‘How much does a mobile app cost?’ The question comes up in every first meeting, and the honest answer fits in one sentence: it depends. The price of a mobile app is not a catalogue rate, it is the result of decisions you make, often without realising it. The same idea can cost 20,000 € or 200,000 € depending on its scope, its platforms and its technical complexity. This article breaks down the maths, without jargon, so you know where every euro goes.
Realistic ranges, not a magic number
To set some markers, here are the orders of magnitude we see in Belgium and across Europe. A simple first version, built to validate an idea, often lands between 20,000 € and 45,000 €. A polished app, with user accounts, payments and dynamic content, quickly climbs to between 50,000 € and 120,000 €. As soon as you add real time, precise geolocation or a business back office, the 150,000 € mark is cleared without trouble. These figures are not quotes, they are starting points for a conversation.
Scope: the biggest lever on price
The factor that weighs most on the cost of developing a mobile app is the list of features. Every screen, every edge case, every ‘what if the user does this?’ adds days of work. The discipline of the MVP is to ship first what proves the value, then invest in the rest once early usage is measured. This is exactly the logic behind our product engineering offer: framing a tight scope before writing a single line. Cutting 30% of the initial features is not skimping, it is funding what comes next.
One platform or two? iOS, Android and the tech choice
Targeting iOS and Android at the same time can double the bill if each app is built separately in its native language. This is where a technical choice like React Native changes the equation: a single codebase serves both platforms, which sharply cuts the budget and the time to market. It is not the right answer for every project, but for most consumer apps the saving is real. It is the approach we chose for the Hibi app, shipped to both stores from a single foundation.
The invisible part: backend, real time and data
An app is only the shop window. Behind it there is often a server, a database, authentication and sometimes real-time synchronisation. This invisible part regularly makes up half of the cost. An instant messaging thread, a position moving on a map, a dashboard that refreshes on its own: each of these behaviours needs a solid architecture and serious testing. For the Zou. app, the live updates demanded more effort on the server side than on the screen. That is normal, and it is what makes the product reliable.
Design and maintenance: the costs people forget
Two items often slip under the radar when setting the price of a mobile app. Design first: a polished interface, tested with real users, costs more than a generic template, but it cuts drop-off and support. Maintenance next: an app is alive, it follows iOS and Android updates, fixes bugs and evolves. Budget each year around 15 to 25% of the initial cost to keep it healthy.
- Custom design or template: from a few thousand euros to a line item of its own
- Accounts, payments and notifications: each adds its share of development and testing
- Real time and mapping: among the most expensive features
- Yearly maintenance: 15 to 25% of the initial budget, to plan for from day one
The right reflex is not to ask ‘how much does a mobile app cost’, but ‘what is the smallest version that proves it works’.
The price of a mobile app is built, not guessed. A clear scope, a platform chosen with method, a backend sized for your real usage: that is what separates a controlled budget from a bill that spirals. If you want an estimate anchored in your project rather than a generic range, let us talk. Tell us about your idea on our contact page, and we will come back to you with concrete framing.