How much does it cost to build an app? (2026 cost calculator)
Estimate your app or MVP build cost by app type, platform, features, design, and team — plus a complexity tier, maintenance estimate, and timeline.
Estimate your app build cost
Pick your app type, platform, scope, design, and team — get a planning-grade cost range in seconds.
Answer all six to see your cost range.
Quick answer
Building an app in 2026 typically costs about $15,000–$40,000 for a simple app or MVP, $40,000–$120,000 for a medium-complexity app, and $120,000–$300,000+ for a complex or enterprise product. Most business apps land between $50K and $120K. AI-assisted development is pushing the low end down sharply. Your number depends on app size, platform, features, design, and team location. Use the calculator above to estimate yours.
Key takeaways
- Cost tracks development hours: ~300–600 for a small app, 2,000–5,000+ for a large one.
- Cross-platform (Flutter/React Native) runs ~30–50% cheaper than dual native, with only a ~5–15% performance gap.
- Design isn't where to cut — it drives retention.
- Budget ~15–25% of the build cost per year for maintenance.
- AI-assisted development can cut the low end substantially.
Building something broader than an app? This calculator is app- and MVP-specific. For websites, platforms, and mixed software scopes, use our Project Cost Estimator — it complements this tool rather than competing with it.
App development cost by complexity
| Tier | Scope | Typical 2026 cost | Dev hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple / MVP | 5–10 screens, 1–2 core functions | $15K–$40K (less with AI) | ~300–600 |
| Medium | 12–25 screens, 6–12 functions | $40K–$120K | ~600–1,500 |
| Complex / enterprise | 25+ screens, 20+ functions, compliance | $120K–$300K+ | 2,000–5,000+ |
The 6 factors that decide your cost
- App size & complexity — screens, functions, and total development hours.
- Platform choice — web/PWA, single native, both native, or cross-platform.
- Features & integrations — payments, auth, real-time, third-party systems.
- Design quality — template vs. custom, user-tested UX.
- Team location & rates — see the Offshore Development Cost Calculator.
- Ongoing maintenance — ~15–25% of the build cost per year.
Platform cost comparison
| Platform | Cost note |
|---|---|
| iOS only / Android only | Cheapest single-platform start |
| Both (native) | ~2× — two codebases, two test/release sets |
| Cross-platform (Flutter/React Native) | ~30–50% less than dual native; ~5–15% perf gap |
| PWA | Lowest cost; browser-based, no app store |
Design levels
Template-based design runs $5K–$15K and is fine for MVPs and internal tools. Custom UX/UI runs $15K–$50K for a branded, user-tested experience. Design isn't a cost to cut blindly — it has a measurable impact on retention and conversion, which is exactly where app value is created or lost.
Hidden costs people miss
- Annual maintenance — ~15–25% of the build cost, every year.
- Third-party integration engineering — Stripe, Salesforce, and ERP systems are rarely plug-and-play.
- App store fees — developer accounts and platform commissions.
- Post-launch iteration — the work that turns a launch into a product.
How AI-assisted development changes the budget
AI-assisted workflows can cut the low end substantially — directionally 60–85% on simple MVPs — by accelerating scaffolding, boilerplate, and tests. The honest caveat: complex integrations, QA, and compliance still cost real money. AI speeds up the safe-to-accelerate parts; it doesn't remove the engineering judgment that keeps a product reliable.
How to estimate your budget
A simple formula: (estimated dev hours × blended hourly rate) + design + integrations + ~15–25%/yr maintenance. That's the model behind the calculator above — pick your inputs and it does the math for a planning-grade range.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to build an app in 2026?
- Roughly $15K–$40K for a simple app/MVP, $40K–$120K for medium, and $120K–$300K+ for complex/enterprise. Most business apps land $50K–$120K.
- How much does an MVP cost?
- Commonly $15K–$40K, and less with AI-assisted development and a tightly-scoped feature set.
- Is cross-platform cheaper than native?
- Yes — usually ~30–50% less than building separate iOS and Android apps, with a small performance trade-off.
- What drives app cost the most?
- Feature count and complexity, then platform, design depth, integrations, and team location.
- How much is app maintenance?
- Typically ~15–25% of the original build cost per year.
- Does AI reduce app development cost?
- It can cut the low end significantly by speeding scaffolding and tests, but not the integration, QA, and compliance work.
- Why is there such a wide price range?
- Because hours range from ~300 for a small app to 5,000+ for a complex one.
- How accurate is this calculator?
- It's a planning-grade estimate; a scoping call produces a fixed quote.
Glossary
- MVP —
- Minimum viable product: the smallest build that delivers core value and validates the idea.
- Native —
- An app built specifically for one platform (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android).
- Cross-platform —
- One codebase (Flutter/React Native) that runs on both iOS and Android.
- PWA —
- Progressive web app: browser-based, installable, with no app store.
- Screens/functions —
- A rough proxy for app size used to estimate development hours.
- Dev hours —
- Total engineering time; the primary driver of build cost.
- Third-party integration —
- Connecting external systems (Stripe, Salesforce, ERP) that rarely plug in cleanly.
- Maintenance —
- Ongoing fixes, updates, and hosting, ~15–25% of build cost per year.
- Blended rate —
- An averaged hourly rate across the team, shaped by location and seniority.
Keep planning
Last updated June 2026
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