Mobile App Development Cost in 2026

A simple MVP costs $15,000-$30,000. A mid-complexity app with backend, auth, and payments costs $40,000-$80,000. A complex app with real-time features, integrations, or AI typically runs $80,000-$250,000+. With AI-powered development, those ranges drop by 30-50% — the same scope ships for less because boilerplate, tests, and CRUD screens come together in a fraction of the time.

Building separately in Swift and Kotlin roughly doubles the cost. Building cross-platform with React Native covers both platforms from one codebase and costs only 20-30% more than a single platform. For 80%+ of apps, React Native is the right call — see the React Native vs Native comparison for trade-offs.

In order of impact: (1) backend complexity — real-time features, large data, integrations; (2) number of platforms — iOS-only vs iOS + Android; (3) custom design vs templated UI; (4) third-party integrations — payment, auth, analytics; (5) ongoing maintenance — App Store updates, security patches, OS version migrations.

A freelance developer is typically 40-60% cheaper than an equivalent agency. Agencies charge $150-$300/hour because of overhead — project managers, account managers, office space, sales teams, profit margins. A freelance developer passes those savings on. For projects under $100K, freelance almost always wins on cost.

An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) typically costs $15,000-$30,000 with AI-powered development. The goal is to ship the smallest possible app that validates your core idea — usually 3-5 core features, basic auth, and one payment flow. See the MVP cost guide for a detailed breakdown.

Both, depending on the project. For defined-scope work (MVPs, specific features), I offer fixed-price quotes. For ongoing development or evolving products, my monthly subscription starts at $3,995/month — you get a dedicated developer for the month, pause or cancel anytime, no overage fees.

Monthly subscriptions include: full-time development (40+ hours/month), weekly demos, App Store and Play Store submission, post-launch bug fixes, and ongoing iteration. You can pause the subscription if your runway gets tight, then resume — no re-onboarding fees.

Plan for 15-25% of initial development cost per year for ongoing maintenance: OS version migrations, security patches, dependency updates, bug fixes, and minor features. A $50K app typically costs $7,500-$12,500/year to maintain. My monthly subscription covers this seamlessly.