"How much does an app cost?" is the first question in almost every discovery call we run — and the ranges quoted online ($5k to $500k) are so wide they are useless. Here are the real numbers we see across projects, and the decisions that actually move the price.
Realistic 2026 price ranges
A focused MVP — one core workflow, one platform-equivalent codebase via React Native or Flutter, standard authentication and payments — typically lands between $20,000 and $40,000. A full consumer or B2B app with polished design, offline support, notifications, and analytics runs $50,000 to $120,000. Enterprise products with integrations, role-based access, and compliance requirements go beyond that, driven mostly by scope rather than the mobile layer itself.
The three decisions that move the price
1. Platform strategy. Cross-platform development cuts 30–40% versus building iOS and Android separately. Unless you need deep platform features, this is the single biggest lever.
2. Backend scope. The app is often the cheap half. Custom backends, admin panels, and third-party integrations routinely exceed the cost of the mobile client. Using proven platform cores instead of building from zero is where budgets get rescued.
3. Who builds it. US agency rates run $100–200/hour. Our model — senior engineers delivering from our Yerevan hub with California management — starts at $15/hour for embedded engineers, which changes the math for both builds and ongoing maintenance.
Budgeting for what comes after launch
Plan for 15–20% of the build cost annually: OS updates, store policy changes, dependency upgrades, and the feature iterations that follow real user feedback. Apps that skip this line item become rewrite candidates within three years.
For a number specific to your product, send us a short description — our mobile app development team replies within 24 hours with a scoped estimate, or book a free discovery call to walk through it live.
