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Cost breakdown

How much does it cost to build a mobile app?

Custom app development quotes usually run into the tens of thousands, because you are paying for people's time. If you build the app yourself by describing it, the real bill is short: the builder, and the store fees Apple and Google charge everyone.

See SnapApp pricing

What you actually pay.

Store fees go to Apple and Google, not to SnapApp.

  • Building the app with SnapApp

    Free for 15 prompts, then $29.99 once

    One payment, lifetime license, unlimited prompts. No subscription, credits or token packs.

  • Google Play developer account

    $25 one time

    Paid to Google. Required to publish any app on Google Play.

  • Apple Developer Program

    $99 per year

    Paid to Apple. Required to publish on the App Store. Running your own app on your own iPhone does not require it.

  • Running the app on your phone

    $0

    Plug your phone into your computer with a cable and click Run.

  • Backend for accounts, data and files

    $0 to start

    SnapApp connects a backend during onboarding. Free tiers cover small apps; you pay the provider only as you grow.

  • Design and icons

    $0

    SnapApp generates screens and an icon. You can replace them with your own at any time.

Apple and Google set their own fees and can change them. Check their developer pages for the current amount before you publish.

Where the money usually goes — and how to avoid it.

You are paying for hours, not code

An agency quote covers discovery, design, development, project management and QA. That is why the same idea can be quoted at wildly different prices. Describing the app yourself removes the hours from the equation.

Subscriptions add up quietly

Monthly builder plans, credit packs and token top-ups keep charging whether you ship or not. SnapApp is $29.99 once, and there is no usage meter to watch.

Two apps, one price

Paying separately for an Android build and an iPhone build is common. SnapApp builds both from the same description, so you are not buying the app twice.

You only need a store account when you publish

Building the app and running it on your own phone costs nothing. The $25 Google Play fee and the $99 per year Apple Developer Program only apply once you want the app in a store.

You already have the idea.

Let SnapApp build the app.

15 free AI prompts • No credit card required