The first agency quote for a mobile app in India usually comes back at ₹4.5 lakh. The fifth comes back at ₹40,000. Somewhere between those two numbers is the right price — but only if you understand what is actually being built.
This post breaks down real numbers: what drives app costs, what you can cut, and what happens when you cut too much.
Why mobile app costs range from ₹20,000 to ₹25 lakh
That spread is not fraud. It reflects genuinely different products.
A ₹20,000 app is likely a no-code template — pre-built screens, shared backend infrastructure, locked-in design. A ₹25 lakh app is a purpose-built product with a custom backend, real-time features, third-party integrations, and a dedicated team across 4–6 months.
The honest question is not "how much does an app cost?" It is: "how complex is the thing I am actually describing?"
Platform choice: iOS-only, Android-only, or cross-platform
This single decision affects 30–40% of your budget.
Android-only costs less upfront and reaches more users in India, where Android holds roughly 95% market share. If your audience is tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Android is not a compromise — it is the correct choice.
iOS-only makes sense for urban, premium-tier products where users skew toward Apple devices — fintech, luxury, corporate tools. Native Swift development costs more per feature but delivers tighter OS integration.
Cross-platform (React Native or Flutter) builds one codebase that runs on both platforms. You pay roughly 60–70% of what two separate native apps would cost. React Native, our primary stack, shares code between iOS and Android with near-native performance. For most business apps, it is the right call.
| Platform | Typical cost range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Android only | ₹20,000 – ₹80,000 | Mass-market, India-first products |
| iOS only | ₹30,000 – ₹1,20,000 | Premium, urban, B2B tools |
| React Native (both) | ₹50,000 – ₹2,50,000 | Most business apps; best ROI |
| Flutter (both) | ₹55,000 – ₹2,75,000 | High-performance UI-heavy apps |
| Native iOS + Native Android | ₹1,50,000 – ₹8,00,000+ | Complex apps requiring deep OS access |
We wrote a detailed comparison of React Native vs Flutter if you are deciding between the two: React Native vs Flutter for Business Apps in 2026.
What actually drives the price
Screen count and user flows
Every screen is a design file, a component, a route, and a test case. At ₹25,000, you get 5 screens. At ₹60,000, you get 15. Beyond 15 screens, you are building a product, not an MVP — budget accordingly.
Backend complexity
A static app with no backend is cheap. The moment users can log in, store data, or interact with each other, you need a server, a database, and an API layer. That alone adds ₹15,000–₹40,000 to a project depending on scale.
Third-party integrations
Payment gateways, maps, SMS/OTP providers, CRMs, ERPs — each integration is a billable unit. Razorpay or Stripe adds a day. Google Maps adds half a day. A custom ERP integration can add a week.
Design complexity
Pixel-perfect custom UI with micro-animations costs 2–3 times more than adapting a standard component library. If your app is internal-facing or B2B, skip the custom UI budget. If it is consumer-facing, invest here.
Ongoing maintenance
Apps require updates every 6–12 months minimum — new OS versions break old code. Factor in ₹5,000–₹15,000 per year for basic maintenance, more if you are adding features.
Feature-by-feature cost breakdown
Here is what common features add to a base quote:
| Feature | Added cost estimate |
|---|---|
| User authentication (email + password) | ₹3,000 – ₹6,000 |
| Social login (Google / Apple) | ₹2,000 – ₹4,000 per provider |
| Push notifications | ₹2,500 – ₹5,000 |
| In-app chat (basic) | ₹10,000 – ₹25,000 |
| Payment integration (Razorpay/Stripe) | ₹6,000 – ₹12,000 |
| Google Maps / location features | ₹4,000 – ₹10,000 |
| Offline sync | ₹8,000 – ₹18,000 |
| Admin dashboard (web) | ₹20,000 – ₹60,000 |
| AI features (recommendations, search) | ₹25,000 – ₹1,00,000+ |
| Analytics integration | ₹2,000 – ₹5,000 |
These are additive. A ₹25,000 base with payments, maps, and offline sync realistically lands at ₹50,000+.
Native vs cross-platform in 2026
Go native when:
- Your app requires deep OS integration (Bluetooth LE, ARKit, background processing at the OS level)
- You are building a camera or audio-intensive app (Instagram-like features)
- You have had a cross-platform app fail on performance, not just opinion
Cross-platform is fine for:
- Business dashboards, booking apps, delivery tracking, field service apps
- Any app where the primary value is data and workflows, not hardware
- MVP-stage products where speed to market matters
React Native's bridge architecture is not the bottleneck it was in 2020. The new architecture (JSI + Fabric) makes it viable for most production workloads. Our services page covers how we structure React Native builds.
Hidden costs nobody tells you about
This is where budgets quietly blow up.
Apple Developer Program: $99/year (approximately ₹8,300/year). Non-negotiable if you want to publish on iOS. Paid annually.
Google Play Developer Account: $25 one-time (approximately ₹2,100). Paid once, permanent.
App store assets: Screenshots, preview videos, app icons in 6 required sizes. A professional app store listing takes 4–8 hours of design work.
Compliance for certain categories: Apps in health, finance, or kids' categories face additional review requirements that can delay launch by 2–4 weeks and require policy documentation.
iOS + Android OS upgrades: Apple and Google release major OS versions annually. Each one can break existing functionality. Minimum one maintenance cycle per year.
Server costs: If your app has a backend, you are paying for hosting. Budget ₹1,500–₹8,000/month for AWS, Railway, or Render depending on load.
MVP vs production-ready: the ₹60k path vs the ₹5L+ path
The ₹60,000 Pro tier at VELLUMARC is a real, shippable product. It is not a prototype. It handles iOS + Android, up to 15 screens, API integration, and offline support. That covers most service businesses, B2B tools, and consumer apps at launch stage.
The ₹5 lakh+ path makes sense when:
- You have validated demand and are scaling to thousands of users
- You need a custom backend built for your data model, not a generic API
- Your app requires real-time features (live tracking, collaborative editing, live auctions)
- Compliance requirements (HIPAA, RBI guidelines, data residency) apply
The mistake founders make is building the ₹5L app before validating with the ₹60K app. Launch lean, then invest based on data.
Key takeaway
If you do not have paying users yet, start with a 15-screen React Native MVP under ₹60,000. Validate the product. Then scale the backend, add features, and invest in native performance only where users are telling you they need it.
How to spec your app without blowing the budget: the 3-question framework
Before you ask any agency for a quote, answer these three questions precisely:
1. What is the single action that generates value for the user? Booking a service. Placing an order. Viewing a live status. Strip everything else for v1.
2. What data needs to persist, and where does it come from? If the answer is "user-generated data stored on our servers," you need a backend. If it is "content we control," a headless CMS integration may be enough.
3. Who are the user types and what can each one do? A single user type is one set of screens. Two user types (customer + service provider, or user + admin) double the screen count and complexity.
Answering these precisely gets you a more accurate quote, cuts scope creep, and makes your v1 shippable faster.
What to ask any app development agency
- What does the final deliverable include — source code, deployment, documentation?
- Do you handle app store submission? What happens if Apple rejects the app?
- What is your change request policy mid-development?
- Who owns the codebase after delivery?
- What does post-launch support cover and for how long?
You can see how we handle each of these questions in our mobile app development service and in our portfolio of shipped work.
Summary: what you should actually pay
| Scope | Platform | Realistic cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 screens, no backend, single platform | Android or iOS | ₹25,000 |
| 15 screens, backend, both platforms | React Native | ₹60,000 |
| 20+ screens, custom backend, admin panel | React Native | ₹1,20,000 – ₹2,50,000 |
| Real-time features, compliance, scale | Native or RN | ₹3,00,000 – ₹8,00,000 |
| Enterprise build, full product team | Native | ₹10,00,000+ |
The right number depends entirely on what you are building. The first step is a scoped conversation, not a quote from a dropdown. Get in touch and we will scope it properly before attaching a number.