Guide
How much does it cost to build an app?
Building a native mobile app is a five-figure project for anything real. At Nabee Studio, a native app through both app stores starts at $25,000, and a SaaS or web platform starts at $16,000 — each a single fixed quote confirmed after one scoping pass, with no hourly billing.
App cost estimates online swing wildly because the word "app" hides enormous variation. A single-screen utility and a two-sided marketplace with payments, accounts, and an admin dashboard are both "apps," and they are not remotely the same amount of work.
What are you actually paying for?
Most of an app's cost is not the screens you see. It is the invisible machinery: accounts and authentication, a backend and database, payments, an admin panel to run the thing, notifications, and the app-store submission and review process on both Apple and Google. A polished front end sitting on top of all that is the smaller half of the job.
This is why "I just need a simple app" quotes rarely stay simple. The simple part is the interface. The unsimple part is everything that makes the interface do something useful and safe.
What drives app cost up or down?
| Factor | Cheaper | More expensive |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | One platform (iOS or web) | Native iOS + Android + web |
| Accounts & roles | Single user type | Multiple roles, permissions, admin |
| Payments | None or simple checkout | Subscriptions, payouts, marketplace |
| Data & integrations | Self-contained | Third-party APIs, real-time sync |
| Content volume | Small, static | Large, structured, multi-language |
Two of our own products show the spread. Metro X is a focused iOS and Android metronome with a patented "Visual Rhythm + SYNC" feature — deep in one thing, narrow in scope. My Permit Pass is a driving-education platform carrying roughly 1,000 real DMV questions per state across five languages plus an AI tutor — broad, data-heavy, and far more machinery underneath. Same word, very different builds.
How does Nabee Studio price apps?
At Nabee Studio, a native app starts at $25,000 and covers product design, build, submission to both stores, the first releases, and 30 days of post-launch support. A SaaS or platform build starts at $16,000, with the backend connected to whatever commerce stack fits — Shopify, Stripe, headless — or built fully custom.
You get a fixed quote after one scoping pass, not an hourly meter. The number is lower than a typical agency because one team owns the whole arc and reuses the auth, billing, and infrastructure patterns we already solved shipping our own products. See pricing for the full picture.
Should you build the whole thing at once?
Usually not. The cheapest version of an expensive app is the one you scope down to its real core first. Deciding what to leave out is the highest-leverage cost decision you will make — our guide to scoping an MVP walks through how to cut without gutting the product.
Ongoing cost matters too. Apps live in two stores that change their rules constantly; OS updates, store-policy compliance, and crash monitoring are not optional. At Nabee Studio, App Update + Maintenance starts at $999/mo.
Ready to price yours?
Bring us the core idea and the two or three things it must do. We scope once and send a fixed number with a real timeline — apps and platforms ship in two to three months. Start a project and you'll have a quote within one business day of scoping.
Common questions
- How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
- Anything genuinely useful is a five-figure project. At Nabee Studio, a native app through both app stores starts at $25,000, and a web platform or SaaS starts at $16,000, each as a single fixed quote.
- Why do app quotes vary so much?
- Because most of an app is invisible — accounts, backend, payments, admin, notifications, and store submission. Two apps that look similar on screen can differ enormously in the machinery underneath, and that machinery is the cost.
- Is it cheaper to build for one platform first?
- Often, yes. Building only iOS or only web reduces cost, and scoping down to a focused first version reduces it more. See our MVP scoping guide.
- What are the ongoing costs of an app?
- Apps need OS and SDK updates, store-policy compliance, crash and performance monitoring, and bug fixes. At Nabee Studio, App Update + Maintenance starts at $999/mo.
- How long does it take to build an app?
- At Nabee Studio, apps and SaaS platforms ship in two to three months. You get the real date at scoping, in writing, before you commit.
- Does Nabee Studio use hourly billing for apps?
- No. You get one scoping pass and one fixed number before work starts. If scope changes, we quote the change rather than running up an hourly meter.