"How much does an app cost?" has the same honest answer as most software questions: it depends on what the app does, which platforms it runs on and how long the team works on it. This guide turns that into numbers you can plan with.
What you are actually paying for
A mobile app is rarely just the app. Most real products have three parts:
- The app itself for iOS and Android: screens, navigation, offline behaviour, notifications.
- A backend: user accounts, data storage, business rules and an API the app talks to.
- An admin panel so your team can manage users, content and orders.
Quotes that only cover the screens often surprise people later. Ask what is included.
The five biggest cost drivers
1. Number of features and screens
Every screen, user role and workflow adds design, development and testing time. A booking app with customers only is far simpler than one with customers, providers and admins.
2. One platform or two
Building separate native apps for iOS and Android roughly means two codebases. Cross-platform frameworks like React Native let one team build both from a single codebase, which usually reduces both build and maintenance cost. We compare the main options in React Native vs Flutter.
3. Integrations
Payments, maps and location, chat, video, calendars and third-party APIs each add work. Payments in particular need careful handling of failures and refunds (see our payment integration service).
4. Real-time features
Live chat, tracking a driver on a map or live dashboards need real-time infrastructure and more testing.
5. Design quality
A clean, consistent design system is enough for most first versions. Custom animation and illustration can come later.
Worked examples with real monthly rates
A simple way to estimate is team cost per month × number of months. Using our published remote team plans ($3,500, $8,000 and $13,000 per month) as the arithmetic:
| App type | Example | Team | Rough duration | Rough total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple app | One user type, a few core screens, login, notifications | Basic | 3 months | ~$10,500 |
| Typical business app | Accounts, payments, admin panel, a few integrations | Elite | 4 months | ~$32,000 |
| Complex platform | Two-sided marketplace, real-time tracking, payments between users | Enterprise | 5–6 months | ~$65,000–$78,000 |
These are illustrations of the calculation, not quotes. Your real estimate depends on your feature list.
How long does it take?
A focused first version usually takes three to six months, including design, development, testing and app-store review. Clear priorities and quick feedback shorten it more than anything else.
Costs after launch
- App store accounts: Apple and Google charge developer account fees.
- Hosting and services: servers, databases, push notifications, email and maps usage.
- Updates: new iOS and Android versions require regular updates to keep apps working.
- Improvements: most successful apps keep evolving based on user feedback.
Seven ways to reduce the cost
- Launch with the one workflow users need most.
- Build iOS and Android together with React Native.
- Use proven services for login, payments and notifications.
- Design with a reusable component system.
- Test the critical paths (sign-up, payments) automatically.
- Release to a small group first and learn before adding features.
- Keep ownership of your code, accounts and app-store listings.
Get a realistic estimate
We build tailored, high-performance apps for all platforms, including apps like iReport and Loosid. Book a free consultation and we will help you scope the first version, or read more about our app development services. Building a web product instead? See how much a SaaS MVP costs.