What does an app cost in Australia in 2026?
Prices vary a lot. Here’s what we see on real projects at our studio in North Bondi.
The ranges assume one React Native codebase for iOS and Android, design included, a cloud backend and launch on both stores. They are our estimates, in AUD ex GST. A web-only app can cost less if you don’t need the stores.
| App size | What it usually includes | Cost (AUD, ex GST) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple app or MVP | One core feature, sign-in, a simple backend, 10–20 screens | $25k – $50k | 1 – 2 months |
| Medium app | Accounts, payments or subscriptions, an admin panel, push notifications, 1–3 integrations | $50k – $100k | 3 – 4 months |
| Large app | Several user types, a marketplace, real-time features, AI, complex integrations | $100k+ | 5+ months |
Pantry Pic’s scope sits in the medium band. It’s an iOS and Android app with AI photo detection, recipes, accounts and subscriptions. It went from first commit in May 2025 to live on both stores in September 2025.
What does each feature cost?
Features drive most of the price. This table shows what each one usually adds to a React Native app built by an Australian studio.
These are our estimating ranges. Each one is build time for that feature. Add 15–20% on top for testing and project management.
| Feature | What’s involved | Typical cost (AUD, ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| UX and UI design | User flows, then 15–30 designed screens, reviewed with you | $5k – $15k |
| Sign-in | Email, Sign in with Apple and Google, password reset | $2k – $5k |
| Profiles and account deletion | Settings, profile editing, and the account deletion both stores require when users can sign up | $2k – $4k |
| The core feature | The thing your app exists to do, like booking, tracking or matching | $10k – $30k |
| Subscriptions or in-app purchases | Paywall, App Store and Google Play billing, restore purchases, often via RevenueCat | $4k – $8k |
| Card payments | Stripe checkout for physical goods or services, refunds, receipts | $5k – $12k |
| Push notifications | Reminders and alerts, with user settings | $2k – $5k |
| In-app chat | One-to-one messaging, read receipts, notifications | $8k – $20k |
| Maps and location search | Map view, search by suburb, distance | $4k – $10k |
| Live location tracking | Real-time position on a map, as in delivery apps | $10k – $25k |
| One AI feature | Photo recognition, summaries or a chat assistant | $15k – $40k |
| Admin panel | A web dashboard to manage users, content and orders | $8k – $20k |
| Each third-party integration | Xero, a CRM, a booking system or another API | $4k – $12k |
| Offline mode and sync | Works without signal, then syncs and resolves conflicts | $8k – $20k |
| Extra languages | Translated text, dates and currencies per language | $3k – $8k |
| Store launch | Listings, screenshots, privacy labels, review and fixes | $2k – $4k |
Worked example: a booking app for a fitness studio
Clients book a class, pay by card and get reminders. Staff manage bookings in an admin panel.
- Design: $10,000
- Sign-in: $3,000
- Profiles and account deletion: $3,000
- Core booking flow (availability, calendar, bookings): $15,000
- Card payments with Stripe: $8,000
- Push reminders: $3,000
- Admin panel: $12,000
- Store launch: $3,000
That’s $57,000 of features. Add 15% for testing and project management ($8,550) and the build comes to $65,550 ex GST. With 10% GST it’s $72,105. Expect 3–4 months.
Features also interact. Payments plus an admin panel means refunds in the admin panel. Chat plus push means a notification for every message. Good quotes price those joins.
What does each type of team cost?
The same app costs very different amounts depending on who builds it. These are market rates other people publish, not our rates.
| Team | Rates people quote | What you get | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian developer, junior to mid | $80 – $180 an hour | One person, low overhead, often good value for small apps | One person rarely covers design, mobile, backend and testing well |
| Offshore agency | $20 – $60 an hour | Low hourly rate, a large team | Time-zone gaps, handovers, more project management on your side |
| Australian studio or agency | $120 – $200 an hour | Design, build, testing and launch in one team, in your time zone | Higher rate. Check who actually does the work |
| In-house developer | About $128,000 a year plus 12% super | Full control and someone who stays | Recruiting time, and one hire is rarely enough |
WebAlive’s 2026 cost guide lists $80–$180 an hour for junior to mid-level Australian developers, $120–$200 for Australian agencies and $20–$60 offshore. The salary is SEEK’s average advertised software engineer salary in ICT.
In-house maths: SEEK notes some advertised salaries include super and some don’t. If $128,060 is the base, adding the 12% super guarantee makes $143,427 a year for one engineer. That’s before a designer, testing, equipment and recruiting. It makes sense once the app is the business and needs work every week.
Cheap hourly rates don’t always mean a cheap app. A team at $40 an hour that needs 1,500 hours costs $60,000. Rework and extra management time are on top. Our guide on how to choose an app developer lists the questions that expose this early.
Why do quotes for the same app vary so much?
Published ranges for a simple app run from $15,000 to $50,000. These are the usual reasons for the gap.
What the quote leaves out
- Design. Some quotes assume you supply finished screens.
- The backend. Accounts, data, notifications and the admin side are a big share of the work.
- Testing on real iPhones and Android phones.
- Store setup, screenshots, privacy labels and review fixes.
- Support after launch. We give 3 months free. Ask what each quote includes.
- Handover. You should get the code, the store accounts and every cloud login in your name.
Fixed price or time and materials
A fixed price puts the risk of overruns on the studio, so it includes a buffer. Time and materials bills hours, so the risk sits with you.
Either works if the scope is written down. We quote the full build after a requirements workshop, so every studio you compare should be pricing the same feature list.
Native or cross-platform
Two native apps, one in Swift and one in Kotlin, cost more because most screens and app logic are built twice. Design and the backend are shared either way. React Native gives one codebase for both stores. Our React Native development page explains when native still makes sense.
What does an app cost to run after launch?
Budget for these from day one. Build quotes usually leave them out.
| Cost | Typical amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | US$99 a year, charged as A$144.99 in Australia (incl. GST) | Apple shows the local price at enrolment |
| Google Play | US$25 once | One-off registration fee |
| Hosting and backend | $20 – $500 a month | Grows with users, data and how much work the server does |
| AI usage | Per use | Billed by tokens, images or requests, depending on the provider and model |
| Email, SMS and other services | $0 – $200 a month | Many start on free tiers |
| Updates and maintenance | 15 – 20% of the build cost a year | OS updates, store rules, security fixes, small changes |
Worked example: the $65,550 booking app above × 15–20% is about $9,800–$13,100 a year to maintain. Add $100 a month for hosting and about $145 for Apple, and the total is roughly $11,200–$14,500 a year.
Over three years, build plus running costs comes to about $99,100–$108,900 ex GST. That excludes store and payment fees, and any new features.
Maintenance isn’t optional. Since 28 April 2026, Apple only accepts apps built with Xcode 26 or later. Since 31 August 2026, Google Play needs new apps and updates to target Android 16. Apps that miss these can’t ship updates. Our app maintenance cost guide goes deeper.
What do the app stores and payment providers take?
Fees come out of revenue, not your build budget. They still change whether the app pays for itself.
| Provider | Fee | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, Small Business Program | 15% | Enrolled developers with up to US$1M in proceeds in the prior and current year. Join the program before launch |
| Apple, standard | 30%, or 15% on subscriptions after a subscriber’s first year of paid service | Developers not in the Small Business Program |
| Google Play, first US$1M a year | 10% + 5% billing fee | Australian users from 30 September 2026, for developers enrolled in the reduced tier |
| Google Play, above US$1M | 10% + 5% on subscriptions. Other purchases: 20% + 5% on new installs, 25% + 5% on existing installs | Australian users from 30 September 2026. “New” means installed on or after that date |
| Stripe | 1.65% + A$0.30 | Domestic cards. International cards are 3.5% + A$0.30, plus 2% if currency conversion applies. Fees include GST |
Google changed its Australian fees on 30 September 2026. The 5% billing fee applies when Google Play Billing is used. Its service fee page has the full table. Stripe’s rates are on its Australian pricing page.
By default, Apple and Google require their own billing for digital content and subscriptions. There are some exceptions by region and program. Physical goods and real-world services, like a class booking, use a provider like Stripe instead.
Worked example: on a A$9.99 monthly subscription, the store first removes GST (about 91c). If you’re in Apple’s Small Business Program, Apple then takes 15%. You keep about A$7.72 per subscriber per month, before refunds.
Which Australian rules affect the cost?
A few local rules add work to an app. None of this is legal advice. Check your situation with a lawyer.
- The Privacy Act. It covers businesses with turnover over $3 million and some smaller ones, such as health service providers. Apple’s privacy details and Google Play’s Data safety form apply to public apps either way, so plan for a privacy policy.
- Automated decisions. From 10 December 2026, APP entities’ privacy policies must cover some automated decisions. It applies when a program uses personal information to make or substantially inform decisions that could significantly affect people. The OAIC published guidance on 30 September 2026. Not every AI feature is caught, but check yours.
- Account deletion. Apple’s guideline 5.1.1(v) says apps that create accounts must let users start deletion in the app. Google Play wants an in-app path and a web link too. Apps get rejected without them.
- AI and personal data. Apple’s guideline 5.1.2(i) requires you to disclose when personal data goes to third-party AI and get explicit permission first. Budget a consent screen into any AI feature.
- Australian Consumer Law. Services a business buys for up to $100,000, including GST, generally come with consumer guarantees, such as due care and skill. That can include an app build.
- GST. GST-registered Australian studios add 10% GST to ex-GST quotes. If your business is registered for GST, you can usually claim a credit for it. Ask your accountant.
Can the R&D Tax Incentive or a grant pay for part of it?
Sometimes, for part of the work. Most routine app development won’t qualify. Talk to an R&D tax adviser or accountant before you count on it.
How the R&D Tax Incentive works
- Companies with aggregated turnover under $20 million can get a refundable offset. It equals the company tax rate plus 18.5%, per the ATO’s rates page. For a company paying 25% tax, that’s 43.5%.
- You generally need at least $20,000 of eligible R&D spend in the year.
- You must register the activities within 10 months of the end of your income year. For a 30 June year end, that’s 30 April.
- Core R&D needs a real technical unknown, a hypothesis and an experiment. The software sector guide says following vendor docs, building dashboards or assembling UI is generally routine.
- Software built mainly for your own internal administration is excluded as core R&D.
- Work done overseas only counts with an overseas finding. Cost alone isn’t a valid reason to do it offshore.
Worked example and the 2028 changes
Say $30,000 of a $65,550 build is genuinely experimental AI work. At 43.5%, the offset on that part would be $13,050. This assumes the rest is ineligible, though some routine work can count as supporting R&D.
The offset replaces the normal tax deduction for that spend. So for a profitable company at 25% tax, the gain over a normal deduction is the 18.5% premium: $5,550 on $30,000. A loss-making startup can get the offset as a refund. That’s an illustration only. Check eligibility with your adviser, because the department and the ATO can review claims.
The 2026–27 Budget announced changes from 1 July 2028. They include a $50,000 minimum spend, no offset for supporting R&D, and refundable offsets only in a company’s first 10 years. Treasury released draft law in September 2026. The ATO says it is not law yet.
Keep records as you go: experiments, results and hours. You can’t rebuild them at tax time.
Grants
The federal Industry Growth Program is paused to new applications. In NSW, MVP Ventures offered $20,000–$75,000 in 2025–26, depending on the stream. Its last round closed on 10 April 2026. Check each page for the next round before you plan around it.
How can I reduce the cost?
- Cut version 1 to the one thing users can’t get elsewhere. Launch, then build what people ask for.
- Build one React Native app for iOS and Android, unless the app leans hard on device features.
- Use managed services for sign-in, payments, subscriptions and email. Don’t build them from scratch.
- Start with a simple admin, like a spreadsheet export or a basic dashboard. Build a full panel once you know what staff need.
- Fix the scope per phase. New ideas go on a list for phase 2.
- Have one person who can make decisions, and book a weekly check-in. Waiting on feedback costs money.
- Check the R&D Tax Incentive early, so records are kept from day one.
The same habits shorten the project. Our guide on how long it takes to build an app covers the timeline side.
What should I send to get an accurate quote?
A one-page brief gets you a tighter number. It doesn’t need to be long. We’ll sign an NDA first if you want one.
- Who the app is for and the problem it solves.
- The 3–5 things a user must be able to do in version 1.
- Who else uses it, like staff, providers or admins.
- Apps you like, and what you like about them.
- Integrations, like Xero, a booking system or an existing database.
- Any deadline, like a launch event or funding milestone.
- A rough budget range, so the quote can match it.
Our app brief template walks through each part. Or send what you have through the free estimate form and we’ll come back with a range.
Common questions
How much does a simple app cost in Australia?
At Apptractive, a simple app or MVP usually costs $25,000–$50,000 ex GST and takes 1–2 months. That covers one core feature, sign-in and a basic backend. Cheaper builds exist, but check whether design, the backend, testing and store launch are included.
How much does an app like Uber or Airbnb cost to build?
A first version of a two-sided marketplace usually costs well over $100,000 ex GST. You are building two apps in one, plus payments, an admin panel and often live location. Live tracking and dispatch add the most.
Is it cheaper to build for iOS or Android first?
With a cross-platform codebase like React Native, building one platform first usually saves little. Both store apps come from the same code. The second platform mostly adds testing, store setup and any platform-specific features.
Do app development quotes include GST?
Australian studios usually quote business clients ex GST, and GST-registered studios add 10% on the invoice. A $60,000 quote becomes $66,000 with GST. A GST-registered business can usually claim the GST back. The prices in this guide are ex GST.
Who owns the code when an agency builds my app?
You should, but payment alone doesn’t transfer it. The contract needs a written assignment of the intellectual property to you, and should say how any pre-existing or third-party code is licensed. Ours assigns the IP to you. Store accounts should be in your company’s name, not the developer’s.
How much should I budget after an app launches?
Plan on 15–20% of the build cost each year for updates and maintenance, plus hosting, store fees and any usage-based services like AI or SMS. For a $65,000 app, maintenance alone is about $9,750–$13,000 a year. Hosting and the Apple fee add roughly $1,350. New features are extra.
Would a web app or no-code tool cost less than a mobile app?
Often, yes. A responsive web app skips the app stores, store fees and App Review, and one version works on every device. No-code tools are cheaper again for simple apps, and some can publish to the stores. Device features, subscription costs and the option to export your code vary by tool.
Can I build an app for under $10,000?
Usually not a custom app from an Australian team. Under $10,000 you are looking at a no-code builder, a template app or a clickable prototype. A prototype is a good way to test the idea and pitch to investors before paying for a full build.
Sources
- Apple: App Review Guidelines
- Apple: Upcoming requirements
- Apple: App Store Small Business Program
- Google Play: Service fees
- Google Play: Target API level requirements
- Stripe: Pricing in Australia
- ATO: Rates of R&D tax incentive offset
- ATO: Better targeting the R&D Tax Incentive
- business.gov.au: Software development and the R&DTI
- OAIC: Transparency for AI and automated decisions
- business.gov.au: Australian Consumer Law and your business
- SEEK: Software engineer salary