Mobile App Development Cost in 2026: What You Pay For

Mobile app development cost with our studio is $2,000 to $5,000 for an iOS and Android MVP, built once in React Native with Expo over three to five weeks. More user roles, in-app payments, offline use, and integrations raise it. You also pay Apple $99 a year, Google $25 once, and ongoing maintenance.

TL;DR: A focused cross-platform MVP costs $2,000 to $5,000 and takes three to five weeks with us. Store accounts are separate: Apple charges 99 USD per membership year and Google a one-time US$25. User roles, payments, offline sync, and integrations move the price. Budget for upkeep, because every year brings new OS versions and store requirements.

What does a mobile app cost in 2026?

A focused MVP for both stores costs $2,000 to $5,000 with us, plus store fees you pay directly. The table separates what you pay us from what you pay Apple, Google, and your hosting providers, because quotes that blur these are hard to compare.

Item	Cost	Paid to
Mobile app MVP, iOS and Android	$2,000 to $5,000, 3 to 5 weeks	Us
Backend, if you don't have one	Included in the scope and the quote	Us
Apple Developer Program	99 USD per membership year	Apple, in your company's name
Google Play developer account	US$25 one-time	Google, in your company's name
Hosting and third-party services	Depends on usage	Each provider
Maintenance after launch	$100 to $300 a month	Us, if you want it

Apple's fee is "99 USD per membership year," and Apple notes that prices may vary by region and appear in local currency during enrollment (Apple, enrollment). Google charges "a US$25 one-time registration fee" (Google Play Console Help). Organizations enrolling with Apple also need a D-U-N-S Number, so check for one before you plan a launch date.

What does the $2,000 to $5,000 range assume?

It assumes one codebase, a focused scope, and a simple or existing backend. Those three assumptions do most of the work in keeping the number small, so check each one against your idea before you budget.

1. One codebase for both stores, in React Native with Expo. NoteTube, GymFast, and Kraftr all ship their mobile apps this way.
2. A focused scope: the core workflow, sign-in, and the screens that support them.
3. A backend that exists or is simple. If your web app already has an API, the app uses it.
4. Store submission on both platforms, under your accounts.

Two separate native apps, one in Swift and one in Kotlin, cost more because they're two apps with two release processes. We compare cross-platform frameworks on the React Native vs Flutter page. For a broader look at MVP budgets across web and SaaS, see what an MVP costs in India.

What pushes mobile app development cost up?

Each extra user type, payment flow, or integration adds screens, server logic, and testing. None of these are bad choices. They're the reason a quote should list features, not only a total.

Factor	Why it costs more
Several user types	Each role needs its own screens and permissions. GymFast has separate staff, member, and trainer apps.
Payments	Subscriptions, credits, or physical-goods checkout each need their own flow and server handling
Offline use	Saving work on the phone and syncing later needs careful design
Real-time features	Live updates, chat, or streaming need backend work
Integrations	Maps, calendars, hardware, or partner APIs, especially poorly documented ones
AI features	Grounded answers, cost limits, and keeping keys on the server
Custom native features	Widgets, background tasks, or a hardware SDK may need native code
Per-customer theming	One app styled per client, as GymFast does with per-gym colours

The row that surprises clients most is user types. Going from one role to three rarely triples the work, but it does mean new screens, new permissions, and new test cases for each role. In GymFast, the staff, member, and trainer apps share one backend, which is what kept the extra apps affordable.

The backend is often the bigger half

Most apps need accounts, stored data, push notifications, and often payments, and all of that lives on a server. An app that only shows screens is rare. The backend can be as large as the app itself.

If you already run a web product, the app should share its backend. GymFast's staff, member, and trainer apps share one token-authenticated mobile API with the web dashboard, so a change in one place reaches all of them. If there's no backend yet, it's part of the scope. Our mobile app backend page covers what goes into one.

How do in-app payment rules affect the budget?

They decide which billing system you must build, and that changes the scope. The rules depend on what you sell and where. Apple's guideline 3.1.1 says that to open up paid features or content inside an app "you must use in-app purchase," while guideline 3.1.3(e) says physical goods and services consumed outside the app must use other methods (Apple, App Store Review Guidelines). Apple also lets United States storefront apps include external purchase links.

Google Play's Payments policy similarly requires Google Play's billing for digital features, excludes physical goods and services, and offers alternative billing programs in eligible regions (Google Play, Payments policy). So a gym membership can use a normal card checkout, while a premium study feature can't, outside the regions and programs where the rules differ.

Store commissions matter too. Apple's Small Business Program offers a reduced 15% commission for developers with up to 1 million USD in proceeds (Apple, Small Business Program). If you sell both in the app and on the web, both systems must agree on who has paid; we cover that in RevenueCat paywalls and Stripe on the web, and our in-app subscriptions page covers the service.

What does an app cost after launch?

After launch you pay for store accounts, hosting, third-party services, store commissions, and upkeep. The app isn't finished when it reaches the stores. Apple and Google release new OS versions every year and raise their requirements, and SDKs need upgrading.

1. Store accounts: Apple yearly, Google once.
2. Hosting for the backend and database, which grows with users.
3. Third-party services: push, analytics, crash reporting, email, maps, each with free and paid tiers.
4. Commissions on in-app purchases.
5. Maintenance, which with us is $100 to $300 a month; what software maintenance covers explains what that buys.

Expo keeps small fixes cheap. EAS Update ships changes to JavaScript, styling, and images over the air, while native code changes still need a new build through the stores (Expo, EAS Update). Isn't that worth knowing before you choose a framework?

Where the three to five weeks go

They go into scope, backend, the app, real-device testing, and store review. Three to five weeks is short, so it helps to know where time is spent.

1. Scope and screens. Agree the core workflow, the user types, and what's out for version one.
2. Backend and data. Accounts, the main records, and the API.
3. The app. Core screens, sign-in, and the states people forget: empty lists, failed requests, denied permissions.
4. Testing on real phones, including an older Android phone, with real data.
5. Store submission. Screenshots, privacy details, review notes, and a demo account for the reviewer.

Review can add days, and a first rejection can add more. Leave room before any launch date you announce; we list the common rejections and fixes in App Store rejections and fixes.

How do you compare mobile app quotes?

Ask every studio the same questions, and make sure each answer names a deliverable. The number on a quote means little until you know what it leaves out.

1. Which platforms, and is it one codebase or two?
2. Is the backend included, and which parts?
3. Are payments included, and which kind?
4. Who submits to the stores, and whose accounts are used?
5. What happens to bugs found after launch?
6. Who owns the code and the accounts?

The last answer should be "you do, from day one." Repositories, store accounts, and cloud accounts belong in your company's name. Moving an app between developer accounts later is slower and riskier than enrolling correctly at the start.

FAQ

Is an Android-only or iOS-only app much cheaper?

Less than people expect. With one React Native codebase, most of the work is shared, so dropping a platform saves mainly testing and store submission. The bigger savings come from cutting user types and features. Launching on both stores also means you learn which platform your users actually prefer.

Who should own the Apple and Google developer accounts?

Your company should, from the first day. Enroll the business with Apple, which needs a D-U-N-S Number for organizations, and with Google Play, then invite your developers. The apps, reviews, revenue, and signing keys then stay with you if you ever change studios. Moving an app between accounts later is slow and risky.

Can we charge for features inside the app with Stripe?

Usually not for digital features. Apple and Google generally require their own billing when an app sells access to digital features or content, with exceptions for physical goods and services and for specific regions and programs. A gym membership can use card checkout; a premium in-app feature normally needs store billing.

How much does a second version cost after the MVP?

It depends on what real users ask for, which is why we price it after launch rather than up front. Many teams move to a dedicated developer or a scoped follow-up project once they see usage data. Either way, start from the list of features users requested, not from the original wish list.

Planning an app for iOS and Android? See our mobile app development work and get a written plan with scope, timeline, and a number.