How Much Does It Cost to Build an App?

App development cost at a glance

The app development cost depends mostly on three things: how many platforms you build for, how many features you need, and how much the app connects to other systems. Here’s how it typically breaks down with a senior team in India; US and UK agencies often charge two to four times more.

Mobile app development cost: iOS, Android or both

Mobile app development cost rises with each platform. Two native apps (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android) means two codebases. Flutter builds both from one, which is why most businesses choose it.

• iOS app development cost: $12,000–$28,000 for a native iPhone app.
• Android app development cost: $10,000–$26,000 for a native Android app.
• Flutter (both): $8,000–$22,000, roughly 30–40% less than two native apps.

Native still makes sense for apps with heavy AR, 3D or deep device features. See Flutter app development and iOS app development.

What drives the cost of an app

• Features: logins, payments, chat, maps, notifications and offline mode each add time.
• Design: custom design and animations cost more than standard components.
• Back end: most apps need an API, database and admin panel.
• Integrations: payment gateways, CRMs, ERPs and third-party APIs.
• Security and compliance: health and finance apps need extra work.

Adding features like these usually costs: payments $1,500–$4,000; real-time chat $2,500–$6,000; maps and location $1,000–$3,000; AI features $3,000–$8,000.

Ongoing costs after launch

Budget 15–20% of the build cost per year for maintenance, OS updates and small improvements, plus hosting ($20–$500/month depending on users), app store fees (Apple $99/year, Google $25 once) and any third-party services.

How much does app development cost to start small?

The cheapest way to start is an MVP: the smallest version that real users can try. It answers the most important question (will people use this?) before you spend more. Our MVPs typically launch in 3–6 weeks. See MVP development and our MVP cost guide.

Three example app budgets

Booking app for a local business: about $10,000–$15,000

Customer logins, service list, calendar booking, payments and push reminders, built in Flutter with a Firebase back end and a simple admin panel.

E-commerce or loyalty app: about $18,000–$30,000

Product catalogue synced with your store, cart and checkout, loyalty points, order tracking and analytics, with custom design.

Two-sided marketplace: about $35,000–$50,000+

Separate flows for buyers and sellers, listings, messaging, payments with payouts, reviews, admin moderation and a web dashboard.

Freelancer, agency or in-house team?

Questions to ask before you hire

1. Will I own the code and app store accounts?
2. What’s included: design, back end, testing, store launch?
3. Do I see a working build every two weeks?
4. What happens after launch, and what does support cost?
5. Is the price fixed for the agreed scope?

How to reduce your app development cost

1. Cut version one to the features that prove your idea.
2. Use Flutter unless you truly need native.
3. Use proven services (Firebase, Stripe) instead of building from scratch.
4. Agree a fixed scope and price for the first release.
5. Work with a senior team; cheap code costs more to fix later.