You want a number. We understand. The trouble is that a mobile app is a set of decisions, and each one adds or removes work. Two apps that look alike on the screen can take very different effort, because of what sits behind the screen.
This article explains where the hours go, what makes them grow or shrink, and how to get a real range for your own idea in minutes. We will not type a price here. Rates change, and our estimator always works from the current rate card. What follows is the thinking behind the numbers it gives you.
Cost is hours, by role
Every estimate we produce breaks down the same way: hours, by role, at the current rate. On a typical mobile project the roles are:
- Product and discovery. Someone turns your idea into a list of screens, flows and rules. This is where scope gets defined, and where most surprises are avoided.
- Design. Wireframes first, then the finished look. Every screen you add is a screen to design, and every state of that screen (empty, loading, error) is more work.
- Mobile development. The code that runs on the phone, for iOS, Android or both.
- Backend and APIs. Most apps need a server behind them: accounts, stored data, notifications, payments, the admin side. Users never see it, but it is often a large share of the build.
- Quality assurance. Testing on real devices before each release.
- Project management. Planning, review, and keeping everyone pointed at the same scope.
The estimator shows the effort for each role separately, so you can see which part of your idea is driving the cost, and decide whether it earns its place.
What moves the hours
The list below is what we look at first when scoping a mobile app.
| Decision | Why it changes the work |
|---|---|
| Number of screens and flows | Each screen is designed, built and tested. Each flow between screens is logic to write and check. |
| One platform or two | iOS and Android are different systems. Building for both costs more than one, even when code is shared. |
| Sign-in and user roles | Accounts, password reset, permissions and admin roles all live on the backend and need careful testing. |
| Payments | Taking money means a payment provider, receipts, refunds and edge cases. |
| Integrations | Each outside system you connect to (CRM, accounting, maps, messaging) has its own rules and its own failures to handle. |
| Offline use and sync | An app that works without a connection must store data locally and reconcile it later. This is real engineering. |
| Compliance | Rules about personal data, health data or financial records add design constraints, logging and review. |
| Admin tools | Your team needs a way to see users, content and problems. This is often a second, smaller web app. |
| Finish | Animations, custom components and pixel-level polish are worth it for some apps and a waste for others. |
None of these are wrong to want. The point is to choose them on purpose. A first version that leaves out offline sync and launches on one platform can reach users sooner, and the second version can add the rest once you know what they actually use.
The cost after launch
The build is not the whole cost. An app in the store keeps costing something every month: hosting for the backend, the third-party services it depends on, and the work of keeping it current as phones and operating systems change. The estimator shows monthly costs beside the build cost, so you see both before you decide.
Three ways to pay for it
How you buy the work also shapes the total.
- Fixed price for a defined scope. Best when the screens and rules are settled. You know the number before we start.
- A team by the month. Best when the product is still being discovered and you want to steer as you learn.
- A monthly block of hours with a promised response time. Best for an app that is already live and needs steady care.
Many projects start with the first and move to the third after launch.
Get your range in minutes
We are based in Kelowna, British Columbia, and we build web and mobile apps for clients in the Okanagan, across Canada, in the United States and worldwide. The estimator gives you a price range from the current rate card: build cost, monthly costs, effort by role, duration and every assumption behind it. Run it with your idea, change a few answers, and watch which decisions move the number. That is the most honest answer to the question in this title.
