How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Mobile App in 2025?

Estimated Guide to Calculate the Cost to Develop A Mobile App in 2025

So, how much will it cost to develop a mobile app in 2025? The quick answer you may get is “$15,000 to $25,000+” for a single platform.

Few of you may still assume the same quotations that professional firms were supported to quote five years back. Before you consider those estimations to set your today’s budget for developing an app, then you might be in a big dilemma. 

Just think, more than half of the world is using Smartphones now. People are switching from basic apps to smart apps integrated with AI algorithms and assuring IoT-powered connectivity with their smart devices. 

Nonetheless, there are other plethora of technologies incorporated into the mobile app development process, quickly transforming the digital journey of businesses and making their brand future-ready.

So with, many advancements happening in the mobile app development industry, assuming to those average estimation is a huge mistake. As rapid technological advancements have resulted in an increasing number of apps and are expected to generate revenue of $585.68 billion by 2025, it’s an alarming time for businesses to have a mobile app. 

With around 250 million apps downloaded every day globally and average daily launches of 1200-1400 apps on app stores every day, businesses are aggressively getting inspired to invest in the apps. 

But the efforts take a pause on the question, how much does it cost to build a mobile app in 2025?”. 

Creating an app requires lots of investment, but a rightly developed app can also assure you fair returns. But, to create a successful app, you need to first understand the cost of app development services and how much your project will cost. This guide aims to help you with a detailed cost estimation for setting a budget if you are planning to create a mobile app in 2025. 

Creating an app is a long and complex process, and each step of app development contributes to the cost calculation. So here we provide you with a comprehensive answer to everything associated with the cost. From factors influencing the app development cost to various app monetization strategies, the app development process, and tips on saving a cost on the app development process.     

Estimated Overview on Average Cost to Develop a Mobile App 

Having a budget in place will help you understand the average cost involved in the app development process help your business prioritize the various aspects accordingly and enable you to deliver a functional app under expected timelines. 

If you’re an established entrepreneur looking to venture into the tech space and considering building your mobile app, then probably you’ll start asking questions like “How much does it cost to make a mobile app?” or How long will it take to build an app?

Generally, to estimate application development costs, businesses often use this formula:

Total Development Time * Hourly Cost of the Respective Developer = Total Cost of the App Development

The total app time includes everything from planning, feature development, UI/UX designs, and more. According to the survey reports, the cost of developing a simple app that includes basic functionalities like a login system, user profiles, and a dashboard will range between $15,000 to $20,000+. 

Medium-level complex apps incorporate features that focus on user engagement, app monetization, social media integration, payment gateways, and more. Developing an app typically with these features may cost between $25,000 to $35,000+.

On the higher end, complex apps that are integrated with top technologies like AI/ML capabilities, multi-lingual support, big-data analytics, AR/VR, and more start from $50,000+ and can go beyond $75,000+, depending upon the complexity of the app. 

Before you get straight to hiring an coder to translate your million-dollar mobile app ideas into a robust product, it is worth understanding why there is a gap between these estimations. What exactly contributes to these estimations, so that you can set your budget rightly…

Top Factors Influencing the App Development Cost

To create your app, now you don’t need to invest millions of dollars. Just acquire the right strategy, outsource a development team, and understand the factors on which mobile app development cost depends.

Taking serious note of these factors will help you make cost-effective decisions and will give you the best return on your development. Moreover, it will also help you stay within the budget and enable you to market an app under the expected timeline. 

So let’s get straight to the top factors majorly affecting the overall cost of mobile app development.

A. Complexity of the App

The complexity of the app is generally defined by the choice of functionality and features you add to the app. The more complex the app, the higher the development cost will be.

A simple app with basic functionality like a calculator or to-do list will cost significantly less than having a healthcare app developed with an AI-driven chatbot or an on-demand marketplace app. Key features incorporated in each app contribute to the add-on cost.

A. A basic App with a single feature and static content will range between $10,000 to $20,000+. The perfect examples of these apps are weather forecasts, calculators, and notes that can contribute individually as well as be incorporated as a part of bigger apps.

B. Medium Complex app with third-party APIs, real-time data, user authentication, and more will cost between $20,000 to $30,000+. If you want to check what exactly a medium-level app includes then, consider this example of developing a HIPPA-compliant app. 

C. Advanced App version with AI, AR/VR, Blockchain, Cloud Integration, and more which goes beyond $50,000+. Here’s a perfect example of “Creating A Video Streaming App Like Netflix” that helps you understand what complex features it takes to build such apps. 

Here’s an estimated cost breakdown of the cost to develop an app in 2025 based on complexity level:

App Complexity	Key Features	Estimated Cost (USD)	Development Timeline
Basic App	Simple UI/UX	$10,000 – $15,000+	1 – 3 months
	Static content
	No backend/database
	Single platform (iOS or Android)
Moderate App	User authentication & profiles	$20,000 – $30,000+	3 – 6 months
	API integrations
	Real-time data processing
	Payment gateway
	Push notifications
Advanced App	AI/ML-powered recommendations	$50,000+	6 – 9+ months
	AR/VR features
	Blockchain integration
	IoT connectivity
	Cloud-based backend

B. The App Features and Functionalities

Determining the answers to the question of how much it costs to develop a mobile app is majorly dependent upon the features and functionalities you consider incorporating into the app. The initial mobile app development cost for the type of app will keep increasing based on the additional features. Therefore, it is always advisable to consider developing a minimal viable product and then later on scale up the app from MVP to IPO to expand your business reach. 

Feature	Functionality	Estimated Cost (USD)
User Authentication	Sign up, login via email, phone, or social media	$2,000 – $5,000
Basic UI/UX Design	Simple navigation, standard layouts, minimal animations	$3,000 – $8,000
Push Notifications	Alerts for messages, updates, promotions	$2,000 – $4,000
API Integrations	Third-party services (maps, weather, payments)	$3,000 – $7,000
Payment Gateway	Secure online transactions (Stripe, PayPal)	$5,000 – $10,000
Basic Admin Panel	User management, content control	$4,000 – $8,000
Database Management	Storing and retrieving user data	$5,000 – $10,000

If you are a startup and looking to create a mobile app with a limited budget then prioritize these features that may cost overall between $24,000 to $30,000+. But if you are competing with well-established food delivery apps like Uber Eats or fintech apps like Venmo & Square Cash, then you need to incorporate advanced features like the ones below.

Advanced features and functionalities to create a mobile app!

Feature	Functionality	Estimated Cost (USD)
AI-Powered Chatbot	Automated customer support, virtual assistants	$8,000 – $15,000
AR/VR Integration	Immersive experiences for shopping, gaming, etc.	$12,000 – $25,000
Blockchain Security	Decentralized, tamper-proof transactions & data storage	$15,000 – $30,000
IoT Connectivity	Smart device integration & real-time control	$10,000 – $20,000
Cloud-Based Backend	Scalable server infrastructure & storage	$8,000 – $20,000
Real-Time Analytics	User behavior tracking, app performance insights	$6,000 – $12,000
Personalized AI Recommendations	Custom suggestions based on user behavior	$10,000 – $18,000

Developing an app with these features may add up to the cost and timeline, but these technologies will increase your chances of success. 

C. Category of the App

The cost to build a mobile app in 2025 will greatly depend on the app category as there’s an app for everything and every app has different objectives. When we move from one category to another, a lot of things change, like the number of users, functionalities, data encryption, and more which ultimately translates into varying costs to develop an app. 

Let’s take a broad look over the top app categories of the mobile app development:

1. Social Networking Apps ($30,000 – $50,000+)

Social media apps are no longer remained to just connecting people globally. Social Audio apps like Clubhouse are constantly catching the hype. For seamless real-time interaction, content sharing, and networking, these apps heavily rely on third-party integrations and hold the capability to scale easily to support millions of users at a time.

All these apps are required to have engaging UI/UX, powerful backend infrastructure, and strong encryption for user data protection. 

“At Xicom, we have created various social networking apps like Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok for our clients, which raised approx $6 billion in funding and boasted over 1 million users at the app store.”

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2. E-commerce Apps ($50,000 – $75,000+)

Create a seamless shopping experience for your customer by creating e-commerce apps with AI capabilities integrated with product catalogs, multi-payment gateways, and order tracking features. In addition, Amazon-like marketplace apps are at their peak of popularity, especially for those who are paving their way into the ecommerce marketplace. By hiring dedicated developers, create an ecommerce app loaded with tons of features that can handle millions of users at once with robust security. 

For example, at Xicom, we assisted our client, a leading retail enterprise, in developing scalable AI-powered ecommerce marketplace apps that could handle millions of users simultaneously while ensuring a seamless shopping experience. 

Our client wanted to build an Amazon-like app with AI-driven product recommendations, multi-vendor management, and a secure multi-payment system to enhance user engagement and boost sales. 

Now here is the key challenge for us to handle high traffic, integrating diverse payment gateways, ensuring fast product discovery, and securing transactions.

So here’s what we deliver:

• We design and develop a robust ecommerce app with a microservices architecture to ensure high scalability and seamless performance even during the peak shopping season. 
• Integrated AI-powered recommendation engines to personalize the shopping experiences and suddenly boost the conversion rate.
• Help implement real-time inventory tracking and automated order management features to streamline operations.
• Ensured a secure and flexible multi-payment system, supporting multiple credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and BNPL options.
• Optimized the app with cloud-based infrastructure and reduced the data risk. 

3. On-Demand Apps (50,000 to $75,000+)

On-demand apps offer instant access to services and but little massive to build. Even the simplest version of On-demand apps has three versions dedicated to users, individuals offering the services, and businesses. 

For example, if you are developing an on-demand road-assistance app from Xicom, it will have all the features dedicated to users, service providers, and for businesses to ensure a seamless assistance experience. 

4. Healthcare App ($50,000 to $65,000)

In 2025, digital healthcare solutions are projected to generate a revenue of $197.88 billion. This is where investing in a healthcare app makes sense if you are looking for a million-zillion dollars of revenue. All you need to have is the best healthcare business ideas to kickstart your project. 

With the fact that 43% of Americans are already using healthcare apps in 2024 and 70% of the US population has used apps to track such things as nutrition, symptoms, or medications, therefore, it is fair enough to say that the usage of these apps will keep expanding in near future. 

Apart, here is a quick estimated guide that helps you understand how each app type can bring a great variation:

App Type	Description	Examples	Estimated Cost (2025)	Development Time
Social Media Apps	Connects users for networking, content sharing, and messaging.	Facebook, Instagram, TikTok	$20,000 – $50,000	4 – 12 months
E-commerce Apps	Enables online shopping with secure transactions and AI-based recommendations.	Amazon, Temu, eBay	$25,000 – $75,000	3 – 9 months
On-Demand Apps	Provides instant access to services like ride-hailing and food delivery.	Uber, DoorDash, TaskRabbit	$20,000 – $50,000	4 – 10 months
Healthcare Apps	Offers telemedicine, health tracking, and online consultations.	MyChart, Teladoc, Practo	$20,000 – 250,000	6 – 12 months
FinTech Apps	Manages financial transactions, stock trading, and digital banking.	PayPal, Robinhood, Revolut	$40,000 – $100,000	6 – 12+ months
Streaming Apps	Provides video/audio content with AI-powered recommendations.	Netflix, Spotify, Disney+	$22,000 – $50,000	6 – 12 months
Fitness Apps	Tracks workouts, diet, and mental wellness, often integrating wearables.	MyFitnessPal, Calm, Fitbit	$18,000 – $45,000	4 – 8 months
Real Estate Apps	Assists in property buying, renting, and virtual tours.	Zillow, Realtor, Redfin	$25,000 – $80,000	5 – 12 months
Dating App	Profile swiping, in-app chat, profile score analysis, match-making using AI	Tinder, Bumble	$20,000 – $35,000	4 – 9 months

4. UI/UX Design of the App

The next factor that greatly influences the question “How much does it cost to create your own app”,  is the app design and animation. To make it attractive and appealing, businesses emphasize creating a highly fancy user interface for the app which ultimately ends up with more development time and cost.

Ensuring that your users invest more time in your app, calls for a specific software firm that has experience in developing aesthetically appealing designs. 

The simple principle of designing an app is to choose between custom or standard UI. Customized UI is more complex to design and implement and leads to higher development costs. 

To make your app stand out in the crowd, at Xicom, our UI/UX designers go up and beyond then designing casual UIs. For instance, we designed an app by incorporating various elements such as:

• Microinteractions and Animations like the Duolingo app, help make user interactions most engaging.
• Using UI-powered personalization and content recommendations like Netflix, which help it generate $1 billion in revenue annually. Using AI algorithms in UI is one of the biggest selling points.
• Dark Mode & Adaptive Themes like WhatsApp, allow users to quickly switch themes based on their preferences, reducing eye strain and making the app comfortable to use.
• Using one-tap navigation and smart CTAs like Amazon, not only simplifies the user journey but also leads to higher conversions and user engagement. 

Overall, integrating all such exclusive elements to the app’s UI would take around $10,000 to $12,000+ and more, depending upon the design’s expertise and skills. 

5. Choice of App Platform 

The estimated cost to create a mobile app is also depending upon the choice of platform for the app launch. Depending on your target audience, you can choose to either hire an Android app developer or, an iOS, web, or cross-platform app development team. 

But the question that arises here is, how would you determine which option is the best bet to opt for?

If you’re a startup with a minimal budget, it is better to opt for one platform initially and later on expand it to the other platform. The average cost to create a Native Android app would range between $15,000 to $25,000+ and developing two native apps to target a wider user segment will be a costly deal.

So this is where a smart deal is to look for cross-platform app development solutions that are developed using a single codebase principle and allow you to reuse 80% of the same codebase for creating the apps for different platforms. Moreover, using this approach would save you up to 40% cost.

Apart, here you can refer to the most popular app development platform options for you to choose from:

• Native App Development: Native apps generally refer to Android or iOS apps that are developed using platform-specific programming languages. Swift and Objective-C are the most popular programming language for creating iOS solutions. So make sure, that when you hire iOS app developers, they have expertise in these languages. Whereas, Java and Kotlin are recommended to create Android apps. The average time and cost to create native iOS apps would range between $20,000 to $25,000 for a single platform and may take 3 to 6 months for development. 

• Cross-Platform App Development: Since the launch of React Native and Flutter-like frameworks, cross-platform apps are catching the hype and enabling you to create your digital presence on multiple platforms without writing different codebases for different apps. Usually, the average cost to develop a mobile app using top cross-platform frameworks would range between $20,000 to $35,000+.

• Web App Platforms: Whether it be progressive web apps or another form of web app, the average cost is most efficient as compared to native apps. So if you question how much it costs to create a web app, it will fall between $12,000 to $25,000+.

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6. Geolocation of the App Development Team

The estimated cost to develop a mobile app will be greatly depending upon the tech team you choose to hire and their location. No doubt, here you will have multiple choices at hand including a proficient company offering mobile app development services, freelancers, hiring an in-house app development team, and more.

However, if you are looking for a quality-oriented, timebound services that perfectly fits to you budget then experienced outsourcing software agency would your ideal option. They are working with the certified and industry best talents, therefore expert in crafting high-end applications with top-class features. 

Still to create any app, you need to have a team consist of project manager, backend/frontedn developer, UI/UX designer, quality assurance engineer and more. To have a rough idea about different hiring options and in various locations, consider the below table. 

Company Size & Location	Hourly Development Cost (2025)
Freelancers (Worldwide)	$15 – $50 per hour
Small Agencies (India, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe)	$25 – $80 per hour
Mid-Sized Companies (USA, UK, Western Europe)	$80 – $150 per hour
Large Enterprises (USA, Canada, Australia, EU)	$150 – $300+ per hour

In a nutshell, these are the few top factors that majorly affect the app development cost, but while setting a budget, there are a few other elements like app maintenance cost, testing, post-launch support, and more, which will quickly add up to the cost. 

So to avoid going beyond your app development budget, here you need to understand the hidden cost factors that can twist the app development game. 

Hidden Factors Affecting the App Development Budget

No matter whether you are developing an MVP solution or handling a complex app solution, there are a few most common hidden costs of mobile app development projects that can increase the risk of going out of budget soon. 

So to avoid turning your excitement into a blunder, let’s dive straight into each of the factors:

– App Launching Cost

When you hire an Android app development company, their only responsibility is to follow the guidelines of the app store and make a smooth launch of the app. But the app store fee is always paid by the clients. So when submitting an Android App on Play Store, keep in mind to pay $25 as a one-time store fee. Whereas for iOS applications, you need to bear annual charge of $99 to host an app on Apple Store. 

– App Upgrades Cost

Launching an app isn’t one-time development process. To make it running flawless and keeping it relevant with the evolving needs of the market, you need to hire software developers offering continuous technical support. 

But the cost of seeking IT support may increases with time depending upon the services which includes bug fixing, iOS and Android app updates, integrating APIs and more. 

– App Infrastructure Cost

You may have a brilliant app idea, hire the best team, and looking to incorporate various features, but where you will store data and host the app? All this adds to both the cost and complexity of the project. Here the average cost includes the servers, data storage, and development tools and libraries which may vary from $2,500 to $5000+.    

Now we are clear with all the given factors affecting the mobile app development cost and how much to it takes to build a standard app development. 

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App Based on Development Stages?

With so much to calculate and taken care of, estimating the right budget for the mobile app development requirements a carefull planning, strategic market analysis and a clear understanding of your app’s requirement. So ultimately how much does it cost to develop a mobile app in 2025?

How to Estimate the Right App Development Budget?

Here we have a step-by-step guide to ensure a cost-effective and well-structured budget planning:

Step 1: Define Your App’s Core Requirements

To determine the right cost to develop a mobile app, you need to dig deep to understand what type of app you are planning to create. Whether it be ecommerce, social media, or fintech. 

Next, the most that affect its budget are its features and functionalities. So it is worth to prioritize all the must-have and nice-to-have features to understand essential development efforts required to customize the app. 

Last, determine the target audiance and platform where you want to launch your app. It can be either Android, iOS or both. 

Step 2: Choose the Right Development Approach

Native apps build separately for iOS and Android by hiring iOS or Android coders, offering top-class performance but it can be costly deal.

Cross-platform Apps are becoming a popular option for businesses who are looking to target both Android and iOS platforms. To create cross-platform app, you can refer hiring the react native developer or Flutter coder, who help you reduce the cost and ensuring native-like performance.

MVP development is another option ideal for startups and help them launch a basic version first and scale up with the additional features. 

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Step 3: Factor in UI/UX Design Costs

A simple UI with standard elements costs less, while custom animations, micro-interactions, and advanced UI elements can increase the cost of developing a mobile app.

So this is where, hire a software development company that can develop an app using the well-designed UI strategy to boost conversions by prioritizing usability and engagement. 

Step 4: Hire Mobile App Development Team

The cost to develop a mobile app will depends upon the app development team hiring option. The cost to hire app developers is based upon your decision whether you hire freelancer, in-house team or and outsourcing the app developers. 

Hiring freelancers would be the most economical option which may starts from $10 to $25+, but it would be a great hassle to communicate between various resources and aligning your work strategy.

Secondly, hiring an in-house app development team which is based on an annual salary ranging from $70,000 to $90,000+ on average. It can ensure the best communication while bearing their annual salary along with the infrastructure cost will be quite challenging. 

This is where outsourcing a software development team will be a brilliant option where you can hire a skilled team of developers based on various engaging models. The general cost starts from $25 to $50+ per hour, depending upon the skills and expertise of the developers. 

Step 5: Consider Additional Factors

There are various other things like choice of technology that affect app development. Its security and compliance, requirements for Fintech, healthcare, and ecommerce app. It will add up to the cost somewhere from $10,000 to $12,000+.

Lastly, app maintenance and updates, that ensure continous improvements, bug fixing and making your app ready with the evolving needs. 

To overall calculate the mobile app development cost, you need to use a cost estimation formula.

A rough budget estimation can be calculated using:

Total Cost = Development Hours * Hourly Rate of the Developer * UI/UX + Maintenance + Hosting Cost.

For example: 

• Basic app development takes 500-800 hours = $20,000 to $35,000+
• A medium-complexity app takes 800- 1500 hours = $30,000 to $50,000+
• Highly complex app development takes 1500+ hours – $50,000+

In a nutshell, budgeting for the app development requires balancing features, quality and cost effeciency. By setting a clear priorties and working with the right app development team ensuring a high-quality solution that fits your budget too. 

Tips to Reduce Mobile App Development Cost

Venturing into the mobile app development process would require huge investment, planning, and effort. But there are ways to save a cost if you follow these few suggestions:

– Start with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) 

Launching an app will be an exciting task, but soon it will turn into a blunder if you decide to include so many functionalities at the initial stage. To test the water, it is worth launching a basic version first and scaling later based on the gathered feedback of the users.

– Use Cross-Platform Development

There are top cross-platform frameworks like Flutter or React Native available that help reduce costs by building for iOS & Android simultaneously using the same codebase. So you dont have to hire individual platform specific experts and drain your budget.

– Prioritize Essential Features

Depending upon the type of application, focus on the core functionalities of the app. At the initial stage, avoid unnecessary advanced features and prioritize incorporating must-have features to save on app development costs.

– Opt for Pre-Built Solutions 

Instead of emphasizing on coding everything from scratch, hire app developers that use existing APIs, SDKs, and third-party tools to save time, cost and efforts.

– Outsource Development Team to Cost-Effective Regions 

Hiring agencies in India, Eastern Europe, or Southeast Asia can save 30-50% compared to the US or UK, due to the availability of excessive talent and market competition.

– Choose a Lean UI/UX Approach

Don’t opt for a messy and over-complicated UI/UX of the app. Instead, opt for clean, user-friendly designs that boost engagement and easy to navigate.

– Regular Maintenance Over Rebuilding 

Keep updating your app gradually instead of major, costly redesigns. This is where, you can look for technical support services that help fix bugs, conduct regular app updates, and more to ensure flawless performance.

How Can Xicom Help You Build an App Under Budget?

Despite being in software development services for over 20+ years, Xicom has no clear-cut formula that helps you calculate the exact price until or unless you won’t share your project details.

Considering all the influencing factors of mobile app development cost, we help you arrive at a nearly accurate app development cost after analyzing your project details and its post-launch requirements. So if you have any queries and doubts about project estimations and timelines, just book a free consultation slot with our experts.

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Conclusion

Hopefully, at the end of this blog, you have gathered some important insights about how much it costs to build a mobile app and what exactly contributes to the app development cost. Still, there is no standard formula to calculate the cost estimations as a simple addon to the requirements will impact the budget and timeline. Therefore, this is where recommended to hire a mobile app development company that will deeply analyze your requirements and enable you to calculate the app development cost and timeline. 

Xicom is one of the leading mobile app development companies, offering a comprehensive range of app development services for various industries. Since we understand the evolving business needs, therefore we allow you to hire app developers based on flexible engagement models. So for more details, you can get in touch with our experts. 

FAQs

Here we have gathered some additional information related to the cost to develop a mobile app and how you can take a smart move further.