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Plan a realistic UK app development budget across discovery, UX, engineering, testing, launch, support and maintenance, with clear cost drivers and quote questions.
Muhammad YaseenFounderContinue with more FlutterCraft thinking for founders and product teams.
Compare build, buy and partner options using differentiation, time, lifecycle cost, control, integration, risk and internal capability.
Hassan KhanIn 2026, a UK app budget should be planned as a range, not a single fixed number.
As an illustrative planning model, a simple validation prototype may sit around £2,000 to £8,000, a focused MVP around £18,000 to £45,000, an integrated MVP around £45,000 to £95,000, and a complex multi-role product can move beyond £95,000 to £200,000+.
These are not UK market averages and they are not a quote. They are planning bands to help founders ask better questions. Your real cost depends on scope, platform choice, integrations, data, security, design depth, team model, launch requirements and the amount of uncertainty still inside the idea.
A better question than "How much does an app cost?" is:
What evidence, product capability and operating model do we need the first release to prove?
That question changes the budget conversation from a shopping exercise into a product decision.
Two apps can both be described as "a booking app" and have completely different budgets.
One might need simple account creation, a calendar view, manual approval and email notifications. Another might need customer accounts, staff accounts, payments, refunds, live availability, maps, admin reporting, fraud controls, push notifications, CRM integration, accounting exports, analytics, accessibility work and ongoing support.
The visible screens are only part of the cost. The budget also includes:
The Department for Business and Trade's 2025 research into UK SME technology adoption found that businesses value reliable, personalised support when navigating digital adoption challenges. GOV.UK That is relevant to app budgets because software is rarely just a build cost. It is a business-change and operating decision as well.
Use these bands as early planning guidance only. Replace them with a scoped quote after discovery.
| Product shape | Illustrative planning range | What it normally includes | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Validation prototype | £2,000-£8,000 | Clickable prototype, lightweight UX, technical notes, user-test material | Production readiness, scalability, security or app-store approval |
| Focused MVP | £18,000-£45,000 | Core journey, basic backend, essential design, simple analytics, limited QA, release support | Every edge case, advanced automation or long-term operating maturity |
| Integrated MVP | £45,000-£95,000 | Multiple roles, payments or integrations, admin workflows, stronger QA, launch planning, support setup | Full enterprise readiness or complex compliance assurance |
| Complex product | £95,000-£200,000+ | Rich feature set, complex data, multiple integrations, permissions, reporting, operational workflows, stronger release governance | Unlimited scope or ongoing maintenance |
| Ongoing support | £500-£5,000+ per month | Monitoring, dependency updates, bug fixes, release support, minor improvements, advisory time | Major new features unless included |
The point is not to force your project into one row. The point is to identify which row your assumptions are pulling you towards.
Discovery is the cheapest place to reduce expensive uncertainty.
A useful discovery phase should clarify:
Discovery may produce a product brief, user journeys, wireframes, technical architecture, risk register, estimate range and delivery plan.
If a supplier jumps straight to a fixed build quote without asking about users, operations, data, risk and success criteria, the missing thinking has not disappeared. It has moved into the build phase, where it is more expensive to discover.
Design is not just how the app looks. It defines what users can understand, trust and complete.
Budget for:
For MVPs, the aim is not maximum polish. It is enough clarity and trust for real users to complete the important journey.
This is especially important when the product handles money, personal information, health-related context, children, regulated workflows or operational decisions. The ICO says data protection by design and by default starts in planning and continues through the lifecycle. ICO Privacy and trust therefore belong in early product design, not only in legal review at the end.
Engineering is usually the largest part of the first-build budget.
It can include:
The UK National Careers Service lists software developer salaries from £30,000 starter to £75,000 experienced. National Careers Service A development quote is not simply a salary divided by days. It usually includes senior review, product management, QA, tooling, meetings, overhead, risk, business operations and margin. Still, the salary context helps explain why credible software work cannot be priced like a template download.
Quality assurance is often under-budgeted because it is less visible than new screens.
A serious launch budget should include:
Android's quality guidance recommends testing on representative hardware and the latest Android version rather than assuming one device is enough. Android Core App Quality Apple and Google also have developer-account requirements and review processes. Apple lists its Developer Program at 99 USD per membership year, with regional pricing shown during enrolment. Apple Developer Program Google Play Console requires a one-time 25 USD registration fee for a developer account. Google Play Console Help
Those account fees are small compared with the development budget, but the operational work around identity, review, compliance, testing and release readiness still needs time.
Launch is not the end of app cost.
Post-launch work may include:
The NCSC treats secure development and deployment as a continuing practice and says teams should revisit security assessment periodically as systems and practices evolve. NCSC That matters for budgets because security, maintenance and support are ongoing responsibilities.
If the product is business-critical, has paying users, stores personal data, or supports operational workflows, budget for care from the start.
A freelancer can be cost-effective for a narrow, well-defined build or prototype. The risk is continuity. If one person owns discovery, design, backend, mobile, testing and release, the project may depend too heavily on individual availability.
Ask how code review, documentation, handover, support and emergency fixes will work.
An offshore team can reduce day-rate pressure, but only when communication, product ownership, QA and technical leadership are strong. A lower build rate can become expensive if requirements are unclear or rework is high.
Ask who owns product decisions, acceptance criteria, architecture and quality.
A UK agency or product studio usually costs more than a single freelancer, but should provide a broader operating model: discovery, design, engineering, QA, project management and support.
Ask what is included, who is doing the work, how decisions are made, and what happens after launch.
An in-house team can be the right choice when the app is the core product and long-term capability matters. It requires hiring, leadership, tooling, management and retention. It is rarely the fastest route for an early founder who has not yet validated the product.
Ask whether the business needs a product team now or a credible first release before hiring one.
Before comparing quotes, make sure each supplier has answered the same questions.
Use this worksheet before asking for a final quote.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What business outcome should the app support? | Keeps the budget tied to business value, not only features. |
| Who is the first user group? | Prevents the first release trying to serve everyone. |
| What is the core journey? | Helps define the smallest useful product scope. |
| What must the first release prove? | Separates validation work from full-product work. |
| What platforms are required at launch? | Affects design, engineering, testing and app-store work. |
| What can wait until after launch? | Protects the budget from avoidable early scope. |
| What personal data is collected? | Affects privacy, security and compliance planning. |
| What integrations are essential? | Integrations are often major cost drivers. |
| What existing systems must be connected? | Legacy systems can change estimates significantly. |
| What is the launch deadline and why? | Clarifies whether speed, quality or scope must flex. |
| What is the realistic first-build budget range? | Helps suppliers recommend an appropriate delivery route. |
| What monthly support budget is available? | Prevents launch from becoming the end of planning. |
| Who will make product decisions quickly? | Slow decisions can increase cost and delay delivery. |
| What would make this project fail commercially? |
A long feature list feels concrete, but it can hide the real uncertainty. Start with what the product must prove: demand, usability, operational fit, technical feasibility, payment behaviour, retention or acquisition.
Many apps need an admin panel, dashboard, moderation flow, reporting view or support tool. If staff cannot manage the product, the app may create manual work instead of reducing it.
Integrations with CRMs, booking tools, ERPs, payment providers, maps, analytics platforms or legacy databases can become major cost drivers.
Security is part of responsible software delivery. NCSC guidance covers secure development culture, maintainable code, secure repositories, build pipelines, testing and planning for security flaws. NCSC
The first release should generate learning. Budget for observation, fixes, onboarding improvements and small product changes after launch.
Before discussing a number, a founder should be able to explain:
If those answers are unclear, spend less on building and more on discovery.
A UK app can cost a few thousand pounds for a prototype or well into six figures for a complex product. The responsible answer depends on scope, uncertainty, delivery model and operating needs.
Do not buy the cheapest headline number. Buy the clearest route to a useful, maintainable product.
For most founders, the best next step is to define the smallest credible release, identify the riskiest assumptions, and ask suppliers to quote against the same scope, evidence and support expectations.
Sources checked on 19 August 2026: Department for Business and Trade: Understanding technology adoption among UK SMEs, National Careers Service: Software developer, Apple Developer Program enrolment, Google Play Console Help, ICO data protection by design and by default, NCSC secure development and deployment guidance, Android Core App Quality.
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Start a ProjectWritten by
Test the problem, audience, demand and willingness to act before paying for app development with this practical validation process.
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| Keeps risk visible before money is committed. |
