Where will your app run?
Platform choice is a huge cost driver — building twice (iOS and Android) costs more than building once.
How will you build it?
This choice alone can swing your budget by 100×. There's no wrong answer — only trade-offs.
What features do you need at launch?
Tick everything you want in version 1.0. You can always add features later — launching lean is cheaper.
Design level & expected users
Polish isn't free — and your user count decides how much backend capacity you need to pay for.
Your app cost estimate
Where the money goes
| Item | Details | One-time | Per year |
|---|
Ranges reflect typical 2025–2026 US market pricing for each build approach. App Store ($99/yr) and Play Store ($25 one-time) developer fees, backend hosting, and third-party services are the costs founders forget — they're all itemized above. Your actual quotes will vary — use this to sanity-check any quote you receive.
Your cheapest path to launch 🚀
Based on your answers, here's what we'd do in your shoes — with the exact tools to start with.
App cost FAQs
Why do quotes for the "same" app range from $5,000 to $150,000?
Because you're not buying the same thing. A $5,000 app is typically a no-code build or a simple freelancer project; a $150,000 app is a native, two-platform product built by an agency with custom design, backend, QA, and App Store management. Complexity, platform count, and who's building it are the three levers. The calculator above shows where each approach lands.
Can a no-code builder really make a real app?
For a surprising range of apps, yes. No-code platforms like Bubble and Adalo handle user accounts, payments, databases, and push notifications — enough to validate an idea with real users for a few hundred dollars a year. The trade-offs: less performance headroom, platform lock-in, and limited support for unusual features (heavy offline use, complex animations, Bluetooth, etc.). Validate first, rebuild native later if revenue justifies it.
What yearly costs do app founders forget?
Three things: (1) the Apple Developer Program fee ($99/year, every year — your app can't stay in the store without it); (2) backend/database costs that scale with users; and (3) third-party APIs — AI features, maps, and SMS all meter by usage and can jump from pennies to hundreds per month as you grow. Always price the running cost, not just the build.
Should I build iOS and Android at the same time?
Only if your audience is split and you can afford it. Fully native development roughly doubles the build cost — two codebases, two QA passes. Cross-platform frameworks (Flutter, React Native) or no-code builders let you ship to both stores from one codebase. A common lean play: launch on one platform, prove demand, then expand.
How accurate is this calculator?
It's built from typical 2025–2026 US market ranges for each approach and feature — good enough to budget and to spot an inflated quote. It can't replace a real quote for custom work, but if a developer quotes you 5× the top of your range here, ask exactly why.