The short answer
A custom mobile app runs $5,000–$80,000, with a typical small-business or startup MVP around $30,000. The range is this wide because “an app” covers everything from a simple content wrapper to a payments-and-realtime platform — the feature list, not the phone, sets the price.
| Tier | Range | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| No-code / template | $0–$5,000 | Builders like Glide or FlutterFlow. Real for simple apps, limited past that. |
| Simple MVP | $5,000–$20,000 | A focused app, a few core screens, one platform, basic backend. |
| Standard custom build | $20,000–$50,000 | Cross-platform, accounts, payments, a real backend, testing, store launch. |
| Complex / scaled product | $50,000–$100,000+ | Realtime features, heavy integrations, native performance, ongoing team. |
What actually moves the price
Feature count, not screen count. A pretty five-screen app can be cheap; the same five screens with user accounts, payments, push notifications, and offline sync is a different project entirely. Every feature that touches a server, a payment processor, or another app’s API adds real hours. Scoping tightly is the single biggest lever on your budget.
One codebase or two. Cross-platform frameworks build iOS and Android from one codebase, which usually saves money. Fully native apps — separate builds per platform — cost more but can be worth it for graphics-heavy or performance-critical products. Decide early; switching later is expensive.
The part after launch. An app isn’t done at launch — it needs OS updates, bug fixes, and store compliance, indefinitely. Budgets that ignore this run out. Factor ongoing maintenance in from the start, and consider whether you’re setting up a relationship for ongoing work rather than a one-time build.
How this guide is priced
Ranges are compiled from public market data and published rate listings — see our data methodology. As the Mindhyv marketplace grows, these figures will come from real, anonymized platform data instead.
Before you hire
Read the mobile app developer hiring guide for how to scope an MVP without overbuilding, and set your ceiling with our guide to setting a project budget before you talk to anyone.