How much does a mobile app cost in 2026?
A simple mobile app (one user role, forms and lists, basic authentication) typically costs $40,000 to $100,000 cross-platform (MAUI / React Native / Flutter) or $70,000 to $180,000 native (Swift + Kotlin). Complex business apps with multi-role workflows, offline-first sync, and substantial backend integration run $120,000 to $350,000 cross-platform or $200,000 to $600,000 native. The "I want a mobile app for $15,000" budget buys a prototype, not a production app.
The longer answer
Mobile-app pricing in 2026 is driven by four factors more than any others: scope complexity, platform strategy (native vs cross-platform), backend-integration depth, and the polish budget. The variance is wide because mobile apps span from simple internal tools to flagship consumer products.
Simple ($40k-$180k)
One user role, forms and lists, basic authentication, one or two integrations with a backend or third-party API. Examples: an internal field-data-collection app for a 20-person crew, a customer self-service app showing order status, a simple appointment-booking app. Cross-platform (MAUI / React Native / Flutter) lands $40k-$100k; native (Swift + Kotlin, two codebases) lands $70k-$180k.
Mid-complexity ($120k-$350k cross-platform, $200k-$600k native)
Multi-role workflows, offline-first sync with conflict resolution, push notifications, deep linking, in-app purchases or subscriptions, substantial backend integration (CRM, ERP, payment processor, scheduling). Examples: field-force apps for utility crews, multi-tenant B2B SaaS mobile companion apps, mid-market healthcare patient apps. Most production business apps land in this band.
Complex ($350k-$1M+ cross-platform, $600k-$2M+ native)
Multi-platform consumer flagship apps, real-time collaboration apps, video / audio streaming, AR / VR surfaces, marketplace apps with payments and trust-and-safety infrastructure. Examples: a regional bank's flagship mobile app, a healthcare-system patient app with integrated EHR data, a marketplace with bilateral payments and identity verification.
The $15,000 question
"I want a mobile app for $15,000" is the single most-common opening budget in this practice, and the honest answer is that $15k buys a prototype or a no-code build (Bubble, Glide, Adalo). $15k does not buy a production-grade native or cross-platform app with tests, authentication, backend integration, App Store / Play Store compliance work, and a written hand-off at launch. The conversation worth having is not "can we cut scope to $15k?" but "what is the cost of inaction for the next 12 months without this app?"
What drives the variance within bands
Three factors. Integration count. Each backend or third-party integration adds 1-3 weeks of engineering time; apps with 5+ integrations cost meaningfully more than apps with one. Offline-first architecture. Apps that must work without network connectivity add 3-6 weeks of engineering work because the sync, conflict-resolution, and queue-management surface is substantial. Design / polish budget. A bespoke design + UX system adds $30k-$150k on top of the engineering cost. Most business apps use templated design and skip this; consumer apps do not.
Common follow-up questions
Why is native more expensive than cross-platform?
Two codebases instead of one. Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android each need separate engineering, testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance. For most business apps the cross-platform UI penalty is small enough that the cost saving is worth it.
Can I save money by skipping one platform?
Yes — iOS-only or Android-only cuts roughly 40-50% off the engineering cost. The right call depends on which platform your users actually use. For U.S. consumer apps targeting buyers with higher willingness-to-pay, iOS-first wins; for global / emerging-market apps, Android-first.
What does the run cost look like?
App Store: $99/year (Apple). Play Store: $25 one-time (Google). Backend infrastructure: $50-$2,000/month depending on user count. Push notifications, crash reporting, analytics: $0-$500/month at moderate scale.
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