App development cost in 2026

How we size a first version

We sort every first version into one of three sizes before we price it. Size is about scope, not ambition.

• Lean covers one core workflow, one user type, sign-in, and the handful of screens needed to prove the idea. Design is $3,000; it ships in about 5 weeks.
• Standard covers two or three user types, a richer workflow, notifications, settings, and the polish a paying customer expects. Design is $5,000; about 8 weeks.
• Large covers several roles, many workflows, reporting, and enough depth for an operating business. Design is $8,000; about 12 weeks.

Most founders we work with land on lean or standard. Large is common when a business is moving an existing operation onto software.

Web, mobile, or both

Platform is the second axis. Build alone is $6,000 to $18,000 for web, $8,000 to $22,000 for iOS and Android, and $12,000 to $32,000 for all three. Mobile costs more because of store reviews, device testing, push notifications, and offline states. Doing both together costs less than two separate builds because the backend, design system, and much of the code are shared through React Native.

If your users sit at a desk, start with web. If they are on the move, or the product depends on the camera, location, or notifications, start with mobile.

What moves the number

Five things change a quote more than anything else:

• Design depth. A clean, standard interface stays inside the size price. Custom illustration, motion, or a brand system from scratch adds time.
• Payments add $2,500: Stripe checkout or subscriptions, receipts, refunds, and failed-payment handling.
• An admin panel adds $3,500: a back office for your team to manage users, content, orders, and support.
• An AI feature adds $4,500: one well-scoped feature such as summarizing, drafting, search, or classification, with guardrails and cost controls.
• Integrations add $3,000 each: a CRM, an accounting tool, a calendar, a shipping provider, or your own legacy system.

Things that do not move the number much: the number of marketing pages, light branding changes, and analytics setup.

Fixed price or hourly

Hourly billing puts the risk of slow work on you. Fixed price puts it on us. We quote a fixed price because a first version has a clear finish line, and because founders need a number they can raise money against.

Fixed price works when scope is written down. That is why the first milestone is a signed plan listing every screen and workflow. If you want to add something mid-build, we price the change in writing before anyone starts on it, and you decide whether it goes in now or after launch.

After launch, ongoing work moves to a monthly care plan from $1,000, or to dedicated engineers at $8,500 per engineer per month, billed per two-week sprint.

How the four milestones work

Every fixed-price build is paid in four equal milestones, each tied to something you can see and use:

1. Plan signed. Scope, screens, and the delivery calendar are agreed in writing. The first payment starts design.
2. Design approved. You click through the full design on your phone before a line of production code is written.
3. Working build. The app runs on your devices with real data, and you test it against the agreed scope.
4. Launch. The app is live in the stores or on your domain, the code is in your repository, and handover is done.

If a milestone slips because of us, the next payment waits. You never pay ahead of the work.

What is included in every price

Every quote includes product design, the build, testing on real devices, store submission for mobile, deployment to your own cloud account, and a handover session. You own the code and the accounts from day one. You get a written weekly plan, a daily update, and a demo every Friday, so you always know where the money is going.

Before your first call

You get a firmer number faster if you bring three things: who the first users are, the one job they must be able to do on day one, and any outside system the app has to talk to. Sketches, screenshots of apps you like, or a spreadsheet you want to replace all help. On the call we place your idea in the table above, name the extras it needs, and tell you what we would leave out. You leave with a written range the same day and a fixed quote within two business days.

Questions founders ask