How Much Does an App Development Cost in 2025? [Your Guide]
Do you want to build a mobile application for your business? The very first question you would have is – how much does it cost to develop an app from scratch?
The cost of mobile apps depends on several factors. Here is a quick answer on application development costs based on their complexity.
- Simple Mobile App -$10,000 to $15,000
- Mid-size Mobile App -$20,000 to $30,000
- Large-size Mobile App -$40,000 to $50,000
- Complex Mobile App -$75,000 to $90,000
- Enterprise-level Mobile App – Starts from $90,000
As the market of mobile apps is increasing, being an appreneur, you want to leverage this opportunity. A report by BusinessInsider estimates that the mobile application market size will reach $366.34 billion by 2027.
If you are looking for a complete mobile app development cost breakdown, read this article to get answers to your questions.
By the end of this blog, you will get to know the factors affecting the custom app development cost. Also, you will learn about how much it costs to create an app, especially mobile apps like social media, game apps, and on-demand apps. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
App Development Cost: The Metrics
As the mobile app adoption has increased rapidly so does the increase of tech startups. Billions of people use smartphone apps that make it easy and quick to do a portion of their everyday tasks.
Let’s look at the Clutch industry surveys on mobile application development by timeline and average cost of app development.
- The average cost to make an app is around $37,912 to $171,450 at a standard rate of $150/hour.
- This can increase to $727,500 for complex enterprise apps based on the functionality to be implemented.
- The minimum budget size for app development starts from $5,000 to $10,000 per app, although the actual cost of creating an app is likely to be more than that.
There are no perfect mobile application cost calculators, but you can still calculate it by using a simple formula (refer it as an app development cost calculator), which is as follows:
However, the above-mentioned quotations are also provided based on the three main cost factors that impact the cost range. These factors will determine the final price range of your app development project. Here’re the factors.
- The objective of your mobile app
- Gathering business requirements
- Functional and features requirements
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How Much Does an App Development Cost? [Quick Answer]
The cost of app development ranges from $10,000 to $2,10,000 and also depends on the application complexity. Check the following table to know more.
| Mobile App Complexity | App Development Timeline | Estimate App Creation Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Mobile App | 3 – 4 months | $10,000 – $15,000 |
| Mid-size Mobile App | 4 – 7 months | $20,000 – $30,000 |
| Large-size Mobile App | 5 – 9 months | $40,000 – $50,000 |
| Complex Mobile App | 6 – 10 months | $75,000 – $90,000 |
| Enterprise-level Mobile App | 8 – 12 months | Starts from $90,000 |
Let’s now bifurcate the app building cost by stages and calculate the average cost of an app development project.
How Much Does Each Phase of App Development Cost?
Here is a table that includes phase-wide app development costs and timelines. The given information in the following table is tentative. Check the following table.
| Stage | Timeline | Cost | Importance of Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research and Analysis | 2 – 4 weeks | $3,000 – $10,000 |
|
| UI/UX Design | 4 – 8 weeks | $5,000-$20,000 |
|
| Development | 12 – 20 weeks | $30,000-$150,000 |
|
| Testing | 2 – 4 weeks | $5,000 – $20,000 |
|
| Maintenance | Ongoing | $1,000 – $5000/month |
|
As you have got a basic idea of cost, let’s now learn in detail about each phase of cost and timeline. Here you will learn information about each phase of the app development process.
-
Research and Analysis
- Cost: $3,000 – $10,000
- Timeline: 2 – 4 weeks
Business research (also known as the discovery phase) is a critical stage for any type of custom mobile app development project. Whether you are working with an outsourcing mobile app development company or hiring freelance developers, you must conduct an analysis of your project.
The business analysis team helps to come up with specifications for technologies and proper guidelines for your app development project. Here are points to help you understand the necessity of this stage. Why is the Discovery Stage Important in the App Development Process?
- Reduces app development time and cost by properly defining clear and proper requirements for your application idea.
- Following the standard process for validating your requirements so you get your final product as per your requirements.
- Creating goal-based architecture to get your application aligned with your vision and objective.
- Reduces project risks by identifying the potential risks and challenges prior to development.
- Tailored solution to your requirements as you are involved in the development of your applications.
Check the hourly rate of professionals for the discovery phase to calculate app development costs in the following table. The following table is the bifurcation of the app development timeline and the cost involved in the discovery stage.
Location Approx Timeline Approx Apps Cost Canada 2-4 weeks $40 -$80/hour United States 2-3 weeks $45 – $90/hour Latin America 1-3 weeks $30 – $80/hour Eastern Europe 1-3 weeks $35 – $90/hour Asia 1-3 weeks $30 – $50/hour In particular, it takes about two weeks to research and plan and may last up to 3-5 months in the case of large-scale projects.
UI/UX Design
- Cost: $5,000-$20,000
- Timeline: 4 – 8 weeks
UI design has always been about interaction with customers. Where UX is just all about the user experience and how users feel on a platform. Ultimately, it helps users to get:
- Effective onboarding
- User-friendly customer interaction/user experience
- Fascinating design of the product that eases the usage of the app
So, what are the hourly rates of application designers across the globe to design an application? Let’s find out.
Location Approx Hours Approx Apps Cost Canada 120 – 200 $60 – $100/hour United States 120 – 180 $60 – $110/hour Latin America 100 – 170 $45 – $55/hour Eastern Europe 100 – 170 $35 – $60/hour Asia 100 – 150 $30 – $45/hour In comparison to Android app development, the iOS UI and UX design take more time to develop. For example, designers need up to 120 hours for iOS versions and 100 hours for Android if you’re developing an app like Uber for both platforms.
App Development
- Cost: Starts from $30,000
- Timeline: Depends on the complexity of the app
This stage of programming a mobile application majorly influences the expense of developing mobile apps. To develop the backend functionalities of an app, you will need to employ one or a few iOS developers for building iOS apps and a few Android developers for building Android applications. Hiring professional app developers for both or a single platform depends on the platform you choose to release the application.
The developer’s job is to develop and deploy the app on app stores after ensuring that the app matches the app publishing guidelines and is developed as per the standard mobile app development process. So, how much does it cost for app development?
App Developer Approx Hours Approx Apps Cost Front-end 160 – 170 $80-100/hour Back-end 200 – 220 $60-90/hour The total developers’ cost also depends on their qualifications and experience. Therefore, if you want to know how much an application costs, then a quick answer is that the app cost also varies depending on the developers you hire.
Testing
- Cost: $5,000 – $20,000
- Timeline: 2 – 4 weeks
The QA engineer and QA team start testing it once app developers complete development. They verify the reliability of the system by running regression, load, smoke, and other test forms. Testing is done simultaneously with the production, and it can not be skipped. QA tests each functionality of the product in the development phase. In fact, without the final approval of the quality assurance team, an app is not released into the market. So, how much does QA charge per hour across various regions?
The developer’s job is to develop and deploy the app on app stores after ensuring that the app matches the app publishing guidelines and is developed as per the standard mobile app development process. So, how much does it cost for app development?
Locations Approx Hours Approx Apps Cost Canada 28-42 $60 – $90/hour United States 40-50 $70 – $90/hour Latin America 30-35 $35 – $50/hour Eastern Europe 30-40 $30 – $55/hour Asia 25-20 $25 – $35/hour You might be wondering how much does it cost to build an app? Logically, the cost of creating an app is closely related to the functionality of the app. App testing takes up about 30 percent of the costs of the application expended on customer-side (front-end) deployment in production.
-
Maintenance
- Cost: $1,000 – $5,000/month
- Timeline: Life-long
You have seen a phase-by-phase mobile app development process and app-making costs, but who manages all these app development stages?
The answer is project managers.
There will be a price to pay to the project management team members because they manage the whole app development process. Here are some of the responsibilities of managers:
- Coordinate with developers or service providers
- Delegate projects
- Be responsible for the production
- Solve issues
- Report to owners
Managing a project is a time-consuming operation. Some businesses charge an hourly rate, while others set fixed prices for this service. Let’s look at the details below.
Locations Approx Hours Approx Cost Canada 200-440 $60 – $100/hour United States 200 – 350 $70 – $120/hour Latin America 150 – 300 $70 – $90/hour Eastern Europe 150 – 250 $40 – $50/hour Asia 200 – 220 $35 – $50/hour The key price difference derives from the level of complexity. So, these were all answers to the question – how much does it cost to make an app? Not only this, but mobile app costs also depend entirely on your project requirements.
Moving forward, along with different phases, there are various kinds of business app categories, which result in entirely different pricing structures.
Note: There is no straightforward answer to your question – how much does an app cost? The below-given app development cost analysis is for your general understanding.
Basic App Development Cost
- App Cost: Starts from $5,000
- Duration: Four weeks to six weeks
- Examples of the Project: Calculator, Camera, Local games, SMS apps, Local audio/video players
The above examples are of simple apps that you develop with five to six app screens and simple functionalities. These apps probably don’t require a network connection.
To build an application for your business, you must be clear with your objective. So, it becomes easy to collaborate with the app development team to create an app from scratch.
Data-Based Application Development Cost
- App Cost: Starts from $15,000
- Duration: 4-6 weeks
- Examples of the Project: Calendar, Weather, Stocks, Maps
These types of apps are entirely created on a particular domain. Like the Today Weather app that uses third-party API integration to deliver accurate weather information.
You can create data-based apps and make them advanced applications by adding new features. As data-based apps require some back-end development work, these apps are more expensive than basic apps.
Authentication Application Development Cost
- App Cost: Starts from $50,000 and can be more
- Duration: 3-5 months
- Examples of the Projects: McDonald’s Loyalty App and Google Drive
Authentication apps can be quite expensive because these apps require the integration of multiple features.
In these kinds of apps, the user will have an account to access the information of the app; once the user types in the login details, it will be synchronized among devices with user data encryption. Also, to manage app users, you need to create an admin panel for a content management system and user management.
To ease the login or signup process for your authentication apps, allow users to register through social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter.
Social Media App Development Cost
- App Cost: Starts from $50,000 – $240,000 and even more
- Duration: The time duration could range from 5 to 9 months
- Examples of the Project: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yummi
Social networking apps basically mean social user engagement, discussions, information, and file-sharing (send media files). So, keep in mind that you are going to process a lot of data while designing the back-end architecture.
If you are planning to create a social media app by cloning Facebook or Instagram, then it will be of no use because your users might already use such apps. So, make your social media application unique from your competitors.
eCommerce App Development Cost
- App Cost: Starting from $50,000 to $240,000 and more
- Duration: 90 days to 6 months or more
- Examples of the Project: Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, ASOS
eCommerce applications come with all the functions like user registration, user account, and social features.
eCommerce apps are built with features like comprehensive product catalogs, a specific page for each product, and a check-out system with an online payment system feature like Google Pay, credit cards, debit cards, etc.
Developing an eCommerce application can be quite complicated because it requires extensive back-end support with a committed admin panel.
On-Demand App Development Cost
- App Cost: Starts $70,000 to $80,000 and more per app, per platform
- Duration: 5 to 7 months or more
- Examples of the Project: Uber, Uber Eats, Postmates, Nimber, Melabiz
The on-demand app development specifically came into existence to meet the demands of users. The most popular worldwide example of an on-demand app is Uber.
On-demand and social apps have similar functionality, including login and interaction-based features like chats, calls, and more. And similar to eCommerce apps, in-app ordering, delivery, and payment features are integrated.
It is always vital to have two separate applications with a balanced list of features, especially if you want the app to work on multiple platforms such as Android and iOS.
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Marketplace App Development Cost
- App Cost: $240,000 or more (web platform)
- Duration: 9 months or more
- Examples of the Project: TripAdvisor, Booking.com
These types of apps combine the basic features of eCommerce and on-demand because they work together. The objective and the concept of a marketplace app should be well stated because it involves two sides of an economy—demand and supply. The pre-development stage of an eCommerce app takes a lot of time, so the average cost of building an application is always higher.
For example, Uber (an on-demand app) is specifically about transportation services. In contrast, a B2C service-providing app like TripAdvisor covers hotels, restaurants, airline tickets, and many other services with the help of a website and native iOS and Android apps.
IoT & Hardware Application Development Cost
- App Cost: Starts from $50,000 and can be more
- Duration: From 3 to 5 months
- Examples of the Project: Amazon Dash Buttons, Beacons, and BELI Printing Service
Internet-of-Things apps, also known as IoT apps, interconnect specific hardware products or equipment to technology. Once devices are connected with technology, the physical object is called ‘smart.’ These physical items can be any object that enhances productivity or improves the way we live.
Examples of these smart items are medical tools, pet collars, and appliances for home assistance.
You need to connect the smart tools to another mobile device through WiFi or Bluetooth technology. The tools will use any connectivity options to send requests and receive data and help in data storage.
For the successful development of your app, you will need to have a device (that will serve as the platform) and detailed documentation of the device. The documentation should cover all the aspects of the app, and once you have that, you will get to know the answer to your question—how much do apps cost for iOS and Android devices?
- Simple App: Note-taking App
Imagine a straightforward note-taking app. This app is your digital notebook, letting you jot down thoughts, save them, and keep them organized. You can make different folders for your notes, format your text, and even search your notes. Creating such a simple app could take between 2 to 4 months. The price could range between $10,000 to $25,000. - Complex App: An Inclusive Health and Fitness App Now, let’s consider a more intricate app – an advanced health and fitness app. This app is like your personal health coach. This health and fitness app provides personalized workout routines and meal plans and even syncs with your wearable devices.
Moreover, tracks your sleep, helps manage stress, and provides a community platform for sharing progress and motivation. Advanced features like AI-based personal coaching could also be part of the package. Developing a health or fitness app could take around 12 months, and cost you up to $100,000.
Type of App: Native vs Hybrid App
Native apps are built only for a specific platform. That means developing a native app either for the Android or iOS platform. Also, native applications are handled independently.
How do native applications affect costs?
- Number of platforms: You need to decide which platforms your app should support. The more platforms, the higher the cost, as separate versions are required.
- Type of platform: Developing Android apps requires Java or Kotlin, while iOS apps require Objective-C or Swift, increasing development costs.
Hybrid or cross-platform apps support multiple operating systems. Using a single codebase, you can build a hybrid application for Windows, iOS, and Android.
How do hybrid applications affect costs?
- Cross-platform development reduces development costs by half.
- Single codebase for all operating systems lowers maintenance costs.
Comparison Table:
Variables Native Apps Hybrid Apps Cost Basic App – $5000-$6000 Basic App – $5000-$7000 Performance Faster response Slower response Coding maintenance High Moderate Programming languages Objective-C, iOS SDK, Java, Android SDK HTML, CSS, JavaScript Expert Opinion: Native applications are technologically superior and provide a better user experience compared to hybrid apps. Due to this, many businesses prefer native development.
- The number of platform versions like Android, iOS, or hybrid
- The number of features and functionalities you want to update
- Updating the technology of your mobile application
- Improving the quality of your mobile application code
- Integration or updating third-party dependencies
- The type of maintenance agreement you sign
- The hosting service of your mobile application
Come Up With Detailed Project Specifications
For custom mobile app development, you either need to contact a mobile app development services company or use different platforms to hire mobile app developers. If you have an idea for a mobile app, you need a development partner to bring it to life. After collaborating with an app development partner, you must provide detailed project specifications.
If your project requirements are unclear, your development team will need to conduct research and outline your idea. This stage involves market research. Providing detailed requirements to your hired app development agency reduces the developers’ workload, speeding up execution. So, when planning to build a mobile app, ensure you provide clear and detailed functional requirements.
Develop Your App With Minimum Errors and Rework
Ask your mobile development team to perform mobile app testing in parallel with development. If errors are found after completing the entire app, the development cost increases due to rework.
The more hours developers spend creating your mobile app, the higher the cost. So, when hiring a mobile app development company, ensure they conduct testing alongside development.
Wondering if testing before full development is possible? Let’s clarify.
Testing can be conducted alongside development because developers complete individual features or sections of the app, which are then tested before moving forward.
Make a Hybrid Mobile App
If you have a limited budget and want to launch an app on both platforms, consider hybrid mobile app development. Instead of building separate native apps, a hybrid app allows you to target a wider audience with a single codebase.
However, if your app heavily relies on mobile hardware, a hybrid approach may not be ideal. Choose hybrid development only if your app does not require extensive hardware functionalities. This way, you can reduce development costs without compromising app quality.
- Prepare an overview of your mobile app idea
- Conduct market research on your idea
- Decide the features and functionalities
- Know the market trends of your application idea
- Search for mobile app developers who could work as a lead in-house mobile app developers and the project manager, or find app development companies
- The custom software development company will design and develop the app
- Launch the app
- App development service
- Number of features
- Complexity of your app
- Application UI design
- Development concept
App Development Cost Estimation By Business Categories
Each mobile application project is unique since many clients have different business concepts, requirements, technologies, and development teams.
Let’s get an idea of the initial development cost of mobile applications based on different categories in the following table.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop an iPhone Application from Scratch?
The average iPhone mobile app development costs range from $25,000 to $2,00,000.
The cost of creating an iPhone app depends on multiple factors which include features, functionalities, size of the app, app category, third-party integration, size of your iPhone app development team, development time, and last but not least complexity of the iOS app.
Here is an example of a simple and complex iPhone application.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop an Android Application from Scratch?
The average Android mobile app development costs range from $15,000 to $1,00,000.
Certainly, the cost of Android apps depends on the multiple factors of the complexity, type and category of the app, app design and animation, and app deployment on the Google Play Store, app development team, hourly rates of developers, location of developers, and timeline to develop your Android application.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Cross-platform Application from Scratch?
The cost of creating a cross-platform application starts from $20,000 and goes beyond $1,00,000.
Similar to Android and iPhone app development, certain factors directly influence the cost of building a cross-platform app. Factors like code-reusability, application framework, app development team size, hourly rates of developers, app complexity, UI/UX design, and location of your team.
To get an exact cost estimation, you need to contact an app development company. The company will analyze your requirements and provide you with a complete roadmap for development.
So far, you have learned about the cost of making an app by stages and different business categories. So let’s explore how much it costs to create an app depending on various factors.
Factors Affecting the Cost of App Development
As said previously, there are factors that affect the outsource app development cost. Let’s understand each of the essential factors that influence the cost of developing an app in detail. So, it helps you to create your mobile app development budget accordingly.
Mobile App Development Cost in 2024
Just like we mentioned earlier, recent studies have shown that the answer to the question, “what is the average cost to develop an application? or how much does an Android app development cost? or how much does an iPhone app development cost?” can be as low as $5000 and as high as $500,000 based on the app types that you want to develop and the current industry standard.
With the research on how much does it cost to start an app, the conclusion is that developing an application with a major set of features may cost around $50,000 and maybe more while creating a high-end complex enterprise app costs nothing less than $240,000 and more.
Let’s now learn about the app maintenance cost in the next section.
How Much Does It Cost to Maintain an App?
Application maintenance refer to fixing bugs, improving performance, updating security measures, and updating your app with current technology to stay relevant in the market.
For example, if you have developed an app that costs you around $20,000, then its app maintenance costs based on the above formula would range from $3000 to $4000 yearly.
Here are the multiple factors that impact the application maintenance costs.
If you want to know in detail about the app maintenance cost you can read our guide on how much does it cost to maintain an app?
Next, let’s know the tips to reduce app development costs in the next section.
How to Reduce App Development Price
If you want to build an application within your budget, you must be looking for tips that help you reduce overall mobile application development costs. Well, then only you are able to develop an app within your decided app development budget. Based on research, here’re some of the tips to help you.
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FAQ About App Development Cost
How much does it cost to make an app for your business?
The average cost of developing an app is around $5000 and could go up to $500,000 and more with an enhanced version.
How much does it cost to build an app in Canada?
In Canada, app creation costs about $5,000 for the most basic mobile app. Complicated apps, on the other hand, certainly require more effort to get developed, and so does the app cost reaches over $50,000.
How much does it cost to build an app in USA?
The cost estimates for development would be around $10,000 for a simple application. However, applications with medium complexity would cost between $30,000 and $70,000 to develop, and the cost app development with complicated features goes above $70,000.
How do you estimate mobile app development costs?
App development costs depend on the size of the app, social media integration points, the role of the development team, and the number of platforms.
You need to consult the mobile app development team about all the features and business priorities of the proposed product in order to obtain an accurate calculation.
How to make an app
Get Your Personalized Cost for Creating an App
To draw the final line, the costs of building an app per platform are around $5,000 to $240,000 and can be more than that. If you are wondering, what does it cost to develop an application for my business then mentioning the exact app development costs is quite difficult to answer. However, you can use app development cost calculator to know the price range of developing an app on your idea.
The final cost for developing an app is based on the following factors:
However, you can conveniently reduce the expense if you opt for a minimum viable product. Want to know what MVP is? Check out a guide on what MVP stands for in software development. Then, upgrade your mobile app gradually after getting users’ feedback.
If you are looking for mobile app development company around Toronto, connect with us to get an exact app cost estimation for your project idea. As one of the best app development companies in Toronto, we will provide you with the best custom web and app solutions within your estimated budget.
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