How to Know the Mobile App Development Cost in 2025?

When I first started building apps, I thought estimating the cost was just about counting screens and features. Over the years, I’ve worked with startups, agencies, and enterprise clients, and I’ve learned that app development costs in 2025 are shaped by a mix of tech choices, business goals, and even geography.

So if you’re planning to build an app this year, here’s how to get a realistic picture of what it’ll cost to develop a mobile app, and why.

Mobile app development services cost in 2025 depends on various factors and your specific requirements. As a rule, it includes the following options:

• project complexity, 
• set of features, 
• iOS or Android platform (or both),
• UI/UX design,
• after-launch expenses. 

Overall, simple mobile apps may cost around $10,000; apps with medium complexity typically range from $30,000 to $100,000. Complex solutions cost starts from $150 000 and above. These are precise numbers; the concrete sum is determined individually with a tech provider. 

The research and development phase helps better understand what exactly you want to get as a result of cooperation. It may take 10-20% of the whole budget and include the following steps from a mobile app development company:

• market and competitors analysis, 
• target audience research and their needs,
• UX research,
• business goals and a full list of requirements formation,
• creation of a tech specification for a future project,
• set the deadlines and a budget as well. 

For a simple mobile app with standard requirements, this stage may cost $1 000–$2 000. Mid-size mobile app requires $5 000–$10 000. Complex cooperative apps – $20 000–$40 000. 

Note, if you plan to build an innovative app that includes complex logic or AI technologies in its core, this phase can take around 25–30% of the budget. It’s due to deeper research and hypothesis checking. 

Here, as in the discovery phase, all depends on your vision of a final product. A lot of factors affect the total sum, like design complexity, screen numbers, branding service needs, customization, and how extensive and long the research is.

This stage takes 20–30% of the total development budget, because it encompasses a significant amount of additional work. Like user research, prototyping, visual design, navigation, and interface testing before launch. 

On average, you can expect the following figures:

• Simple design – $5 000–$10 000, 
• Mid-complexity design – $10 000–$30 000, 
• Complex corporate design with a large number of screens, custom graphics, and animations – $30 000–$100 000 and above. 

Typically, a simple cross-platform solution costs less than iOS or Android development. It’s because iOS and Android require building separate apps for each platform. 

The iOS mobile app development cost is usually higher in terms of design and optimization for different OS versions. But still, the development process is often faster due to fewer devices and screen sizes. This option chooses businesses that target audiences that use primarily iPhones and are ready to pay a bit extra. 

Android development, on the other hand, requires additional optimization for hundreds of device models and OS versions. This directly increases testing and QA time and costs. 

Cross-platform solutions (Flutter, React Native) let you build one code for both iOS and Android platforms. This approach saves time and money significantly. But in some cases, there may be extra costs for adapting native functions or optimizing performance for each OS. 

A budget for custom mobile app development services also depends on several factors. It involves the mobile app complexity, the number of users, the amount of data, and the external services it works with. The total sum for backend development includes the following: 

• architecture design, 
• database creation, 
• API creation, 
• server logic development, 
• integration with external services, 
• performance and security testing.

Now, let’s dive into expenses. An entry-level app with a few API integrations and a simple database costs around $10 000–$20 000. The mid-size app with more advanced features, in-app purchases, and complex logic costs from $30 000 to $70 000.

Backend budget for scaling solutions with numerous integrations and custom services can reach $100,000–$200,000 or more. 

In general, testing and QA services cost add around 15–25% to the overall budget. 

To test a basic app, you may pay $1 500–$3 000. If it’s an app in a mid-size segment, cost may range from $5,000 to $5 000–$15 000. If we’re talking about complex apps, set aside $20,000–$50,000 from the budget and above.

The overall cost of testing and QA includes:

• manual and automated testing, 
• testing on different devices and operating systems, 
• bug fixes, 
• performance, security, and usability testing to ensure stable operation and a positive user experience.

The cost of deployment and launch varies from $200 to $5 000 and more. 

An App Store requires an Apple Development Program subscription that costs $99 per year. Extra expenses may come from costs for preparing metadata, screenshots, marketing materials, and certification. 

For Google Play, the single registration fee is $25, plus the cost of preparing the app page, icons, screenshots, and description. All these are required for a good SEO and your mobile app promotion on this platform. 

Post-launch support is an essential stage, like the previous ones. During the initial months following release, there may be a need to update or improve certain aspects of the mobile app. So it’s better to have a tech partner who is here to help you and support your product. 

The post-launch support includes:

• bug fixes, 
• updates for new versions of iOS and Android, 
• performance optimization, 
• adding new features, 
• server infrastructure and security support, 
• adaptation to new devices and screens. 

For mobile apps where the budget starts from $50 000, annual maintenance costs can range from $7,500 to $12,500. More complex product with a cost of $150 000 demands $22 500–$37 500 per year.

The key thing to remember is that every stage cost is influenced by multiple factors. To get the whole picture on how much your mobile app costs, you need to make a detailed set of requirements for it and your individual vision as well.

This helps the development team plan the workflow and estimate the time and extra resources needed. If you treat your app like a product, not just a project, you’ll make better decisions and avoid costly surprises.