Building a new app costs from $27,800 for a First Version (MVP) and from $83,300 for a Market-Ready App on iPhone and Android. With me that is a fixed price per milestone on a clearly defined scope, with no hourly rates. Changes only go through a change order you sign. All prices are net; the tax treatment is clarified before contract and stated in the offer.
Prices, net
- App Check, where an existing app stands$2,000, report in 5 business days
- App Takeover, accounts and app back in your handsfrom $10,500
- App Rescue, stalled project or AI prototypefrom $27,800
- First Version (MVP), one platform, test the ideafrom $27,800, 2 to 4 weeks
- Market-Ready App, iPhone, Android and serverfrom $83,300, 3 to 4 months
- Operation, three tiersfrom $1,400 a month
What drives the price
- Platforms: iPhone only is cheaper than iPhone and Android.
- Server and accounts: login, user data and sync cost more than a pure offline app.
- Integrations: payment, maps, AI and third-party systems add scope.
- Design and polish: a polished product takes more than a first version.
- Security and data protection: the more sensitive the data, the more care required.
Why fixed price instead of hourly
An hourly rate rewards slow work and leaves your budget open. A fixed price forces honest planning on both sides: scope, price and date are set before any code is written. Details on pricing. Not sure whether to build a First Version first? See MVP development and MVP or production app.
What if the app already exists?
Then a rebuild is rarely the cheapest answer. It starts with the App Check at $2,000, then a fixed price for the next step: see take over an existing app, rescue a failed app project or, for apps built with AI tools, vibe-coded app to production. After that, operation from $1,400 a month: app maintenance and operation. If a customer is reviewing you as a vendor, see the vendor security review.