“How much does an app cost?” has no short answer, because “an app” can be almost anything. An app where customers book a class, an app field engineers use to fill in job sheets and a platform where thousands of users trade with each other have little in common apart from the icon on your phone. The price follows from what the app has to do, for whom, on which devices and with which systems it talks.
This guide contains no project amounts. An amount without a scope is extra risky for an app, because every unclear point in the first version carries through into everything that follows. What you will read is what drives the price, which kind of app fits your question, which costs continue, where the hidden items are and how to compare quotes.
Why do app prices vary so much?
Most of the work in an app is not in the screens you see. It sits in accounts and permissions, in the data moving between phone and server, in the integrations with your systems and in every situation that goes differently than planned: no connection, an expired payment, a user who drops out halfway.
Two quotes can therefore be far apart because they build different things. One counts a few screens without an admin area, the other a complete app including admin, notifications and publication in the stores. So compare what gets built first, and only then the amount.
What determines the price of an app?
These are the factors that set the size of an app. The more of them sit at the heavy end, the bigger the project.
Which kind of app fits your question?
Not every question needs an app in the stores. Sometimes a web app in the browser is enough, sometimes an app on the phone is the whole point. The table helps you choose and shows where the work sits.
| Kind of app | Where most of the work sits | In the stores | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web app in the browser | Screens, accounts and data | No | Internal tools and portals used mainly on a computer |
| Installable web app | As a web app, plus installing to the home screen and limited notifications | No | Returning customers who do not want to download an app |
| App for iPhone and Android | Platform guidelines, notifications, publication and updates | Yes | Customers you want to reach daily or weekly |
| Internal app for staff | Roles, working offline and integrations with your systems | Sometimes | Teams on the move, such as field engineers or couriers |
| App with admin area and payments | Accounts, payments, admin and every exception | Yes | Products where customers book, buy or subscribe |
Torn between a web app and an app in the stores? Read PWA or native app. If it is mainly a tool in the browser, having a web app built: costs, scope and pitfalls will help further.
Which choices make an app more or less expensive?
You mainly steer the price with the first version. An app that does one task very well is built faster, tested faster and in users’ hands sooner than an app that wants to do everything at once.
- Cheaper: starting with one core flow, such as booking or filling in a job sheet, and expanding once that flow works.
- Cheaper: one shared foundation for iPhone, Android and desktop instead of a separate app per platform.
- Cheaper: a web app if it is mainly used on a computer and notifications play no leading role.
- More expensive: working offline, with data that has to sync later without conflicts.
- More expensive: payments and subscriptions in the app, with the store rules on top.
- More expensive: many roles and permissions, or an admin area with reports.
- More expensive, but often worth it: a clickable prototype up front. It costs something, but you test the idea on your own phone before anything is built.
Which costs come back after release?
An app is never finished. Phones get new operating system versions, the stores change their rules and users ask for improvements. These are the kinds of costs that continue.
- Hosting: the server that data, accounts and notifications come from.
- Developer accounts: the stores charge a fee for a developer account, under their own terms.
- Updates for new versions: new versions of iOS and Android sometimes need changes to keep everything working.
- Maintenance and security: security updates, backups and monitoring that the app and server stay available.
- Third-party services: such as a payment provider, maps or text messages, each with its own rates.
- Further development: new features and improvements based on how the app is used.
Include these items when you compare quotes. An app without agreements on hosting, maintenance and updates ages quickly, and then you pay later anyway.
Where are the hidden costs of an app?
With apps we see the same items appear afterwards again and again. Ask about them up front and they end up in the proposal instead of on a later invoice.
- The admin area: the app is done, but nobody can manage users or change content without calling a developer.
- Store review: a rejection by the stores means changes and another round. Knowing the review prevents most of it.
- Device testing: an app has to work on old and new phones, small and large screens. That testing is not always in the quote.
- Privacy and permissions: access to location, camera or notifications needs consent and explanation, and the stores ask for a privacy statement.
- Content in the app: copy, first-run explanations and store listings in every language.
- User support: questions from users about signing in or paying end up somewhere. Decide where up front.
How do you compare app quotes?
Line up quotes on what gets built and what happens after release. Ask every party the same questions.
How do you get from an idea to a reliable price?
A reliable price is only possible once it is clear who uses the app, what it needs to do and which systems it talks to. Put those points on paper before you request quotes.
- 1. Users and goal: who opens the app, how often and to do what?
- 2. Core flow: which task must the first version do very well, and what can wait?
- 3. Systems and data: which integrations are needed and which data the app uses.
- 4. Proposal: ask for a fixed scope, timeline and price, with the assumptions spelled out, and preferably a clickable prototype you test on your own phone.
Agree that extra work only goes ahead with your approval, so there is no surprise invoicing afterwards.
Do you really need your own app?
Is your idea about something many businesses do, such as online booking, a class schedule, quotes, planning, job sheets or invoices with a payment link? Then your own app is often not needed. Vorlyo does not build standalone apps, but provides software per industry that already runs and is set up for your business. The software is a one-off investment. After that you pay a fixed monthly licence for hosting, updates and support. Your customers book and pay through your website, without an app in the stores.
Frequently asked questions about app costs
How much does it cost to build an app?
It depends on the platforms, flows, accounts and roles, integrations, payments and the admin area. An amount without a scope says little: ask for a price with the assumptions listed.
What does an app cost per month?
Hosting, maintenance, updates for new operating systems and further development, plus the stores’ fee for developer accounts. Ask the builder what those items cost per month.
Is an app for iPhone and Android twice as expensive?
Not if both come from one shared foundation. Each platform does need its own tests, guidelines and publication, so a second platform is not free.
Is a web app cheaper than an app in the stores?
Often, because publication, store review and platform guidelines fall away. Whether a web app is enough depends on how your users use the app and how important notifications are.
What is an MVP, and does it save money?
An MVP is a first version with only the core flow. You save on the first build and learn from real users before expanding. It is still a complete app, not half a product.
Who handles publication in the stores?
Usually the party that builds the app: the review, the developer accounts and every update. Agree on that up front. The fee the stores charge for a developer account runs through those stores.
Do I need to keep maintaining the app after launch?
Yes. New versions of iOS and Android and changing store rules require maintenance. So agree up front who does that maintenance and what it costs per month.
What happens if I want to add something halfway?
The builder should first discuss what it is and what it costs. Extra work only goes ahead with your approval.
Does Vorlyo build apps too?
No. We do not build standalone apps for iPhone or Android. We provide software per industry, and we build and host websites and online stores. For online booking, class schedules, planning, job sheets, quotes and invoices, that is often the alternative to your own app.
What should I prepare for a conversation with a builder?
Who will use the app, the task it has to solve, the systems you already have and any apps you see as an example. A detailed plan is not needed.