How much it costs to make an app depends mostly on who builds it. An agency project typically runs from about $10,000 to $50,000 for most reviewed jobs, with an average near $90,000 according to Clutch's September 2026 pricing guide. A freelancer usually costs less but varies widely. Building it yourself with a no-code platform or an AI app builder costs a monthly plan, often between about $20 and $100 a month to start, plus your time. On top of the build, every app has running costs: hosting, a domain, outside services and, for native apps, store fees.
Agency numbers here come from Clutch's app development pricing guide, updated 21 September 2026. Builder prices were read off each product's official pricing page on 25 October 2026.
Four ways to pay for an app
- Agency: most reviewed projects cost $10,000 to $49,999; the average is about $90,780, over about 11 months. You get a team, project management and design, at the highest cost.
- Freelancer: usually less than an agency, depending on region, experience and scope. Expect weeks to months, with more of the coordination on you.
- No-code platform: a monthly plan plus your time. Bubble, for example, lists paid plans from $59 a month billed yearly, and you learn the editor yourself.
- AI app builder: a monthly plan plus your time. Entry plans range from around $16 to $49 a month, and you get a first version in hours to days, building it yourself by describing it.
The four routes buy different things. An agency builds to a specification with a team behind it. A builder hands you the tools and leaves the decisions, and the testing, to you.
Agency and freelancer quotes
Clutch, a directory of development firms, publishes pricing guides based on projects reviewed on its platform. Its app development guide, updated September 2026, reports:
- Most projects fall between $10,000 and $49,999.
- The average project cost is $90,780.11, with an average monthly cost of $8,188.44.
- Projects usually take about 11 months.
- Firms most commonly charge $25 to $49 an hour.
The average sits far above the typical range, which tells you a minority of large projects pull it up. A simple app with a few screens sits near the bottom of the range; apps with accounts, payments, admin tools, integrations and native versions for two platforms move toward the top and beyond.
Freelancers vary even more. Rates depend on country, experience and platform, and quotes for the same brief can differ several times over. Get at least three quotes from a written brief, and compare what each one includes: design, testing, hosting setup, store submission and support after launch.
No-code costs
No-code platforms charge a subscription, and many meter usage once the app is live.
- Bubble lists a Free plan with 50K workload units a month, and paid plans billed yearly at $59 (Starter), $209 (Growth) and $549 (Team) a month.
- Other no-code tools, such as Glide, Softr and Webflow, price by plan, users, records or traffic.
The main extra cost is your time to learn the editor, or a no-code freelancer's fee. Watch usage pricing: a successful app can cost noticeably more per month than the plan you started on.
AI app builder costs
AI builders charge for the AI's work while you build, through credits, tokens or messages, and most include hosting.
- Base44: Starter $16 a month billed yearly for 100 message credits, up to Elite at $160.
- Bolt: Pro $18 a month billed yearly with 10M tokens.
- Replit: Core $18 a month billed yearly, including $20 of usage toward models.
- Lovable: Pro from $25 a month for 100 credits, or $21 billed yearly.
- VibeDream: All Access Mini $49 a month with 60 credits and 3 active projects; All Access $97 a month with 150 credits and 5 active projects. Hosting, HTTPS and a vibedreams.ai address are included. Each Put it online or update costs 5 credits, and extra credit packs start at 50 credits for $30. There are no free signup credits.
Credit systems are hard to compare directly. How far a plan goes depends on how big your app is, how clearly you prompt and how many fixes you need.
Running costs, hosting, domain and APIs
Building is only the first bill. Budget for these every month or year.
- Hosting: included on most builders; a separate monthly bill if you host custom code yourself.
- Domain: a yearly fee at a registrar, if you want your own address.
- Outside services: email sending, maps, AI models and SMS are usually billed by use. Set usage caps.
- Payments: payment providers charge a fee per transaction.
- Native app stores: the Apple Developer Program is $99 a year; Google Play has a one-time $25 registration fee. Apple's Small Business Program commission is 15% on paid apps and in-app purchases for developers under $1 million in proceeds.
- Maintenance: fixes, updates and small changes, whether by you, a freelancer or a retainer.
A web app avoids store fees entirely, which is one reason many first versions start on the web.
Worked example, a booking app three ways
Take a booking app for a small grooming studio: a services page, a booking form, a confirmation email and an admin list of bookings. These are estimates built from the figures above, not quotes.
- Agency: likely in Clutch's most common $10,000 to $49,999 band for a web app of this size, more for native iOS and Android versions. Running costs on top for hosting and email.
- No-code: a paid plan, for example Bubble Starter at $59 a month billed yearly, plus a few days to a few weeks of your time learning and building, plus an email service.
- AI app builder: on VibeDream, an All Access Mini plan at $49 a month. How many credits the build uses depends on the app's size and how many rounds of fixes it needs, so there is no fixed figure; focused prompts and starting small keep it down, and credit packs cover any overrun. Publishing costs 5 credits each time. Add a domain and an email service.
The cheapest route in money is usually building it yourself. The cheapest route in your time is usually paying someone. The right answer depends on which you have more of, and how sure you are that people want the app. A useful middle path is to build the first version yourself, prove that customers book through it, and only then pay a developer to harden it, using the exported code as the starting point instead of a blank page.
How to keep costs low
- Build a web app first. One codebase, no store fees, instant updates.
- Start with one core feature. Every extra screen adds cost on every route.
- Write a one-page brief before you spend anything: users, the main action, the screens.
- Test demand before you pay for polish. A working MVP and ten real users beat a perfect spec.
- If you hire, ask for fixed-price milestones and make sure you own the code and accounts.
- If you build with AI, prompt one change at a time and start from a template where one fits.
- Cap usage on paid APIs from day one.