How much does it cost to develop an app in 2026? Real prices
The question everyone asks
"How much does it cost to build an app?" is probably the question we get most at AgüíTech (aguitech). And the honest answer is: it depends. But that's not useful to anyone, so in this article we're going to break down real prices in full detail.
Search online and you'll find absurdly wide ranges: from €500 to €500,000. Both can be accurate depending on what you're building. This article focuses on real business apps — bookings, e-commerce, automation — developed by a specialist studio like AgüíTech.
What factors determine the price of an app
1. Functional complexity
An informational app with four screens is very different from an app with real-time bookings, a shop, payments and an admin panel. Every feature adds design, development and testing time.
Most common features and their impact on price:
- Authentication (registration, login, password recovery): the base of any app
- Bookings and calendar: real-time availability integration, automatic confirmations
- Shop and Stripe payments: catalogue, cart, checkout, confirmation webhooks
- Push notifications: reminders, updates, campaigns
- Admin panel: appointment, client and stock management
- Third-party integrations: CRMs, external calendars, sector-specific APIs
2. UX/UI design
An app with custom design from Figma — screens designed specifically for your brand — costs more than using generic components. But the difference in client perception is enormous. At AgüíTech we include design in every project: the client sees and approves the screens before any code is written.
3. Backend and infrastructure
Many apps need a server: to store data, manage users, process payments, send notifications. Building and deploying that backend has a cost. At AgüíTech we use FastAPI + PostgreSQL deployed on Railway — a robust, scalable combination with reasonable infrastructure costs for small to medium businesses.
4. iOS and Android
With Flutter — the framework we use at AgüíTech — a single codebase runs natively on both platforms. This significantly reduces cost compared to building two separate apps (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android).
Real price ranges in 2026
These are the ranges we work with at AgüíTech (aguitech) for real projects:
Basic app: €6,000 – €8,000
- 8–12 screens
- User authentication
- Dynamic content from backend
- No transactions or complex logic
- App Store and Google Play publishing
Example: informational business app, service catalogue, contact form.
Standard app: €8,000 – €14,000
- 12–20 screens
- Booking system or shop with payments
- Full backend with database
- Push notifications
- Basic admin panel
Example: booking app for a clinic, aesthetics centre, restaurant or academy.
Full app: €14,000 – €20,000+
- 20+ screens
- Multiple modules (bookings + shop + loyalty)
- Third-party system integrations
- Advanced admin panel
- Complex business logic
Example: marketplace-type app, multi-role user app, ERP or CRM integration.
What's included in an AgüíTech quote
At AgüíTech the fixed price always includes:
- Full Figma design (all screens)
- Flutter app development (iOS + Android)
- Backend API with FastAPI and PostgreSQL
- Firebase authentication
- Stripe payment integration (where applicable)
- Railway deployment
- App Store and Google Play publishing
- Full source code — it's yours
- Technical documentation
What is not included in the base price:
- Developer account fees (App Store: €99/year, Google Play: €25 one-time)
- Monthly infrastructure costs (Railway, Firebase — typically €10–€50/month for a small app)
- Monthly maintenance (available separately)
Why large agency quotes are much higher
A large agency with 20 employees, a city centre office and a Salesforce account has enormous fixed costs that get passed on in their quotes. It's not that they do better work — they just have more overhead.
At AgüíTech we're a small, specialist team. No account managers, no middlemen. The person who quotes you is the person who builds your app. That translates into sharper prices and direct communication throughout the project.
How to know if an app is a good investment for your business
Ask yourself these questions:
- How many bookings or sales are you losing without a digital system? If it's 5–10 a month, an app pays for itself within months.
- How much time do you spend on manual management? WhatsApp bookings, cash payments, manual reminders — all of that has a real cost.
- What differentiation does it give you vs competitors? Having your own app on the App Store is a brand asset very few local businesses have.
The AgüíTech process: no surprises
- Free initial call — 30 minutes, no commitment
- Fixed-price quote — fixed price, not hourly
- Figma design — you approve the screens before development starts
- Development with test access — you can test the app on your phone throughout the process
- Launch — we publish to stores and hand everything over
Have a project in mind?
At AgüíTech (aguitech) we develop iOS and Android apps for businesses in Madrid, Spain and the UK. First meeting free, no commitment.
AgüíTech (aguitech) is a studio specialising in iOS and Android mobile app development with Flutter. We build apps for businesses with bookings, e-commerce and automation. Mobile app developer Madrid.