How much does an app cost to build?
An app’s cost depends on how many screens it has, what it connects to (payments, maps, AI, other software), and whether it needs to be on the web, iPhone and Android. A short paid discovery is the honest way to turn that into a fixed price. After launch, budget for store fees ($99 a year for Apple, a one-time $25 for Google Play), hosting, and ongoing updates.
We’ve built and shipped apps for our own businesses: a technician app in the App Store and Google Play, and ProSeFiler on the web, iPhone and Android. We’ve also hired developers, taken over code someone else started, and paid for scope that grew without anyone writing it down. Here’s what actually drives the price.
The five things that decide the cost
1. Screens and user types
A customer app with five screens is a very different job from a platform with customers, technicians and admins, each with their own views. Count the screens and the kinds of users, and you have the first rough size.
2. Integrations
Payments (Stripe), maps and live location, SMS and phone (Twilio), sign-in with Google and Apple, push notifications, AI features and links to your existing software each add real work, especially the testing.
3. Platforms
Web only is cheapest. iPhone and Android add store setup, review and device testing. We usually build one codebase that runs on the web and is wrapped for both stores, which keeps the cost far below building three separate apps.
4. Data and security
Accounts, permissions, encryption, backups and privacy rules matter more the more sensitive the data is. ProSeFiler, for example, encrypts case data on the device before it’s synced.
5. Unknowns
The most expensive part of any app is the part nobody wrote down. That’s why we start with discovery.
Why a paid discovery saves money
Discovery is one to two weeks of mapping users, screens, data and integrations, then cutting the first version down to what earns its keep. You get a written scope, clickable wireframes and a fixed build price. You own all of it, even if you take it to another developer. It turns “it depends” into a number you can plan around.
Costs after launch
- Store fees: the Apple Developer Program is $99 a year; a Google Play developer account is a one-time $25.
- Hosting and services: servers, databases, SMS, maps and AI usage, which scale with how much the app is used.
- Updates: new iOS and Android versions, security fixes and small improvements. Plan for ongoing support from day one.
Taking over an app someone else started
It’s common, and it’s how Robert’s own dispatch platform evolved: it began with contract developers, and he later took over most of the development. If you have code already, discovery includes a review and an honest recommendation: continue it, or start fresh.