How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
“How much does an app cost?” is a bit like asking how much a house costs. The honest answer is a range, and the range only narrows when you know what you’re building. What we can do is explain what drives the number, so you can read quotes properly and decide where to spend.
What you’re really paying for
An app budget is mostly people’s time across five areas:
- Product and design: working out what to build, flows, screens, prototypes.
- App development: the iOS and Android apps themselves.
- Backend: servers, databases, APIs, admin panels, integrations.
- Testing and release: QA on real devices, store submission, fixes from review.
- Project management: keeping all of the above moving.
People often expect the app screens to be the expensive part. In many projects the backend and the admin tools are just as large.
The features that change the budget
Some features look small on a wish list but add weeks each:
- User accounts and roles, especially different user types (buyers and sellers, patients and doctors).
- Payments and subscriptions, including store billing rules, refunds and receipts.
- Real-time features: chat, live tracking, presence.
- Offline support and syncing.
- Media: video upload and processing, image editing.
- Integrations with existing systems such as ERP, CRM or booking.
- AI features, which bring their own design, testing and running costs.
Every feature on this list also carries ongoing running and maintenance costs, not just build time.
Rough budget bands
These are broad, international market ranges for professionally built apps, not a quote. Rates vary a lot by country and team.
- Simple app (a few core screens, basic accounts, a light backend): typically low-to-mid five figures in USD.
- Typical business app (several user flows, payments or bookings, admin panel, integrations): mid five to low six figures.
- Complex platform (marketplace, real-time features, multiple user types, heavy integrations): six figures and up, usually built in phases.
If a quote is far below these bands, find out what’s been left out. Backend, admin tools, testing and store release are the usual gaps.
One platform, two, or cross-platform
Building separate native apps for iOS and Android means two codebases. Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native let one team ship both from a single codebase, which usually cuts development time significantly for typical business apps. Native still makes sense for apps that lean heavily on device features or need the very best performance. We cover the trade-offs in Flutter vs React Native vs native.
Costs after launch
Launch is the start of the bill, not the end. Budget each year for:
- hosting, databases and third-party services (maps, email, SMS, AI);
- updates for new iOS and Android versions, which arrive every year;
- bug fixes, crash monitoring and security patches;
- developer account fees for the App Store and Google Play;
- improvements based on how people actually use the app.
A common rule of thumb is to set aside a meaningful share of the original build cost every year for upkeep. The exact figure depends on how much you plan to keep improving the app.
Ways to spend less without cutting corners
- Start with an MVP that tests your riskiest assumption, not every feature you can think of.
- Prototype first. A clickable prototype is far cheaper to change than built screens.
- Use proven services for authentication, payments and notifications rather than building your own.
- Go cross-platform unless you have a specific reason not to.
- Write a clear brief. Vague scope is the most expensive line item in any project.
We build and run several apps of our own, including Shhhade, Audition Lens and NutriSelect, so we budget for the long haul, not just launch day. If you have an idea and want a realistic range, send us a few lines and we’ll tell you what it would take. See also our app development service.
