
How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App: Complete Breakdown

It wonโt come as a shock if we tell you that one of the most asked questions is, โHow much does it cost to develop an app?โ when clients approach us for a mobile app development project. Alongside the timeline and the experience of app developers, app cost is one of the most influential factors when deciding whether to develop a mobile app.
Often, company owners are at a crossroads, trying to figure out which one is better: in-house development or hiring professional service providers. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, and we recommend reviewing both. This will help you calculate the mobile application development costs approximately.
Weโll explore this subject further in our article, but for now, letโs discuss mobile app development cost, its elements, and the calculation process. As much as weโd love to, we canโt actually give you exact numbers and budget since all apps are unique and the price is influenced by many factors. However, we can guide you through the calculation process and offer you our insights and approximate costs from our experience.
Letโs break down the article to help you navigate through it. Youโll find information about:
Content
As we already mentioned, there are some factors that influence app development cost that you need to take into account. These factors separately donโt seem like a hassle, but as they add on, they create a significant difference between the cost of application development of simple, medium, and advanced applications:
What type of app do you have in mind? What functions and features do you want it to have? Simple mobile apps wonโt cost you a lot, but a complex and feature-rich approach will influence the cost of application development.
For example, a skilled developer can code a simple calculator in JavaScript in less than 2 hours. It wonโt take much time to develop a regular to-do-list application as well, but if you add extra tools like face recognition for hidden notes, speech-to-text features for accessibility, and more, both the time and average cost of application development will grow.
Thatโs because simple apps have limited user interaction, need to be straightforward, and donโt need to process a lot of data. But what happens when youโre developing an advanced app for your medical facility, a property management app for your real estate business, or even an e-commerce app that can be bought off the shelf?
Since complex apps require multiple integrations, third-party integrations and services, and freelance developers with experience and exceptional skills, your app development budget will grow.
Letโs explore the table below. It provides key characteristics of the difficulties of applications.
Key Factors | Simple Apps | Medium Apps | Complex Apps |
Feature Set | Basic features, minimal user interactions | Moderate features, including user authentication | Advanced features, multiple integrations, real-time updates |
Design & UX | Basic, template-based design, straightforward UX | Custom design, standard UX patterns, some animations | Highly customized design, unique UX, complex animations |
Platform Support | Single platform (iOS or Android) | Cross-platform or multi-device support | Native development for multiple platforms, including wearables, smart TVs |
Backend Infrastructure | Basic or no backend, minimal data storage needs | Moderate backend with APIs, user management | Complex backend with high scalability, cloud integration, and advanced security measures |
This table should provide basic information about the difference between difficulty levels, including average complexity apps, simple app development cost, and more.
Design phase and UX are significant factors. Whether you choose or not to create an intuitive mobile application with aesthetically pleasing visual elements will increase or decrease your app development cost. The market itself has been valued at 1.596 billion USD in 2021 and is expected to reach 6.383 billion USD by 2031, not to mention the desire of the audience for faster loading and more intuitive interfaces.
For example, if you include custom animations and illustrations like Duolingo has or decide to integrate AR and VR in your mobile app, it will significantly enhance the average cost of your mobile app development. However, if you opt for standard UI components, simple color schemes, and minimal custom fonts, like in Google Maps or Evernote, you wonโt have to pay as much as youโd have to for customization during the design stage.
The cost of app design is a significant factor that will influence the final cost breakdown.
Besides the design stage, a significant factor to think about when creating a budget for mobile application development is the development team you choose. The composition and location of your team members will have a huge impact on the final cost of the software. For example, if you hire a few developers, a designer, and a tester for bug fixing, you might cut down on costs, but if you add project managers, researchers, business analysts, and marketing specialists, the average cost of your app development will increase.
Similarly, geographical location will increase or decrease the price. If you hire a development team from regions where the cost of living is high (like North America and Western Europe), you might have to pay a higher price compared to locations like Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
We couldโve mentioned this factor alongside the complexity of the app, but our professionals recommended highlighting this separately since it has such a significant impact on the cost of application development.
If youโre developing an application that needs a strong backend, data collection, and storage or will be heavily dependent on cloud services, you will have to invest in the right technologies, third-party services, third-party APIs, and professionals.
We donโt recommend developing a mobile app without maintenance and support plans. This plan can help you provide ongoing support for your app to run smoothly and securely and be up-to-date with the latest technologies. Thatโs why we always offer our clients and business owners ongoing maintenance and support services with every development project. You canโt just let the app roam free without updates and adjustments.
Itโs essential to consider maintenance costs since youโll need specific professionals for this job. Factor these costs into your final budget to get a realistic picture.
Since we canโt tell you the exact cost of application development, we can show you a general overview of the prices on the market. There are some typical benchmarks that can help you navigate this complex subject and provide you with approximate pricing information. This is, of course, if you decide to develop a custom-made mobile app. For off-the-shelf solutions, pricing differs. However, features and flexibility also decrease and will require you to spend more over time as your business grows.
Below, youโll see a table where youโll find the prices of various apps, depending on their complexity.
App Complexity | Average Development Cost | Development Timeline |
Simple App | $5,000 โ $60,000 | 2-4 months |
Medium App | $60,000 โ $150,000 | 4-9 months |
Complex App | $150,000 โ $300,000+ | 9-18 months, and more |
This table can give you approximate information, but further research and analysis will help you calculate the final average cost.
Analyzing the development stages can help you get the whole picture. We section mobile app development process into Planning, Design, Development, Testing for bug fixing, and Launch.
The planning or discovery phase involves discussing your mobile app idea. Usually, our experts research the audience and market, scope the project, and consider the tech stack (React Native, Swift, etc.) and development team composition (marketers, researchers, business analysts). This stage is usually the medium-pricy stage and takes around 10-15% of the whole budget.
After the discovery phase comes the designing process. Now, in the design stage, youโll find that prices are growing, and the cost of app design will take up to 20-30% of the budget. This stage is one of the most important steps in app development. Our UI/UX designers create an intuitive user interface and user-friendly design, create mockups and prototypes, and focus on harmonizing colors and visual elements.
The development stage is the most expensive phase of mobile app development. Almost 40-50% of the budget goes into this stage, where your app developer and the whole team will work on coding, backend infrastructure, integration of chosen features, and more. At the end of this stage, you should have a functional mobile app ready to be deployed.
Testing and launch stages arenโt as pricy as the previous stages, but they are a must. We donโt recommend launching a mobile app without thorough manual and automated testing for bug fixing, which will take around 15-20% of the budget. And finally, when the app is ready, you launch it and spend around 5-10% of the budget for maintenance and support.
We havenโt forgotten about the additional costs, but thatโs a subject for later. Before we explore that subject, you can use our app development cost calculator to get your appโs approximate budget. Make sure to take the cost of app design into account when discussing the final cost breakdown.
Itโs also essential to note how the key factors we listed above in the article influence the price. Below, youโll find a pie chart explaining how much some of these factors influence the final mobile app development cost.
Since weโre discussing price benchmarks, letโs explore prices for different mobile app types. Below, youโll find a table exploring various app types and their approximate prices and development timelines, all influenced by your decisions, expensive phases, cost of app design, and more.
App Type | Estimate cost, $ thousands | Estimate timeline in working hours |
Mobile App | 30โ300 | 1,200โ1,300 |
iPhone App | 55โ300 | |
Android App | 50โ300 | |
Web App | 60โ300 | |
Startup App | 40โ400 | 1,600โ1,800 |
Cab App | 50โ400 | |
Gaming App | 60โ250 | |
Retail App | 50โ150 | 1,200โ1,300 |
AR App | 100โ250 | 1,600โ1,800 |
E-commerce App | 60โ250 | |
Social Media App | 50โ300 | 1,200โ1,300 |
Industry-Specific App | 50โ200 | |
Educational App | 60โ225 | 900โ1,100 |
Streaming App | 80โ300 | 1,600โ1,800 |
Restaurant App | 40โ150 | 900โ1,100 |
Community/Forum App | 18โ150 | |
Shopping App | 30โ180 | |
Dating App | 50โ350 | 1,400โ1,600 |
Delivery App | 40โ150 | 900โ1,100 |
Hybrid App | 40โ200 | 1,200โ1,300 |
Medical App | 55โ300 | |
Typical App | 40โ300 |
Your app development budget will change according to which platform you choose. We already discussed this subject in the influential subjects section, but hereโs a table that describes the approximate pricing of an app development project for various platforms.
OS Platform | Estimate cost, $ thousands |
iOS | 75-500 |
Android | 50-500 |
Hybrid | 90-700 |
Last but not least, your app development budget will also be affected by the geographical location of your app developers and the whole development team composition. In case you decide to outsource the development, youโll also need to consider geographical locations when drafting a budget.
Geographical Location | Simple App Cost | Medium App Cost | Complex App Cost | Average Hourly Rate |
United States | $25,000 โ $60,000 | $60,000 โ $120,000 | $150,000 โ $300,000+ | $100 โ $250/hr |
Western Europe | $20,000 โ $60,000 | $50,000 โ $150,000 | $100,000 โ $250,000 | $80 โ $200/hr |
Eastern Europe | $10,000 โ $30,000 | $30,000 โ $80,000 | $50,000 โ $150,000 | $30 โ $70/hr |
Middle East | $20,000 โ $60,000 | $40,000 โ $120,000 | $80,000 โ $200,000 | $40 โ $150/hr |
Africa | $10,000 โ $30,000 | $20,000 โ $80,000 | $50,000 โ $150,000 | $20 โ $50/hr |
India | $5,000 โ $10,000 | $10,000 โ $30,000 | $30,000 โ $100,000 | $20 โ $50/hr |
Australia | $20,000 โ $60,000 | $40,000 โ $120,000 | $80,000 โ $250,000 | $50 โ $150/hr |
What better way to showcase how mobile app pricing works than showing you how these successful applications were developed and how much time and budget it took to finalize the process?
In this section of the article, weโre going to discuss five famous and successful applications from different industries with different functionalities:
Tinder
Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps on the market. Itโs popular among various audiences, and when business owners are looking for dating app development services, they often ask if we can develop an app similar to Tinder. Thatโs why, in this guide, we offer you an approximate outlook on Tinderโs development budget and timeline.
Tinder started as a simple minimum viable product (MVP) in 2012 and only had swiping and matching features. Over time, it developed and included video chatting, subscriptions, recommendations, and personalized push notifications. We can suggest that developing this app costs somewhere around $50,000 to $100,000, including all updates and changes.
Ikea
IKEA developed its app to improve shoppersโ experience and make shopping more available. While the company hasnโt shared the exact app development budget with the public, we can assume that the development price would be around $50,000 to $300,000.
The price, in this case, also depends on the complexity of the features and design phase. For example, developing AR and 3D graphics can cost $15,000 to $28,000. And thatโs only the design.
Uber
Uber is probably one of the most popular taxi apps around the world. It also has food delivery services, but according to statistical information and research, developing such an app with advanced features will cost $90,000 to $300,000 and will take 9+ months to develop.
For simpler solutions, some companies have paid $40,000 to $60,000, but considering that Uber also offers food delivery services, the price of the complete app may be even higher.
TikTok
Weโve all seen TikTok dances, trends, and parodies. This platform gained popularity at high speed and continues to retain its audience. TikTok development probably surpassed many other budget examples, but developing such a platform would cost around $70,000 and more.
Depending on the complexity of the app, it could take a few months or over a year. And donโt forget about maintenance, regulations, and updates.
Airbnb
What started as a simple loft rental became one of the most popular booking services worldwide. This mobile app has many features, including listing management, booking, payments, reviews, and more. Developing such apps from scratch would cost around $150,000 to $500,000.
For a simpler solution, the prices can start from $75,000, but youโll be safer if you discuss this with your development service provider, just to be sure.
So, how much does it cost to develop such apps? Even though the companies donโt share exact prices and we can only speculate how much money and time it took to develop such mobile apps, we can, at least, approximately tell you how much it will take to develop similar apps for you.
Again, the prices are heavily influenced by several factors. For example, if you remove AR from IKEAโs application, youโll probably cut down around $15,000 from the budget. However, if you add custom-made AI-powered chatbots, youโll probably be paying around $5000-10,000, depending on which development approach you decide on (outsourced or in-house development).
If youโre interested in developing mobile apps, we recommend reading our article about real estate mobile app development for industry-specific app development.
Once again, weโre asking the question, how much does it cost to develop a mobile app? As you mightโve already guessed, this question will be followed by further questions, and youโre the one who can answer them. In this section of the article, weโll explore how you can calculate the cost of your app development with a few simple steps.
Weโll also teach you how to avoid the hidden app development costs that we mentioned earlier, how to use mobile app development cost calculators, and more.
Thereโs no sure way of knowing the mobile app cost, but we can estimate your budget with cost calculators. How do these calculators work? App cost calculators are specifically designed for you to estimate the budget by answering a few questions about your app idea, industry, complexity, specifics, design elements, and so on.
We designed this original app development cost calculator to help our clients and business owners draft their initial app budget. To calculate the cost, youโll need to answer the questions we provided earlier when guiding you on DIY cost calculation.
Doesnโt matter if youโre developing gaming apps, hybrid apps, native apps, android apps, iOS apps, or simple minimum viable product; we can help you calculate the initial cost of app development and suggest the timeline as well.
When we explored the development stages and process, we mentioned that there were some hidden costs to application development. This goes for every software development, as a matter of fact.
So what does it mean to have hidden costs, and how much does it cost to develop a mobile app if youโre unsure about the initially estimated cost?
Additional expenses happen when changes occur in your app development project. This happens when you havenโt defined initial requirements properly and are faced with changing the tech stack or leaving some of the desired features out because of the skill gap in the team.
One of the most significant cases of additional expenses happens when your app developer undervalues the complexity of the features. This happens quite often, especially when working with individual freelancers. Integrating basic features like push notifications may seem like an easy task, so sometimes, developers may incorrectly provide the timeline of the project and face some challenges when implementing more advanced notification features. Such mistakes can lead to longer development time and higher costs if youโre paying per hour.
Sometimes, marketing and app deployment fees get overlooked. Itโs a natural mistake that happens when youโre developing your native app in-house. Sometimes, teams have skill gaps or are too busy with more important processes. If you want to develop an app, we recommend working with professionals who provide full-stack app development services, including marketing and monetizing.
So, how to avoid hidden costs?
If you follow these recommendations, you wonโt see any hidden costs during the mobile development process.
Now, onto more descriptive subjects. Letโs discuss the cost of hiring an app developer. The answer depends on various factors: geographic location, experience level, complexity of the project, hiring models, and so on.
Youโre probably looking for app developers on freelance platforms and job boards. If youโre planning to hire a developer for a one-time project, a freelancer is the best choice for you. However, if youโre looking for a dedicated team member, youโre probably building a whole recruitment plan.
Letโs discuss the numbers. For example, hiring a developer in North America (USA, Canada) will cost you around $100 to $250. However, Eastern European (Ukraine, Poland) developers typically offer a lower rate of $30-70 per hour.
Youโll also notice differences between rates according to the experience level. For example, you can hire an app developer for $20 on Upwork if youโre looking for a junior.
This table illustrates the differences between costs:
Factor | Details | Cost Range |
Geographic Location | North America: Highest rates due to demand and cost of living | $100 โ $250 per hour |
Western Europe: High rates, slightly lower than North America | $80 โ $200 per hour | |
Eastern Europe: More affordable, known for quality developers | $30 โ $70 per hour | |
Asia (India, China, SEA): Most cost-effective region | $20 โ $50 per hour | |
Experience Level | Junior Developers (0-2 years): Lower cost, limited experience | $30 โ $60 per hour (NA); $15 โ $30 per hour (Asia) |
Mid-Level Developers (2-5 years): Balanced cost and experience | $60 โ $120 per hour (NA); $30 โ $50 per hour (Asia) | |
Senior Developers (5+ years): High expertise, higher cost | $100 โ $200 per hour (NA); $50 โ $100 per hour (Asia) | |
Hiring Model | Freelancers: Flexibility, often more cost-effective | $30 โ $150 per hour |
In-House Developers: Full-time, additional costs for benefits | $60,000 โ $150,000 annually + benefits | |
Outsourcing to Agencies: Comprehensive service, cost depends on scope | $50,000 โ $500,000 per project |
The process of determining the cost of outsourcing your app development project is similar in this case as well. Geographical location, experience level of developers, project complexity, and collaboration models also have a significant impact on the mobile app development price.
One of the most significant influential factors is the geographical location. It shouldnโt be a surprise if we tell you that the most costly option is hiring such a company in North America and Western Europe. Asia and Eastern Europe offer lower prices. For example, if you hire an outsourcing app development partner in Ukraine, youโll have to pay an hourly rate of $30-40 (minimum) and around $16,000 per project (depending on the complexity).
One of the most comfortable factors when working with such a company is the flexibility within collaboration models.
If you already have an in-house team and youโre looking for someone whoโll fill in the skill gaps, we also offer various collaboration models and outstaffing services. You can hire a professional developer from Glorium Technologiesโ vast talent pool.
A decision, companies often have to make, is whether to hire an in-house team, fill in the skill gaps of existing teams, or outsource the mobile development process. According to the FreshBooks Survey, 66% of small businesses and startups outsource certain tasks to other companies.
In this section of our article, weโre going to explore the advantages and benefits of working with an outsourcing company with experienced developers, UX designers, QA engineers, and dedicated project managers.
Glorium Technologies is an outsourcing mobile development and experienced software development company with 14+ years of expertise in developing industry-specific apps. Weโve had the pleasure of working with various interesting clients and building creative, successful apps from scratch.
We often work with business owners who come to us to develop their apps from scratch and with clients who ask us for app maintenance costs, app cost validation, and adjustments. Coming from this, we can safely assume that most mistakes are made and hidden costs occur when companies work with freelancers or overlook the skill gaps in their teams.
In this section of our guide, weโll explore how you can avoid such mistakes and cut down on the app cost by working with an app development outsourcing agency like Glorium Technologies.
The first benefit of collaborating with a mobile app development company is the opportunity to find experienced employees in creating applications, including UX/UI design, programming languages, and quality assurance. Professional team members have years of experience with development, testing for bug fixing, and app maintenance. This means theyโre less likely to make mistakes and cost you hidden or unexpected charges.
Itโs also an advantage for you to work with such professionals since they can include exact features that you have in mind without a hassle, including personalized push notifications, an attractive mobile app design, an intuitive user interface, and more.
You can easily build an Android native app, an iOS app, or a hybrid app without worrying about the appโs complexity.
How much does it cost to adjust your mobile app to environmental changes and technological advancements if itโs not custom-made and is just off-the-shelf? Or, how much does it cost to make changes to your Android and iOS apps if you only hired a freelancer for a one-time project?
Average cost of app development is already unstable to begin with, and such changes can increase and significantly influence the final budget (including app maintenance). Thatโs why we recommend developing an app with professionals who donโt have issues with the appโs complexity and can build you an application that grows alongside your business.
Businesses are very fluid, and as the industries develop, they grow as well. Your application needs to be scalable and flexible for it to grow alongside your company. Professional app development outsourcing agencies build scalable products and offer flexible collaboration models for future adjustments.
We already discussed this subject, but the initial app development cost increases with the mistakes made in the initial evaluation. Freelancers and in-house project managers who donโt have experience in developing industry-specific mobile apps often make mistakes when breaking down initial app development costs.
App development companies, on the other hand, offer detailed cost breakdown and rough estimates so you can develop an app knowing how much youโre spending on it. Remember, various reports state that one of the influential challenges during mobile app development process is the high price, which can be avoided by working with professionals.
One of the most significant reasons why companies choose to outsource their app development to professionals is the time exchange. Let us explain this better.
Imagine youโre building a team for your app development project, yet you donโt have all the necessary professionals, so you address your recruitment department. Hiring and onboarding a new employee will take several months; assigning the project manager and setting the agile project management budget and methodologies will also add time and money to that.
App development companies, on the other hand, offer full-stack services, including all the necessary professionals for your app development project. This means that you can delegate challenging tasks such as tech team management, design, and development to a professional, and at the same time, you have more time to focus on what matters the most โ crucial business operations.
App development outsourcing also aids in managing risks that may be associated with the project. Large-scale app development companies have streamlined processes and efficient work frameworks to identify issues that may arise and apply solutions in the shortest time possible.
In the current business world, this approach of risk management can help business organizations to a greater extent by saving the businesses a lot of money that would otherwise have been spent unnecessarily on furthering project time, additional expenses, and non-conformity to regulatory standards. By hiring an entire team of developers, businesses can be assured the app is built to the highest quality and avoid wasting money and getting a lower ROI.
Although there are many offers for the software industry, it is possible to get confused and choose the wrong strategy for selecting a contractor. To avoid making a mistake in choosing the right person for your job, stick to the recommendations given below.
Thereโs no point in contacting an app development outsourcing company if you donโt know the basic technical requirements of app development. Yes, you can receive an initial app development cost estimate, but you have to make sure youโre working with a transparent company.
Research the stages of app development (like we mentioned above) or scroll up to see the approximate timelines and stages. Know what typical tech stack is used for an iOS or Android app (e.x. React native, Swift, Xcode, etc.), how different app stores require different documentation, and so on.
If you canโt find a portfolio or the company doesnโt provide it, we wouldnโt recommend working with them. Some agencies are new to the market, and collectively, they might not have experience, but separately, theyโve worked with lots of clients, but itโs extremely difficult to determine if itโs true, so prioritize app development outsourcing companies with portfolios and client reviews.
Exploring their portfolios will help you understand their approach, their expertise, and their clientele and help you decide whether you want to work with them or not. Make sure to look for client onboarding roadmaps, case success stories, tech stack used, initial problems, final results, and other necessary information.
We can not highlight this enough โ donโt neglect the need for personal initial consultation. These consultations will give you information that canโt be found on any websites, email sequences, and articles. Besides the company information, you may be able to find out the initial app development cost.
We always offer our potential clients and those who are interested in app development a free consultation with no strings attached. We believe that every project is unique, and a one-for-all type of approach wonโt work for all applications. Thatโs why we recommend scheduling an initial interview with your potential app development partner, where youโll find out more about the company, its approach, and its team members and will have enough information to decide.
Donโt forget about privacy and their compliance with regulations and industry-wide standards. Development cost can grow significantly if your app doesnโt adhere to industry-specific regulations.
Additionally, request an NDA signing to make sure your intellectual property stays with you.
We at Glorium Technologies have been helping companies embody their mobile app ideas. We have been collectively doing this for 14 years, but our experienced developers, intuitive UX designers, and professional project managers have done this independently for many years.
We bring extensive and industry-specific experience to your company and offer flexible collaboration models for your unique company requirements.
You can outsource the mobile app development process completely and focus on your core business. You can also fill in the gaps in your in-house team, hire our developers, etc.
Schedule a free consultation with us today and ask as many questions as you like. Youโll speak to our experts in software development, receive rough estimates of mobile app development costs, discuss timelines, and more.
Yes. You can build an app for free without working with a mobile app development company. If you donโt have resources for an initial app development cost, you can use free development platforms and code with free tools.
However, we donโt recommend building an app with this approach since there will be many limitations, including increased mobile application development costs in the future when youโll have to scale and improve your application.
Yes. Mobile application development costs can increase or decrease depending on the industry youโre working in. For example, restaurant and cafe applications often require special tools, and the final development cost may reach $40,000-50,000. For applications with AR software, your development cost will be around $100,000-250,000.
Another example is the healthcare industry. This sector requires strict and industry-specific regulation compliance, which can increase mobile application development costs in comparison with apps in other industries.
The final development cost estimate is influenced by a lot of factors, but generally, iOS development is slightly more expensive than Android development. To be sure, we recommend checking in with your entire team and calculate the final cost. There are also slight differences between app stores and their regulations, which can influence both the mobile app development price and the development approach.
Yes. There are several approaches you can take to monetize your application. You can include in-app purchases, subscription models, advertising, and premium and core features. Which approach you choose depends on your goals and your user base.