Mobile app development cost depends on the app's complexity: according to international overviews, a simple app costs roughly $5,000–$50,000, a medium-complexity app $50,000–$120,000, and a complex app over $120,000. These figures are based mainly on the projects of US and European agencies and are not a ready-made price list for Azerbaijan; they are a guide to the scale of the budget. The exact amount is calculated only after the list of features has been written down.
Key takeaways:
- An app's price is the sum of working hours: the number of hours the team will spend is multiplied by the hourly rate.
- The budget is determined not by the number of screens but by user roles, integrations (payment, CRM, 1C) and the admin panel.
- Fixed costs are small: the Apple Developer Program is $99 per year, and Google Play registration is a one-off $25.
- An app's cost does not end at release: annual support is roughly 15–25% of the initial development cost.
- The most effective way to cut the budget is to keep the first version small (MVP) and build both platforms from one codebase.
How much does a mobile app cost?
There is no single "average price" for a mobile app, but international overviews show three tiers by complexity. The table below puts the 2026 figures of two open sources side by side.
| Complexity | Business of Apps (June 2026) | GoodFirms (September 2026) | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $5,000–$50,000, 2–4 months | $15,000–$40,000, 3–6 months | Loyalty card, catalogue, simple booking |
| Medium | $50,000–$120,000, 4–6 months | $40,000–$120,000, 6–9 months | Ordering and delivery, personal account, online payment |
| Complex | $120,000–$300,000, 9–12 months | $100,000–$250,000 and above, 9–12 months | Multi-role platform, marketplace, live tracking |
Sources: Business of Apps, GoodFirms. A third source, Clutch, says that in September 2026 a typical app project fell in the $10,000–$49,999 range (Clutch).
When reading this table, keep three things in mind:
- The figures refer to the international market. They are mainly collected from the projects of US and European agencies. Azerbaijan is not shown separately in these overviews.
- The ranges are wide. A "simple app" can cost $5,000 or $50,000, because the difference comes from the hourly rate and the amount of work.
- Tiers are divided by functionality. Which tier an app falls into is determined not by how attractive the design is but by the complexity of the system behind it.
We explained separately whether an app is needed at all, and when a website or a PWA is enough, in the mobile app development guide.
How is the price of an app formed?
The pricing formula is simple: the number of working hours is multiplied by the hourly rate. The more time the designer, developers, tester and project manager spend on the project, the more expensive the app will be.
The hourly rate differs several times from country to country. According to Business of Apps' overview, a developer's hour costs $20–$40 in India and Vietnam and around $100 in the US. This is the main reason the same app costs different amounts in different countries.
The split of hours by phase is roughly as follows:
| Phase | Share of budget | What is done |
|---|---|---|
| Research and planning | 10–15% | Goal, users, list of features, technical brief |
| Design | 20–25% | User flows, screens, interactive prototype |
| Programming | 40–55% | The app itself, backend, admin panel, integrations |
| Testing | 15–20% | Checking on various phones, on a weak internet connection and under load |
| Publishing in the store | 5–10% | Preparation for the App Store and Google Play, and getting through review |
The split is from Business of Apps' overview. The practical conclusion from it: if a proposal has only a "programming" line, planning, design and testing have either been forgotten or will appear later as an extra charge.
What factors change the price of a mobile app?
The price is determined not by the number of screens but by the work behind them. Eight factors change the budget the most.
- Platforms and technology. Two separate (native) apps for iOS and Android mean two separate codebases. With a cross-platform approach, one codebase goes out to both platforms; according to GoodFirms' overview, this can cut the cost by 20–40%.
- User roles. An app for customers alone is one job; separate interfaces for the customer, courier, manager and admin are effectively several apps.
- Backend and admin panel. The invisible half of the app: the database, accounts, orders and the panel your team works in. This is often where the largest part of the budget goes.
- Integrations. Card payment, instalments, CRM, 1C or ERP, SMS, maps and delivery services. Each integration is built and tested separately.
- Real time and offline work. Live order status, chat, courier movement on a map and an offline mode move the project up a tier.
- Design. A clean interface built with standard components is cheap; custom animations and non-standard screens raise both design and code hours.
- Languages and content. A three-language interface (AZ/RU/EN) means translation, proofreading and testing three times with every update.
- Security and testing scope. An app that handles personal and payment data requires stricter checks; how many real devices the app is tested on is also part of the price.
We showed how online payment is connected to an app, and which documents are needed for it, in the article how to connect online payment to a website; the process is the same for an app.
Which budget tier does each type of app fall into?
Two companies in the same field may have apps in different tiers, but the typical cases are as follows:
| App type | Usual tier | What raises the budget |
|---|---|---|
| Loyalty and bonus card | Simple | Integration with the till or accounting system |
| Online booking for a service (clinic, salon, course) | Simple – medium | Schedule management, reminders, online payment |
| Ordering and delivery (restaurant, supermarket, pharmacy) | Medium | Courier app, live status, warehouse stock levels |
| Personal account (payment schedule, documents) | Medium | Integration with internal systems, security |
| Internal app for a field team | Medium | Offline work, GPS, photos, roles |
| Marketplace and multi-sided platform | Complex | Seller and buyer accounts, commission, dispute resolution |
A simple rule: the more systems an app "talks" to and the more different types of user it serves, the higher its tier.
What are an app's costs after release?
Unlike a website, an app is not built once and forgotten: store accounts, servers and updates require spending every year. The main lines are:
| Cost | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | Annual | $99 |
| Google Play developer account | One-off | $25 |
| Server and database | Monthly | Depends on load |
| Push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging) | — | Free |
| Map services (Google Maps Platform) | Monthly | A free monthly limit for each service, paid above it |
| SMS verification codes | Per message | At the operator's or provider's rate |
| Support and updates | Annual | About 15–25% of the initial development cost |
| Store commission | On sales | Applies only to digital products sold in the app |
Sources: Apple Developer, Google Play Console Help, Firebase, Google Maps Platform.
Why is the support cost unavoidable? Apple and Google update their operating systems every year and require apps to adapt to the new versions. An app that is not updated first starts throwing errors on new phones and then can no longer be updated in the store.
The stores take no commission from apps that sell physical goods and services such as food, delivery and bookings. The commission applies to those selling subscriptions or digital content. The details are in the article how to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play.
For budget planning, GoodFirms recommends setting aside an extra reserve of 25–35% on top of the base amount for "hidden" costs such as store fees, compliance requirements and marketing. The advertising budget for getting the app downloaded is always a separate line.
How can you reduce the budget of a mobile app?
The way to cut the budget without cutting quality is not to do less work but to do the work in the right order. Six methods:
- Start with an MVP. An MVP is the minimal version sufficient to test the idea. Divide the feature list into "won't work without it" and "nice to have" groups; only the first group goes into the first version.
- Choose cross-platform. For most business apps, one codebase covers both platforms and saves you the cost of two separate teams.
- Use ready-made services. There are ready-made services for login, push notifications, maps and analytics; having them written from scratch is a waste of money.
- Provide requirements in writing. In every team, a vague brief is priced with a "reserve" coefficient. A written feature list both lowers the quotes and makes them comparable.
- Do not duplicate existing systems. If you have a CRM or an accounting system, the app should connect to it, not create a new copy of it.
- Check demand first. If you are not sure customers will use an app, test the idea with a mobile website or a PWA.
There is also a wrong way to save: cutting from testing, the backend and ownership terms. Cheap quotes usually lack exactly these; we showed the same logic for websites in the article why a cheap website ends up costing more.
How do you compare price quotes for an app?
Two quotes cannot be compared by the final figure alone: one includes the backend and testing, the other does not. Check that these items are written down in the quote:
- The list of features and which platforms (iOS, Android) are included.
- The backend, admin panel and integrations as separate lines.
- Design: how many screens, how many rounds of revisions.
- Testing: on which devices and by whom.
- Publishing in the stores, and in whose name the developer accounts will be opened.
- Handover to you of the source code, the design files and the accounts.
- Post-release support: duration, response time, monthly volume of work.
- Payment stages and what is delivered at each stage.
Tying payment to stages protects both sides: before each payment you see a working part. For how requirements and contract clauses are written, you can take the example in the article ordering a website: technical brief and contract; the structure is the same for an app.
How does Advertol price a mobile app?
Advertol does not publish a ready-made price list for apps: a proposal is prepared individually once the list of features, roles and integrations is clear. The first step is a free strategy meeting; there the app's business goal and what goes into the first version are determined.
The value of an app lies not in the screens but in the system behind them, and Advertol's published technology projects show exactly this side. In the custom CRM built for Momento Travel, enquiries arriving from several WhatsApp numbers, Instagram and Facebook are gathered into a single sales dashboard. In the AVA panel, clients follow ad results live.
Advertol is an agency based in Baku: website and mobile app development, Meta and Google advertising, SMM, CRM and AI automation are run by a single team. App projects are carried out within the website and app development service.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
According to international overviews, a simple app costs roughly $5,000–$50,000, a medium-complexity app $50,000–$120,000, and a complex app over $120,000. These figures mainly refer to the US and European market and are not a price list for Azerbaijan. The real amount is determined by the list of features, roles, integrations and the team's hourly rate.
Do I have to pay separately for iOS and Android?
With the native approach, yes: two separate apps are written and every change is made twice. With the cross-platform approach, one codebase goes out to both platforms and, according to GoodFirms' overview, can cut the cost by 20–40%. According to StatCounter, in the 12 months up to September 2026 Android's share averaged roughly 82% of mobile traffic in Azerbaijan, so starting with an iOS version alone leaves most of the market out.
How much does it cost per year to maintain an app?
The fixed part is small: the Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year, while a Google Play account is a one-off $25. The main cost is support: according to the Business of Apps and GoodFirms overviews, annual support is roughly 15–25% of the initial development cost. This includes the server, adapting to operating system updates and fixing errors.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to build an app with a ready-made app builder?
The initial cost is lower, but there are two risks. First, under clause 4.2.6 of Apple's rules, apps created with a commercial template or an app generator can be rejected. Second, the app stays on the platform: when the subscription stops, the app stops too, and the code cannot be moved to another team.
How many months does it take to build a mobile app?
According to Business of Apps' 2026 overview, a simple app takes 2–4 months, a medium-complexity app 4–6 months, and a complex app from 9 months to a year. The duration is changed most by the volume of features and how quickly decisions are made. Also allow extra time for opening the store accounts and for review.
Is it better to work for a fixed price or by the hour?
If the requirements are precisely written, a fixed price lets you forecast the budget. If requirements take shape along the way, working in stages is fairer: the scope and price of each stage are agreed separately. In both cases it must be written down what is delivered in return for each payment.
Conclusion
The price of a mobile app is not a ready-made figure but a sum of working hours. International overviews show the scale: a simple app costs tens of thousands and a complex platform hundreds of thousands of dollars; the real amount is determined by features, roles and integrations. The way to protect the budget is to keep the first version small, go out to two platforms with one codebase and plan annual support in advance.
If you want to determine which tier your app idea falls into and what should be included in the first version, book a free strategy meeting.
Sources
- Business of Apps — App Development Cost, 15.06.2026
- GoodFirms — How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App in 2026?, 25.09.2026
- Clutch — Mobile App Pricing Guide 2026, 21.09.2026
- Apple Developer — Program enrollment
- Google Play Console Help — developer account registration fee
- Firebase — Pricing
- Google Maps Platform — Pricing
- Apple — App Review Guidelines, 08.06.2026
- StatCounter — Mobile Operating System Market Share Azerbaijan