What drives the cost
Kotlin and Jetpack Compose make Android development as productive as iOS. What differs is the surface area you have to prove works: many manufacturers, many screen sizes, several live OS versions and aggressive per-vendor battery management that can quietly break background work and notifications.
Google Play’s review is faster and more forgiving than Apple’s, with a one-time $25 developer fee, and staged rollouts let you ship to a small percentage of users first. That is a genuine advantage for a team that wants to iterate quickly.
The three android app scopes
Almost every project in this category lands in one of three scopes. Find yours here, then price it in the calculator.
MVP
1 – 2 months
The smallest version worth putting in front of real users.
Standard
3 – 5 months
A complete product with a custom back end and an admin console.
Advanced
7 – 9 months
Multi-role, real-time and built for national scale.
Where the money goes
The split below is the standard scope above, by share of the build. The calculator turns these shares into itemised dollar figures once it has your answers.
- UI/UX design6%
- Frontend development13%
- Backend development32%
- Features28%
- Infrastructure & DevOps6%
- QA & testing8%
- Project management7%
Cost factors specific to this category
- Device fragmentation
- The main Android-specific cost. A defined device support matrix is the most effective way to control QA spend.
- Background work
- Doze, app standby and manufacturer battery managers all interfere with background jobs and push. Budget time to verify it on real hardware.
- Play billing
- Digital goods use Google Play Billing and its commission. Physical goods and services can use your own processor.
- Staged rollout
- Percentage releases and fast review make iteration cheaper on Android than on iOS.
Recommended approach at standard scope
A single native app keeps scope tight
One platform, one codebase, one store review. The usual next question is what the second platform costs — adding it later as a shared codebase is normally cheaper than porting a native app.
A custom backend with a documented API
Your own API keeps business logic off the device, makes an admin console possible, and means a web app or partner integration later is an addition rather than a rewrite.
Cloud architecture proportional to your users
At 10,000–50,000 users a month, managed hosting with monitoring and backups is enough. Keep the infrastructure boring and spend the budget on the product.
Apps in this category
Used only as recognisable reference points for scope and complexity — no affiliation with, or endorsement by, these companies is implied. Products at this scale reflect years of iteration and operating spend that no initial build budget reproduces.
- Notion
- Slack
- Todoist
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build an android app?
It depends on scope, and the honest answer is a range you have to derive from your own requirements. In the US in 2026 an MVP of an android app takes 1 – 2 months. A standard build with a custom back end and an admin console takes 3 – 5 months. A scaled platform built for national volume takes 7 – 9 months. The calculator prices whichever of those shapes matches your project, itemised by discipline, in US dollars — answer seven questions and the full estimate is shown on screen and emailed to you.
Is Android more expensive than iOS?
Slightly, and the difference is almost entirely testing across a wider device and OS range. At identical scope the development effort is comparable; the fragmentation premium is typically in the 5–15% range.
How many devices do I need to test on?
Define a matrix rather than chasing everything: two or three current flagships, a mid-range device, one older but supported OS version, and a large-screen or foldable if your audience uses them. A cloud device farm covers the rest.
Should I use Kotlin or cross-platform?
Native Kotlin if Android is your only target or you need deep platform integration. React Native or Flutter if both stores are coming — one codebase for both is cheaper than two native apps for the same scope.
Price your own scope
These are typical scopes, not yours. The calculator prices the exact features, platforms and traffic you have in mind, and shows the itemised breakdown behind the number.