Most app quotes are a single number with no scope attached, which makes them impossible to compare. This is our published pricing, the market it sits in, and the specific things that move a quote up.
How much does an app cost in Australia?
A small-business app in Australia starts at $20,160 for a cross-platform build, $45,360 with integrations, and $73,920 for enterprise work. Every one of those is 144, 324 or 528 hours at our published $140 an hour, and the working is on our pricing page. The comparable Western Sydney median is $22,250. Below roughly $4,000 you are buying a five-screen prototype rather than an app, and above $35,000 you are buying hours rather than a package — including from us.
Those are published tiers, not an opening position. A typical build runs eight to fourteen weeks.
The market is in three bands, and only one of them is comparable
When we benchmarked Western Sydney pricing in October 2026 against what competitors actually publish, the spread was not a smooth curve. It was three separate products wearing the same word.
| Band | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype | $1,999 – $3,950 | Up to five screens, weeks not months, no integrations |
| Packaged build | $10,000 – $29,500 | Integrations, multi-month, both stores. Median $22,250 |
| Agency engagement | $35,000 – $180,000 | Priced off hours at $120 – $210/hr blended |
The middle band is the one to compare against, because it is the only one describing the same deliverable. A $3,000 quote is not a cheaper version of a $22,250 build; it is a different scope that happens to share a noun.
What sits inside $20,160, and what pushes past $40,000
The number moves on four things: how many platforms, how many screens, how much custom design, and how many integrations.
| Inside a $20,160 Starter | Pushes past $40,000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iOS and Android from one codebase | Native modules per platform, home-screen widgets |
| Screens | A core flow, standard components | Large surface area, many states |
| Design | Standard design system | Fully custom design language |
| Integrations | Authentication, basic push | Payments, accounting, CRM, live sync |
| Compliance | Store declarations, privacy policy | Health or financial obligations |
| Timeline | 8 – 12 weeks | 14 – 22 weeks |
Two things follow from this that are worth saying plainly.
- Cross-platform is not the cheap option, it is the efficient one. A single React Native codebase ships to both stores and is reported to cut 30 – 40% against two separate native builds. A single-platform native app should not be quoted below a cross-platform one that reaches both stores.
- Real-time features are a step change, not an increment. Live multiplayer, presence and sync move a build into the top band on their own, because the server work is a project in itself.
Why a cheap quote is usually a smaller scope
A quote under about $8,000 for a two-store app is typically missing one of these, and it is worth asking which:
- The second platform. One store, with the other quoted later.
- The backend. No API, so nothing is shared between devices or users.
- Store submission. The build is handed over, and getting it approved is yours. This is not a formality, as what actually blocks an iOS submission sets out.
- Maintenance. The build is priced, the year after it is not. Budget 15 – 20% of the build annually, which app maintenance costs in Australia covers in detail.
- The compliance work. Privacy policy, data declarations and account deletion are store requirements with real engineering behind them.
None of these make a cheap quote dishonest. They make it incomparable, which is the actual problem when you are holding two quotes and trying to choose.
What we publish, and why we publish it
| Tier | Price | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | From $20,160 | 144 h — cross-platform, core flow, both stores |
| Business | From $45,360 | 324 h — above, plus integrations and payments |
| Enterprise | From $73,920 | 528 h — native modules, real-time, compliance obligations |
| Maintenance | From $500/month | Platform updates, store compliance, fixes |
Each figure is hours times our published rate of $140 an hour, including a 20% testing and project-management share, and every one is recalculated from the same cost model rather than typed in by hand. We publish these because the alternative is a conversation where the price depends on what you seem able to pay. A quote should change when the scope changes, and for no other reason.
For a fuller breakdown of timelines against each tier, Expo and React Native costs and timelines works through the same bands by app type.
The questions worth asking any developer
- Does this price include both stores, or one?
- Does it include the backend API, or is that separate?
- Who submits to the App Store and Play, and who fixes a rejection?
- What does maintenance cost in year two?
- What specifically would move this number up?
A developer who can answer the fifth question has scoped the work. One who cannot has guessed.
Have a quote you want checked
If you are holding an app quote and cannot tell what it leaves out, we will read it and tell you. Not a sales call — a second opinion on scope.
How much does an app cost in Australia? The short answers
How much does an app cost in Australia in 2026?
A small-business app starts at $20,160 for a cross-platform build covering iOS and Android, $45,360 with integrations such as payments or accounting, and $73,920 for enterprise work — 144, 324 and 528 hours respectively at $140 an hour. The comparable Western Sydney market median is $22,250. Simple five-screen prototypes sit at $2,000 – $4,000 and are a different product.
How long does it take to develop a mobile app?
A typical small-business build runs eight to fourteen weeks. A core flow on one codebase sits at the lower end; large builds with custom design, several integrations or real-time features run fourteen to twenty-two weeks.
Why are app quotes so different from each other?
Because they describe different scopes under the same word. The usual differences are the second platform, the backend API, store submission, maintenance, and the compliance work. Ask which of those a quote includes before comparing it with another.
Is React Native cheaper than native iOS and Android?
It is more efficient rather than cheaper. One codebase ships to both stores and is reported to cut 30 – 40% against maintaining two separate native builds. A single-platform native app should not be quoted below a cross-platform build that reaches both stores.
Awesome Apps is an app developer in Sydney building iOS and Android apps for Australian businesses, and part of Ganda Tech Services. Pricing benchmarked against published Western Sydney competitor rates, October 2026.
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