Ixonix

Guide · Updated October 2026 · By Ixonix

How much does a custom app cost? An honest answer

The short answer

It depends on size more than anything else. A big app with many kinds of users, like a marketplace or a social network, is a large project: months of work and often tens of thousands of dollars or more. A small app that solves one problem well can take weeks and cost a few thousand dollars.

That's why you see such different numbers online: people are often comparing a garden shed with a house. 🏡

Four sizes of app

Here's a simple way to place your idea. The dollar signs show the relative cost, from smallest to biggest.

A simple tool

$

e.g. A calculator, a booking page, a client checklist

One core feature, a few screens, maybe a login.

Usually takes: A few weeks

A small app

$$

e.g. A client portal, a members area, a team dashboard

Login, a core feature, an admin area, emails, maybe payments.

Usually takes: Weeks to about two months

A platform

$$$

e.g. A marketplace with buyers and sellers, a multi-company system

Several kinds of users, each with their own screens and rules.

Usually takes: Several months

A large product

$$$$

e.g. A social network, a banking app, an app with many integrations

Many features, native mobile apps, a team to keep it running.

Usually takes: Many months, often ongoing

What makes the price go up

  • ⬆️ More kinds of users. Every role (client, admin, staff, seller...) needs its own screens and rules.
  • ⬆️ Connections to other systems. Each integration with another tool has to be built, tested and maintained.
  • ⬆️ App store apps. Native iPhone and Android apps add work. A web app that works on phones often does the job.
  • ⬆️ Fully custom design. Unique animations and illustrations take time. A clean, simple design costs less.
  • ⬆️ Real-time features. Live chat, live maps and instant updates are more complex to build well.
  • ⬆️ Moving old data. Importing years of messy spreadsheets takes care and time.

What keeps it down

  • ⬇️ Start with one core feature. Launch the thing that saves you the most time, and add the rest later.
  • ⬇️ A web app first. It works on any phone or computer, with nothing to download.
  • ⬇️ Proven building blocks. Login, payments and emails don't need to be invented from zero.
  • ⬇️ A clear scope before you start. Knowing exactly what's in (and what's not) avoids surprise bills.

Costs people forget to ask about

  • 🔎 Hosting and domain. Usually a small monthly or yearly cost. Ask whose name the accounts are in.
  • 🔎 Payment fees. If your app takes payments, the payment provider keeps a small percentage.
  • 🔎 Maintenance. Security updates, backups and fixing what breaks. Ask what happens after launch.
  • 🔎 Changes after launch. New ideas will come. Ask how they're priced before you need them.

Fixed price or hourly?

With hourly billing, you carry the risk: if the project takes longer, you pay more. With a fixed price, the scope is agreed first and the number doesn't move. Fixed prices work best for small, well-defined apps, which is exactly why starting small helps.

When you don't need a custom app

  • An existing tool already does 90% of what you need, and its monthly fee doesn't bother you.
  • You want to sell an app but haven't checked that anyone will pay for it. Try it first with a simple form or spreadsheet.
  • You can't describe the one problem it should solve yet. Start there; the app can wait.

Five questions to ask any developer before you pay

  1. Who owns the code, the data and the accounts when it's done?
  2. Is the price fixed, or do you charge by the hour?
  3. How many rounds of changes are included, and what counts as a change?
  4. What happens after launch if something breaks?
  5. Can I try something you've built?

Where Ixonix fits

We build small, single-purpose apps: the "simple tool" and "small app" sizes above. Fixed price from $2,000, agreed before we start. 50% upfront, 50% at launch. You own the code, the data and the accounts.

Tell us your idea →

Want a quick number first? Try our app cost calculator. Not sure which size your idea is? Tell us anyway. We'll say so honestly if it's not a fit.

Ideas we build: client portals · booking apps · dashboards · membership apps · quote calculators · paid directories