How much does it cost to build an app in 2026?

Every founder asks this first, and most answers online are either a range so wide it is useless or a sales pitch. Here are the starting prices we actually quote, what moves a project up or down, and the costs that sit outside any developer's quote.

Starting prices, by type of project

These are our published starting points. Every real project gets a written plan and a fixed quote after a free call.

• Validation sprint: from $1,000. A clickable prototype, a written plan and a fixed quote in one week, credited against the build if you go ahead within 60 days.
• MVP, a focused first release: from $5,000.
• Adding one AI feature to an app you already have: from $3,000.
• Cross-platform app for iOS and Android in one codebase: from $6,000.
• Native iOS and Android apps: from $12,000 for both platforms, or $7,000 for one.
• SaaS platform with console, API, accounts and billing: from $10,000.
• Two-sided marketplace with both apps, an admin console and payments: from $14,000.

What makes a project cost more

Screens are rarely the expensive part. The cost is driven by what has to happen when nobody is looking. How many kinds of user are there, and does each need its own app? Does money move through the product? Does something have to run on a schedule, like refilling a cancelled shift or sending reminders? Does it need to work offline, or talk to hardware?

One staffing platform we built looks like a list of shifts in screenshots. Underneath, 28 scheduled jobs refill short shifts in waves, flag no-shows and keep the marketplace running unattended. That is where the budget went, and where the value is.

Costs outside the quote

These are billed to your own accounts, so you own them. They belong in the plan before you start:

• Apple Developer Program: $99 a year, needed to publish on the App Store.
• Google Play developer account: $25, once.
• Hosting and database, which for most MVPs is small until you have real traffic.
• AI model usage, if your product calls a model. This one scales with every user tap, so plan it per user.

The cheapest way to start

If you are not sure what to build first, do not start with a full build. A one-week validation sprint answers the questions that change the price: what the first release must include, what can wait, and what it will cost. You get a prototype you can show to users and investors, and the fee comes back to you if you build.