How much does it cost to build an iOS app?
Short answer: a native iOS app built by a senior team typically costs $15,000–$175,000+, depending on scope. At our $35/hour rate, most startup MVPs come in at $15k–$30k (450–850 hours) and reach the App Store in 2–4 months; a full-featured product with a custom backend runs $30k–$70k. The final number is driven by feature scope, not much else.
| App tier | Effort | Cost at $35/hr | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP (one core flow) | 450–850 hrs | $15k–$30k | 2–4 months |
| Standard (custom backend, 2–4 integrations) | 850–2,000 hrs | $30k–$70k | 4–7 months |
| Complex (real-time, scale, compliance) | 2,200–5,000+ hrs | $75k–$175k+ | 7–12+ months |
These ranges reflect patterns across the 200+ iOS apps we've shipped (15M+ downloads). Your number depends on the factors below.
What actually drives the cost
Cost is mostly a function of scope, not hourly rate. The biggest levers:
- Feature complexity — every screen, flow, and edge case adds design, build, and QA time. This is the #1 driver.
- Custom backend & APIs — accounts, data sync, push notifications, an admin panel.
- Third-party integrations — payments (Apple Pay/Stripe), maps, chat, analytics.
- Design depth — a clean template vs. custom UI, motion, and brand work.
- Real-time, media & offline — live chat, GPS tracking, video, and offline caching are genuinely harder (we built a custom video-caching engine for Veed to cut its cloud costs).
- Compliance — HIPAA, GDPR, or fintech requirements add cost.
Why our rate changes the math
US and UK agencies typically bill $120–$250/hour. Our senior iOS team in Lviv works at $35/hour — comparable talent, without offshoring quality. For the same 600-hour MVP, that's roughly $21,000 with us vs. $72,000–$150,000 at a US agency. Across 200+ shipped apps, that gap is often the difference between a funding round lasting six months or eighteen.
Cost by app type (with real examples)
| App type | Effort | Cost at $35/hr | We've built it |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVP / simple utility | 450–850 hrs | $15k–$30k | — |
| E-commerce / retail | 1,100–2,100 hrs | $40k–$75k | Shop |
| Food delivery / ordering | 1,150–2,000 hrs | $40k–$70k | Sushi |
| Dating / social | 1,000–1,900 hrs | $35k–$65k | Brizeo |
| Media / music / streaming | 1,300–2,500 hrs | $45k–$85k | Veed, Musicians First |
| On-demand / logistics tracking | 1,400–2,800 hrs | $50k–$100k | Truck Tracking |
If you have an app idea: start with an MVP
You don't need to build everything to find out if it works. An MVP ships your one core feature to real users in 2–4 months for the lowest cost, so you can validate (and raise) before investing in the full roadmap. Most of our startup clients launch lean, learn, then scale — that's the fastest path from idea to the App Store.
How long does it take?
Roughly: MVP 2–4 months · standard 4–7 · complex 7–12+. Timeline and cost move together — a tighter scope is both cheaper and faster.
What a real quote includes
A credible estimate covers discovery & scoping, UX/UI design, iOS development in Swift, QA, App Store submission (TestFlight and Apple review), and post-launch support. If a quote skips discovery or QA, the number isn't real.
Don't forget the ongoing costs
- Apple Developer Program: $99/year (required to publish).
- Backend & hosting: from ~$50–$500+/month, depending on scale.
- Maintenance: budget ~15–20% of the build cost per year for OS updates, fixes, and small features.
- Third-party APIs: maps, SMS, push — usage-based.
How to reduce cost without wrecking quality
- Build an MVP first, then phase the roadmap.
- Reuse proven components instead of building everything from scratch.
- Cut "nice-to-have" features until the core is validated.
- Pick a senior team that's shipped it before — rework is the most expensive line item.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an iOS MVP cost?
Most MVPs run $15k–$30k (450–850 hours at our $35/hour rate) and launch in 2–4 months.
Is building an iOS app cheaper than Android?
For a single platform the costs are similar; iOS is often slightly faster to test because there are fewer devices. The bigger cost question is one platform vs. both.
How long does it take to build an iOS app?
2–4 months for an MVP, 4–7 months for a full product.
Why do quotes vary so much?
Because "an app" can mean a 5-screen MVP or a real-time marketplace. Scope drives the number — always compare estimates against the same feature list.
Can I build an app if I'm not technical?
Yes — that's most of our founder clients. We translate the idea into scope, design, and a shippable product.
Do you offer fixed-price projects?
Yes, for well-defined scope; time-and-materials when requirements are still evolving.
Building an iOS app? Tell us about your idea and we'll give you a free, no-obligation estimate.
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