A mobile app in the US costs between $40,000 and $250,000 for the first release, and roughly 15 to 25 percent of that per year to keep it working. A simple app on one platform with a light backend starts around $40,000. A two-platform product with accounts, payments, and offline behaviour lands between $90,000 and $180,000. Anything with real-time features, hardware integration, or regulatory constraints goes past that.
Single platform, light backend
$40,000 – $80,000
One platform, standard flows, a straightforward API, store submission handled.
Cross-platform product
$90,000 – $180,000
iOS and Android, accounts, payments, push, offline handling, admin back office.
Complex or regulated app
$180,000 – $400,000+
Real-time features, hardware or health data, compliance review, multi-region rollout.
The cheaper option
If your users are reachable on the web, a progressive web app avoids store submission and cuts the first release cost substantially. Build native when push reliability, device features, or performance genuinely decide the experience.
Current hourly rates
Mobile Developers bill $38 to $135 per hour on a vetted marketplace, $115 to $210 through an agency.
Full rate breakdown →Want a number for your actual scope? Tell us what you need built and get a matched team in 48 hours, $0 until you hire.
Cross-platform suits most business apps and reduces cost meaningfully. Native wins when you depend on device capabilities, heavy graphics, or the last few percent of polish.
Roughly 15 to 25 percent of the build cost: OS updates, store policy changes, crash fixes, and small improvements.
You can build a prototype. If a quote is far below the band above, ask what is excluded, and it is usually backend, testing, and store work.
Tell us the scope. You get matched engineers and a real number in 48 hours, $0 until you hire.
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