How much does an app cost to build in the UK?

By Brian Sinclair · 6 min read · Updated 5 August 2026

Search this question and you will find answers ranging from £5,000 to £250,000, which is another way of saying no answer at all. Here is mine, as a developer who builds apps for UK small businesses: most of the apps a small business actually needs land between £2,500 and £8,000, fixed price.

The £30,000-plus quotes you get from agencies are not dishonest. They are pricing in an office, a project manager, a designer, two developers and a margin. If you need a team, you need a team. Most small business apps do not.

What drives app cost

Four things move the number more than anything else:

Platforms. Building iOS and Android separately roughly doubles the work. I build both from a single codebase, which is why two platforms does not mean two prices.
Accounts and data. An app where users log in, book things and pay for things needs a backend: database, authentication, payments. That is most of the cost in most apps, not the screens.
Integrations. Talking to your till, your booking system, your accounts package or a supplier API each adds work, and occasionally an ongoing fee from the other side.
Novelty. Booking, storefronts, staff tools and dashboards are well-trodden ground and priced accordingly. If nobody has built your idea before, expect discovery time in the price.

Realistic bands for a UK small business

A focused staff tool or internal app, £2,500 to £4,000: one job done well, for the people on your floor, on the devices in their pockets.

A customer-facing app with accounts, bookings or payments, £4,000 to £8,000: the full build including backend, app store submission for iOS and Android, and payment handling through Stripe.

Smaller pieces, £500 to £1,500: an integration, a new feature in an existing app, or fixing something that is already broken.

Every price is fixed and agreed before work starts. I will give you a number on the first call, and if your budget and the build do not match, I will say so then rather than three weeks in.

The costs nobody quotes you

Whoever builds your app, budget for the things that continue after launch: Apple charges $99 a year for a developer account and Google a one-off $25. Servers and services for a small business app usually run tens of pounds a month, not hundreds. And software needs maintenance, because phones and operating systems keep changing underneath it. My support retainers start at £150 a month, and you get the person who wrote the code.

Do you actually need an app?

Sometimes the honest answer is no. If your customers just need to find you, book you and pay you, a fast website often does the job without asking anyone to install anything. An app earns its place when people use it repeatedly: staff tools used every shift, loyalty and rebooking for regulars, anything needing push notifications or offline use.

I build both, so I have no incentive to push you to the expensive one. That is precisely the question the first fifteen-minute call answers.

Common questions

How much does it cost to build an app in the UK?

For a small business: a focused internal or staff app typically costs £2,500 to £4,000, and a customer-facing app with accounts, bookings or payments £4,000 to £8,000, fixed price. Agency quotes of £30,000+ reflect team overheads rather than a different app.

Does building for both iPhone and Android double the price?

Not with a modern cross-platform approach. I build iOS and Android from a single codebase, so both platforms are included in the quoted price.

What are the ongoing costs of running an app?

Apple's developer account is $99 a year and Google's is a one-off $25. Hosting for a small business app is usually tens of pounds a month. Maintenance retainers from me start at £150 a month.

App or website: which should a small business build first?

If customers just need to find, book and pay you, start with a fast website. Build an app when there is repeated use: staff tools, loyalty and rebooking, push notifications or offline work. A fifteen-minute call is enough to tell which you need.

Want a number for your build?

Fifteen minutes is enough. Tell me the problem, and I will tell you honestly whether custom software is the answer and roughly what it would cost.

Book a call