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Pricing

What an app costs to build.

Fixed-price starting points, not hourly rates. MVP from $18,000 in 2-4 weeks. Production iPhone + Android app from $52,000, your binding quote fixes the price for the agreed scope in writing before any work starts. That price doesn't move unless you change the scope.

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Honest pricing

Fixed-price starting points, not hourly rates. After a free call you get an exact quote with locked scope. No hourly-rate surprises.

You're not buying hours of typing. You're buying 20+ years of architecture decisions, and a finished app: shipped, in the store, handed over.

MVP

Prove your idea before you fund the full build

from $18,000

in 2-4 weeks

starting point, step one toward the production app

  • One platform, iPhone or Android
  • Backend and database included
  • Published to the store for you (iPhone or Android)
  • 30 days of free bug-fixing after launch
Book a free 30-min call
Most popular

Production app

Launch the real product

from $52,000

3-4 months

starting point, your binding quote fixes the exact price before work begins

  • iPhone + Android from one codebase
  • A backend that scales as you grow
  • Automatic updates, monitoring and usage insights
  • 90 days of free bug-fixing after launch
Book a free 30-min call

Full service

I build it and keep it running

Flat monthly fee, from $2,900/month

months to years

operations, monitoring and a monthly feature budget, final scope set after launch

  • Everything in the production app
  • I run and maintain the backend for you
  • New features every month
  • Data protection (GDPR) and store rules handled
Book a free 30-min call

Also available: independent architecture review of an existing codebase, fixed price $5,900-$13,900, 1-2 weeks, written report with prioritised actions.

All prices are net (plus VAT where applicable) and are starting points, the final scope sets the price, with no upper limit; your binding quote fixes it in writing before any work starts. Bigger products, deeper integrations or stricter SLAs land higher. Backend hosting and third-party services (Apple Developer, OpenAI) are billed at cost on top, hosting is usage-based, so it scales with real traffic. For context: agencies typically quote $90,000+ and take five months for what ships here in three, at a fixed price.

Deep dive

Want the reasoning behind the numbers?

The cost-guide post breaks down what you actually pay for, what drives the price up, and what you should refuse to be billed for.

Read the full cost breakdown

Isn't one person a risk? Four reasons it's the safer choice

Fixed price, in writing

Scope, price and date are locked before any code is written. No open-ended invoices.

You own everything

Full source code, accounts and documentation are yours from day one, no vendor lock-in.

Safe even if I drop out

Code, accounts and documentation are yours from day one and payments are staged, if I ever dropped out, any developer could take over tomorrow, and you'd only have paid for work already delivered.

Covered after launch

30-day bug-fix on an MVP, 90-day on a production app, optional monthly care afterwards.

Honest answers to common questions

How much does an app cost?
A lean MVP starts from $18,000. A polished iPhone + Android product with a real backend typically starts from $52,000, the final scope sets the price, and your binding quote fixes it in writing before work starts. No hourly surprises.
How long does it take?
An MVP in 2-4 weeks. A production-grade app with backend in 3 to 4 months. The plan phase pins this down precisely, from there it's a fixed date, not a target.
Who owns the code?
You. Full source, build pipelines and infra config are handed over at launch under a clean license. No vendor lock-in.
How can I verify your work is actually good?
Because you can check it yourself: the apps I ship under my own name in the App Store, download them and judge the quality, plus the open-source code on GitHub, a published book, and fixed-price terms in writing. I'd rather give you proof you can check in five minutes than praise you have to take on faith.
What does the app cost to run after launch?
Hosting and third-party services are billed at cost and are usage-based, they scale with real traffic. Apple's developer account is about $99 a year. Optional monthly care is a separate flat fee. The exact figures for your app are part of the written quote.
What if something happens to you mid-project?
You own the code, accounts and documentation from day one, everything is documented and operable, so any developer or team can pick it up. You're never locked to me or left stranded. Payments are staged, a start payment, then the remainder only against delivered, accepted milestones, so your money at risk is never more than one stage.
What happens after launch?
For the first 90 days I fix bugs free of charge. After that we agree on monthly support or new features if you want, or you take it in-house.
Can you also run the backend?
Yes, if you want. I host, monitor and maintain the backend for you and stay reachable when something breaks. Pricing depends on scale and the guarantees you need; we settle this during planning.
How can one person be this fast without cutting corners?
Twenty years of shipping means most decisions are already made, proven architecture, proven infrastructure, no meetings, no handoffs. Modern AI tooling handles the repetitive work; I review every line that ships. The result is less code, built faster, that's cheaper to maintain. You pay for outcome, not headcount.
Fixed price or hourly rate?
Fixed price for the build, on a scope locked in writing after our call. Hourly only kicks in for explicit out-of-scope work you request later, and only with your written approval. You never get an open-ended invoice.
What's an MVP, and do I need one?
An MVP is the smallest version of your app that proves the core value to real users. Most first-time founders need one before the full product, it costs less, ships in 2-4 weeks, and tells you whether the idea works before you spend the rest of the budget. If you already have paying users and only need a v2, skip the MVP.
How do I find the right app developer?
Look for three things: someone who plans and operates what they build (not just writes the code), a fixed-price commitment with a written scope, and a clean code handover at the end. Agencies, freelance pools and offshore shops all violate at least one of those. Ask for a free scoping call and a written fixed-price scope before signing anything, that's how you tell a real engineer from a sales pipeline.

Ready to build your app?

Book a free 30-minute call. You'll leave knowing what to build, what it roughly costs and how fast it can be live, no obligation.

Book a free 30-min call
Book a free 30-min call