What does app development cost?
Updated: 2026-11
The cost of an app depends less on the number of screens than on three decisions: whether it becomes a web app, a progressive web app or a store app for iOS and Android, how much logic and which interfaces the backend needs, and whether the app must work offline. Design, data protection and ongoing operations after launch come on top.
Online price ranges for apps run from a few thousand to millions. Both ends are true, which is exactly why they do not help. An app is a bundle of decisions, and each one shifts the effort.
Our focus is on web apps and progressive web apps that run in the browser and on the home screen. For native store apps we handle the decision, requirements and project management; the trade-off is covered in the decision guide on PWA versus native app.
What drives the cost
Platform choice
A web app or PWA with one codebase for all devices is usually cheaper than two native apps or a cross-platform framework with store publication.
Features and roles
Every user role, approval step and special rule adds development and testing. A clearly limited first scope is the biggest cost lever.
Backend and interfaces
Integrations with ERP, accounting, payments or business systems are often more work than the interface, especially when the other side is poorly documented.
Offline and sync
An app that works without a connection and syncs later needs conflict rules and more testing than an online-only app.
Design and accessibility
A custom design system costs more than proven components but pays off across several products. Accessibility from the start is cheaper than later.
Operations after launch
Hosting, monitoring, security updates and, for store apps, adjustments to new OS versions and store policies.
How we price
- 01
Fixed price for a clear first scope
For an MVP or a PWA with defined features. Changes go through a managed change process.
- 02
Sprints with a fixed team
For products whose scope evolves with user feedback. Budget per sprint instead of a total price.
- 03
Prototype to production
If a prototype exists, for example from a no-code tool, it is reviewed and turned into a maintainable solution.
We deliberately publish no online prices: every case differs. After a short first conversation you receive a binding fixed price or clear frame.
Parent service: App Development
Matching offers
PWA development: an installable web app instead of a store app
We build Progressive Web Apps on Next.js and Supabase: one codebase for phone and desktop, installable to the home screen, with defined offline behaviour, web push and data held in Zurich or Frankfurt. Scope is set during scoping, after which a fixed price applies.
From AI or no-code prototype to a production web app
AI app builders and no-code tools produce convincing prototypes quickly, but rarely a foundation for operations. We analyse the prototype, take its flows, screens and learnings as a specification, and rebuild the application on Next.js and Supabase with proper permissions, tests and data protection.
Fixed-price MVP development
Fixed-price MVP development delivers a clearly scoped, working product at a price defined up front — on a modern, EU-hosted stack. Not an open-ended hours bucket, but a defined scope with a clear result.
FAQ
Is a PWA really cheaper than a native app?
Usually, because one codebase covers all devices and no store process is needed. If the app needs device features the browser does not offer, native is the better choice.
What do operations cost per year?
It depends on hosting, usage volume and maintenance scope. We disclose running costs before the project starts so they are part of the decision.
Can we start on a small budget?
Yes, with a deliberately small first scope that solves one problem completely rather than many halfway.