Mobile app development in the US in 2026 typically costs $30,000 to $300,000. Most consumer apps land at $60K-$140K for a launch-grade build.
Cross-platform (React Native + Expo) is the cost-effective default. Native (Swift + Kotlin) doubles the cost. Backend complexity, real-time features, and on-device ML drive the high end. The single biggest predictor of where a specific engagement lands is scope discipline, operators who lock the spec in the first two weeks save 20-40% of total project cost over the next three months. Operators who let scope expand mid-build pay the inverse penalty. Either way, the $30K to $300K range is descriptive, not prescriptive: it reflects what a competent US vendor charges in 2026 for the work as scoped, not what a finished engagement has to cost.
| Component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
Discovery, IA, and platform decision | $3K | $18K |
UX/UI design (Figma) for iOS + Android | $8K | $40K |
Frontend build (React Native + Expo) | $15K | $100K |
Backend + API | $8K | $80K |
Native modules (if required) | $0 | $30K |
Push, in-app, subscription, analytics, crash reporting | $5K | $20K |
App Store + Play submission, ASO setup | $2K | $12K |
Discovery, IA, and platform decision
UX/UI design (Figma) for iOS + Android
Frontend build (React Native + Expo)
Backend + API
Native modules (if required)
Push, in-app, subscription, analytics, crash reporting
App Store + Play submission, ASO setup
Every 'small addition' that turns up in week three is a real change order. Operators who lock scope in discovery save 20-40% of total project cost.
CRM imports, redirect maps, third-party API wiring, and content migration are the most underestimated line items in dev projects.
Conventional design is fixed-bid territory. Custom motion, bespoke components, and editorial illustration push costs up 30-100%.
Senior US engineers cost 2-3x junior engineers but ship 5-10x faster on non-trivial work. Cheap teams are usually expensive in retrospect.
Sites where the client writes all the copy ship faster and cheaper than sites where copy is in scope. Most projects underestimate this.
Inparlor mobile builds start at $65,000. Most engagements land at $80K-$160K for a launch build with subscription, analytics, and OTA configured. We won't take projects under $65K because the cost of getting through App Review is fixed. The premium over the floor of the market reflects scope we don't itemize, measurement infrastructure, post-launch stability, and a documented handoff that survives whoever happens to be on our team six months from now. Our proposals are itemized line-by-line so you can see what you're paying for; we'd rather lose the deal on transparent pricing than win it by hiding the math.
From $65K
fixed project
iOS and Android apps users actually open more than once.
Full Mobile Apps breakdownNo-code (Bubble, Adalo, Glide) for $5K-$20K. Works for internal tools, early MVP testing, and apps that don't need App Store distribution. Won't work for consumer apps that need polish, performance, or scale. The honest framing: cheaper vendors exist at every tier, Fiverr at the bottom, offshore agencies in the middle, established US-based mid-market shops at the top. The cost-quality curve is real but rarely linear. Going from a $5K vendor to a $15K vendor usually produces a meaningfully different outcome; going from $15K to $45K often produces a refinement, not a transformation. Where you sit on that curve depends on the cost of being wrong, not the budget you have available.
Build cost ÷ (monthly app-attributable revenue)
$120K consumer app driving $40K/mo new revenue + $80K/mo retention from existing customers = $120K/mo total. Payback under 2 months. Real range: 6-18 months depending on monetization model.
We'll send back an itemized proposal, scope, line items, timeline, and the team that would actually run the engagement. No discovery call to schedule a discovery call.