Rough cost ranges
These ranges reflect what experienced Indian teams commonly quote for a complete first version — design, development, testing and launch. Freelancers may quote lower; large firms higher.
| App type | Example | Rough range |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | A catalogue or information app, a simple booking app with one type of user | ₹2 – 6 lakh |
| Mid-sized | Customer logins, payments, notifications, an admin panel and reports | ₹6 – 20 lakh |
| Complex | A marketplace with customers, vendors and delivery staff, live tracking, chat | ₹20 – 60 lakh+ |
Two apps with the same number of screens can still land in different rows. Our guide to what decides the cost of custom software explains the nine factors behind that.
Where the money goes
A typical app project splits roughly like this. The proportions shift with the project, but the pattern is consistent:
| Stage | What happens | Rough share |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and design | Understanding the business, user journeys, screen design and a clickable prototype | 10 – 20% |
| App development | The screens people tap on Android and iOS | 25 – 35% |
| Backend and admin panel | Server, database, business rules, integrations and the tools your staff use | 25 – 35% |
| Testing | On real devices, slow networks, and odd cases | 10 – 15% |
| Launch and support | Store listings, review, release and the first weeks of fixes | 5 – 10% |
Native or cross-platform?
Native apps are built separately for Android and iOS. Cross-platform frameworks such as React Native and Flutter let one team build both from a single codebase. For most business apps — bookings, ordering, dashboards, field staff apps — cross-platform gives a near-native experience at a much lower cost.
Native still makes sense for apps that lean heavily on the phone’s hardware, such as advanced camera or audio processing, or games. And for some businesses the right answer is no app at all — see web app vs mobile app vs PWA.
Monthly and yearly running costs
| Cost | How it’s charged |
|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | US$99 a year to publish on the App Store |
| Google Play developer account | A one-time US$25 registration |
| Servers and database | Monthly, growing with users and data |
| OTP and SMS | Per message — adds up quickly if every login sends an OTP |
| WhatsApp notifications | Per message, by category, through the WhatsApp Business Platform |
| Maps, AI and other APIs | Per request, often with a free monthly allowance |
| Maintenance | A monthly plan or per request — phones and stores change every year |
Ask for these to be listed separately in every quote. A cheaper build with high running costs can cost more within a year.
How to spend less without regretting it
- Build the core journey first. One user type, one main flow, done well. Add the rest after real users try it — see how to plan an MVP.
- Start with an admin panel on the web. Your staff can manage orders from a browser; they don’t need a separate app.
- Use proven services for sign-in, payments, storage and notifications instead of building them from scratch.
- Have content ready — product lists, prices, photos and policies — before development starts.
- Decide quickly. Projects that wait days for each approval take longer, and time is the biggest cost.
How long it takes
A simple app often takes six to ten weeks; a mid-sized business app three to five months. Store review adds a few days, and new Google Play personal accounts must run a closed test with testers for two weeks before going public. Our guide to how long it takes to build an app breaks this down stage by stage.
Questions people ask
- Why do app quotes in India vary so much?
- Because they include different things. One quote may cover only the app screens, another the server, admin panel, testing and launch as well. Compare quotes line by line against the same written scope.
- Is it cheaper to build only an Android app first?
- Sometimes, if nearly all your users are on Android, which is common in India. With a cross-platform framework, though, adding iOS later costs much less than building it separately, so many businesses launch both.
- Can I make an app for ₹50,000?
- You can get a very basic app or a template-based app for that, usually without a proper backend or admin tools. For an app your business will rely on, plan for a realistic budget or start with a web app.
- Do I pay again for every update?
- Small fixes are usually covered by a support period or maintenance plan. New features are quoted separately. Agree how changes are priced before the project starts.
Planning something like this?
Tell us what you want to build. You’ll get a written scope and a fixed quote before any work starts.