How much does an iOS app cost to build in 2026: ranges by scope
Most 2026 estimates put an iOS app at $15,000 to $50,000 for a simple build and $150,000 to $300,000+ for a complex one. Ranges and cost drivers.
The short answer
Most 2026 estimates put a simple iOS app at roughly $15,000 to $50,000, a mid-complexity app at $50,000 to $150,000, and a complex or regulated app at $150,000 to $300,000 or more. If you ask how much an iOS app costs, that is the honest starting range, with one warning. The figures come from development agencies that sell this work, they disagree with each other, and few explain how they were built. Use them to size a budget, then get itemized quotes against a written spec.
Below: the ranges by scope, what moves a price within a range, the costs that sit outside the build, and how to compare quotes without getting fooled by a low number.
Cost ranges by scope
Simple app or MVP
Netguru's 2026 guide, updated Aug 5, 2026, defines a simple app as a single platform with 3 to 5 screens and no backend, and prices it at $15,000 to $50,000. It puts a one-platform MVP with core features at $25,000 to $60,000. Aalpha's iOS guide lists a simple utility at $20,000 to $40,000 and 4 to 8 weeks of work, and gives a basic utility 1 to 2 months overall.
Mid-complexity app
Add user accounts, an API, and a custom interface and the range moves up. Netguru lists $50,000 to $150,000 for this tier. Aalpha lists $50,000 to $120,000. Timelines depend on the product type: Aalpha puts an ecommerce or marketplace app at 3 to 6 months and a healthcare or fitness app at 3 to 8 months.
Complex and regulated apps
Real-time features, multiple roles, and compliance requirements push an app into the $150,000 to $300,000+ range in both guides. Aalpha estimates social and messaging apps at 6 to 12 months and fintech or banking apps at 6 to 12 months or longer. Netguru's own data shows a median of $76,000 for a cross-platform MVP and $118,000 for MVPs that add HIPAA or real-time features.
Why the sources disagree
Read these numbers as directional. Netguru gives two different simple-tier ranges on the same page, and Aalpha's summary range ($40,000 to $400,000+) does not match the tiers in its body. Other agencies publish different bottoms and tops again. None of this is dishonest. It does mean a single published figure is a weak basis for a budget.
Cost drivers beyond scope
Team location and hourly rates
Rates swing more than any other input, and the spread is wide. Netguru lists senior engineers at $160 to $220 an hour in the US and Canada and $50 to $75 an hour in Asia. Aalpha lists $100 to $150 an hour for US and Canada and $20 to $40 for India and Southeast Asia. The two guides use different seniority bands, so compare quotes by role and experience, not by the headline rate.
Native, shared codebase or cross-platform
Netguru says a native build for both iOS and Android runs roughly 30 to 40 percent higher than a shared codebase for a moderately complex app. It puts React Native at 60 to 70 percent of dual-native cost and Flutter at 65 to 75 percent. If you only need iPhone, that multiplier does not apply, and decisions such as choosing a persistence layer are made once instead of twice.
Features that move the price
Single features have their own price tags. Aalpha lists Stripe or PayPal integration at $5,000 to $10,000, real-time chat at $10,000 to $25,000, AI features at $15,000 to $40,000, and custom UI and UX at $10,000 to $25,000. Features that look small on a spec, such as push notifications on iOS, still need server work, payload design, and permission handling.
Backend and compliance
A serverless backend for an MVP typically runs $200 to $800 a month under 50,000 monthly active users, and dedicated infrastructure $1,500 to $5,000 a month, according to Netguru. Compliance adds five figures: Netguru lists HIPAA at $15,000 to $40,000 in one section and $25,000 to $60,000 in another, so ask any team you talk to what their number includes. If the project also needs a marketing site, the same logic applies on the web side, as in what a website costs in 2026.
Costs outside the build
The build quote is not the whole bill.
- Apple Developer Program. Apple charges 99 USD per membership year, listed in local currency during enrollment. An organization needs to be a legal entity with a D-U-N-S Number.
- Apple's commission. The App Store Small Business Program offers a reduced 15% commission on paid apps and in-app purchases for developers with up to 1 million USD in proceeds. Check Apple's pages for the standard rate that applies above that.
- Maintenance. Both guides budget about 15 to 25 percent of the build cost per year, though they split between 15 to 20 and 15 to 25 percent. Netguru divides that budget into OS compatibility (30 to 35 percent), bug fixes and performance (25 to 30 percent), security and compliance (20 to 25 percent), and App Store listing management (5 to 10 percent). It estimates two-year post-launch costs at 40 to 60 percent of the original build.
- Release friction. A rejected submission costs days. Reading the App Store rejection reasons before you submit is cheaper than a second review cycle.
How to get quotes you can compare
Write one spec and send the same document to two or three teams. Ask each to itemize design, development, QA, backend, release, and the first year of maintenance. A quote that leaves out QA or backend work isn't cheaper. It's incomplete. Aalpha's stage timelines are a useful checklist: discovery takes 2 to 4 weeks, design 3 to 5 weeks, development 8 to 20+ weeks, testing 3 to 6 weeks, and deployment 1 to 2 weeks.
Three choices lower cost without lowering quality. Ship one platform first. Use a managed backend rather than a custom one. Cut the first release down to the one workflow users actually need. If you want a second opinion on scope, our iOS development team at Kallos Labs can review a spec against these ranges.
Bottom line
Budget the range that matches your scope, add 15 to 25 percent a year for upkeep, and treat any single published number as an opening estimate. The size of the gap between quotes usually tells you more about what is missing from the spec than about who is overcharging.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a simple iOS app cost?
Published agency estimates for a simple single-platform app mostly fall between $15,000 and $50,000, with some guides starting near $20,000. Treat that as a range from sellers, not a quote.
How much does it cost to put an app on the App Store?
Apple charges 99 USD per membership year for the Apple Developer Program. Apple's commission on paid apps and in-app purchases is separate, and the Small Business Program lowers it to 15% under 1 million USD in proceeds.
How much does app maintenance cost per year?
Guides put it at 15% to 25% of the original build cost per year, covering OS updates, bug fixes, security patches, and store listing work.
How long does it take to build an iOS app?
A basic utility takes about 1 to 2 months, a marketplace 3 to 6 months, and social or fintech apps 6 to 12 months or longer, per Aalpha's timelines.