Short answer: a basic app built as a progressive web app (PWA) costs us from $4,990 + GST. Bigger apps are built in stages and typically come to $25,000 to $60,000 in total. Three separate native apps for iPhone, Android and the web usually cost several times that.
PWA or native?
A PWA is a website that installs on a phone like an app: its own icon, full screen, push notifications and offline use, from one codebase for every device. A native app is built separately for iPhone and Android and distributed through the app stores.
| PWA | Native apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Codebases | One | Two or three |
| App store review | Not needed (optional later) | Every update |
| Updates | Instant | Days, after review |
| Offline and push | Yes | Yes |
| Deep hardware access | Limited | Full |
Most business apps (bookings, member directories, customer portals, ordering, training) work well as PWAs. Apps that need deep hardware access, or where store presence is the whole point, may need native. We can wrap a PWA for the stores later without rebuilding it.
What drives the cost
- The number of distinct screens and user roles
- Offline synchronisation, which adds real complexity
- Payments, bookings and integrations with other systems
- Multi-user or family accounts
- Points, rewards and gamification engines
We name the expensive features up front and stage them, so you see the first version working before committing to the next.
More on web app development and our published prices.