How much does a mobile app developer cost in 2026?
Real project prices for mobile apps — why quotes span $5,000 to $80,000, and what actually drives an app budget.
Updated August 25, 2026On this page
The short answer
A custom mobile app runs $5,000–$80,000, with a typical small-business or startup MVP around $30,000. The range is this wide because “an app” covers everything from a simple content wrapper to a payments-and-realtime platform — the feature list, not the phone, sets the price.
| Tier | Range | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| No-code / template | $0–$5,000 | Builders like Glide or FlutterFlow. Real for simple apps, limited past that. |
| Simple MVP | $5,000–$20,000 | A focused app, a few core screens, one platform, basic backend. |
| Standard custom build | $20,000–$50,000 | Cross-platform, accounts, payments, a real backend, testing, store launch. |
| Complex / scaled product | $50,000–$100,000+ | Realtime features, heavy integrations, native performance, ongoing team. |
What actually moves the price
Feature count, not screen count. A pretty five-screen app can be cheap; the same five screens with user accounts, payments, push notifications, and offline sync is a different project entirely. Every feature that touches a server, a payment processor, or another app’s API adds real hours. Scoping tightly is the single biggest lever on your budget.
One codebase or two. Cross-platform frameworks build iOS and Android from one codebase, which usually saves money. Fully native apps — separate builds per platform — cost more but can be worth it for graphics-heavy or performance-critical products. Decide early; switching later is expensive.
The part after launch. An app isn’t done at launch — it needs OS updates, bug fixes, and store compliance, indefinitely. Budgets that ignore this run out. Factor ongoing maintenance in from the start, and consider whether you’re setting up a relationship for ongoing work rather than a one-time build.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mobile app developer cost? $5,000–$80,000 per project, with a typical project landing around $30,000. The tier table above shows what each price band actually buys, which matters more than the average — the same project can mean very different work.
Why do mobile app developer prices vary so much? Three things drive most of the spread: feature count, not screen count, one codebase or two, the part after launch. Two honest quotes for what sounds like the same job often differ because they assume different scope, so get the scope in writing before comparing numbers.
What is a fair price for a mobile app developer? Anything inside $5,000–$80,000 per project is defensible if the scope matches. Be more suspicious of a quote far below that range than one above it — underpricing usually means something has been left out, and you find out which part later.
How do I avoid overpaying? Give every candidate the same written scope so you are comparing prices rather than interpretations. The project brief builder produces one in a few minutes. Then read the hiring guide for the questions that separate a professional from someone with a website.
Are these prices current? They are indicative and dated rather than live quotes — see the sources below and our data methodology. Prices move, so treat the range as a way to judge a quote, not as the quote itself.
How this guide is priced
Ranges are compiled from public market data and published rate listings — see our data methodology. As the Mindhyv marketplace grows, these figures will come from real, anonymized platform data instead.
Before you hire
Read the mobile app developer hiring guide for how to scope an MVP without overbuilding, and set your ceiling with our guide to setting a project budget before you talk to anyone.