Search "how much does an app cost" and you'll find price ranges so wide they're useless. That's not because agencies are being cagey. It's because "app" covers everything from a quoting calculator to a two-sided marketplace. A number without a scope is a guess.
So instead of another made-up range, here's what actually drives the cost of a custom app, and how to get a quote you can hold someone to.
1. Screens and user flows. Every screen needs designing, building and testing. More important than the number of screens is the number of journeys: sign up, place an order, approve a quote, request a refund. Each journey has edge cases, and edge cases are where the time goes.
2. User roles and permissions. An app where everyone sees the same thing is simple. An app where customers, staff, managers and suppliers each see different data and can do different things is not. Roles touch every screen.
3. Integrations. Connecting to Xero, a CRM like Zoho or HubSpot, a payment provider or a carrier's API is often what makes an app genuinely useful. Each integration adds work, and some third-party APIs are a lot friendlier than others.
4. Platforms. A web app runs everywhere with one codebase. Native iOS and Android apps can do more on a phone (offline use, the camera, push notifications), but you're shipping to two app stores. Cross-platform frameworks narrow the gap, but they don't close it.
5. Reporting and admin. The part customers never see is often the part your team uses most: dashboards, exports, settings, the ability to fix a customer's order without calling a developer. It's easy to forget and expensive to bolt on later.
Software isn't finished when it launches. Budget for hosting, app store fees, security updates, keeping up with new iOS and Android versions, and the improvements you'll want once real users get their hands on it. That's what our Care & Hosting plans cover, so it's planned rather than a surprise.
Every project we take on is different, so any price on our website would either be padded to cover the worst case or be a hook that grows once you've signed. Neither is fair to you.
Instead, we scope your project properly and send a written quote that spells out exactly what's included. If something comes up that's outside that scope, you hear about it before any work happens, not on the invoice.
Bring three things to the first conversation: the problem you're solving, who will use the app, and the systems it needs to talk to. Rough sketches and screenshots of tools you like help too. That's enough for us to tell you honestly whether a custom build makes sense, and what it would look like. Start with our Web & Mobile Apps page or just get in touch.
Tell us what you're working on. The first conversation is free, and you'll get a straight answer on whether we can help.