Plain-English guide
App development cost in the UK: honest numbers for 2026
App quotes in the UK run from £5,000 to £250,000 for what sounds like the same sentence. Both ends are telling the truth about different things. Here is how the number is actually made — from a company with an app of its own on both stores.
By Matt Rooney · 23/08/2026 · T19 Digital
Why the range is so wide
Three multipliers do most of it. Platforms: iOS, Android and web as separate builds triples the work; one build that ships to all three — how we build, and how our own app Motivaite ships — does not. Backends: an app is usually an iceberg, with accounts, payments, notifications and admin below the waterline costing more than the screens above it. And who builds it: London agency day rates against a senior-led studio can double a number without changing the product.
Our numbers, plainly
From £13,500 for a focused app: one build for iPhone, Android and web, store submission handled — including the parts that usually go wrong — push notifications set up properly, and the admin behind it. Ten to fourteen weeks. The estimator gives your own range in fifteen seconds, and the fixed price is agreed before we start.
The costs after launch
Apple charges £79 a year and Google a one-off £20 for developer accounts. Both stores update their rules on their own schedule, which is most of what an app care plan is for — ours is £220 a month and covers hosting, fixes and keeping you compliant with whatever Cupertino thought of this quarter.
The question that saves you five figures
"Do we need an app at all, or a website that installs like one?" Half the app briefs we see are better served by a fast web build that lives on the home screen for a fraction of the price. We will tell you which yours is before quoting — it is cheaper to be honest early.
Questions we get on this
Why do UK app quotes vary from £5k to £250k?
Different products wearing one word: platform count, the invisible backend, and who builds it. Pin all three down and quotes become comparable.
Do I need separate iOS and Android apps?
Almost never any more. One build can ship to iPhone, Android and the web — it is how our own app works, and it is the single biggest cost lever.
What does it cost to run an app after launch?
Store fees are small (£79/yr Apple, £20 once for Google); the real cost is keeping up with store rule changes, which our £220/month care plan exists to absorb.
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