App development isn't just another website on a phone. An app lives in Apple's or Google's store, gets updated every year along with the operating system, and needs a backend that keeps working when a thousand people tap at the same second. I develop apps for iPhone and Android, software for Mac and Windows, and the server behind them - from the specification to the app store and beyond.
What app development is, and what I build
An app is software installed on the device that talks to a server. It has access to the camera, notifications, location and files, it works without an internet connection, and it reaches the user through a store. That's what sets it apart from a website, and it's also what makes it cost more to build and maintain. So my first question is always whether you need an app at all - more on that below.
iOS app development: apps for iPhone and iPad
I build iOS apps in two ways, depending on the need. React Native when you want one codebase for iPhone and Android and the app is a regular business app. Swift with SwiftUI when the app needs the depth of the system: the camera, sensors, Apple Pay, widgets, high performance. Either way: a design that follows Apple's guidelines, dark mode support, and submission to the App Store with everything Apple's review requires.
Android app development: apps for Android
In most cases the Android app is built from the same React Native code as the iPhone app, with Google Play, notifications through Firebase and testing on real devices such as Samsung and Pixel. An app that needs the device itself, or that is Android-only, is written in Kotlin.
macOS app development: software for the Mac
Desktop software for the Mac: an internal tool for your team, software that works with local files, a desktop client for your system. Built in Swift when it's Mac-only, or in Tauri (Rust and TypeScript) when the same software also has to run on Windows. That includes code signing and Apple's notarization, automatic updates, and distribution through the Mac App Store or directly from your website.
PC software development: software for Windows
Internal desktop software for Windows: software that connects to equipment, printers and files, works without the internet, and that people install instead of opening a browser. One codebase in Tauri or Electron that runs on Windows and on the Mac, with a signed installer, automatic updates and a Laravel or Node.js backend behind it.
And behind all of them: backend, API and admin panel
Every app that has users needs a server: sign-up and login, data, payments, notifications, and an admin panel where you see what's going on. I build the same API-first backend in Laravel or Node.js that's described on my Laravel page, so an iPhone app, Windows desktop software and a website can all work on the same data.
App or website: when each one is right
An app costs more to build and more to maintain, and the customer has to install it. A website (or a PWA, a website that behaves like an app) reaches everyone in one click. The honest comparison:
| What matters to you | App | Website or PWA |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware access (camera, sensors, Bluetooth, files) | Full | Partial and limited, especially on iPhone |
| Notifications | Reliable, even when the app is closed | Limited on iPhone |
| Working offline | Full | Partial |
| Reaching a new customer | Needs an install, and a store review | One click, and Google finds it |
| Cost and maintenance | High, an update for every OS version | Low, one version for everyone |
| When it is the right solution | A tool for daily use, hardware, offline, regular customers | Content, bookings, a service people use now and then |
If most of what you need sits in the website column, I'll say so on the first call and point you to website development. An app that didn't need to be an app is the most expensive unnecessary spend in this field.
One codebase for several platforms, or native code for each
This is the decision that sets most of the budget, and these are the rules I work by:
- React Native when the app is mostly screens, forms, lists and data from the server, and has to run on iPhone and Android. One codebase, two stores, about 60-70% of the cost of two separate apps.
- Swift and SwiftUI for iOS and the Mac, Kotlin for Android when the app leans on the device: the camera and image processing, sensors, Bluetooth, audio, widgets, or when only one platform matters. Native, fast, and without a layer in the middle that gets updated late.
- Tauri or Electron for desktop software that needs Mac and Windows together. Tauri (Rust) gives a small, fast binary; Electron gives a huge ecosystem. The choice depends on what the software does.
- Laravel or Node.js behind it, always: a secure API, an admin panel, payments and notifications, on a server in your account.
What I won't recommend: building an app as a "website in a box" just to appear in the store. Apple rejects apps like that, and users feel the difference.
Have an idea for an app or software? Let's first check whether it needs to be an app.
A free 30-minute call, no obligation · reply within 24 hours
Book a free callHow I work: 6 steps from the idea to the app store
What the user needs to do, who they are, and what already exists (a website, a system, data). By the end of the call: app or website, native or one codebase, and the rough size of the budget.
Screens you can tap on your phone before a single line of code. This is where you find out what's unnecessary, and where change is cheapest. The document and the prototype are yours, even if you continue with someone else.
A defined MVP scope, a fixed price, dates, and what's left for version 2. No add-ons along the way.
Every two weeks a build on your phone through TestFlight or a direct install. You see the progress instead of reading about it in a report.
Testing on real devices, code signing, a developer account in your name, the store page with screenshots and a description, and submission to Apple's and Google's review. A rejection, if there is one, is mine to handle.
Crash monitoring, quick fixes, a handover document (code, accounts, servers, keys), and the option of monthly support afterwards.
Why one developer who builds everything, and not a development company
At a development company an app passes between an account manager, an analyst, a designer, an iOS developer, a backend developer and a tester. Every handoff costs time and money, and every small change turns into a meeting. Working with me, the person who writes the specification is the person who writes the app and its server, so a decision is made in the same conversation, and the phone code and the server code are written to fit each other.
That's why an MVP with me costs $11,000-25,000: there's no management and sales layer to fund.
Four things aren't up for discussion. The developer accounts at Apple and Google are in your name, not mine. The code is in your repository from day one. A build on your phone every two weeks, not "at the end". And a handover document that lets any developer continue, because a good app lives for years.
My experience
I'm Vadim Leviev, a developer with 25+ years of experience. At William Hill Online I was Tech Lead on systems serving millions of users, and later I worked in development at Mars Media Group and BuyMe. The server side, the API and security are my background, and an app without a good server is a pretty screen that doesn't work.
Independent since 2006 and full time since 2019, I work directly with businesses and startups: apps and backends in React Native, Swift, Kotlin, Laravel and Node.js, AI systems, and verifystring.com, which I develop. My full background is on LinkedIn, and there's more about me here.
Common app development mistakes, and how I avoid them
- Building every feature into the first version
Most apps fail not because of a missing feature but because the money ran out before anyone used them. MVP first, then what the users asked for.
- Leaving the server out of the budget
A quote for "an app" that doesn't include the backend, the admin panel and hosting is half a price. In my quotes the server is included from day one.
- The developer account in the name of the company that built the app
When you part ways, the app in the store belongs to someone else. The Apple and Google accounts are opened in your name, always.
- Discovering Apple's guidelines during the review
Sign-up that isn't needed, payments outside the App Store, an app that is a website in a box. Read the guidelines before the rejection, not after it.
- Testing only in the simulator
The camera, notifications, a weak cellular connection and an old device can only be tested on real devices. That's how crashes are found before the users find them.
- Launching and disappearing
iOS 27 comes out, the app isn't updated, and it starts to break or fall behind store requirements. Version updates are part of an app's life, and they're planned in advance.
When not to build an app: an honest comparison
Not every idea needs an app, and some ideas first need something cheaper. Four situations where I say so on the first call, and one where the app is the right decision:
| Situation | An app now | Better first |
|---|---|---|
| The idea has not been tested with customers yet | An MVP budget spent on an assumption | A clickable prototype and 20 conversations with users |
| Users come in once a month | Nobody installs an app for that | A website or a PWA |
| No budget for maintenance after launch | An app that is not updated disappears from the store | Plan the first year of maintenance before building |
| Only internal automation is needed | An expensive interface for something that can run on its own | Automation and connecting the existing systems |
| A tool for daily use, hardware, offline, regular customers | Here an app is the right decision | Settling for a website that limits the product |
App development cost: ranges for 2026
Estimated ranges for development by a senior developer working directly. The exact price is set after the specification, in a fixed quote. Third-party costs, such as Apple's developer program ($99 a year), Google Play's registration ($25 once) and a cloud server, are paid by you directly.
| What | What is included | Estimated range |
|---|---|---|
| Specification and clickable prototype | Screen map, flows, a prototype tested on the phone, a scope estimate for development | $1,100-3,300 |
| MVP for iPhone, or iPhone and Android in React Native | Sign-up, the core screens, backend and API, a basic admin panel, submission to the stores | $11,000-25,000 |
| Full app | Payments, notifications, offline, integrations, a full admin panel, testing on devices | $25,000-56,000 |
| Native app in Swift or Kotlin (iOS, Mac or Android) | When the app needs hardware, performance or deep integration with the system | from $14,000 |
| Mac and Windows software (Tauri or Electron) | One codebase for both systems, a signed installer, automatic updates | $8,300-33,000 |
| Backend and API only, for an existing app | Laravel or Node.js, authentication, an admin panel, documentation | $4,200-14,000 |
| Monthly support | iOS, Android, Mac and Windows version updates, crash monitoring, fixes and small changes | $420-1,100/month |
International-level service and knowledge. Vadim built my online store step by step, met all my needs, and whenever something new came up, thought it through and found a solution. All along the way I felt safe and in good hands - even under pressure there was always a calm answer. On top of that, the prices are fair, and the service and support are among the best I have come across in Israel.
App development: frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to develop an iPhone app?
A clickable prototype is $1,100-3,300, an MVP with a backend $11,000-25,000, and a full app with payments, notifications and an admin panel $25,000-56,000. There is no management and sales layer in between, and that is what keeps the price in these ranges.
How long does it take to develop an app?
A prototype takes 2-3 weeks, an MVP 6-12 weeks, a full app 3-6 months, and Mac or Windows software 6-12 weeks. What stretches projects is not the code but decisions made late, which is why the specification is closed before work starts.
iOS only, or Android too?
For most business apps it pays to cover both from the same code with React Native. An app that needs the depth of the system, such as the camera, sensors or high performance, is written in Swift for iOS, and Android is then decided separately.
Will the software run on both Mac and Windows?
Yes, that is the usual way to build desktop software today: one codebase in Tauri or Electron that runs on Mac and on Windows, with an installer, automatic updates and code signing for each system. Software that needs only the Mac, or deep integration with macOS, is written in Swift.
What happens to the app after launch?
iOS, Android, macOS and Windows update every year, and the app stores require updates for an app to stay listed. Monthly support at $420-1,100/month covers version updates, crash monitoring, fixes and small changes. Without support, the code, the accounts and the documents stay with you, ready for any developer.
Will the app and the code be mine?
Yes. The Apple and Google developer accounts are opened in your name, the code sits in your repository, the server and the data in your cloud account, and at the end there is a handover document that lets any developer continue. I get access, not ownership.
From the idea to the app store, with the developer who also builds the server.
A free 30-minute call, no obligation · reply within 24 hours
Book a free call