How much does it cost develop an app in 2025

When we talk about the cost of creating an app, it's important to understand that functionality plays a key role here.

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Imagine you're building a house. If this is a small cottage, then the costs will be minimal - something like a calculator or simple notes. Such apps don't require much time or money.

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But if you want to create something more serious, for example, an online store or a food delivery app, the costs will be much higher. Well, if your goal is a social network with video calls, chat and geolocation, then be prepared for serious investments.

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Each new feature takes time to develop and test, which means more costs.

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For example, adding video calls or chats to the app increases the team's workload, which has a direct impact on the budget.

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The functionality of the application covers a lot of different tasks.

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For example, you need to integrate payment systems, work with user data, add multimedia features, or set up interaction with other services via the API. All these tasks require a special approach and high-quality development, which means additional time for configuration and testing so that everything works like clockwork.

Here's a case study: one of our clients wanted to create an online store that would have a chat and the ability to video reviews of products in real time. To implement these features, we needed to invest more time in development, and the budget grew accordingly. But these additional costs were more than justified: users appreciated the convenience of communicating with sellers and the ability to see products “live”, which significantly improved their experience and increased trust in the store.

Choosing a platform for an app is another important thing to consider. How much does it cost to make an iPhone app? How much does it cost to make an Android app? Or maybe it's better to choose a cross-platform solution?

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Developing for iOS is often cheaper. Why? Because Apple devices have a limited number of models and they are all updated synchronously. This makes the development process more predictable.

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At the same time, development for Android requires adaptation to many smartphone models and different versions of the operating system, which, of course, increases uptime and cost. But if you want to reach the maximum audience, you need to develop for both platforms.

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There are also cross-platform solutions that can save both budget and time. Such technologies make it possible to create one application that will work on both Android and iOS, so you don't have to make two separate versions for each platform.

IN Beetrail we create solutions that are fully adapted to the tasks of each client in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

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Cross-platform development allows you to optimize costs, saving time and money. If your application is going to run at a high load, we will always find a way to refine our cross-platform solution so that it remains reliable and of high quality.

An example from our practice:

‍We were approached by a client with a request to develop an application for booking hotel rooms with a selection function through an interactive map. We suggested using Flutter's cross-platform technology. This solution allowed us to reduce the budget by 25%, preserve all the features of the application and make it user-friendly.

Design is not only about what the app looks like, but also about user-friendliness. After all, the more effort is invested in creating a convenient and functional interface, the higher its cost.

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For example, black and white models are often used during the prototyping phase. This helps to minimize risks and save money in the future. Yes, custom UX/UI design may require a large investment, but these costs are justified because it significantly increases user engagement.

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Design is not just beautiful pictures, but the logic of how the user interactions with the application.

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High-quality UX makes finding the right features easy, and the product itself is pleasant and intuitive. Of course, developing such a design takes time and resources, but in the end, the design pays off: apps with a good interface receive positive reviews and attract much more users.

Case: Our client developed a sports app and wanted to make it convenient for people with different levels of physical fitness. We started by creating an initial layout and then fine-tuned it based on user feedback. As a result, the final design significantly improved the app's usability, which led to increased engagement and an increase in the number of active users in the first month after launch.

Connecting payment systems, integrating cards and chats — all this makes the application more convenient and useful for the user. But, as they say, everything comes at a price: such improvements increase development costs. For example, implementing a payment system takes time and resources, which automatically affects the overall project budget.

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Each new feature is a different story. Connecting maps? We'll have to work with external APIs. Would you like to add push notifications? Then you can't do without setting up the backend. These improvements do cost money, but their benefits for users are obvious: the app is becoming more comfortable, functional, and more attractive.

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Here's a real example. In one of our projects, we have implemented a payment system and a loyalty program. Yes, it took longer and required additional investments. But the result was worth it: users returned to the app more often, their activity increased, and the customer was satisfied.

If you need to develop an application in a short time, this will inevitably affect the budget. The faster you need to get the job done, the more resources you have to connect, which means that costs go up.

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When it comes to accelerated development, we employ more effort, rework more often, and pay more attention to testing.

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If it's important for you to get the project up and running as soon as possible, we can speed up the process, but this will require additional investments.

Here is another example from our practice: one of our clients asked us to develop an app for the holidays. To meet the deadline, we quickly expanded our team, worked overtime and completed the project 1.5 times faster than usual. This increased the budget by 30%, but the client received the finished application on time — it worked great and brought good results.

Creating an app is an exciting journey where every step counts.

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It all starts with an idea: we form an idea, create a technical specification and carefully study competitors. Then we move on to design and prototypes, and then it's time to program, test and launch. By the way, the cost of each stage forms the overall budget, so everything is important here.

1. Idea and planning. First, an idea. We help turn it into a clear plan: we analyze the market, see what competitors are doing, and find out what users want. At this stage, the foundation for the future application is laid: we formula tasks, describe requirements and draw an overall picture of the project.

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2. Prototyping and design. Then it's time to implement the idea on the screen. First, let's draw simple black and white mockups to understand how things will work. Then we add colors: we focus the design on the target audience to make it convenient and enjoyable for users.

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3. Implementation of the project. This is where the real magic begins — programming. Everything we've planned and drawn comes to life. At this stage, we are actively testing the app to find and fix any bugs right away. The sooner we notice them, the fewer problems we face in the future.

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4. Testing and debugging. If you don't test the application on time, errors can come up at the most inopportunity moment. Therefore, we check every detail to ensure that the product works smoothly.

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5. Launch and support. When the app is ready, it will be launched. But the work doesn't end there: support comes next. These are updates, answers to user feedback and solutions to any questions that arise. This care helps the product stay on top.

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Here's an example for you: one of our customers decided that our support after launch would come in handy. And I was right! During the year, we promptly responded to user feedback and finalized the app. As a result, its popularity has increased: the number of active users has increased by 86%.

Let's get to the point!

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To better understand how the cost of developing applications is formed, let's look at this using specific examples.

Simple apps — this is something like task trackers, calculators or notes. They will cost between $8,000 and $15,000. Why is this so? Because these are basic projects with minimal functionality: easy navigation, authorization and working with data without frills.

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Medium difficulty — these are already online stores, food delivery services or booking systems. Things are more complicated here, and therefore more expensive: from 20,000 to 50,000 dollars. Such applications require the integration of payment systems, work with large databases and a good, user-friendly design.

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Difficult projects — for example, social media with video calls, video streaming, instant chats, and geolocation. This is where prices start at $50,000 and go far beyond the horizon. All because of the many features, the high level of detail and the need to ensure stable operation.

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This is how development costs are formed from simple to complex.

The cost of developing applications is highly dependent on the region.

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• For example, in the US for the cost of creating a mobile application for your phone, you will have to pay from $150,000 to $300,000. It's all about high developer salaries and expensive business services.

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• But in Eastern Europe prices are more affordable — from 50,000 to 100,000 dollars. Here, the level of professionalism remains high, but labor costs are lower.

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• In CIS countries The average development cost ranges from $25 to $50 per hour.

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IN Beetrail we settled on $30 an hour. Yes, market rates can go up to $50, but it's important for us to find a balance between quality and price.

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We believe that good work should be affordable, so we try to be transparent at every stage.

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You'll always know what's going on with your project. It is important for us not only to make a great product, but also to turn the development process into a comfortable and understandable journey for the client.

How it works in practice

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Recently, one of our clients shared that he was able to significantly save part of the budget due to our phased approach. We started small, gradually added new features, adjusted the details and made sure everything went according to plan. This approach helped to avoid unnecessary costs and gave the client full control over the budget.

So how much does it cost to develop a phone app? It all depends on its complexity.

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Simple apps can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000. If you need something more complicated, get ready for amounts ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. And for really large-scale projects, the budget starts at $50,000 or more.

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In this article, we discussed in detail what determines the price of development, and why it is better not to save on quality.

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You can watch a video on this topic if suddenly something was not clear. YouTube, VK, Rutube.

Are you dreaming of creating your own app? We're here to help you!

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Leave a request on our website or write in social networks. Remember, every big project started with a small idea.

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Let's make it a reality together!