What does it actually cost to build an app?

We've written before about how long an app actually takes to build. The sequel question follows roughly four seconds later: and what's that going to cost me?

Same deal as last time: the real answer is "it depends". But "it depends" is only annoying when nobody tells you what it depends on. So let's do that.

The short, unsatisfying version

A focused, well-built MVP from a UK agency generally lands somewhere between £30k and £80k. Something bigger (custom backends, a few hairy integrations, a proper design system) climbs comfortably into six figures.

That's a wide range, and we won't pretend otherwise. The width is the honest part. Anyone who quotes you a precise number before they understand what you're building is guessing, and you'll pay for that guess one way or another.

Where the money actually goes

An app budget isn't one big lump. It's roughly four:

• Design — working out what the thing is, then how it looks and feels. Usually 15–25% of the total.
• The build — the big one. Frontend, backend, and the unglamorous plumbing between. Most of your budget lives here.
• Integration & QA — payments, notifications, analytics, and the testing that keeps launch day calm.
• Project management — the bit that keeps the other three talking. Small line, big effect.

Notice what's not there: a magic "make it cheaper" lever. There isn't one. There's only scope.

What moves the number

The most expensive feature is the one nobody actually needed — and you tend to find that out only after it's built.

A few things reliably push a budget up:

• Scope. Every screen, every "ooh, can it also…", every edge case. It adds up, and faster than people expect.
• Custom vs. proven. Pay for custom work where it makes your product different. For the everyday things every app needs, like a login or settings page, it's cheaper and smarter to use what's already been built and tested.
• Integrations. Talking to someone else's system is rarely as tidy as their documentation suggests.
• Indecision. A stalled project still costs money to keep warm. Slow decisions are a line item — just an invisible one.

Spending it well

Cheaper isn't the goal. Spent well is the goal. Those are very different things.

Be honest about your first version — the smaller it is, the sooner it's out there making money, learning from real users, or helping you raise investment. Put the money where your product is genuinely different, and lean on proven patterns for everything else. And budget a little contingency: every project meets a surprise, and the ones that planned for it barely flinch.

The cheapest app in the world is worthless if it isn't built properly. The most expensive one is worthless if it ships six months late. Somewhere in between sits a number that fits your idea — and a good studio will tell you what it is before you've signed anything.

So — what'll it cost?

The genuinely useful answer needs about twenty minutes and a proper conversation about what you're trying to build. Tell us about your project and we'll give you a real range: itemised, honest, and easy to understand.