How much does it cost to make an app?
Apps we build start from $4,500 for one platform and from $20,000 for iOS and Android from one codebase. The table below runs five common apps through the calculator.
| App | Answers | Range |
|---|
| iOS or Android app | 1 kind of user · up to 5 screens · no connections | $4,500 to $9,000 |
|---|
| iOS or Android business app | 2 or 3 kinds of users · 6 to 15 screens · 1 or 2 connections | $12,000 to $24,000 |
|---|
| iOS and Android app | 1 kind of user · up to 5 screens · no connections | $20,000 to $40,000 |
|---|
| iOS and Android app with payments | 2 or 3 kinds of users · 6 to 15 screens · 1 or 2 connections · payments | $45,000 to $90,000 |
|---|
| HIPAA app for iOS and Android | 2 or 3 kinds of users · 6 to 15 screens · 1 or 2 connections · payments · HIPAA | $54,000 to $108,000 |
|---|
The low number is where a focused first version starts. The high number, twice the low, leaves room for what most projects add along the way: another kind of user, a few more screens, one more system to connect.
Every estimate is for a working app, not a clickable mockup: user accounts, push notifications, the connection to your backend, testing, and release to the App Store or Google Play.
How much does an iOS or Android app cost?
One platform, iOS or Android, starts from $4,500 for a native app with user accounts, push notifications and a connection to your backend. Both platforms are priced the same.
Launch on the platform your users already carry. Many U.S. consumer apps start on iOS, while an app for your own team should start on the phones the team uses every day.
The app stores charge their own fees: Apple $99 a year for a developer account and Google a one-time $25. Those fees go to Apple and Google, not to us.
How much does it cost to build an app for iOS and Android?
From $20,000 for one Flutter or React Native codebase that ships to both app stores, which costs less than building and maintaining two separate apps.
One codebase means one set of features to build, test and update. Two native apps mean every change is made twice, and every bug is fixed twice.
With two or three kinds of users, 6 to 15 screens, one or two connected systems and payments, a two-platform app runs $45,000 to $90,000.
What affects app development cost?
Five things set the price: the platforms, how many kinds of users the app has, how many screens the first version needs, the systems it connects to, and extras such as payments or HIPAA.
- Platforms: one platform from $4,500, iOS and Android from $20,000.
- Kinds of users: customers only, or customers plus staff and admins. Two or three kinds multiply the price by 1.3, four or more by 1.6.
- Screens in the first version: up to 5 screens keep the base price, 6 to 15 multiply it by 1.5, and 16 or more by 2.2.
- Connected systems: one or two systems, such as your CRM or a payment provider, add $3,000. Three or more add $9,000.
- Extras: payments add $3,000, moving data from an old system adds $4,000, and HIPAA or other regulated data adds 20%.
Custom animations, offline use and heavy media also move the price. A detailed estimate covers them.
App development cost breakdown: what the price includes
The price covers the app's screens, user accounts and push notifications, the connection to your backend, testing and release to the App Store or Google Play. You own the code.
- The screens of your first version.
- User accounts and sign-in.
- Push notifications.
- The connection to your backend and to the systems you pick in the calculator.
- Testing before release.
- Release to the App Store or Google Play.
- The code and the repository, owned by you from day one.
How long does it take to build an app?
It depends on the same things as the price: the platforms, the kinds of users, the number of screens and the connected systems. The detailed estimate comes back with a suggested timeline for your app.
The fastest way to launch is also the cheapest: cut the first version to the screens your users need on day one, then add the rest once real people use the app.
How much does it cost to maintain an app?
Maintenance, hosting and updates start from $500 a month after launch, and a monthly support retainer for new features also starts from $500 a month.
Maintenance covers hosting, security patches, backups, updates and monitoring. Apple and Google release new operating systems every year, and an app nobody updates starts to break. New features and changes come out of the support retainer's monthly hours.
How to lower app development cost
The cheapest app is the smallest one that proves the idea.
- Launch on one platform first: from $4,500 instead of $20,000 for both.
- Keep the first version to 5 screens or fewer, which keeps the base price.
- Start with one kind of user and add staff or admin views later.
- Connect one or two systems at launch: they add $3,000, while three or more add $9,000.
- Use proven services for payments, sign-in and notifications instead of building your own.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A short answer to each of these turns a range into a fixed price faster.
- Who uses the app, and what each kind of user needs to do.
- The screens the first version needs, even as rough sketches.
- The systems it connects to, such as your CRM, payments or calendar.
- Whether it handles health, financial or other regulated data.
- Your launch date, if you have one.
How we price apps
Each project type has a starting price. Two or three kinds of users multiply it by 1.3, four or more by 1.6. A first version with 6 to 15 screens multiplies it by 1.5, and 16 or more screens by 2.2. Connecting one or two systems adds $3,000, three or more adds $9,000. Payments add $3,000, moving data from an old system adds $4,000, and regulated data such as HIPAA adds 20%. The top of the range is twice the bottom.
Every number comes from our price list and the same formula as our software development cost calculator, so the same answers give the same price on both pages. Prices updated October 2026.
