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How much does it cost to build an app? Typical budgets, fixed in writing.
Mobile app development cost for six ways of working with me, add-ons priced separately, and what moves the number. Ranges are typical, not quotes. Figures as of October 2026. They are drafts until I confirm them.
Typical budgets
Add-ons, priced on top of an MVP
A first version stays small on purpose. These get added only when the product needs them, each with its own fixed price.
Payments or subscriptions
Stripe, RevenueCat or in-app purchases, with a free tier if you want one.
Typical budget$500–$1.5k
A second user type
A driver app beside the rider app, a doctor view beside the patient view, kept in sync.
Typical budget$1.5k–$3k
AI feature: photo, voice or scanning
Model calls through your backend, editable results, usage limits.
Typical budget$1k–$3k
Real-time: chat, live maps or video calls
Each is a moving part that has to keep working, so each is priced on its own.
Typical budget$800–$2k each
Admin panel
A web dashboard to manage users, content and payouts.
Typical budget$1k–$2.5k
Push notifications, analytics, crash reporting
Usually part of the MVP. Separate only when added to an app later.
Typical budget$300–$800
What moves the price
Where a quote lands inside its range comes down to six things.
How many kinds of user.
Patient and doctor, rider and driver, instructor and student. Each side is its own set of screens, kept in sync.
Payments and subscriptions.
One-off payments, subscriptions with a free tier, or payouts between two sides of a marketplace.
Real-time features.
Chat, live maps, video calls and push notifications each add a moving part that has to keep working.
AI features, and how often they fire.
Building the feature is one cost. Running it is another, and it scales with use. I estimate both.
What already exists.
Finished designs, a backend, or a working prototype all shorten the job. Rebuilding around a weak foundation lengthens it.
How fast decisions get made.
The projects that finish early are the ones where feedback comes back in days, not weeks.
How a price gets fixed
A 30-minute call.
What you’re building, who it’s for, and where it is today.
A written plan with a fixed price.
Scope, milestones, risks and the number. Nothing starts until you’ve read it.
Milestones you can test.
Each payment follows something you can see: a plan, a build on your phone, a store submission.
Questions about cost
How much does it cost to build an app?
With me, mobile app development cost starts at $3k–$5k for an MVP on both stores and goes up with add-ons: payments, a second user type, AI features, chat or maps, an admin panel. An AI-powered app from scratch is typically $5k–$10k. Agencies quote $25k–$150k for similar first versions; the difference is one senior engineer, a tight scope, and no account manager in between.
How much do freelance app developers charge?
Anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars an hour, depending on the country and the experience, which is why hourly quotes are hard to compare. I price fixed, per milestone, so you know the total before work starts. The ranges on this page are what that usually comes to.
How much does an MVP cost?
MVP development cost with me is typically $3k–$5k over 4–8 weeks: accounts, the core journey, store submission and the source code in your name. Payments, AI features, chat or a second user type are added on top only when the product needs them.
How much does it cost to build an AI app?
An AI-powered app from scratch is typically $5k–$10k. Adding an AI feature, such as photo recognition, voice logging or scanning, to a live app is $1k–$3k. The model’s running cost is separate and scales with use; I estimate it before we start and design free limits so it tracks revenue.
How much does it cost to maintain a mobile app?
Taking over a live app is typically $800–$2k for the first one or two weeks of review and stabilising, then $500–$1.5k a month for ongoing releases, OS and SDK updates and fixes. Every app needs some work each year just to stay in the stores.
What does an MVP include for $3k–$5k?
The smallest app that lets a real user get the main value: sign-up and accounts, the core journey, a clean build on both stores, and the source code in your name. Everything that isn’t needed to test the idea goes on a written “later” list.
Payments, a second user type, AI features, chat or maps, and an admin panel are add-ons, priced on top only if you need them. Most first versions I’ve built started this way and grew from there.
Why ranges instead of a price list?
Because two apps that sound the same on a call can be very different to build. The ranges tell you what to expect; the fixed price comes in writing after a short call, once I know the scope. It doesn’t move unless the scope does.
Fixed price or hourly?
Fixed price per milestone for defined work, and a monthly retainer for ongoing work like maintenance or a fractional CTO role. Hourly only for small, open-ended fixes where a fixed price would be guesswork.
How do payments work?
In milestones tied to things you can see and test: a written plan, a first build on your phone, the store submission. Through Upwork if you want its payment protection, or a direct contract.
What isn’t included?
Costs that are yours by nature, and that I’ll list up front: the Apple Developer Program (US$99 a year), a Google Play developer account (a one-time US$25), and the running bills for your backend, AI model and any third-party services. For AI features I estimate the running cost before we start.
Can I start small?
Yes. A code review and plan, or a tightly scoped MVP, is a low-risk way to see how I work before a bigger build. Most of my long-term clients started with a small first version.
Want a number for your app?
Tell me what it should do. After a 30-minute call you’ll have a written plan and a fixed price.
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