Reference data · our own quoted ranges
App Development Cost Index 2026
Updated · rates ₹95 = $1, ₹127 = £1 and ₹25.9 = AED 1 on 3 November 2026
Quick answer
An app costs from ₹2.5 lakh ($2,500) for a website or WhatsApp chatbot to ₹38 lakh ($40,000) for a market-ready SaaS product, depending on the app type and whether you build an MVP or the full product. These are CountryDevs' own quoted ranges for 6 app types, the same price wherever you are, converted at ₹95 = $1 on 3 November 2026. Each row links to a page that explains what moves the number.
- App types with a range
- 6
- Smallest build in the index
- ₹2.5 lakh
- Largest build in the index
- ₹38 lakh
- Rupees per dollar, 3 November 2026
- ₹95
How much does an app cost in 2026, by app type?
Every build range we quote, by app type and tier. The rupee range is the price; the other currencies are the same price at ₹95 = $1, ₹127 = £1 and ₹25.9 = AED 1 on 3 November 2026, rounded to the nearest 500. Clients in India are invoiced in rupees and everyone else in US dollars, so pounds and dirhams are for reference.
| App type | Tier | India (₹) | US$ | UK £ (ref.) | UAE AED (ref.) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI chatbot or assistant | Website or WhatsApp bot | ₹2.5–5 lakh | $2,500–5,500 | £2,000–4,000 | AED 9,500–19,500 | Answers from your documents, with handover to a person. |
| AI chatbot or assistant | In-product assistant | ₹5–10 lakh | $5,500–10,500 | £4,000–8,000 | AED 19,500–38,500 | Takes actions in your product, with routing, metering and per-plan caps. |
| React Native app (Android and iPhone) | Simple app | ₹3–6 lakh | $3,000–6,500 | £2,500–4,500 | AED 11,500–23,000 | Android and iPhone from one codebase, on a backend you already have. |
| React Native app (Android and iPhone) | MVP with backend and admin | ₹6–12.5 lakh | $6,500–13,000 | £4,500–10,000 | AED 23,000–48,500 | Adds its own API, database and an admin console. |
| React Native app (Android and iPhone) | Two-app platform | ₹12–25 lakh | $12,500–26,500 | £9,500–19,500 | AED 46,500–96,500 | Two apps, such as customer and driver, on one backend, with payments and payouts. |
| Fitness or trainer app | MVP | ₹5–10 lakh | $5,500–10,500 | £4,000–8,000 | AED 19,500–38,500 | Client and trainer roles, packages, payments and an admin panel. |
| Fitness or trainer app | Full trainer marketplace | ₹10–20 lakh | $10,500–21,000 | £8,000–15,500 | AED 38,500–77,000 | Adds programs, check-ins, chat, payouts and a ledger. |
| Delivery or logistics app | MVP | ₹6–12.5 lakh | $6,500–13,000 | £4,500–10,000 | AED 23,000–48,500 | A customer app, a driver app and an admin console, with live trips and payments. |
| Delivery or logistics app | Full platform | ₹12–25 lakh | $12,500–26,500 | £9,500–19,500 | AED 46,500–96,500 | Adds a business portal, driver plans and payouts, and monthly GST billing. |
| Two-sided marketplace app | MVP | ₹6–12.5 lakh | $6,500–13,000 | £4,500–10,000 | AED 23,000–48,500 | A customer app, a provider app and an admin console, with bookings and payments. |
| Two-sided marketplace app | Full two-sided platform | ₹12–25 lakh | $12,500–26,500 | £9,500–19,500 | AED 46,500–96,500 | Adds the ledger, payouts, a vendor console and the trust and dispute tools. |
| SaaS product | MVP | ₹10–19 lakh | $10,500–20,000 | £8,000–15,000 | AED 38,500–73,500 | One core workflow with tenancy, sign-in and real payments. |
| SaaS product | Market-ready product | ₹20–38 lakh | $21,000–40,000 | £15,500–30,000 | AED 77,000–146,500 | Several roles, full billing with GST invoices, integrations and a platform console. |
| Custom business software and ERP | Range coming soon | Quoted after a Discovery Sprint; QKE and Firetrix started as clickable prototypes. | ||||
| Company website | Range coming soon | Quoted per site; BogarInfra's website and admin panel went from the start of build work to its last change in about 12 weeks. | ||||
| Shopify or WooCommerce store | Range coming soon | Quoted per store. | ||||
| AI features in an existing app | Range coming soon | Quoted per feature; running costs per call are on the running costs page. | ||||
What each range includes, app type by app type
One page per app type: what moves the budget, MVP against full build, running costs, timeline, how payment works and the projects behind the numbers.
- AI chatbot development cost₹2.5–10 lakh · $2,500–10,500AI chatbot development cost in 2026: the build price and the price of every conversation
- React Native app development cost₹3–25 lakh · $3,000–26,500React Native app development cost in 2026: one codebase, three price bands
- Fitness app development cost₹5–20 lakh · $5,500–21,000What does a fitness app cost to build in 2026, from a booking app to a trainer marketplace?
- Delivery app development cost₹6–25 lakh · $6,500–26,500How much does a delivery app cost to build in 2026?
- Marketplace app development cost₹6–25 lakh · $6,500–26,500Marketplace app development cost in 2026: what two sides and a ledger really cost
- SaaS product development cost₹10–38 lakh · $10,500–40,000SaaS development cost in 2026: what an MVP and a market-ready product cost
Which prices are fixed, not ranges?
Four offers have one published price each, the same wherever you are. They are read from the same list as the offers pages and pricing.
- Discovery Sprint2 weeks: scope, prototype and a fixed build price₹1,50,000 $1,600
- Code AuditFive working days, one app or backend (from)₹90,000 $950
- Maps & AI Cost AuditFive working days; 3× savings guarantee above a minimum monthly spend₹45,000 $470
- Maintenance: CareA month, three-month minimum₹20,000 $210
- Maintenance: GrowA month, three-month minimum₹45,000 $470
- Maintenance: PartnerA month, three-month minimum₹95,000 $1,000
Where the numbers come from
- What a range is
- Our quoted range for a build of that size and scope. It is not a client's fee, which we never publish, and not hourly-rate arithmetic.
- Where it comes from
- The bands we quote, set from products we have built and run: Pakka for delivery, Trainr for fitness and marketplaces, Storafleet and AskForth for SaaS, ConferBot and LeafRanger's Herb for chatbots. Each cost page names its builds.
- MVP and full build
- Every app type has an MVP band and a full-build band. The full-build band starts where the MVP band ends, because the full build carries the money, the business layer and the operator tools the MVP leaves out.
- Currencies
- The rupee range is the price. Dollars are that range at ₹95 = $1, pounds at ₹127 = £1 and dirhams at ₹25.9 = AED 1, on 3 November 2026, rounded to the nearest 500. The price is the same wherever you are.
- How you are invoiced
- Clients in India are quoted and invoiced in rupees. Everyone else is quoted and invoiced in US dollars. Pound and dirham figures are for reference.
- What is left out
- Third-party bills (maps, AI calls, payment fees, hosting), store developer accounts and maintenance after launch. Each cost page lists what its range leaves out.
- Your fixed price
- A range is not a quote. Your fixed price comes out of a 2 weeks Discovery Sprint at ₹1,50,000 ($1,600), credited to the build if it starts within 60 days.
- When it changes
- The exchange rate is re-checked every quarter, next in February 2027, and the bands change only when we change what we quote. The Updated date above moves with either.
The running costs that follow a launch, measured in our own apps, are on running costs, and how long our builds took is on build timelines. How we price a project end to end is on pricing.
How to use the index to budget your app
Find your app type and tier
Pick the row that matches what your first release must do, not everything you want in year three.
Read what moves it
Each cost page lists the features, integrations, roles and compliance work that push a build up or down its range.
Add what it costs to run
Monthly bills for maps, AI, messaging and storage are on running costs; real durations are on build timelines.
Turn the range into a price
Write a one-page brief with the project brief generator, then ask for a fixed price through a Discovery Sprint.
Cite this index
CountryDevs, “App Development Cost Index 2026”, updated 5 November 2026. Quoted build ranges by app type in INR, with USD, GBP and AED at ₹95 = $1, ₹127 = £1 and ₹25.9 = AED 1 on 3 November 2026. https://www.countrydevs.com/cost
Please quote a range with its tier and the Updated date. The whole table is available as a CSV file.
Questions about the cost index
What is the App Development Cost Index 2026?
A single table of the build ranges CountryDevs quotes in 2026, by app type and tier, in rupees, dollars, pounds and dirhams, with the exchange rate and the date. Each row links to a page that explains the range with our own projects.
Where do the numbers in this cost index come from?
From the ranges we quote, set from apps and SaaS products we have built and run, such as Pakka, Trainr and Storafleet. They are not survey averages and not what any client paid; client fees stay private.
How do the MVP and full-build ranges relate?
In every app type the full-build range starts about where the MVP range ends. The step up buys the parts an MVP leaves out: ledgers and payouts, business portals, billing in several currencies, and the console your team runs it from.
Why are pound and dirham figures marked as reference only?
Because only clients in India are quoted and invoiced in rupees; everyone else is quoted and invoiced in US dollars. The pound and dirham figures show the same rupee price at the market rate so UK and UAE readers can compare.
Can I quote or cite this cost index?
Yes. Quote the figures with the Updated date and a link to this page, or download the table as a CSV from the link on this page.
How often is the cost index updated?
The exchange rate is re-checked every quarter, next in February 2027, and the bands change when what we quote changes. The Updated date on the page, the sitemap and the structured data are always the same date.
Why do some app types have no range yet?
Because we only publish a range we have agreed to quote. Business software and ERP, company websites, online stores and AI features in an existing app are quoted per project for now; their rows say "range coming soon" until a range is set.
Part ofApp development cost: every page on the topic, in one place
Other pages on app development cost
- Cost by app typeAI chatbot development costA website or WhatsApp bot against an in-product assistant, and the cost per turn
- Cost by app typeReact Native app development costA simple app, an MVP with its own backend, or a two-app platform
- ArticlesSaaS Development Cost in 2026 | Real Ranges After AIThe ranges we actually quote for a SaaS product, and what moves them
- PagesPricingHow we price projects, what changes a quote, and how milestone payments work
- Fixed-price offersDiscovery SprintThe fixed-price first step that turns an idea into a priced scope
- SolutionsMarketplace appsQuoted ranges for a marketplace MVP and a full platform
Not sure which row your idea is in?
Send a few lines about who uses it and what it must do on day one. An engineer replies with the row it fits and what would move it.