# AppCost — Mobile App Development Cost Calculator

> A free, transparent cost calculator for teams planning a mobile app in the United States.

AppCost publishes a free, interactive mobile app development cost calculator for the United States market, plus 15 cost guides by app category and platform. The calculator itemises a build estimate from the visitor's own answers: app category, platform, complexity, features, expected user volume, design level and backend requirements.

ALL MONEY IS US DOLLARS (USD). The site serves the US market only and publishes no other currency. The model is denominated in engineering hours and billed at a flat $50 per hour, so every published figure is hours x rate.

Site: https://appcost.us/
Calculator: https://appcost.us/calculator/
Contact: https://appcost.us/contact/ — info@tactionsoft.com
Publisher: Taction Software Solutions (Taction Software LLC)

## How the calculator works

Seven questions, then a details step. The visitor gives a name and email on step 8; the full itemised estimate is then shown on screen and a copy is emailed to them. The estimate is not published anywhere else on the site — the category guides describe scope, effort and schedule, and the dollar figures come only from the visitor's own answers.

## What this site is not

Estimates are directional planning figures, not quotes, offers or contracts. They exclude content production, third-party licence fees, ongoing cloud and bandwidth costs, app store developer fees, paid marketing and post-launch maintenance (budget 15-20% of build cost per year for maintenance).

## Cost model

The model is denominated in ENGINEERING HOURS. Money is applied once, at the end, at $50 USD per hour. Changing the rate moves every price and leaves the effort — and the schedule derived from it — unchanged.

Midpoint formula, in order of application (all quantities are hours):

  core     = complexity.baseHours x appType.mult x platform.mult x design.mult
  core is split design 18% / frontend 42% / backend 40%
  features = SUM(feature.hours) x complexity.featureFactor x platform.mult
  backend  = tier.hours + SUM(addon.hours)
  infra    = traffic.infraHours
  qa       = 10% of everything above
  pm       = 8% of everything above
  every line is then multiplied by traffic.mult
  each line is rounded to the nearest 5 hours, then x $50 USD
  calculated value = SUM(lines)
  published range  = calculated value x 0.85 (low) to x 1.22 (high)
  timeline = total hours / 90 hours per week, clamped to 6-88 weeks

### Complexity baselines
- Simple: base 230 hrs, feature factor x0.8 — A focused app, a handful of screens
- Medium: base 475 hrs, feature factor x1 — A real product with accounts and a back end
- Complex: base 950 hrs, feature factor x1.2 — Multi-role, real-time, integration-heavy
- Advanced / Enterprise: base 1,790 hrs, feature factor x1.35 — Mission-critical, regulated or very large scale

### App category multipliers
- E-commerce: x1.15
- Healthcare: x1.3
- Social media: x1.2
- Food delivery: x1.25
- Fitness & wellness: x1
- Education & e-learning: x1.05
- Finance & FinTech: x1.35
- Travel & hospitality: x1.15
- Marketplace: x1.25
- Entertainment & streaming: x1.1
- On-demand services: x1.25
- Logistics & fleet: x1.3
- Real estate: x1.1
- Productivity & SaaS: x0.95
- Something else: x1

### Platform multipliers
- iOS only: x1 — One native Swift app for iPhone
- Android only: x1 — One native Kotlin app
- Cross-platform: x1.18 — React Native or Flutter — both stores, one codebase
- Both iOS & Android (native): x1.5 — Two native codebases, built in parallel

### Design multipliers
- Basic UI: x0.92
- Professional UI/UX: x1
- Custom UI/UX: x1.12
- Premium experience: x1.28

### Expected traffic (infrastructure block + uplift)
- Under 1,000 users / month: 0 hrs infrastructure, x1 uplift
- 1,000 – 10,000 users / month: 40 hrs infrastructure, x1.02 uplift
- 10,000 – 50,000 users / month: 95 hrs infrastructure, x1.05 uplift
- 50,000 – 100,000 users / month: 160 hrs infrastructure, x1.08 uplift
- 100,000 – 500,000 users / month: 275 hrs infrastructure, x1.12 uplift
- 500,000+ users / month: 440 hrs infrastructure, x1.18 uplift
- Enterprise / mission-critical: 715 hrs infrastructure, x1.25 uplift

### Feature effort (at medium complexity, one platform)
- User registration & login: 45 hrs
- User profiles: 35 hrs
- Social login (Apple, Google): 25 hrs
- Two-factor authentication: 50 hrs
- Multi-language support: 60 hrs
- Push notifications: 40 hrs
- Chat / messaging: 125 hrs
- Real-time updates: 95 hrs
- Reviews & ratings: 45 hrs
- Search: 60 hrs
- Filters & sorting: 30 hrs
- Geolocation: 70 hrs
- Maps & live tracking: 100 hrs
- Payments & checkout: 115 hrs
- Shopping cart & orders: 75 hrs
- Booking & scheduling: 100 hrs
- Subscriptions & in-app purchase: 90 hrs
- Video / audio streaming: 160 hrs
- AI features (chat, vision, recommendations): 230 hrs
- In-app analytics & dashboards: 50 hrs
- Offline mode & sync: 85 hrs

### Backend architecture
- Managed backend (BaaS): 0 hrs — Firebase or Supabase — no custom server
- Basic custom backend: 75 hrs — One service, one database, REST endpoints
- Custom backend & API: 170 hrs — Documented API, roles, background jobs
- Enterprise architecture: 420 hrs — Services, event bus, SSO, audit trail

### Backend add-ons
- Admin dashboard: 125 hrs
- Advanced admin & roles: 95 hrs
- Third-party API integrations: 90 hrs
- Advanced database & reporting: 105 hrs
- Cloud infrastructure & DevOps: 115 hrs
- Real-time infrastructure: 100 hrs
- Cloud storage & media CDN: 75 hrs
- Advanced security & compliance: 190 hrs

## Cost guides

### E-commerce app development cost
https://appcost.us/ecommerce-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build an e-commerce app in the US in 2026. Itemised estimates by scope, platform and traffic, plus the features that move the number.
MVP $24,000-$34,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $79,000-$114,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $211,000-$302,000 (11 – 14 months)

### Social media app development cost
https://appcost.us/social-media-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a social or short-video app in the US in 2026. Feeds, media pipelines, moderation and the infrastructure that decides the real bill.
MVP $29,000-$41,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $88,000-$127,000 (5 – 6 months) | Advanced $244,000-$350,000 (12 – 17 months)

### Food delivery app development cost
https://appcost.us/food-delivery-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a food delivery app in the US in 2026 — customer app, courier app and dispatch console priced separately, with live tracking.
MVP $31,000-$44,000 (2 – 3 months) | Standard $95,000-$136,000 (5 – 6 months) | Advanced $248,000-$356,000 (13 – 17 months)

### Healthcare app development cost
https://appcost.us/healthcare-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a healthcare or telehealth app in the US in 2026: HIPAA compliance, EHR integration and the security work patient data brings.
MVP $32,000-$46,000 (2 – 3 months) | Standard $84,000-$120,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $232,000-$334,000 (12 – 16 months)

### FinTech app development cost
https://appcost.us/fintech-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a fintech or payments app in the US in 2026 — KYC, ledgers, PCI scope, fraud, and the partner decisions that set your budget.
MVP $30,000-$44,000 (2 – 3 months) | Standard $81,000-$117,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $241,000-$346,000 (12 – 17 months)

### On-demand app development cost
https://appcost.us/on-demand-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build an on-demand services app in the US in 2026 — ride hailing, home services and bookings, with matching and live tracking priced in.
MVP $31,000-$45,000 (2 – 3 months) | Standard $89,000-$128,000 (5 – 6 months) | Advanced $240,000-$344,000 (12 – 17 months)

### Fitness app development cost
https://appcost.us/fitness-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a fitness or wellness app in the US in 2026 — workouts, wearables, subscriptions and video, priced by scope and platform.
MVP $22,000-$31,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $76,000-$109,000 (4 – 5 months) | Advanced $221,000-$318,000 (11 – 15 months)

### Education app development cost
https://appcost.us/education-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build an education or e-learning app in the US in 2026 — courses, lessons, assessment, video and student data, priced by scope.
MVP $28,000-$41,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $79,000-$113,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $229,000-$329,000 (12 – 16 months)

### Travel app development cost
https://appcost.us/travel-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a travel or booking app in the US in 2026 — search, availability, reservations, supplier APIs and cancellations, priced by scope.
MVP $27,000-$38,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $85,000-$122,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $229,000-$328,000 (12 – 16 months)

### Marketplace app development cost
https://appcost.us/marketplace-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a two-sided marketplace app in the US in 2026 — listings, search, payments, payouts, trust and moderation, priced by scope.
MVP $25,000-$36,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $85,000-$123,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $238,000-$342,000 (12 – 17 months)

### Streaming app development cost
https://appcost.us/streaming-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a video or music streaming app in the US in 2026 — playback, DRM, offline download, recommendations and delivery costs.
MVP $29,000-$42,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $80,000-$114,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $229,000-$328,000 (12 – 16 months)

### Real estate app development cost
https://appcost.us/real-estate-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a real estate app in the US in 2026 — MLS and IDX listings, map search, photo galleries, tours and lead routing.
MVP $26,000-$37,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $85,000-$122,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $219,000-$314,000 (11 – 15 months)

### Logistics app development cost
https://appcost.us/logistics-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build a logistics or fleet app in the US in 2026 — dispatch, routing, proof of delivery, telematics and ERP integration.
MVP $32,000-$46,000 (2 – 3 months) | Standard $84,000-$120,000 (4 – 6 months) | Advanced $230,000-$331,000 (12 – 16 months)

### iOS app development cost
https://appcost.us/ios-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build an iOS app in the US in 2026. Native Swift pricing by scope, plus how iOS compares with Android and cross-platform builds.
MVP $20,000-$29,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $66,000-$95,000 (3 – 5 months) | Advanced $137,000-$196,000 (7 – 9 months)

### Android app development cost
https://appcost.us/android-app-development-cost/
What it costs to build an Android app in the US in 2026. Native Kotlin pricing by scope, plus how Android compares with iOS and cross-platform builds.
MVP $20,000-$29,000 (1 – 2 months) | Standard $66,000-$95,000 (3 – 5 months) | Advanced $137,000-$196,000 (7 – 9 months)

## Policies

- Privacy Policy: https://appcost.us/privacy-policy/
- Terms of Use: https://appcost.us/terms/
- Cookie Policy: https://appcost.us/cookie-policy/
- Disclaimer: https://appcost.us/disclaimer/
- Accessibility: https://appcost.us/accessibility/

## Attribution

App and company names on this site (for example Uber, Amazon, Netflix, TikTok, Airbnb, DoorDash) appear only as recognisable examples of app categories and complexity. They are the trademarks of their respective owners and imply no affiliation with or endorsement of AppCost.

AI assists, humans decide.