How Much Does an App Really Cost?
The question everyone asks — and no one asks quite right
"How much does it cost to build an app?"
That's the first thing I hear in almost every initial meeting. And it's a fair question — as long as you don't expect a two-second answer.
Quoting a number without understanding your project is like asking an architect for the price of a house before telling them how many rooms you want, where you want to build it, or whether you need a lift.
The cost of an application depends. But depends on what, exactly? That's what this article will explain — without jargon, with honest ballpark figures.
Why there is no single price
Scope is everything. Two applications can both be called "a delivery app" and cost ten times more or less than each other. The difference? The number of user roles, integrations with existing systems, security requirements, the level of visual polish, and whether you need an iOS, Android, and web version simultaneously.
When I worked on School Run — an application live in 8 countries, 20+ successive versions, ranked 4th on the Google Play Store — the investment was nothing like a first prototype. The application had evolved over several years, with a team of 6 people, complex integrations, and different regulatory constraints per country.
Conversely, a well-scoped MVP can deliver real value on a contained budget — provided you prioritise intelligently.
The factors that truly drive costs
The number of features (and their complexity)
This is lever number one. Every feature carries a cost of design, development, testing, and maintenance. Basic authentication costs a fraction of what an integrated payment system with refund and dispute handling costs.
The golden rule: the less you build at the outset, the faster you learn — and the less you spend on things that don't serve your users.
The number of platforms
Web only? iOS mobile app? Android as well? All three simultaneously?
Every additional platform multiplies the work of development, testing, and updates. Technologies exist that let you share part of the codebase between iOS and Android (that's what I use with React Native on projects like Liveco), but they don't eliminate complexity — they reduce it.
Third-party integrations and APIs
Does your application need to connect to your ERP, a payment system, a CRM, or HR management software? Each connection is a project in its own right: you need to understand the external API, handle errors, and plan for future updates.
The older or more proprietary your existing systems, the more expensive the integrations.
Custom design
A generic design based on existing component libraries is far less costly than a fully bespoke interface with animations, illustrations, and a strong visual identity. Both have their place — it all depends on your market and your users.
Security and compliance level
A consumer app does not have the same requirements as a medical or financial platform. At Saana, where I serve as CTO, we are developing a sovereign medical LLM: confidentiality, traceability, and compliance constraints represent a significant share of the total cost. That is non-negotiable — but it doesn't apply to every application.
The hidden costs everyone forgets
The initial development cost is only the visible tip of the iceberg. Here is what quotes don't always mention clearly:
Hosting and infrastructure: servers, databases, CDN, staging environments… It's not free, and it scales up fast as usage grows.
Maintenance: systems evolve. Dependencies get updated. Security vulnerabilities appear. An unmaintained application quickly becomes a liability.
User support: bug reports, questions, production incidents. Someone has to handle that.
Ongoing evolution: an application that doesn't adapt dies. Your users' needs change; your market evolves. Budgeting for continuous improvement is essential.
My approach at Twenty: I offer clients the option to fully delegate hosting, maintenance, and security. You retain control over product decisions — direction, priorities, roadmap — while freeing yourself from everything infrastructure and ops. You get the expertise of a large firm with the proximity of a dedicated partner.
Indicative ballpark figures
These ranges are purely indicative. They vary significantly based on scope, technology choices, team composition, and location. Treat them as a reference point, not a quote.
Important disclaimer: these figures mean nothing without an analysis of your project. An MVP can cost less if the scope is very limited, or significantly more if technical or regulatory constraints are high. The only way to get a reliable number is to scope the project together.
How to reduce costs intelligently
Spending less doesn't mean delivering less — it means prioritising differently.
Start with an MVP. A minimum viable product is the smallest version of your idea that lets you validate something with real users. You learn fast, spend little, and avoid building features nobody will use. Across 45+ projects delivered, this is consistently the approach that produces the best results at equivalent budget.
Prioritise ruthlessly. List all your ideas, then ask yourself: which one, if it didn't work, would make the whole project pointless? That's your core value. Everything else can wait.
Avoid unnecessary custom development. Dozens of building blocks already exist: authentication systems, payment gateways, notification tools. Reusing them rather than rebuilding from scratch can cut costs by half on certain items.
Structure things properly from the start. A poorly scoped project costs twice as much to fix mid-way. A proper scoping phase — a few days or weeks — can save you months of development.
On the projects I have led with a rigorous approach — clear scoping, short iterations, fast decisions — I have measured up to 30% reduction in delivery time compared to traditional methods. Less time means lower cost, and more value delivered sooner.
What an application really costs (the honest answer)
The true cost of an application is not the initial quote. It is the sum of everything you invest to create something your users genuinely want to use — and that continues to work, evolve, and serve your business over time.
A good budget is built around value, not a feature list.
It starts with a simple question: what problem do you actually want to solve? And for whom? From there, we build something that makes sense — with the right scope, at the right pace, for the right use.
Let's talk about your project
Do you have an idea, a project in progress, or simply questions about what it really involves? I respond to every enquiry personally.
WhatsApp: +33 6 34 42 50 56 Email: contact@twentyconsultancy.com
No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation to see if I can help you — and how.