In short
A modest app runs €12,000 to €25,000, a mid-sized project €25,000 to €45,000, and above that begins the range where several systems come together. The biggest lever on the price is not the technology, it is the length of the feature list in the first pass.
- Modest
- from € 12,000
- Medium
- from €25,000
- Demanding
- from €45,000
| Budget ranges by scope | What that means | Duration | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modest | One clear job, few screens, no third-party systems | 6 to 8 weeks | from € 12,000 |
| Medium | Accounts and roles, data from a backend, two platforms | 10 to 14 weeks | from €25,000 |
| Demanding | Several connected systems, permissions management, deep testing | 16 to 24 weeks | from €45,000 |
| Cost drivers by effort tier | Modest | Medium | Demanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range of functions | Few screens, one purpose | Accounts, content, notifications | Roles, reporting, payments |
| Technical depth | Low architectural effort | 15 to 20 percent more development time | 30 to 50 percent more effort and test cycles |
| Design | Quick to build, little coordination | 1 to 2 weeks for wireframes and a prototype | 20 to 30 percent more on design and interface |
| Platforms | One platform, the baseline effort | Roughly one and a half times for two | Two to two and a half times with separate native builds |
| Third-party systems | None, everything sits in the app | 10 to 20 percent for integration and testing | Several systems, webhooks, legal review |
| Goal and rollout | Narrow scope, quick start | 3 to 5 weeks for preparation and sign-off | Months of planning with its own architecture phase |
- 01
A startup's community app
Registration, a feed of shared content, direct messages, push. Plain design, one codebase for both platforms. Effort 10 to 14 weeks, range €15,000 to €25,000.
- 02
A service provider's customer portal
Sign-in with roles for customers and administrators, appointment booking with calendar integration, messaging, invoice view. Effort 14 to 18 weeks, range €30,000 to €50,000.
- 03
A mid-sized company's internal app
Time tracking, leave requests, training modules, reporting, integration with existing systems. Effort 12 to 16 weeks, range €20,000 to €35,000.
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Maintenance
Bug fixing, monitoring, smaller adjustments and the obligations Apple and Google add every year. Packages start at €300 a month. Planning this item in from the start is the difference between an app that runs for three years and one that drops out of the store after twelve months.
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Operation
Depending on the setup, say Firebase, Vercel or AWS, running costs usually sit between €30 and €150 a month. Only at high usage does this become an item worth discussing.
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Further development
After launch you know for the first time what people actually use. Without budget for that, the app stays at the state of the day you knew least.
What makes up the price?
From scope of features, technical depth, design ambition, number of platforms and connected third-party systems. On top of that come goal and rollout: a narrow scope with a quick start costs less than a launch prepared over months.
Fixed price or time and materials?
As a rule we agree a fixed price per phase, so concept, development and sign-off separately. On larger projects, time and materials with an agreed cap is often the more honest route, because nobody can know everything at the start.
What happens if requirements change along the way?
That is the normal case, not the exception. Changes are estimated as their own piece of work and approved before they are built. What helps is a scope cut into phases from the start rather than into one single block.
Are there any hidden costs?
Not with us, but there are regularly overlooked ones: the developer accounts at Apple and Google, running costs, maintenance and the yearly adjustments to new system versions. We list these items in the quote as well, even though they do not come to us.
What does a prototype cost?
A clickable prototype based on an interface concept costs €3,000 to €6,000. For user testing, internal feedback or conversations with investors, that is usually the cheapest way to test an assumption before development budget starts flowing.
Can I use public funding?
There are programmes for digitalisation projects at state and federal level, but the responsible bodies and conditions change regularly. We are not funding consultants, but we will tell you which documents the project itself needs to produce.
How do I lower costs as the project runs?
Most effectively by making the first scope smaller. Almost every feature list contains a part that can only really be judged after launch. What gets built first should be whatever the idea could fail on.
Why do quotes differ so much?
Usually what sits behind the numbers is a different scope, not a different hourly rate. Quotes only become comparable once the same feature list, the same number of platforms and the same post-launch services underlie them.