How Much Does a Web App Cost? App Development Pricing 2026

Custom web app development with me costs from €3,200 for an MVP (5-8 weeks), from €7,200 for a production app (8-14 weeks) and from €16,000 for a larger system (14-30 weeks). The price is driven mainly by the number of processes, roles and integrations with other systems, not by the number of screens. After launch, budget for operation and support: 90 or 180 days of support are included, then a retainer from €600 a month or an hourly rate of €60.

A web application is software used through a browser. It can be an account-free calculator, an internal records tool or a paid customer portal. Sign-in is not part of the definition, and the boundary between website and application is not absolute: one project can include both.

The same name "booking system" can mean a simple calendar or multi-branch management with payments and inventory integration. So first compare exactly what the app does, then the amounts.

Quick answer: my application development prices

This is my price list from the application development page, not a market average or a universal minimum. A cheaper tool may have less scope, use an existing service or reuse completed components. A higher quote alone does not establish better quality. You get the exact price and timeline after a free discovery workshop (90 minutes).

MVP covers the first process: sign-in, a dashboard, up to three main features, an admin area and email notifications. Production adds roles, payments and subscriptions, an API and webhooks, reports with exports, an audit log and monitoring. Enterprise adds sign-in with company accounts, several organisations in one app and more demanding operations. Production and Enterprise include an SLA; we confirm response times in the contract. A custom visual design instead of a ready-made component set costs €1,200 extra.

What really changes the price of an app

A fixed price can work with clear requirements or a predefined package. Estimates should expose assumptions, exclusions and change handling. Six parts of the brief affect the budget most.

1. The process and first-release boundary

A booking calendar is only the start. Describe the journey from service selection to confirmation and include cancellation, failed payment and competing requests for the same place. Who can block a time and when does the hold expire? These are not automatically "later features" if the process cannot serve its purpose without them.

A limited MVP helps test an uncertain assumption. Sometimes a prototype or existing service can come before custom software. When replacing an established system, the first release must preserve essential operation. Smaller scope reduces some work; it does not guarantee commercial success.

2. Integrations and failure states

List systems and operations rather than logos: "create a CRM contact", "check item availability" or "receive payment confirmation". Define transfer direction, record identification and ownership of discrepancies.

Check API availability, test access, limits and failure handling. Connection count alone is insufficient: sending a message differs from two-way inventory synchronization. Customer confirmation must not claim a successful write when the information was not actually stored.

3. Roles, permissions and data

Describe access to specific records. Reception may need bookings for its branch, a manager several branches, and a customer only their own order. Hiding a button is not authorization. Work depends on rules and their interactions, not merely the number of role names.

Migration, data quality and retention also affect costs. Specify who can read, edit and export records.

4. Sign-in and security

If accounts are required, agree how users sign in, recover access and lose access when appropriate. Sign-in with company accounts may change the process; an application using an external identity provider need not manage its own passwords.

Secret keys must not be public page content. Assess security through the actual architecture and risks rather than a price tier or technology name.

5. Interface and usability

Screen count is not a linear price list. One complex table with editing, filters and roles may require more work than several simple forms. For each screen, specify the main task, loading, empty and error states. Include mobile use, keyboard control and clear instructions.

Internal tools need usability too. Plain graphics may be suitable, but a confusing interface remains a problem when employees use it.

6. Technology, operations and handover

Stack choice, existing code and infrastructure affect the budget. No framework alone guarantees cheap handover or safe operation. The budget does not end at deployment either: separate infrastructure, external services, backups, monitoring and human support, and assign an outage owner.

Web, mobile or both?

I build web apps in Next.js that work on computers and phones. If you need an app in the stores, we first assess together whether a web app or PWA is enough: it tends to be cheaper and you release one version instead of two. Store fees are listed by the Apple Developer Program and Google Play help.

Fixed price, hourly rate or ongoing budget?

With me the MVP has a fixed price; further development is either a retainer from €600 a month or €60/h with an upfront estimate.

How long development takes

An MVP takes 5-8 weeks, Production 8-14 weeks and Enterprise 14-30 weeks. A typical flow: consultation and scope within 48 hours, data model and screen design in 1-2 weeks (you approve a clickable preview), development in milestones with a demo on a staging environment, then launch and training. Timelines are most often extended by an unclear brief, slow approvals, missing access to third-party APIs and migration of old data.

What you pay after launch

Operation has two parts. Infrastructure: hosting, database, email, backups, monitoring and paid external services (payments, SMS), each by its own plan and usage. Human work: support, updates and further development. With me, 90 days of support (MVP) or 180 days (Production) are included, then a retainer from €600 a month or €60/h.

The server bill is not the complete operating budget, though. You also need an outage procedure, a tested restore from backup and regular library updates; otherwise the app gradually ages and the fix then costs more. An untouched application does not automatically start failing after one year, though: you need evidence of its state and an inspection plan.

Calculating whether custom development pays off

Measure the current process: case volume, time per case, correction frequency and existing tool costs. Then estimate which work genuinely disappears and which remains.

Compare the same period across three options: improve the current process, adopt an existing service or build a custom application. Include setup, migration, training, operation, licences and support. State assumptions behind savings and include a more conservative scenario.

A three-year model calculation. An off-the-shelf service at €20 per user per month for 20 people costs €400 a month, €14,400 over three years. A custom app in the Production scope costs from €7,200 plus infrastructure and changes as needed. If you needed a permanent retainer of €600 a month, though, the custom option comes out more expensive. A custom app therefore pays off mainly when the off-the-shelf service does not cover your process, the number of users will grow, or it forces extra manual work on you (retyping, a spreadsheet next to the system).

Be careful with time savings too: if the system saves hours but you neither use them otherwise nor cut costs, it is not a cash saving. And even a custom app still pays for some services (email, payments, SMS).

Comparing two proposals

Neither the lowest nor highest amount is a verdict. Identify differences in migration, roles, integrations, testing, support and handover. Different scope can explain different prices without either supplier being misleading. A good proposal contains:

• Functions, roles and explicit exclusions.
• Materials and access you must supply.
• Test scenarios and acceptance procedure.
• Price or estimate with assumptions and change approval.
• Operating ownership, support and handover terms.
• Code rights, dependency licences and account access.

Establish who controls accounts and the repository and what can be exported. Verify handover in practice; possessing files alone does not establish operability. For fixed-price work, inspect scope and exceptions; for hourly work, agree a budget, interim outputs and a stop point for approval.

Preparing an estimate

Supply the main process, users, roles, sample data and necessary integrations. Add a hard deadline, operating constraints and acceptance criteria. Label unknowns as open questions: some may require investigation before a fixed price.

For a website without significant application logic, see the website pricing guide. If you are planning an application, send me a process description and I will compare suitable options and scope.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a web app cost?

With me an MVP starts at €3,200, a production app at €7,200 and a larger system at €16,000. A clickable prototype for testing the idea costs €960. The exact price depends on the number of processes, roles and integrations; I send it after a free consultation.

How long does app development take?

An MVP 5-8 weeks, a production app 8-14 weeks, a larger system 14-30 weeks. Speed depends a lot on how quickly you approve designs and provide access to the systems the app connects to.

How much do running and maintaining an app cost?

You pay for infrastructure by the plans of the services used; for a smaller app these are individual items that I break down in the proposal. Human work: with me 90 days of support (MVP) or 180 days (Production) are included, then a retainer from €600 a month or €60/h for actual work.

Should I start with an MVP or a prototype?

A limited pilot can help investigate an uncertain need. Even earlier, you can show the idea to people on a clickable prototype for €960. Replacing an established system requires the initial release to cover essential operations. See what an MVP is.

How much does a mobile app for iOS and Android cost?

Usually more than a web app, because it is developed and approved for two platforms, plus developer accounts (Apple USD 99 a year, Google Play USD 25 one-off). I build web apps that also work on phones; for a store brief we first check whether a web app or PWA is enough.

Fixed price or hourly rate?

A fixed price suits a clearly described MVP or stage, an hourly rate suits development and edits where the brief evolves. With a fixed price check the exclusions, with hourly work the estimate and the budget cap.

Would a website be enough?

Possibly, if you mainly need to explain a service and receive enquiries. I explain the difference in web application versus website. An existing service may also cover the process without custom development.

When should I choose an existing service?

When it demonstrably covers the process and meets operating, contractual and price requirements. Multiple branches or integrations alone do not require custom development.