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App development cost calculator
Estimate what a mobile app, web app, SaaS product or AI app will cost to build. Choose platforms, features and design to get an instant cost and timeline range at our published rates, with a feature-by-feature breakdown and a comparison against typical US agency pricing.
How the calculator estimates your app.
Each platform, design level and feature carries a number of build hours taken from our own project plans, covering design, development and testing of that feature. Selecting “Full product” multiplies feature hours to cover edge cases, admin depth and polish, and mobile or two-client builds cost more per feature. We add 35 percent for project management, QA and release, and more for HIPAA or fintech safeguards.
Hours are multiplied by a blended rate of $28 to $38 an hour, which mixes senior and mid-level engineers with QA and delivery management at our published rates. The timeline assumes a squad sized to the work, from one senior engineer on small builds to four on large platforms.
The US comparison applies $100 to $200 an hour to the same hours, the range US agencies charge for senior engineers according to the rate guides in our rates by country report.
Rates, feature hours and examples updated 13 October 2026 and reviewed by Zain Khalid Malik, CTO. Feature hours come from our own project plans; our rates are on the pricing page.
Typical app costs
| Web app MVP8 to 12 weeks | $15k to $40k |
|---|---|
| Mobile app MVP (iOS and Android)10 to 14 weeks | $20k to $45k |
| AI-powered MVP10 to 14 weeks | $25k to $60k |
| Telehealth MVP (HIPAA)10 to 16 weeks | $35k to $60k |
| Fintech MVP3 to 5 months | $40k to $80k |
| Full product (multi-role SaaS or app)4 to 8 months | $50k to $150k+ |
| Discovery sprint with fixed estimate1 to 2 weeks | $3k to $8k |
Start from a typical app.
Each estimate is an MVP built by our team, calculated with the same model as the tool above. Open one to change the features.
| App | MVP cost | Timeline | Open in calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS MVP | $20k to $36k | 9 to 17 weeks | Load preset |
| Customer portal (web) | $19k to $35k | 9 to 17 weeks | Load preset |
| AI app like ChatGPT | $27k to $49k | 10 to 19 weeks | Load preset |
| AI support chatbot | $21k to $38k | 9 to 17 weeks | Load preset |
| Booking marketplace like Airbnb | $37k to $67k | 11 to 20 weeks | Load preset |
| Marketplace app like Etsy | $38k to $69k | 11 to 21 weeks | Load preset |
| Food delivery app like DoorDash | $45k to $82k | 12 to 22 weeks | Load preset |
| Ride-hailing app like Uber | $46k to $85k | 12 to 22 weeks | Load preset |
| Telemedicine app like Teladoc | $42k to $77k | 12 to 21 weeks | Load preset |
| Real estate app like Zillow | $36k to $66k | 11 to 20 weeks | Load preset |
How to estimate app development cost yourself.
- List each user role and the three to five things it must do in the first release.
- Turn those into features and count the integrations: payments, maps, CRM, email and any partner API.
- Estimate hours per feature; the reference table below lists ours.
- Add about 35 percent for project management, QA and release, and 15 to 25 percent for HIPAA or fintech compliance.
- Multiply by a blended rate: about $28 to $38 an hour for a senior offshore team, $100 to $200 for a US agency.
The calculator runs those five steps for you. For the reasoning behind the numbers, read how much it costs to make an app; for the monthly bill after launch, see what it costs to run an app and the AI agent and chatbot cost calculator.
What each feature costs to build.
Web app MVP scope, including design, testing and project overhead. Mobile builds cost about 20 percent more per feature; a full product about three times more.
| Feature | Category | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| User accounts and roles | Core | $2k to $2k |
| Social or SSO login | Core | $500 to $600 |
| Search and filters | Core | $1k to $2k |
| File and media uploads | Core | $1k to $1k |
| Push and email notifications | Core | $900 to $1k |
| Admin panel | Core | $3k to $4k |
| Dashboards and reports | Core | $2k to $3k |
| Multiple languages | Core | $900 to $1k |
| Offline mode and sync | Core | $2k to $3k |
| Second app for drivers or providers | Core | $6k to $8k |
| One-off payments | Commerce | $2k to $2k |
| Subscriptions and billing | Commerce | $2k to $3k |
| Marketplace payouts | Commerce | $3k to $4k |
| Booking and scheduling | Commerce | $2k to $3k |
| In-app chat | Communication | $3k to $4k |
| Video calls | Communication | $3k to $4k |
| Maps and location | Communication | $2k to $2k |
| Social feed and comments | Communication | $2k to $3k |
| Live tracking and dispatch | Communication | $5k to $6k |
| AI chatbot or assistant | AI | $5k to $7k |
| AI answers from your documents (RAG) | AI | $7k to $9k |
| AI agent that takes actions | AI | $8k to $11k |
| Document scanning and extraction | AI | $3k to $5k |
| AI voice agent (phone or in-app) | AI | $6k to $8k |
| Matching, swipe and recommendations | Communication | $2k to $3k |
| Lessons, quizzes and progress | Core | $4k to $5k |
| Listings with photos and map search | Core | $3k to $4k |
| End-to-end encrypted messaging | Communication | $5k to $6k |
Detailed cost guides
- Mobile app development cost in 2026
- MVP development cost
- SaaS development cost
- Healthcare app development cost
- AI agent development cost
- Software development rates by country
- Web app development cost
- Fintech app development cost
- Flutter app development cost
- Marketplace app development cost
- AI agent running cost calculator
- Free RFP, SOW and PRD templates
Cost calculator questions, answered.
How accurate is the app cost calculator?
It gives a planning range based on our published rates and the effort each feature typically takes on our projects. The real number depends on details the calculator cannot see, such as integration quality and how settled the requirements are, which is why we confirm it in a one- to two-week discovery sprint.
Do I need to give my email to see the price?
No. The range, timeline, team and hour-by-hour breakdown are shown immediately. You only share your details if you want a fixed written estimate from a senior engineer.
What rates does the calculator use?
A blended rate of $28 to $38 an hour across senior and mid-level engineers, QA and delivery management, based on our published rates (senior engineers $25 to $49 an hour). The US comparison uses $100 to $200 an hour, the typical range for US agencies.
Why is my estimate a range?
Every estimate carries uncertainty, so we apply plus or minus 15 percent to the hours and a range of blended rates. Discovery narrows it to a fixed price.
Does the estimate include hosting and maintenance?
No. Hosting, third-party services and app store fees are separate running costs, and maintenance retainers run $1.5k to $8k per month.
How much does a SaaS MVP cost?
The calculator's B2B SaaS preset (accounts and roles, subscriptions, dashboards, admin) comes to about $20k to $36k over 9 to 17 weeks with our team. Multi-tenant isolation, SSO and integrations add to that.
How much does an AI app cost to build?
An AI chat app like ChatGPT estimates at about $27k to $49k for an MVP in the calculator. Adding AI to an existing product usually costs $8k to $60k; the monthly model bill is separate, and our AI agent and chatbot cost calculator estimates it.
How do I estimate app development cost myself?
List the user roles and their first-release tasks, turn them into features and integrations, estimate hours per feature, add about 35 percent for project management and QA, then multiply by a blended rate. The calculator does exactly this with hours from our own project plans.
Can I get a fixed price?
Yes. After a discovery sprint ($3k to $8k, credited against the build) we give a fixed price for the defined scope, or you can hire a dedicated team from $4,000 per senior engineer per month.