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Cost guide for India

How Much Does Mobile App Development Cost in India?

A mobile app in India costs ₹3 lakh for something simple and focused, and ₹30 lakh or more for a feature-heavy platform with live features, payments and several user types. Before you spend on a native app, though, ask whether you need one. For a lot of business use cases, a well-built progressive web app (PWA) or mobile-friendly web app does the same job for much less money. We say this to clients often.

3 price tiers explained

5 red flags to check

The bottom line

Most business apps in India cost ₹5L–₹20L for a good cross-platform build. Below ₹3L you're getting something very basic or templated. Going fully native on iOS and Android roughly doubles the cost of cross-platform.

Price tiers at a glance

  • Simple App (1–3 core screens)₹3L – ₹6L
  • Mid-Complexity App₹6L – ₹15L
  • Complex / Platform App₹15L – ₹35L+

What you get at each price point

Find the tier closest to your project. The example at the bottom of each card shows the kind of build it covers.

  • Tier 1

    Simple App (1–3 core screens)

    ₹3L – ₹6L

    What’s included

    • 3–5 screens around one core workflow
    • User login / authentication
    • Basic data display and entry
    • Push notifications
    • Cross-platform (iOS + Android via React Native or Flutter)
    • No payments, no real-time features

    Example

    Attendance tracking for a 20-person team. A simple product catalogue. A basic appointment booking app.

  • Tier 2Most common

    Mid-Complexity App

    ₹6L – ₹15L

    What’s included

    • Multiple screens and user flows
    • User roles (customer, admin, staff)
    • Payment integration (Razorpay / Stripe)
    • Targeted push notifications
    • Backend API and database
    • Third-party integrations (maps, SMS, WhatsApp)
    • Some offline capability

    Example

    A last-mile delivery app with separate driver and customer sides. A field service app. A customer app for a retail or restaurant chain.

  • Tier 3

    Complex / Platform App

    ₹15L – ₹35L+

    What’s included

    • Real-time features (live tracking, chat, live updates)
    • Several user types, each with its own experience
    • Heavy business logic and automated workflows
    • Built to handle large user volumes
    • Advanced features like video, AR or biometrics
    • Deep integrations with several external systems

    Example

    A two-sided marketplace, think Urban Company or Dunzo at SME scale. A telemedicine platform. A logistics platform with live vehicle tracking.

What drives the cost up or down

The more bars lit, the more that factor moves your final number.

  • Native vs cross-platform

    Native means separate Swift and Kotlin codebases, and roughly double the cost. React Native or Flutter share about 80% of the code. For most business apps, cross-platform gets you the same result at half the price.

    High impact

  • Backend complexity

    The app is just what users see. The backend (API, database, business logic, auth) is often 50–60% of the work. A simple app on a complex backend can cost as much as a complex app on a simple one.

    High impact

  • Real-time features

    Live tracking, chat and instant order updates need different plumbing, like WebSockets and push infrastructure. Making them reliable is much harder than making them work in a demo.

    High impact

  • Payment integration

    Razorpay or Stripe takes 1–2 weeks, depending on what you need. Subscriptions, split payments and refunds are each their own flow.

    Medium impact

  • Offline functionality

    Field service and remote inventory apps often need to work without signal. That means local storage and sync logic, which isn't trivial.

    Medium impact

  • App store submission

    Google Play is easy. Apple reviews are stricter and can add 1–2 weeks. Developer accounts cost money too: Apple ₹8,000/year, Google ₹2,000 one-time.

    Low impact

Included, and not included

What a fair quote usually covers, and the costs that often sit outside it.

Usually included

In a quote from us, and in any quote you should accept.

  • UX design and interactive prototype
  • Frontend app development (iOS + Android via cross-platform)
  • Backend API development
  • Database design
  • User authentication system
  • Push notification setup
  • QA testing on real devices
  • App store submission support
  • 30-day post-launch support
  • Full source code and IP transfer

Not included

Watch for these in quotes.

  • Apple Developer account (₹8,000/year) and Google Play account (₹2,000 one-time)
  • Server / hosting costs (₹2,000–₹20,000/month depending on scale)
  • Third-party API costs (maps, SMS, payment gateway fees)
  • App store optimisation (ASO) and user acquisition
  • Ongoing feature development after launch

Before you sign

Red flags in a quote

If a quote shows any of these, ask more questions before you pay an advance.

  1. Red flag 1Under ₹1L for a 'mobile app'. Usually it's a website wrapped in an app shell
  2. Red flag 2No one talks about the backend, which is half the project
  3. Red flag 3The team only builds for Android, or only for iOS
  4. Red flag 4No design phase. Apps built without proper UX get uninstalled fast
  5. Red flag 5No mention of testing on real phones

Get an actual number

Tell us what you're building and we'll give you a written estimate.

Not a ballpark. Not a range. A written estimate with a fixed price, timeline, and what's included, before you commit to anything.

Get a free estimateSee Mobile App details
  • Written fixed-price estimate, no surprises
  • We respond within 1 business day
  • Free 30-minute scoping call, no commitment
  • NDA available before any details shared
  • Full IP transfer on delivery

Mobile App cost: common questions

Something we haven't covered? Ask us directly.

Ask us a question
Do I need a native app or will a web app work?

For internal tools, booking, dashboards and catalogues, a mobile-friendly web app or PWA usually does the job at 40–60% of what a native app costs. No app store, instant updates, one codebase. Native is worth paying for when you need the phone's hardware (camera, biometrics, Bluetooth), background processing, or a properly offline-first app.

React Native vs Flutter — which is better for India?

Both are mature. React Native is more common among Indian studios, so it's easier to hire for, and if your website is in React you can share some code. Flutter tends to run a bit better on cheaper Android phones, which matters in India. Either is fine. What matters more is which one your team has actually shipped with.

How long does mobile app development take?

A simple app takes 8–14 weeks. Mid-complexity, 14–24 weeks. A complex platform, 6–12 months. That includes design, build, testing and store submission. A common mistake is ignoring the backend. If it's complex, the backend sets the timeline, not the app.

What happens to the app if Android or iOS updates their OS?

Sometimes an OS update breaks something. That's a normal, ongoing cost of having an app. A responsible studio gives you the source code and quotes maintenance as a separate retainer. Leave an app untouched for a couple of years and it will start to fall apart.

Can you build both the app and the website?

Yes, and it helps to have one team do both. You get one backend, one design system, and nobody translating between two vendors. We can scope it as a single engagement.

Other cost guides

Price ranges, cost drivers and red flags for other kinds of software.

Get a number you can plan around.

Tell us what you're building. You'll get a written estimate with a fixed price, a timeline and what's included.

Get a free estimateWhatsApp us
  • We respond within 1 business day
  • NDA available
  • Full IP transfer on delivery