The honest answer is a wide range, and most of the spread comes from two things: what the app has to do, and who is building it. A guest guide with your own content costs a fraction of an app with client accounts and payments. Here is how to read the numbers.
How much does it cost to build an app for my business?
Most published guides are written by development agencies with a stake in the figure, so lean on a neutral source. Clutch, which collects client reviews of app developers, reports that most projects it tracks fall between $10,000 and $49,999, while its average is far higher, about $90,780, because a minority of very large projects pull the mean up.
Treat every range as rough. They describe different kinds of apps, and the big averages usually reflect funded startups building products, not a local business building a tool for its clients. A small business is normally asking for something much narrower, and should expect a price near the lower end.
What makes an app cost more?
Four things move the price most:
- Sign-in. An app that knows who each person is needs accounts, passwords or email links, and a safe place to keep their information.
- Live information. Anything that changes, such as bookings, order status or messages, needs a back end that someone maintains.
- Payments. Taking money adds security rules, testing and store review.
- Platforms. iPhone, Android or both, each with its own build and store listing.
A guide for visitors, with maps, places, your story and contact buttons, avoids most of these. That is why it costs less than a client portal.
How much does an iPhone app cost compared with iPhone and Android?
Less, because it is one build and one listing. Most small businesses sensibly start on iPhone and add Android when clients ask for it. If you know both are needed from the start, building them together is cheaper than doing it twice.
What does an app cost after it is built?
This is the part people forget. Apple's developer programme costs $99 a year, and Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration. Both should be in your name, not your developer's, so the listing is always yours.
Then there is upkeep. Phones update every year, and an app that is not kept current eventually breaks. Ask what care costs each month and exactly what it covers, before you agree to the build.
Why not use an app builder?
Builders suit some people: results for this search include plenty of tools priced from a few dollars a month. A builder can be a sensible way to test an idea. A studio earns its fee when the app has to feel like your business, hold clients' information carefully and be looked after for years. If you only need a quick experiment, a builder may be enough, and we will say so.
How do you judge a quote?
- Is the price fixed, and is it for a defined list of screens and features?
- Who owns the code, the store listings and the developer accounts?
- What is included after launch, and what does it cost each month?
- What happens if the scope changes? It should be agreed in writing first.
- Can you see a real app the studio has built, on a real phone?
- Will the person you speak to also be doing the work?
How we price it
At Bay House Digital in Annapolis, every app ends in a fixed-price proposal. The iPhone App starts from $12,500, iPhone and Android from $25,000, and an app with an AI agent working behind it from $35,000. Care after launch is optional, from $450 a month, covering updates for new iPhone and Android releases, fixes and small changes. Store fees are paid in your name. You can try two apps we built, The Strohm House and Belly Rubs!, and see the full list on our pricing page.
Common questions
How much does a simple app cost to build?
Clutch, which collects client reviews of app developers, reports that most projects fall between $10,000 and $49,999. A simple app sits near the lower end, depending on the features and who builds it. A few screens, your own content and no sign-in sit at the low end; accounts, payments and live data push the price up.
Is it cheaper to build an app for iPhone only?
Yes. One platform is one build, one set of tests and one store listing. Many small businesses start with iPhone, then add Android once they know how the app is used. Building both at once costs less than building them separately later, but only if both are needed on day one.
What does an app cost after it launches?
Apple charges $99 a year to publish and Google charges $25 once. Beyond that, phones update every year, so an app needs occasional fixes to keep working. Ask any studio for the monthly price of that care before you agree to build.
