Simple
$3,000 – $8,000
4–8 weeks
- Up to about five screens
- Local storage or an existing API
- One platform, iPhone only
- App Store submission
Service
iOS app development
Native Swift apps, built to ship. Most projects run from $3,000 to $25,000 depending on scope, and the number moves with feature count and backend work — not with how the app looks.
- Price
- $3,000 – $25,000+
- Timeline
- 4–8 weeks to 3–6 months
- Package
- Simple · Standard · Complex
What the work covers
Native Swift, not a wrapper
SwiftUI against the real platform APIs. A wrapped web view is cheaper to build and it is obvious to the user within about ten seconds of opening it — the scroll is wrong, the keyboard is wrong, and it cannot reach HealthKit, widgets or background delivery.
Backend when you need one, not by default
Plenty of apps do not need a server. If yours stores data on the device or talks to an API you already have, we say so — that is the single biggest lever on the final number, and it gets decided in the first conversation rather than discovered in month two.
App Store submission handled
Provisioning, entitlements, screenshots, privacy declarations, review notes and the submission itself. First-time rejections are routine and usually procedural; we deal with them rather than handing you a rejection email.
The code is yours
Repository, signing assets and App Store Connect access transfer to you at the end. No retainer required to keep your own app running.
What it costs
Ranges, not quotes. The number moves with scope, and you get a fixed figure in writing after the scoping call — before anyone commits.
Standard
$8,000 – $25,000
2–4 months
- Accounts, sync and push notifications
- Custom backend and database
- Payments or subscriptions (StoreKit)
- iPad layout, basic analytics
Complex
$25,000+
3–6 months
- Real-time features, offline-first sync
- HealthKit, widgets, Live Activities, watchOS
- Third-party integrations and webhooks
- Ongoing release cycle
How it runs
- 1
Scoping call
Half an hour on what the app has to do and who uses it. You get a written scope and a fixed range before anyone commits — if the honest answer is that you do not need an app, that is the answer you get.
- 2
Design and architecture
Screens and data model agreed before code. Cheap to change here, expensive to change in month three.
- 3
Build, in visible increments
TestFlight builds you can open on your own phone throughout, not one reveal at the end.
- 4
Submission and handover
Store listing, review, and transfer of the repository and accounts. You leave owning everything.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to develop an iOS app?
Most apps land between $3,000 and $25,000. A simple app with a handful of screens and no custom backend runs $3,000 to $8,000; one with accounts, sync and payments runs $8,000 to $25,000; real-time features, offline sync or a watchOS companion push past $25,000. The cost driver is feature count and backend work, not visual polish.
How long does it take to build an iOS app?
Four to eight weeks for a simple app, two to four months for a standard one, three to six months for something complex. App Store review itself is usually 24 to 48 hours, though a rejection and resubmission can add a week.
Do I need an Apple Developer account?
Yes, and it is $99 a year. It should be registered to you, not to us — it owns your app listing, and you do not want that sitting in an agency account.
Native or cross-platform?
If you need both platforms on a tight budget, cross-platform is a reasonable trade. If iOS is the priority, or the app leans on HealthKit, widgets, background delivery or anything else close to the system, native is faster to build well and cheaper to maintain. We will tell you which one your project is.
What happens if Apple rejects the app?
It is common and usually procedural — a missing privacy declaration, an account-deletion path, an unclear demo login. Handling review, including resubmission, is part of the work rather than a change request.
Related reading
- How much does an iOS app cost?Real 2026 pricing for iPhone and iPad app development: from a simple utility to a full platform. What each tier includes, what drives the cost up, and how publishing on the Apple App Store works.
- How to publish an app on the App StoreFrom the developer account to Apple approval: the complete process to publish your app on the App Store, the technical requirements, and the most common reasons apps get rejected.
Tell us what you are building.
A short call, a written scope and a fixed range. If it turns out you do not need what we sell, we will say so.