App Development Cost Calculator
Get a low-to-high cost range, a per-feature breakdown, a typical timeline and yearly maintenance for your app. It is a directional estimate built from published rates and stated hour assumptions, not a quote.
Estimated build cost
$130,000 – $485,000
About 869–1,939 hours. The real number depends on scope, so treat the range as the answer, not either end.
- Typical timeline
- 10–43 weeks
- Maintenance per year
- $20,000 – $97,000
Breakdown
- Content or booking (core app)$83,000 – $300,000
- User accounts and login$10,000 – $36,000
- 1 third-party integration$4,000 – $18,000
- Design$12,000 – $50,000
- Project management and QA$22,000 – $81,000
Directional estimate only. Line items are rounded and platform effort is already included in each one.
How we calculate this
Cost = estimated hours × an hourly rate range. The low end multiplies the low hours by the low rate, and the high end multiplies the high hours by the high rate, so the range is wide on purpose. Every input is listed here.
- Hourly rates. US agency $150–250/hr, the range GoodFirms reports for US agencies and the one used throughout this site (GoodFirms US pricing guide). US freelancer or small studio $80–150/hr and offshore $25–60/hr are our reading of the regional rate tables in the GoodFirms app cost guide (US mid-level to senior roughly $50–200+, India about $20–40, Ukraine about $35–60). Directory averages are lower than these ranges, so a cheaper quote is possible.
- Hours. The hour ranges per app type, feature and design level are App369's own modelling assumptions, not measured statistics. Core app hours run from 300 (simple utility, low) to 2,500 (on-demand, high). Each feature adds its own range, shown in the table below.
- Extra platforms. With separate native apps, each added platform adds 70%–90% of the first platform's build. With one cross-platform codebase it adds 10%–20%. For two platforms that works out to roughly 30–40% less than two native apps, in line with the saving cited on our Flutter development page.
- Project management and QA add 20% on top of build and design hours (assumption).
- Timeline. Hours divided by a team throughput of 45–90 billable hours per week (about 1.5 to 3 people working in parallel), with a floor of 6 weeks (assumption). See also the timeline calculator.
- Maintenance. 15%–20% of the build cost per year, the range used in our app maintenance cost guide.
- Sanity check. Clutch's 2025 survey puts the average US app at about $171,450 (Clutch). We do not use that figure as an input; it is a reference point for a medium-complexity app from a US agency.
| Item | Assumed hours (low–high) |
|---|---|
| Simple utility (core app) | 300–600 |
| Content or booking (core app) | 500–1000 |
| SaaS or dashboard (core app) | 900–1700 |
| Marketplace (core app) | 1000–1800 |
| On-demand or real-time (core app) | 1400–2500 |
| User accounts and login | 60–120 |
| Payments | 60–140 |
| Chat or real-time updates | 120–300 |
| Admin panel | 120–300 |
| Third-party integrations (each) | 25–60 |
| AI features | 100–300 |
| Offline mode and sync | 100–250 |
| Design: Template or UI kit | 0–40 |
| Design: Custom design | 80–200 |
| Design: Premium (custom design, motion, design system) | 200–450 |
What it leaves out: app store fees, hosting and third-party service bills, marketing, legal and compliance work, and scope that changes mid-project. Regulated products (health, finance) usually cost more.
Cite this calculator
You are welcome to link to it from a blog post, newsletter, or resource page.
URL
https://app369.com/tools/app-cost-calculator/HTML link
<a href="https://app369.com/tools/app-cost-calculator/">App development cost calculator by App369</a>Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is this app cost calculator?
It is a directional estimate. It multiplies assumed hours by published hourly rate ranges, so it shows a plausible range, not a quote. Unclear scope, regulated industries and changing requirements all push real costs outside it. Treat it as a planning input and get written quotes before committing a budget.
Why is the range so wide?
Because the same app description can mean very different amounts of work, and hourly rates differ by a factor of three or more between offshore teams and US agencies. A narrow range would imply precision the inputs do not have.
How much does app maintenance cost per year?
A common planning figure is 15-20% of the original build cost per year, covering OS updates, bug fixes, security patches, hosting and small improvements. The calculator applies that range to your build estimate.
Does building for both iOS and Android double the cost?
With two separate native apps it can come close to doubling it. With one cross-platform codebase such as Flutter, the second platform adds far less effort. The calculator models this with the cross-platform checkbox so you can compare both.
What does App369 offer?
App369 is a founder-led Flutter studio in Boynton Beach, FL. It offers fixed-price packages from $450 and custom quotes through the contact page. Consultations are $100 per 15 minutes, paid upfront.