Most mobile quotes fall apart because nobody agreed on scope first. "An app like Uber" and "an app with a login screen and a list" are both technically apps, and one costs ten times the other. Before a number means anything, we need to know how many screens, how many roles, and whether it needs to work offline — the same questions apply whether you're asking how much it costs to build a mobile app for a startup or a growing product team.
What actually drives the price
Three decisions matter more than anything else here. Native for both iOS and Android, or one cross-platform codebase covering both. How much of the app talks to a backend versus how much runs locally. And whether it needs device features like push notifications, camera access, or background location, each of which adds its own testing surface.
These are fixed-price ranges for a cross-platform build covering iOS and Android from one codebase, which is what most of our clients actually need. A fully native app built separately for each platform costs more, because it's effectively two builds.
Cost by project size
Same tiering logic as our web projects, based on functionality, not screen count.
| Tier | What it typically includes | Timeline | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focused | Single user flow, basic auth, one or two core screens | ~3 weeks | From $6,000 |
| Standard | Multiple flows, push notifications, a couple of integrations | ~5 weeks | From $11,000 |
| Substantial | Offline sync, payments, complex permissions, admin backend | ~8 weeks | From $18,000 |
App store review adds its own timeline risk that has nothing to do with your build quality. Apple's review can take anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks depending on what the app does and how busy their queue is. We build submission buffer into every mobile timeline for exactly that reason.
What changes the number
- Fully native builds. Separate Swift and Kotlin codebases mean double the engineering, not double the calendar time, but close.
- Offline-first architecture. Syncing local data with a server reliably is genuinely hard and adds real time.
- Hardware integrations. Bluetooth devices, AR, or background sensors each bring their own debugging cycle.
- In-app purchases or subscriptions. Store billing APIs are finicky and testing them properly takes longer than people expect.
How we actually price a project
Same as our web process, a thirty-minute scope call, then a fixed number. We don't pad it "just in case," and we don't move it once you've said yes.
Want a number specific to what you're building?
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