The Honest Answer: It Depends on Scope, Not Technology
"How much does it cost to build an app?" is one of the most searched questions in the startup ecosystem, and it gets one of the most useless answers: "It depends."
Here is the more useful version: app development cost is almost entirely determined by scope: the number of screens, the complexity of logic, integrations, and how many decisions are still undefined when the project starts.
Technology choices matter less than you think. Frameworks, databases, and hosting costs are a small fraction of total project spend. Time is the cost driver. Scope controls time. Scope is the variable you can actually manage.
Cost Ranges by Project Type
Simple MVP (1 core feature, basic auth, web-only)
$5,000 – $20,000
Examples: a waitlist + landing page, a single-feature tool, a booking form with a backend.
This range covers a well-scoped sprint with an experienced team. The critical factor: scope must be tight before the project starts.
Mid-Complexity Product (3–6 features, integrations, responsive web + admin)
$20,000 – $80,000
Examples: a marketplace with listings and transactions, a SaaS app with a core workflow, a B2B tool with user management and analytics.
This is the most common range for funded early-stage startups building their first real product.
Full-Featured Platform (mobile + web, API integrations, complex auth, ML features)
$80,000 – $300,000+
Examples: a fintech app with banking API integrations, a healthcare platform with role-based access, a consumer app with AI personalisation.
Beyond this range, you are into large agency or in-house team territory with multi-month timelines.
Cost by Team Type
| Team Type | Day Rate (USD) | Quality | Speed | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offshore freelancers | $300–$800/day | Variable | Slow (coordination) | High |
| Domestic freelancers | $800–$1,500/day | Good | Medium | Medium |
| Offshore agency | $1,500–$3,000/day | Variable | Medium | Medium |
| Boutique studio | $2,500–$5,000/day | High | Fast | Low |
| In-house team | $3,000–$8,000+/day | High | Fastest | Low |
Kastling sits in the senior-studio tier. We design, build, and launch AI products, with code in your repo from day one and full IP transfer at the end. Scope and price are set per engagement, quoted after a short call.
The Hidden Cost Variables
Undefined scope
Every undefined decision in the brief translates to meeting time, which translates to cost. A project with an unclear scope will always run over estimate. Define scope before you price.
Integrations
Third-party API integrations (Stripe, Twilio, Salesforce, etc.) each add 1–5 days depending on documentation quality and complexity.
Authentication complexity
Simple email/password: 1–2 days. OAuth social login: add 1 day per provider. Enterprise SSO: add 1–2 weeks.
AI features
LLM integrations are now relatively fast to add. A GPT-powered feature with a prompt layer and basic UI takes 3–7 days. Custom fine-tuning or embeddings pipeline: add 2–4 weeks.
Revisions
Unlimited revision culture is the budget killer. Agree on a revision process at the start. Two rounds of feedback per deliverable is standard.
How to Cut App Development Costs
- Write a detailed brief. Scope ambiguity is the number-one cost driver. Spend a week on the brief before you spend money on development.
- Build for web first. Native mobile apps cost 2–3× more than web apps. A mobile-optimised web app is often sufficient for validation.
- Use proven infrastructure. Don't build auth, billing, or email from scratch. Supabase, Stripe, and Resend exist for a reason.
- Fix the scope, not the team. Adding more developers rarely speeds up an undefined project. Fix the brief first.
FAQ
Q: What's the cheapest way to build a real app?
A focused engagement with a senior studio is often cheaper than hiring freelancers once coordination overhead is factored in. Start with an AI Readiness Audit at kastling.co and we scope the build from there.
Q: Does AI make app development cheaper in 2025?
Yes. AI coding tools reduce junior-level output costs significantly. Senior engineers using AI assistants ship 20–40% faster on routine tasks. But AI doesn't eliminate the cost of thinking: system design, architecture, and product decisions still require experienced humans.
Q: Should I build a web app or a mobile app first?
Web app first, almost always. Faster to ship, no App Store delays, easier to iterate. Build mobile when you have proven retention.
Q: How do I know if I'm being quoted fairly?
Ask for a feature-by-feature breakdown of the estimate. Any honest studio can tell you why each feature takes the time it does.