How much does it cost to build a web app?

How much does it cost to build a web app, by type

A web app is software you use in a browser and log into, as opposed to a website you just read. Here are rough, typical US ranges. They vary widely, so use them to judge whether a quote is in the right neighborhood.

• Simple internal tool, roughly $15,000 to $50,000: a dashboard, tracker or form-driven app used by one team. One or two user roles, a database, exports to Excel.
• Customer-facing portal, roughly $40,000 to $120,000: clients log in to see orders, documents or invoices, with your staff managing everything from an admin side.
• Mid-size business app, roughly $50,000 to $150,000: several roles, workflows with approvals, payments, notifications and integrations with accounting or CRM tools.
• SaaS product or marketplace, $150,000 to $400,000 or more: multiple customer accounts in one system, subscription billing, onboarding, usage limits, and the polish needed to sell it.

Where the money goes in a web app

Most of the budget is people’s time across a handful of activities. Seeing them separately makes it easier to read a quote and spot what is missing:

• Discovery and planning: understanding your process and writing down what the app has to do.
• Design: screen layouts and clickable prototypes you can try before code is written.
• Frontend: the screens users see and click, built to work on desktops, tablets and phones.
• Backend: the database, logic, permissions and the API that ties it together.
• Integrations: connecting to payments, email, accounting, calendars or your existing software.
• Testing: checking every role, browser and edge case before real users find the bugs.
• Project management: keeping scope, schedule and decisions on track.
• Launch: setting up hosting, domains, backups and monitoring.

Running costs once it is live

Web apps avoid app store fees, but they still cost money to run. Hosting covers servers, the database, file storage and backups, and rises as usage grows. Third-party services such as email delivery, text messages, payment processing, maps or AI features usually charge per use or per month. Security patches and dependency updates are ongoing, because the libraries every web app is built on keep releasing fixes. And there will be changes: once people use the app daily, they ask for new reports, fields and shortcuts.

When comparing quotes, ask each vendor to state hosting, maintenance and change costs for the first two years in writing.

How to estimate your web app

1. Name the job it replacesDescribe the spreadsheet, email thread or old system the app will take over.
2. List roles and actionsFor each type of user, write the five or so things they must be able to do.
3. Count the screensRoughly sketch each screen. A rough count is one of the best early predictors of effort.
4. Mark the hard partsFlag payments, complex rules, integrations, real-time updates and data imports. These carry most of the risk.
5. Cut to a first versionMove nice-to-haves into a later phase so the first launch is smaller and cheaper.
6. Place it in a rangeUse the ranges above, then add two or three years of running costs to see the full picture.

Paying for it: upfront fee or monthly

The usual agency model is a fixed or estimated project fee paid in installments, with hosting and later changes billed separately. It suits teams with a fixed scope and budget, but it puts most of the cost before you have used the app.

Zoti also offers a monthly model. Custom projects start at $499/month, covering design, development, hosting and ongoing changes, and you get a written quote before anything starts. One-off projects with a deposit and milestones are available for teams that prefer them. Whichever you choose, the right comparison is total cost over the years you plan to use the app.