How Much Does a Mobile App Cost in 2026? A Complete Pricing Guide
Straight to the point: a simple mobile app costs CZK 150,000–400,000 as a one-time project at a Czech agency. A medium-complexity app runs CZK 400,000–1,200,000. A complex project with a backend and admin can easily exceed 2 million. We build the same app for a monthly subscription starting at CZK 29,990 — with no upfront investment. A web application or website starts at CZK 1,990 per month.
That's the short answer. The longer one is more interesting, because "how much does an app cost" is a lot like "how much does a house cost". It depends on what you're building, from what, and who builds it. In this article we break down real prices by app type, what the price consists of, what pushes it up or down — and why the economics of development change fundamentally when you pay a monthly subscription instead of a one-time invoice.
Prices by app type
The table below is based on real inquiries we handle and on public price lists of Czech development studios. One-time prices are indicative market ranges; the monthly subscription is our model where development, operations, hosting and ongoing improvements are all included.
| App type | Agency (one-time) | Our monthly subscription | Development time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web application / company website | CZK 80,000–300,000 | from CZK 1,990/mo | 2–6 weeks |
| Startup MVP | CZK 300,000–800,000 | from CZK 29,990/mo | 2–3 months |
| Booking system | CZK 150,000–400,000 | from CZK 4,900/mo | 1–3 months |
| Customer mobile app (iOS + Android) | CZK 400,000–1,200,000 | from CZK 29,990/mo | 3–5 months |
| Internal company app | CZK 300,000–900,000 | from CZK 9,900/mo | 2–4 months |
| E-commerce app | CZK 500,000–1,500,000 | from CZK 29,990/mo | 3–6 months |
| Custom CRM | CZK 400,000–1,200,000 | from CZK 9,900/mo | 2–5 months |
| Marketplace (two-sided platform) | CZK 1,000,000–3,000,000+ | individual quote | 5–9 months |
Two notes on the table. First, the ranges are wide on purpose — the same "booking app" can be a simple calendar or a system with payments, staff shifts and a loyalty program. Second, a one-time agency price usually does not include operations: hosting, maintenance, updates for new iOS and Android versions. Add 10–20 % per year on top of the one-time price.
What makes up the price of an app
Breaking down the budget of a typical project looks roughly like this:
| Item | Share of price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis and specification | 10–15 % | Requirements, wireframes, technical architecture |
| UX/UI design | 10–15 % | Screen designs, prototype, design system |
| App development (iOS + Android) | 30–40 % | The app code itself |
| Backend and API | 20–30 % | Server, database, administration |
| Testing and release | 10–15 % | QA, device testing, store publishing |
This leads to an important conclusion: the "app" the user sees is only a third to a half of the work. Backend, administration and testing make up the rest — and that's exactly where people cut corners, which then gets expensive. We wrote about it in apps without testing.
What pushes the price up
- Two native apps instead of one cross-platform app. Building natively for iOS and Android separately means nearly double the work. React Native or Flutter cover 90 % of typical apps at a fraction of the cost.
- Sign-in and user roles. As soon as an app has accounts, permissions and user management, both backend and testing grow.
- Payments. Payment gateway integration, subscription management, refunds — plus Apple/Google commissions of 15–30 % on in-app payments.
- Offline mode and synchronization. One of the most underestimated items. An app that works offline and then syncs correctly is many times more complex.
- Integrations with existing systems. Connecting to an ERP, accounting or warehouse system means analyzing a third-party system that often has no documented API.
- Real-time features. Chat, location updates, live data — all of it requires more complex infrastructure.
What pushes the price down
- Sharp feature prioritization. An MVP with three features people actually use is worth more than twenty "just in case" features. We describe how in our MVP planning guide.
- Cross-platform technology. One codebase for iOS and Android.
- Ready-made building blocks. Sign in with Apple/Google, payments via Stripe, notifications via Firebase — you don't pay for development from scratch.
- A solid specification. Every "that's not what we meant" iteration costs dozens of hours. A good technical specification pays for itself several times over.
One-time price vs. monthly subscription: different economics
The classic model works like this: you pay CZK 600,000, you get an app, and then you pay separately for every change. The problem is that an app is not a house — it is never "finished". A new iOS version ships, a payment gateway changes its API, users want a new feature. An app without ongoing development realistically becomes outdated within months.
The monthly subscription model (we call it App as a Service) flips the logic:
- Zero upfront investment. You don't need CZK 600,000 in the bank. From month one you pay an amount your cash flow can handle — just like you pay for software, a car or an office.
- Operations and development included. Hosting, monitoring, OS updates, small changes and new features are part of the subscription. No extra invoices at CZK 2,500/hour.
- The vendor's incentives match yours. When an app earns through a subscription, it has to work long-term. We can't hand over a project and disappear — quality is in our own interest.
- Predictable costs. Your CFO sees a fixed monthly amount, not lump-sum investments and surprise maintenance invoices.
Who is the subscription not for? If you have free capital, want to own the app from day one and have your own maintenance team, a one-time purchase may work out better. We offer both models — run the numbers in our configurator or compare them in the pricing overview.
Hidden costs people forget
Whether you pay one-time or monthly, count on these items:
- Developer accounts: Apple Developer Program USD 99/year, Google Play USD 25 one-time.
- Store commissions: 15–30 % of sales and in-app payments.
- Hosting and third-party services: server, database, maps, SMS gateway, e-mails — from hundreds to tens of thousands CZK per month depending on user count.
- Maintenance: Apple and Google change requirements every year. An app that hasn't been updated in a year can be removed from the store.
- Marketing: the best app with no users is an expensive experiment. A user acquisition budget should be part of the plan from the start — more in how to measure mobile app ROI.
In our subscription, hosting, maintenance and updates are included; store accounts and marketing remain on your side.
How to get the most out of your budget
- Start with a web app or PWA if you can. Not every idea needs a native app right away — see our comparison of PWAs vs. native apps.
- Define one key metric. The app should earn money, save time, or acquire customers. Features get cut accordingly.
- Ask for pricing by stages, not as a lump sum. Analysis → MVP → growth. After each stage you can stop or change direction.
- Ask about operations. "How much will the app cost after a year in production?" separates serious offers from lowballs.
Summary
In 2026, a mobile app costs from the lower hundreds of thousands CZK (a simple MVP) to millions (a marketplace) — or from CZK 29,990 per month with no upfront investment if you choose the subscription model. A website or web application starts at CZK 1,990 per month. The price is driven most by backend complexity, the number of integrations and the quality of the specification.
Want a number for your specific project? Our configurator calculates it in two minutes — anonymously and for free. And if you'd like to walk through your idea with a developer and a project manager, book a consultation: in 60 minutes you'll get an MVP outline, a price estimate and a plan recommendation.
