What does it cost to have an app built?

What an app costs depends on four things: what the app has to do, how many systems it has to talk to, how many platforms it runs on and what happens after delivery. A ballpark figure without that context is misleading, which is why you will not find one here. What you will find: where the money goes, and how to put two quotes side by side.

1. What the app has to do

An app that opens up an existing service, such as viewing an order or booking an appointment, is a very different thing from an app with its own user management, payments and offline use. Each of those three adds a substantial amount of work:

User management: signing in, forgotten passwords, roles and permissions. It seems a given, but it is a project in its own right.
Payments: the integration with a payment provider, plus everything that can go wrong. A failed payment, a refund, a subscription that ends.
Working offline: the app has to store data locally and synchronise later, and decide what happens when two people have changed the same thing in the meantime.

2. How many systems it talks to

Often the biggest item, and the one most often underestimated. An app that stands apart from your administration creates double work, so almost every business app has to integrate: with the accounting package, the CRM, the web shop or the scheduling. How much work that is depends on how well that system has been opened up. If it has a decent API, it is manageable. If it has none, one has to be built first.

3. How many platforms

One app that runs on both iOS and Android is considerably cheaper than two separate ones. Not only to build, but above all to maintain: every change only has to be made once. Separate apps per platform are only needed when the application has to reach deep into the device. The difference is explained in native app or web app.

4. What happens after delivery

Operating systems get a new version every year, and the App Store and Play Store regularly impose new requirements. An app without a maintenance agreement grinds to a halt within two years. So count maintenance in from day one. What such an agreement should contain is covered in what belongs in a maintenance contract.

What is often missing from the quote

The developer accounts with Apple and Google, and whose name they are in.
The design of the screens: is it included, or do you supply it?
The server on which the app's data is stored, and who manages it.
Testing on real devices, including older and smaller ones.
What happens if a store rejects the app and changes are needed.

If one of those points is missing, ask about it. It is not a sign of bad faith, but it does explain why two quotes can be far apart.

How to compare two quotes

First bring them to the same scope. Comparing two amounts that describe different things tells you nothing.
Ask what is explicitly not included.
Ask who owns the source code, and whether you can take it to another party. More on that in who owns custom-built software.
Ask what maintenance costs per year, and what is and is not covered.

How to keep the price down

Start with the smallest version that is genuinely usable. One group of users, one task they handle in a roundabout way today. An app that does one thing well is finished sooner, costs less and teaches you what the next step should be. The features you leave out now are usually also the ones you will later be glad you did not pay for.

What to bring to a first conversation

Not a feature list, but a description of who uses the app and at what moment. What does that person do today, on paper or in another system? What has to happen in your administration afterwards? The scope follows from that, and so does the price.

Frequently asked questions

Why can I not get a price without a conversation?

Because the four factors above determine the price, and nobody knows them before your process has been discussed. An amount you receive without any questions being asked is a guess that gets adjusted afterwards.

Is a web app cheaper than an app from the store?

Often, yes. A web app runs in the browser, needs no approval from a store and is updated in one place. If you do not really need the camera, notifications or offline use, it is the first option to look at.

Can I have features added later?

Yes, and it is also the most sensible way of working. Do agree in advance how extensions will be charged.