Free tool · App cost calculator
What will your app
actually cost?
Pick what you are building and what version one needs. The price, the timeline and the agency comparison update as you click.
App cost questions, answered
How much does it cost to build an app in 2026?
A focused first version with sign-in, payments and an admin panel starts at $3,999 with us. Most startup MVPs land between $5,000 and $15,000. Two-sided marketplaces, web plus mobile, or heavy AI features push it to $15,000 to $25,000. A typical agency charges two to four times that for the same scope, because of hourly rates and project management overhead.
How accurate is this calculator?
It uses the same hours we use when we scope a build, priced at our published $75/hour Run rate. It is usually within 20% of the final quote. The real number comes as a written, fixed price after a 20-minute call, and it does not change unless you change the scope.
How long does it take to build an MVP?
A clearly scoped Starter MVP launches in about 21 days. Larger builds take 6 to 14 weeks. The calculator shows the timeline for the scope you picked.
Is it cheaper if I already have a Lovable or Bolt prototype?
A little. A prototype settles the screens and flows, which saves around 10% of the work. The production engineering, such as data rules, payments and security, still has to be done properly, and that is most of the cost.
Do I own the code?
Yes. You own the code, the repository, the hosting and every account from day one, whatever you build.