How Much Does a Small Business Mobile App Cost in 2026?
Quick answer
A native iOS and Android app costs $250 to $1,750 one-time at Blogrator: $250 for a clickable prototype of every screen (credited toward the build), $750 for a business app with up to 6 screens and a backend where needed, and $1,750 for a SaaS app with user accounts, subscriptions or payments and an admin panel. You get the full source code. On top of that you pay the stores directly: Apple’s developer account is $99 a year and Google Play’s is $25 one-time, plus $0 to $50 a month of backend hosting if the app needs one. Agencies commonly quote tens of thousands for the same scope.
Do you need an app at all?
Start here, because the cheapest app is the one you do not build. Customers who will contact you once or twice a year will not install anything; for them a fast mobile website with click-to-call and a booking button is the right tool, and it costs $50 to $250. An app earns its place when people use it repeatedly (members, loyalty programmes, recurring bookings, your own field staff), when it needs the phone itself (camera, location, push notifications, offline use), or when the app is the product you sell. If you are unsure, the $250 prototype answers the question for the price of a lunch: every screen designed and clickable, before any code.
App prices at a glance
| Tier | Price | What you get | Delivery | Revisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concept & Prototype | $250 | Every screen designed, clickable prototype, becomes the spec for the build; credited toward Business App | 10 days | 2 |
| Business App | $750 | Native iOS and Android, up to 6 screens, backend where needed, full source code, store submission support | 24 days | 2 |
| SaaS App | $1,750 | Everything in Business App plus user accounts and auth, subscriptions or payments, admin panel | 35 days | 3 |
What each price actually buys
$250: see it before you build it
Every screen designed and linked into a clickable prototype you can tap through on your phone. It becomes the written spec for the build, so the fixed price that follows is fixed to something concrete, and the $250 is credited if you go ahead.
$750: the app most small businesses actually need
Up to six screens, native on both platforms, with a backend where the app needs to store or sync anything, the full source code handed over, and support through store submission with the accounts in your name.
$1,750: an app you can charge for
User accounts with sign-in, subscriptions or in-app payments, and an admin panel to manage users and content. This is the tier for a membership, a marketplace or a product.
The other costs: stores, backend, updates
- App store accounts: Apple Developer Program $99 a year; Google Play Console $25 one-time. Both in your business name.
- Backend hosting: only if the app stores data. Typically $0 on free tiers while small, up to about $50 a month for a busy app, billed to your own accounts.
- Store commission: Apple and Google take a percentage of subscriptions and in-app purchases sold through the stores.
- Updates: operating systems change yearly and stores occasionally require rebuilds. Small updates are quoted, or made with us in a $10 hourly session; there is no forced retainer.
First-year cost, worked example
| Business App | SaaS App | |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype | $250 (credited) | $250 (credited) |
| Build | $750 less the $250 credit = $500 | $1,750 (prototype credited toward Business tier; ask on the call) |
| Apple developer account | $99 | $99 |
| Google Play account | $25 once | $25 once |
| Backend hosting (12 months) | $0 to $600 | ≈ $300 to $600 |
| First-year total | ≈ $874 to $1,474 | ≈ $2,424 to $2,724 |
What makes an app cost more
- Screens. Each is designed twice (iOS and Android conventions) and tested on both.
- Accounts and payments. Sign-in, subscriptions and the store rules around them are the step from $750 to $1,750.
- A backend. Anything the app must remember or share needs a database, an API and hosting.
- Device features. Camera, maps, push notifications and offline mode each add integration and testing.
- Unclear scope. The prototype exists to remove this; a fixed price needs a fixed list of screens.
Pricing red flags
- A wrapped website sold as an app. Stores reject them and users notice.
- Store accounts in the developer’s name. You cannot move or update an app you do not own.
- No source code handover. If the code is not yours, neither is the app.
- Hourly with no cap. Ask for a fixed price against a prototype.
Get a native app for a fixed price, from a $250 prototype
Every screen agreed before code, full source code on delivery, store submission supported. Pay by card or book a free call first.
Prototype — $250 Business App — $750 SaaS App — $1,750
Read the mobile app development page, compare packages on the app gig, or book a free call.
Frequently asked questions
At Blogrator a native iOS and Android app is a fixed price: $250 for a clickable prototype of every screen, $750 for a business app with up to 6 screens and a backend where needed, and $1,750 for a SaaS app with user accounts, subscriptions and an admin panel. You get the full source code. The $250 prototype is credited toward the Business App if you go ahead.
App store accounts in your business name: Apple charges $99 a year for a developer account and Google Play $25 one-time. If the app needs a backend, its hosting and database are billed to your own accounts, typically $0 to $50 a month for a small app. Subscriptions inside the app carry the stores’ commission on each sale.
A native app for iOS and Android built for store submission, not a website inside a frame. Store review teams increasingly reject wrapped websites, which is one reason we do not build them.
We build with AI-assisted tooling and a fixed scope agreed before work starts, without an agency’s sales team and office. Quotes of tens of thousands usually include discovery workshops, custom design systems and project management a six-screen business app does not need.
We prepare everything and support the submission, but the accounts must be in your business name, and Apple and Google make the final approval decision. Any rejection caused by our build is fixed free.
About 10 days for the prototype, 24 days for a Business App and 35 days for a SaaS App, once the screens are agreed.
Most small businesses do not need an app: a fast mobile website with click-to-call and booking does the job for customers who will not install anything. Build an app when people will use it repeatedly (members, loyalty, bookings, field staff), when it needs the phone’s camera, location or notifications, or when the app is the product.