How Much Does It Cost to Make an App in 2026?
Making an app costs $15,000 to $40,000 for a simple product, $40,000 to $120,000 for a mid-complexity app with accounts, payments, and integrations, and $120,000 to $300,000 or more for complex platforms like marketplaces and on-demand services. Global mobile app revenue is projected to approach $800 billion by 2029, which explains why everyone wants one; what the projections do not show is where your budget actually goes. This guide breaks the number down by stage, app type, feature, and the hidden lines that surprise first-time founders.
App development cost at a glance
| Complexity | Example | Cost range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | Single-purpose tool, 3 to 5 screens, no real backend | $15,000 to $40,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Mid-complexity | Accounts, payments, APIs, custom design, admin panel | $40,000 to $120,000 | 3 to 6 months |
| Complex | Marketplace, social, or on-demand platform at scale | $120,000 to $300,000+ | 6 to 12+ months |
Cost by development stage
| Stage | What happens | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Market research, requirements, feasibility, competitor analysis | $2,000 to $5,000 |
| Design | Wireframes, prototypes, high-fidelity UI/UX | $5,000 to $25,000 |
| Development | Frontend, backend, integrations, admin panel | The bulk: 50 to 60% of total budget |
| Testing and QA | Manual, load, security, cross-device testing | $5,000 to $20,000 |
| Launch and beyond | Store submission, then maintenance at 15 to 25% of build cost yearly | Ongoing |
Skimping on the ends is the classic mistake: weak discovery is a leading cause of budget overruns, and IBM has estimated that fixing a bug after release costs around six times more than catching it in development.
Cost by app type
| App type | Examples | Cost range |
|---|---|---|
| Single-function | Calculator, utility | $15,000 to $40,000 |
| Data-driven | Weather, news, dashboards | $20,000 to $60,000 |
| E-commerce | Storefront, payments, order tracking | $60,000 to $150,000 |
| Social networking | Profiles, messaging, media sharing | $100,000 to $250,000 |
| On-demand services | Ride-hailing, delivery (GPS, real-time) | $150,000 to $300,000 |
Cost by feature
Features are where estimates get real. Common line items:
- User authentication: $1,000 to $3,000
- Push notifications: $1,500 to $3,500
- Payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal): $3,000 to $10,000
- In-app chat: $4,000 to $10,000
- GPS and mapping: $3,000 to $8,000
Every feature also compounds the testing and maintenance lines, which is why the discipline of cutting non-essential features saves more than its own line item.
Platform choice: iOS, Android, or both
Per app, iOS typically runs 10 to 15 percent more than Android on developer rates, while Android's device diversity adds QA time; the full economics are in our iOS cost guide and Android cost guide. If you need both platforms, a cross-platform build with React Native or Flutter saves 30 to 40 percent over two native codebases, the way we shipped LuxPark to both stores from one codebase.
Team location: the multiplier on everything
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|---|---|
| North America | $100 to $200 |
| Western Europe | $80 to $150 |
| Eastern Europe | $40 to $80 |
| Latin America | $35 to $70 |
| South Asia | $25 to $50 |
The same 1,500-hour app bills $52,500 at a $35 blended offshore rate and $225,000 at $150 domestic. Rate does not predict quality in either direction; vetting, communication, and project management do.
The 5 hidden costs of app development
- Store fees. Apple: $99 per year (individual) or $299 (enterprise), plus a 15 to 30 percent commission on in-app purchases. Google Play: $25 one-time, plus its own commission tier.
- Maintenance and updates. 15 to 25 percent of the build cost annually: OS updates, bug fixes, improvements.
- Third-party services. Maps, SMS, payments, and analytics APIs bill monthly, anywhere from $100 to $5,000 depending on scale.
- Hosting and storage. Cloud infrastructure starts around $50 to $200 per month for a young app and scales with traffic.
- Marketing and user acquisition. From $1,000 for a minimal ASO push to six figures for aggressive acquisition. The store listing is a shelf, not a distribution strategy.
How to estimate your app's cost
1. Write the feature list, then cut it. Separate the MVP core from the wish list; the wish list waits for user evidence.
2. Price the features, not the vibe. Use per-feature ranges (above) to build a bottom-up estimate rather than anchoring on someone's ballpark.
3. Pick a pricing model deliberately. Fixed-price fits small, well-defined scopes; time-and-materials fits evolving products; a dedicated team fits long-term builds.
4. Compare quotes on scope, not totals. The cheapest quote usually prices a smaller invisible scope; make vendors itemize.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to make an app?
Between $15,000 and $300,000+. Most business apps land in the $40,000 to $120,000 band, with the number set by feature scope, platform choice, and team rates.
How much does it cost to make an app for both iPhone and Android?
Two native apps roughly double frontend costs; a cross-platform codebase (React Native or Flutter) delivers both platforms for 30 to 40 percent less than building twice.
How much does it cost to maintain an app?
Plan 15 to 25 percent of the original development cost per year, plus recurring lines for hosting, third-party APIs, and store fees.
The bottom line
An app costs what its decisions cost: complexity sets the band, features fill it in, platform strategy multiplies the frontend, and team location multiplies everything. Scope an MVP, price it bottom-up by feature, and budget the ongoing lines from day one. When you want the estimate done on your actual feature list, our mobile development team will build it with you, line by line.
Know your app's real cost before you commit
Coding Crafts scopes your app feature by feature and returns a line-item estimate at $25 to $49 per hour, with senior mobile engineers and a dedicated project manager on every build.
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