How much does it cost to build an app?

How much does it cost to build an app, by size

These ranges are rough and typical for professionally built apps in the US. Real quotes swing widely with scope, team location and how polished the app needs to be.

• Simple app, roughly $25,000 to $75,000: a few screens, basic sign-in, content or forms, and a light backend. Examples are a booking app for one location, an internal checklist app for field staff, or a companion app to an existing website.
• Mid-size app, roughly $75,000 to $200,000: user accounts, payments or subscriptions, push notifications, an admin panel, and integrations with your other systems.
• Complex app, $200,000 or more: marketplaces with two sides, real-time chat or tracking, offline sync, video, heavy security needs, or several connected apps (customer, driver, admin).

iOS, Android or cross-platform

This is the first big decision that moves the price. There are three common routes:

• iOS only: one app built natively for iPhone. A sensible start if your users are mostly on iPhone, but you will need Android later for most consumer audiences.
• Android only: the mirror image. Common when your users are field staff on company-issued Android devices.
• Separate native apps: two codebases, one per platform. The best fit for apps that lean hard on device features or need top performance, and close to double the build and upkeep.
• Cross-platform: one codebase that runs on both, using frameworks such as React Native or Flutter. For most business apps this gives near-native results at a lower cost than two native apps, which is why it is the default for many projects.

The backend is often half the work

The part you tap on your phone is only the front of an app. Behind it sits a backend: the database, user accounts, business logic, an API the app talks to, and usually an admin panel where your staff manage content, users and orders. Payments, notifications, file uploads and integrations with your other software all live here too.

Quotes that look surprisingly low often leave the backend vague. Ask exactly what is included: who builds the admin panel, where data is stored, how users reset passwords, and how the app will connect to your existing tools.

Costs beyond the build

• App store accounts: Apple charges a yearly fee for its developer program and Google charges a one-time registration fee. Both take a commission on many in-app sales of digital goods and subscriptions, so factor that into pricing if you sell inside the app.
• App store review: every release is reviewed by Apple and Google. Rejections mean fixes and resubmission, which is time someone has to pay for.
• OS updates: new iOS and Android versions arrive every year, and apps need testing and updates to keep working and stay listed.
• Hosting for the backend, which grows with your user count.
• Third-party services: push notifications, maps, SMS, analytics, crash reporting and payment processing typically bill per use or monthly.
• Ongoing changes: user feedback after launch always produces a list of improvements.

How to get an accurate app quote

1. Describe the core actionWrite down the one thing users must be able to do in the app. Everything else is secondary.
2. Decide on platformsSay whether you need iOS, Android or both, and whether cross-platform is acceptable.
3. Sketch the main screensRough boxes on paper are enough. Count them and note what each one does.
4. Spell out the backendWho manages the app behind the scenes, what they need to see, and what systems it must connect to.
5. Ask for the same scope from everyoneSend vendors the same brief so the quotes are comparable, and ask what is excluded.
6. Ask about year twoGet hosting, app store upkeep and change costs in writing, not just the launch price.

Large upfront fee or monthly plan

Most agencies quote apps as a single project fee, paid in stages, with updates and hosting billed separately once the app is live. That can leave you with a finished app and no budget for the fixes and OS updates every app needs. Zoti offers a monthly model instead: custom projects start at $499/month, covering design, development, hosting and ongoing changes, with a written quote before work begins. Zoti also does one-off projects with a deposit and milestones if a single fee suits you better. Either way, compare the total over two or three years rather than the launch price alone.