How Much Does Mobile App Development Cost? Real Ranges and Options

Mobile app development cost usually lands between $10,000 and $60,000 for a simple app, $50,000 to $150,000 for a mid-sized one, and $150,000 or more for a complex product, judging by the agencies that publish their prices (Space-O, Omangom, Radixweb). The range is wide because "an app" can mean anything from five screens and a contact form to a marketplace with payments, chat and an admin panel.

The build is only part of the bill. Store accounts, hosting, third-party services and updates continue for as long as the app is live. Most guides put maintenance at 15% to 20% of the build cost every year (Velvetech). This guide covers both numbers: the price of building an app, and the price of owning one.

Mobile app development cost by complexity

The tiers below combine the ranges published by agencies that rank for this search. Each agency defines the tiers a little differently, so treat the table as a rough guide, not a quote.

Tier	What it usually includes	Typical cost (agency quotes)	Typical timeline
Simple	A handful of screens, standard login, content or forms, a light backend	$10,000 – $60,000	2 – 4 months
Mid-complexity	User roles, payments, push notifications, an admin panel, a few integrations	$50,000 – $150,000	4 – 7 months
Complex	Real-time features, offline sync, many integrations, compliance requirements	$150,000 – $400,000+	7 – 12+ months

Sources: Omangom (Sep 2026), Radixweb (Mar 2026), Space-O (Jun 2026). Checked October 2026.

Agencies don't agree on these figures, and sometimes a single page disagrees with itself. Velvetech starts simple apps at $40,000, while Space-O's tables start them at $10,000. Expect quotes for the same idea to differ by two or three times. That is why a written scope matters more than any calculator.

What a typical small business app looks like

Most small and medium businesses don't need a "complex" app. A common request is a customer app with sign-in, a few core screens (bookings, orders or account details), push notifications, and a simple admin to manage the content. That is the low-to-middle end of the table: more than a brochure app, far less than a marketplace.

What drives the cost of an app

Price follows hours, and hours follow these decisions:

• Number of screens and features. Every screen needs design, code and testing. Login, payments, maps, chat and offline mode each add significant work.
• Platforms: iOS, Android, or both. Building two separate native apps costs the most. Cross-platform frameworks share one codebase across both stores, and Velvetech estimates the saving at 10% to 30% compared with native.
• The backend. Most business apps need a server, a database and an admin panel behind the app. This part is easy to forget and is often a large share of the work.
• Integrations. Connecting to payment providers, your booking system, CRM or accounting software adds time for each connection.
• Design depth. A standard interface costs far less than custom animations and illustrations. Space-O lists visual design alone at $1,100 to $10,000.
• Who builds it, and where. Hourly rates vary widely by region (see below).
• Costs beyond the build. Radixweb notes that maintenance, hosting, store fees and project management can add 30% to 50% to the initial budget. Changes in scope add more, so a clear, written scope before any build starts is the cheapest insurance there is.

iOS vs Android app development cost

Building one platform rather than two doesn't halve the price, because the backend, design and admin are shared. The cost difference between iOS and Android alone is small compared with the difference between one platform and two. For most business apps, the deciding question is where your customers are. If they're on both, a single cross-platform codebase usually makes the most sense.

App development cost breakdown by stage

Here is where the money typically goes in a project. The percentages come from Velvetech's breakdown, and the timings from Radixweb.

Stage	Share of budget	Typical duration
Discovery and scope (business analysis)	at least 10%	2 – 4 weeks
UX and visual design, clickable prototype	10% – 15%	3 – 4 weeks
Development (app, backend, admin) and testing	the largest share	2 – 6 months
Project management	10% – 15%	throughout
Store submission and launch	small	2 – 4 weeks, together with final testing

If a quote doesn't show these stages separately, ask for them. It is the easiest way to see what is included and what might come back as an extra.

Hourly rates: who you hire changes the price

Most project quotes are an hourly rate multiplied by an estimate. Published rates as of 2026:

Region	Typical hourly rate (iOS/Android)
USA	$60 – $120 (Velvetech); up to $250 at the top end (Space-O)
Canada	$80 – $140
UK	$60 – $75
Australia	$90 – $120
Europe	$35 – $55
India	$15 – $90

Source: Velvetech hourly rate table, with the US upper range from Space-O.

A lower rate doesn't always mean a lower total. Time-zone gaps, rework and the time you spend managing the project all add up.

How much does it cost to have a mobile app each year?

This is the part most quotes leave out: what you keep paying after launch.

Ongoing cost	Typical amount	Notes
Apple Developer Program	$99 per year	Required to publish on the App Store (Apple)
Google Play developer account	$25 once	One-time registration fee (Google)
Store commission	15% – 30%	On paid apps and in-app digital purchases (details below)
Hosting and backend	grows with users and data	Radixweb puts a medium app with about 10,000 daily users at $500 – $2,000/month; small apps cost far less
Third-party services	varies	SMS, email, maps and push services are often priced per user or message
Maintenance and updates	15% – 20% of the build cost per year	Velvetech, Space-O; Radixweb says up to 25%

Store fees checked October 2026.

How much does it cost to publish an iOS app?

Publishing on the App Store requires the Apple Developer Program at $99 per membership year. Nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can request a fee waiver. Publishing on Google Play costs a one-time $25 registration fee. For a business app on both stores, that is $124 in the first year and $99 in each year after.

Store commissions on in-app sales

If your app sells digital content or subscriptions, the stores take a share. Apple's Small Business Program charges 15% on paid apps and in-app purchases for developers who earn up to $1 million a year in proceeds. Google Play's service fees vary by region and type: in the US, auto-renewing subscriptions are charged 10% plus a 5% billing fee on the first $1 million of yearly earnings. Many business apps, such as those for bookings, orders of physical goods, or account management, sell nothing digital in the app, so check how these rules apply to yours before budgeting for them.

Why maintenance is not optional

Apple and Google release new operating system versions every year, and an app that isn't updated eventually breaks or gets removed from the stores. Maintenance covers OS updates, security fixes, bug fixes, server upkeep and small improvements. On a $50,000 app, the 15% to 20% rule of thumb means $7,500 to $10,000 a year. Omangom's advice is to plan an annual maintenance budget from day one rather than treating launch as the finish line.

Can I build a mobile app for free?

You can, with limits. Some app builders have free plans, and if you write the code yourself, the only fixed costs are the store fees above. But free tiers usually restrict publishing, branding or features. The real cost of building it yourself is your time: learning the tools, building the backend, testing on devices and keeping up with every OS update. For a business that needs the app to work reliably for customers, "free" rarely stays free.

Three ways to pay for a mobile app

How you pay changes the risk as much as the price.

Model	How it works	Good for	Watch out for
Fixed project fee	One quote for the agreed scope, often paid in milestones	A clearly defined app with few unknowns	A large upfront spend; changes become paid extras; maintenance is a separate contract
Hourly (time and materials)	You pay for the hours actually worked	Evolving products with an in-house product owner	The final cost is hard to predict; you manage the budget
Monthly subscription	A monthly fee covers the build, hosting and maintenance	Businesses that want a predictable cost and someone looking after the app	A minimum commitment; check who owns the code and when

Having it built and maintained on a subscription

Buildly works on the subscription model. It designs, builds, hosts and maintains mobile apps for Android and iOS, published under your own store accounts. Scoping is free: you send a brief, get a written scope and price, and approve each stage (scope, wireframes, design, build and launch). You can see the stages on how it works.

A mobile app with sign-in and notifications fits the Growth plan (see current prices). You pay a one-time setup fee, and the initial build comes at no extra charge. The plan includes one change request a month, a small VPS for hosting (upgradeable) and 25 GB of storage, and you own the source code and database after 12 months. Larger apps with several user roles and approvals fit the Business or Scale plans. Standard integrations, such as a payment provider or your accounting software, are a one-time $20 each. The contract runs month to month after the plan's commitment.

Instead of a five- or six-figure invoice before launch and a separate maintenance budget after it, you pay one monthly fee that already includes hosting and upkeep. You still pay your own Apple and Google developer account fees, because the app is published under your accounts.

How to get an accurate quote for your app

Calculators give a ballpark. A real number comes from a scope. Before you ask anyone for a price:

1. Write down the one main job of the app. Who opens it, and what do they need to get done?
2. List the must-have features for launch, and keep a separate list for later.
3. Decide on platforms. iOS, Android, or both? Is a web app enough to start?
4. Note the systems it must connect to: payments, bookings, CRM, accounting.
5. Ask every provider for the same breakdown: stages, what's included, hosting, maintenance, and who owns the code.
6. Compare the total over three years, not just the launch price.

If you'd like a written scope and price for your app, send a free brief.