How much does it cost to build an app for a small business?
Real 2026 prices for the four ways to get an app, the costs people forget, and how to keep yours down.
What you get
- Fixed priceA set price for the build. No hourly surprises.
- You own itPublished under your name, in your store account.
- No platform feeYour app keeps working whether or not you pay us monthly.
- In writingEvery request, mockup and approval, written down.
- Not monthsMost apps launch within weeks of your approval.
The short version: in 2026 a simple app for a small business costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars on freelance marketplaces to $15,000 to $50,000 or more from a US agency. DIY app builders cost $16 to $250 a month for as long as the app exists. A fixed-price studio usually lands between those, at a few thousand dollars, with optional monthly upkeep.
What decides the price
- Number of screens. Each screen has to be designed, built and tested on iPhone and Android. Five screens and twenty-five screens are very different jobs.
- Does it need the cloud? An app that keeps everything on the phone is far simpler than one that shares data between phones, has logins, or takes payments. A backend roughly doubles the work and adds hosting and upkeep.
- Custom design. Your own logo, colors and layouts take more time than a clean standard design.
- Who builds it. US developers charge roughly $90 to $190 an hour. Overseas developers and marketplace freelancers charge much less, with more risk around communication and support.
The four ways to get an app, and what each costs
1. Freelance marketplaces
Basic app projects on Fiverr average a few hundred dollars, with hourly rates of about $35 to $68. The price is tempting, but quality varies widely, and many sellers are not around a year later when a phone update breaks something.
2. DIY app builders
Template builders such as Appy Pie, Adalo and Glide cost roughly $16 to $250 a month. You do the building yourself, and the monthly fee never ends. If you stop paying, the app usually stops working, because it lives on their platform.
3. Done-for-you platforms
Some app builder companies will build the app for you. One well-known platform charges $5,000 to $15,000 for the build depending on the number of screens, plus a platform fee of $100 to $499 a month to keep the app running on their system.
4. Agencies and independent developers
A US agency typically quotes $15,000 to $50,000 or more for a simple app, and far more for anything complex. Ongoing maintenance for a small app runs about $500 to $1,700 a month, or 15 to 20 percent of the build cost each year.
Costs people forget
- Store accounts. Apple charges $99 a year for a developer account and Google Play charges $25 once. A business publishes under its own account. See how to set up an Apple developer account for your business.
- Yearly updates. Apple and Google release new versions of their systems every year and change their store rules. Someone has to keep the app current.
- Hosting. Apps with a cloud backend pay for servers, usually a small amount for a small business, growing with use.
- Changes. Features you think of after launch are new work, so get them quoted before you agree to them.
How to keep the price down
- Start with one job. An app that does one thing well is cheaper to build and easier for people to use. You can add more later.
- Keep data on the phone if you can. If staff or customers do not need to share data, skipping the cloud saves money now and every month after.
- Approve the screens before any code. Changes on a mockup cost almost nothing. Changes after the build cost real money.
- Get a fixed price in writing. Hourly billing on an open-ended project is where budgets go wrong.
- Own your app. Publish under your own store accounts and get the code, so you are never stuck paying a platform fee forever.
Our prices
At The News Bakery App Studio, a Starter app with up to 5 screens is $2,500, a Standard app with up to 15 screens is $4,500, and apps that need the cloud start at $7,500. You see every screen before we build, and care plans for upkeep are optional. See all prices and plans.
Sources: price ranges from goLance, Fiverr, Adalo, Adalo on BuildFire pricing and Cleveroad, checked November 2026. Prices change, so check current pricing before you decide.