“How much does an app cost?” is the first question nearly every business owner asks me — and most are braced for a scary number. The honest answer is that it ranges enormously, and a lot of businesses end up needing far less than they feared. So here’s the plain-English version, with real figures.
The honest short answer
As a rough guide for the Irish market:
- A simple web app or first version (MVP) — roughly €3,000–€8,000. Does one job well, runs in the browser, no app-store hassle.
- A solid custom app for a small business — roughly €8,000–€20,000. Proper iPhone and Android app, your branding, a few real features and a back end behind it.
- A larger app with integrations and ongoing data — €20,000 and up. Multiple user types, payments, live syncing, connections to other systems.
These are ballpark ranges to set expectations, not a price list. Every project I take on is quoted at a single fixed price agreed before any work starts — no hourly meter, no surprise invoices. The point of the ranges is to help you sanity-check whether what you’re picturing is a €5,000 idea or a €25,000 one before you get too attached.
What actually drives the cost
The number is almost entirely about scope. The big levers:
- How many platforms. One platform (or a web app) is cheaper than building for iPhone and Android. Most small-business apps today are built once with a cross-platform approach, which keeps this sensible.
- How many features. Every screen, every button that does something, every rule (“only managers can see this”) adds build time. A focused app is dramatically cheaper than a kitchen-sink one.
- Whether it needs a back end. An app that just shows information is cheap. An app that stores data, has logins, syncs between devices, or feeds a dashboard needs a back end — and that’s where real cost lives.
- Integrations. Hooking into payments, a booking system, accounting software or a delivery provider each adds work.
- Design. A clean, branded app built on a solid design system is efficient. Bespoke animation and custom everything is not.
How to spend far less without regretting it
This is where I save people the most money:
Start with a web app or an MVP
Often the smart first move isn’t the full app at all — it’s a web app that does the one thing you actually need, for a fraction of the cost. Prove people use it, then invest in the bigger version once you know it earns its place.
Build the version that matters, not the wishlist
Owners arrive with twenty features. Usually three of them are the reason the app would make money. Build those three brilliantly, ship it, and add the rest later only if they pull their weight. A phased build spreads the cost and de-risks the whole thing.
Don’t pay for two of everything
Cross-platform tools mean one build runs on both iPhone and Android. Paying separately for two native apps rarely makes sense for a small business.
The costs people forget
The build price isn’t the only number. Budget for:
- App store fees — Apple charges roughly €99 a year for a developer account; Google is a one-off of about €25. (A web app avoids both entirely.)
- Hosting and the back end — usually modest for a small-business app, but not zero.
- Maintenance — phones and operating systems change; an app needs the occasional update to keep working. I’ll always tell you honestly what ongoing care a build will need.
Funding: the Trading Online Voucher
Many app and web-app projects for small Irish businesses fall within range of the Trading Online Voucher, which can part-fund up to €2,500 of approved costs through your Local Enterprise Office. If you’re considering an app, it’s well worth checking — I can help you scope the project and put together the quote the application needs. I work with businesses across Dublin, Cork, Galway and nationwide.
Common questions
Is an app cheaper than a website?
No — an app is almost always more expensive to build and maintain than a website, because it’s more complex and has to work across app stores and devices. If your goal is to be found on Google and bring in enquiries, a fast website is usually the better spend. An app is for when people need to do something repeatedly — book, order, log, track.
Why do quotes vary so wildly?
Because “an app” can mean a €4,000 web app or a €40,000 platform. Two quotes are only comparable if they’re for the same scope. A good supplier will pin down exactly what’s being built and why before quoting — vague “build an app” estimates are worth ignoring.
Can I start small and add to it later?
Yes, and you usually should. Building a focused first version, seeing how people use it, then adding to it is cheaper and safer than trying to build everything up front.
The honest bottom line
Most small Irish businesses don’t need a €30,000 app. They need a focused tool — often a web app — that does one valuable thing well, built for a sensible price, with funding help where it’s available. If you tell me what you’re picturing, I’ll give you a straight answer on whether it’s worth building and roughly what it should cost — even if that answer is “you don’t need this yet.”
Tell me your app idea and I’ll give you the honest version.
