How Much Does It Cost to Build a Mobile App in 2026? (Real Numbers)

Cost by Build Path

Fixed-price agency (React Native): $3,460–$8,000 for MVP. Freelancer: $10K–$30K, 2–4 months. Offshore agency: $8K–$25K, variable quality. No-code (Adalo, FlutterFlow): $500–$5K, limited features. Native iOS + Android separately: $40K–$100K. In-house team: $150K–$400K fully loaded over 6 months.

• Agency (cross-platform): $3,460–$8,000
• Freelancer: $10K–$30K
• No-code: $500–$5K (not production-grade)
• Native both platforms: $40K–$100K
• In-house: $150K–$400K

What Affects Mobile App Cost

Each adds 15–30%: authentication beyond email/password, in-app purchases (RevenueCat), push notifications, offline mode, camera/GPS, real-time features, admin dashboard, and backend API complexity. A simple content app with auth: $3,460. Social app with real-time: $5,800–$8,000. Marketplace with payments: $5,800–$10,000.

Cross-Platform vs Native

React Native (one codebase, iOS + Android): 40–60% cheaper than separate native apps. Performance is 95% of native for most apps. We default to React Native + Expo for every mobile MVP. Go native only for: heavy 3D/gaming, AR/VR, or deeply custom native APIs that Expo doesn't support (rare).

Ongoing Costs After Launch

Apple Developer Program: $99/year. Google Play: $25 one-time. Hosting: $25–$100/month. RevenueCat: free up to $2.5K MRR. Push notifications: free (Expo Push). App Store ads (optional): variable. Maintenance: budget 10–15% of build cost annually for OS updates and bug fixes.