4-6 weeks |
| Testing & Quality Assurance | 2 weeks | 3-4 weeks |
| Deployment & Launch | 1 week | 1-2 weeks |
| Total Duration | 3-4 months | 6-9 months |
While Netflix has set the bar high in live video streaming market, there are still tricks you can carry up your sleeves. Sustenance and success in a Netflix dominant industry in not just about being better than Netflix, it is about understanding the unmet needs of the users quickly and catering to them.
Below are some useful ways you can make your video streaming app stand out from Netflix and the crowd:
For a Netflix-style app to succeed, it is crucial to have a stunning repository of video content that is engaging, interesting and relevant. Business owners can look for content sourcing or generation to build that library of content. This can be achieved through:
Netflix is an inspiration for many and why not?
The transition from television to on-demand high-quality video streaming has transformed the entertainment industry and user expectations on a whole different level. This has created a super opportunity for app development companies to enter the video-on-demand streaming and OTT platform industry.
Developing a Netflix clone app, however, is not just a fancy idea – it is a flexible and scalable, technology-driven business model that promises success. Video streaming platforms aren’t a one-size-fits-all model and the adoption depends on how well the app performs under heavy load, how personalized the content feels and how engaged the users are on the platform.
Business owners need to bring out their concoctions of innovation, strategy and product execution to all parts of the development process, from planning the app and selecting the niche to designing the UI and implementing AI recommendations.
With more than 15 years of experience in building out-of-the-box solutions, Unified Infotech is a pioneer in building custom video streaming apps that are scalable, secure, and user-focused. We help businesses bring their vision to life — whether it’s a full-scale Netflix alternative or a niche OTT app with tailored features.
Our mobile app development service offers everything from product strategy, UI/UX design, and cloud infrastructure setup to AI integration and post-launch optimization. With a deep understanding of media tech, cross-platform performance, and user retention strategies, we make sure your platform not only launches but also leads.
"Manish is the Technology Lead for iOS. He develops secure, high-performance mobile applications using Swift and Apple development standards. He ensures compliance with iOS guidelines and delivers intuitive user experiences across various Apple devices.”
To make an app like Netflix, follow a step-by-step process: conduct market research, define your niche and features, design the UI/UX, build the backend, set up video hosting, license or produce content, integrate AI recommendations, and then test, launch, and scale the platform.
Start by choosing a target audience and content type, then work with a development team to design, build, and deploy your streaming app using cloud hosting, CDN, secure storage, and adaptive streaming protocols.
A typical stack includes:
Use cloud-based object storage (like AWS S3) along with a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for fast, secure, and scalable video delivery. Consider using encoding services like AWS Elastic Transcoder or Bitmovin for adaptive bitrate streaming.
Major challenges include:
Implement DRM (Digital Rights Management), AES encryption, secure token-based authentication, and watermarking to protect your video content from piracy and unauthorized sharing.
Use reliable gateways like Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal, or Braintree. Implement recurring billing systems, user role management, and real-time subscription status tracking to streamline the payment experience.
Use responsive design for web apps and build native or cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and Android. Ensure user session sync, profile continuity, and cloud-based content access for seamless experience across devices.
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