Why App Quotes Are All Over the Place
A quote of £15,000 and a quote of £150,000 for 'a mobile app' can both be accurate — for very different apps. The £15,000 quote might be for a simple, single-platform app with three screens, no backend, and no third-party integrations. The £150,000 quote might be for a dual-platform app with a custom backend, user authentication, payment processing, real-time notifications, an admin dashboard, and six external integrations.
Both parties answered 'how much does an app cost' with a number that reflects an entirely different product. The starting point for any accurate estimate is a detailed scope: specific screens, specific user journeys, specific integrations, and specific platforms.
The Factors That Actually Drive Mobile App Cost
Platform choice is the first decision. Native iOS and Android apps (separate codebases in Swift and Kotlin) cost roughly 1.5–1.8 times as much as a single cross-platform app built in Flutter or React Native, because you are building two apps instead of one. Backend complexity is the second factor.
A simple app that reads and writes to a database is one thing. An app with real-time features, complex business logic, third-party API integrations, and role-based access control is a materially different engineering challenge. User roles and permissions: an app with a single user type is simpler than one with customers, staff, and admins who each see and do different things.
Third-party integrations — payment gateways, mapping, identity verification, analytics — each add two to five days of development per integration. Design complexity: a polished, bespoke UI with custom animations costs more than a standard component-based design.
Typical Price Ranges by App Type
Simple informational or content apps with no user accounts: £8,000–£20,000. Apps with user authentication, profiles, and basic database operations: £20,000–£45,000. Marketplace or two-sided platform apps (buyer and seller or service provider and customer): £50,000–£120,000.
Apps with real-time features, complex workflows, or heavy integrations: £80,000–£200,000. Enterprise apps with custom integrations into existing systems, compliance requirements, and multi-role access: £150,000–£400,000. These ranges assume a reputable development partner.
Freelancers may quote lower; large agencies may quote higher. The key question is not just what it costs to build, but what it costs to build it well — with clean architecture, proper testing, and a codebase you can maintain and extend.
iOS vs Android vs Cross-Platform: The Cost Difference
Native iOS (Swift/SwiftUI) and native Android (Kotlin/Jetpack Compose) give you the best performance and the deepest access to platform-specific features. The trade-off is cost: you are building and maintaining two separate codebases. Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native let you build once and deploy to both platforms from a shared codebase.
For most business apps, the performance difference versus native is negligible and the cost saving is significant — typically 30–40% less than dual native. Flutter, in particular, has matured significantly and is now our default recommendation for new mobile projects unless there is a specific requirement for native-only features. React Native is a strong choice for teams with existing JavaScript expertise.
The Hidden Costs Most Quotes Do Not Include
App Store submission: Apple's Developer Program costs $99 per year; Google Play costs $25 once. Backend hosting: a production app with a modest user base requires cloud infrastructure costing £200–£800 per month on AWS or Azure. Ongoing maintenance: apps require updates for every major iOS and Android release to avoid compatibility issues.
Budget 10–20% of the initial build cost per year for maintenance. Push notifications and analytics infrastructure, third-party service subscriptions (maps, payments, identity), and the cost of fixing App Store rejections (Apple rejects approximately 40% of first submissions) are all real costs that rarely appear in a development quote. Factor these into your total budget before committing.
How to Reduce Cost Without Sacrificing Quality
Start with one platform only. If your target audience skews toward iOS, launch iOS first. If it skews Android, start there.
You can add the second platform later, after you have validated the product. Use an MVP scope: identify the minimum set of features that would let a real user get real value from your app, and build only that. Everything else goes in version two.
Choose cross-platform over dual native unless you have a specific requirement for native-only features. Use an experienced development partner rather than the cheapest option: the cost of fixing poor architecture later vastly exceeds the initial saving. Consider using a managed offshore team for the build: a five-person Flutter team based in India can deliver the same quality as a UK agency at 40–55% lower cost.
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Get an App Cost EstimateFrequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to build an app in the UK?
Simple apps with basic features cost £20,000–£45,000. Mid-complexity apps with user authentication, backend, and integrations cost £45,000–£120,000. Complex enterprise or marketplace apps cost £120,000–£400,000. Costs are 30–50% lower with a managed offshore development team.
How long does it take to build a mobile app?
A simple MVP app takes eight to fourteen weeks. A mid-complexity app takes three to six months. A complex enterprise app can take six to twelve months. Timeline depends heavily on how quickly you can provide feedback, approve designs, and make scope decisions during the project.
Is it cheaper to build an iOS app or an Android app?
Building for a single platform costs roughly the same whether it is iOS or Android. Building for both platforms natively costs 1.5–1.8x a single platform. Building cross-platform with Flutter or React Native for both platforms simultaneously costs 10–30% more than a single native platform — making cross-platform the most cost-efficient option for dual-platform launches.
Should I build an app or a mobile website?
If your use case requires offline access, device features (camera, GPS, push notifications, biometrics), or a deeply interactive experience, a native or cross-platform app is the right choice. For content delivery, marketing, or simple interactions, a well-built progressive web app (PWA) is significantly cheaper and reaches all platforms without App Store submission.