Number of distinct screens and flows
Every user journey — sign-up, booking, checkout, admin — is design, code and testing. The count of real flows is the best single predictor of cost.
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App cost guide
How much does it cost
to make an app in 2026?
Short answer: anywhere from under a thousand to several hundred thousand dollars, which is useless until you know what drives the number. Here are the five factors that decide the price, what typical US quotes look like, and our own published prices.
What sets the price
Five things that
decide the number
Native, cross-platform or web app
Two native apps cost more than one cross-platform app, which costs more than an installable web app. The right choice depends on what the app must do on the phone.
Integrations
Payments, maps, your CRM, POS or ERP. Each integration is predictable when the other system has a good API, and expensive when it does not.
Back office
Most apps need an admin panel to manage users, content and orders. It is often a third of the work and often forgotten in early estimates.
Who builds it, and where
A big-city US agency, a freelancer, an offshore team and a European studio can quote the same app very differently. Rates are driven by overhead and location as much as by skill.
Maintenance after launch
Operating system updates, store requirements, hosting and small fixes. Budget for it every year.
Typical ranges
What US quotes
usually look like
Published industry surveys and agency price lists in the US commonly put a simple app in the tens of thousands of dollars, a typical business app with integrations at several tens of thousands, and complex consumer or marketplace apps well into six figures. The spread is wide because "an app" covers very different things.
Hourly rates explain much of it: big-city US agencies bill senior developers at rates that reflect big-city salaries and rent. Offshore teams bill far less per hour but often more in coordination time.
Our published prices, for comparison: a ready-made web app from €750 one-off or €50 a month; custom software from €1,500 for a focused first stage; and every custom app quoted at a fixed price per stage, in writing, after a free call. Most focused business apps land in the low five figures in euros.
How to spend less
Cut the cost,
not the quality
- Start with one flowBuild the single journey that proves the app is useful. Add the rest once real users ask for it.
- Consider a web appIf users are your own staff or customers who log in, an installable web app avoids two native codebases and store reviews.
- Buy what is commodityPayments, authentication, maps and notifications are services, not things to build from scratch.
- Insist on a fixed price per stageIt forces clear scope and protects you from projects that never end.
- Own the codeCode in your repository and IP assigned to you, so you can change suppliers without starting over.
FAQ
Quick answers.
How much does a simple app cost?
With us, a ready-made web app starts from €750 and custom work from €1,500 for a first stage. US agency quotes for simple native apps commonly start in the tens of thousands of dollars.
How long does it take to build an app?
A focused first version typically takes six to ten weeks; larger apps are built in stages over several months.
Is it cheaper to build a web app than a native app?
Usually, yes: one codebase, no store review, instant updates. Go native when you need store presence or deep device features.
How much does app maintenance cost per year?
Plan for hosting, store fees and a yearly update budget. Our web apps on the monthly plan include hosting, updates and support.
Want a real number for your project?
Thirty minutes on a call: we look at what you need and give you a fixed price in writing, with no obligation.
Book a free callRelated pages
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Pricing