How much does an app cost to build and maintain?
A focused application with authentication, core workflows and administration tools typically takes several months to build. Products with complex permissions, offline sync, multiple integrations and both mobile platforms take longer. Ongoing costs should also be planned for: typically fifteen to twenty-five per cent of the original build cost each year to keep the application secure and up to date.
Ongoing costs arise even when no new features are added. Mobile platforms release major updates annually and raise minimum requirements, dependencies receive security updates, certificates expire and permission models change.
Applications funded only to launch often need substantial remediation after around eighteen months before they can be updated again, which can approach the cost of a rebuild.
The main factors affecting build cost are the number of user roles and their permissions, offline and sync requirements, the number and quality of integrations, and the number of platforms. Visual design and screen count have less impact than is often assumed.
We provide estimates after a discovery conversation, and can indicate the likely budget range early on.
Related service
Mobile App DevelopmentiOS and Android apps from one codebase, with offline support and app store submission.
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