The short answer
For a native iPhone app built by a studio, our own projects typically range from $10,000 to $100,000+. Most take 8 to 16 weeks from kickoff to App Store release. Where a project lands in that range depends far more on what the app has to do than on how many screens it has.
What actually moves the price
Seven things decide most of the cost of an iPhone app. Knowing them is the quickest way to make a budget and a scope agree.
1. The number of core flows
A flow is something a person opens the app to do: book, try on, chat, pay. Each one needs its screens, its states (empty, loading, error) and its edge cases. Two independent flows cost far more than one; twenty screens that are variations of the same flow do not.
2. Accounts and a backend
If the app needs sign-in, shared data or anything stored beyond the device, something has to hold it. Building against an API you already have is cheaper than designing a new backend alongside the app. For data that only has to follow one person across their own Apple devices, CloudKit can remove the need for a server of your own.
3. Payments and subscriptions
Digital content and subscriptions sold inside an iPhone app generally go through Apple’s in-app purchase system, StoreKit. Purchase, restore, renewal, upgrade and cancellation all need building and testing, and App Store review checks them.
4. Platform features
Push notifications, widgets, Live Activities, Apple Pay, HealthKit. Each one is a small project of its own, with its own review rules and its own testing.
5. AI features
Generating images or long text usually runs on a server, which adds a backend and a running cost for every request. Many tasks can run on the device with Apple’s Foundation Models framework, Core AI or Core ML, with no cost per request, and eligible apps can use Apple’s larger models on Private Cloud Compute at no cloud API cost. See what an AI app costs.
6. Design depth
An app built from Apple’s own components, styled well, takes less time than one with a fully custom visual language and bespoke animation. Both can be excellent; one takes longer.
7. Devices and languages
iPad layouts, an Apple Watch companion and every additional language add work to design, build and test.
How long it takes
Most builds take 8 to 16 weeks from kickoff to App Store release. This is how that time is usually spent:
| Phase | What happens | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Scope, flows and a fixed quote | 1–2 weeks |
| Design | Screens, a prototype and a design system | 2–4 weeks |
| Build | Two-week sprints with a TestFlight build every week | Most of the project |
| Launch | App Store submission and review | The final sprint |
| Support | Fixes once real users arrive | 30 days, included |
If timing matters more than anything else, say so in discovery. A smaller first version is the fastest way to an earlier launch date.
Costs after launch
The build is not the only cost. Plan for these from the start:
- Apple Developer Program: $99 a year, required to publish on the App Store.
- App Store commission: Apple keeps a share of digital sales made through in-app purchase: 15% for members of the App Store Small Business Program and for subscriptions after their first year, 30% otherwise.
- Servers and APIs: hosting, databases, and any AI or third-party service billed per request.
- Yearly iOS updates: Apple releases a major version of iOS every autumn. Most apps need testing and some changes each year to keep up.
- Iteration: the first version teaches you what to build next. Most products keep improving after launch, on a retainer or project by project.
Native or cross-platform: does it change the cost?
If you need iOS and Android on day one from one budget, a cross-platform framework such as React Native or Flutter can cost less up front, and we will tell you so. If the app has to feel at home on iPhone, use new iOS features as they ship and stay easy to maintain for years, a native Swift app is usually the better investment. We set out the trade-offs in Native Swift vs React Native and Flutter.
How to get a quote you can trust
An estimate from a one-line brief is a guess. This is how we take the guessing out:
- A paid discovery phase. One to two weeks to agree the scope, the flows and what the first version actually is.
- A fixed price. Agreed after discovery and before development starts. No hourly billing and no open scope.
- The scope is yours. If you decide not to build with us, take the written scope to any other team.
Ways to spend less without cutting quality
- Ship one flow first. A first version that does one thing well teaches you more than five things done halfway.
- Use Apple’s components. System controls are quick to build, accessible by default and already familiar to your users.
- Build on what you have. An existing API or web backend is cheaper to connect than a new one is to build.
- Design before you build. Changing a screen in a prototype costs far less than changing it in code. See iPhone app design.
Related: iOS app development · iOS app cost estimator · iOS MVP development for startups · Native Swift vs React Native and Flutter · SwiftUI vs UIKit