How accurate is this calculator?

For most projects the output lands within 15% of the formal estimate we produce after a 60-minute discovery call. The further you deviate from a typical mobile-app shape (deep AI/ML, novel hardware, heavily regulated audit needs), the wider the variance.

Why is the US baseline 3 to 5 times higher than the eCorpIT estimate?

US senior mobile engineers cost $80–$150/hour; UK senior $65–$120. Our senior rate is $44–$48/hour with the same seniority profile, on a dedicated pod, with the same certifications a US or UK procurement team requires. That is the arbitrage — real and defensible.

What is included in the eCorpIT estimate?

Design, PM, QA, code review, CI/CD setup, App Store and Play Store submission, weekly demos, weekly status notes, founder review at architecture and milestone stages, and ISO 27001:2022-aligned source-code handling. The extras most agencies bill separately are baked in.

Do I need to share my email to use the calculator?

No. The calculator works without any sign-up. Email is optional, used only to send a detailed PDF breakdown with line-item assumptions and US/UK source data. NDA available on request before that PDF is sent.

Can I use this for fixed-price project quotes?

Use the output as a planning anchor, not a contract figure. Fixed-price projects are scoped to a specific deliverables list, milestones and acceptance criteria. The calculator gives the range; the discovery call locks scope and price.

Does the calculator reflect AI features properly?

The AI / LLM toggle adds ~120 hours — integration with an LLM provider, a RAG layer, prompt engineering and basic safety controls. Heavy AI workloads (model training, custom eval harnesses, agentic workflows) are scoped separately because they vary enormously.

Does the compliance overlay produce a "compliant" app?

It covers compliance-aware design and audit-readiness work. Final attestation (HIPAA BAA, SOC 2 Type II, PCI-DSS certification) requires a third-party auditor. We design the app and engagement to make that audit straightforward — we do not market ourselves as "HIPAA compliant" without an attestation in hand.

What happens after I get the calculator output?

Two free next steps. Send the project brief — you get an NDA back within 4 hours and a 60-minute discovery call within 24 hours. Or book the discovery call directly. The formal estimate and team-composition document follow within 24 working hours of that call.

Mobile App Development Cost Calculator (2026) | Free Instant Estimate

The point

Why this calculator exists.

Most agency sites quote one of two things on cost: "starts from $50,000" with no breakdown, or "depends on your requirements" that gates the most basic question behind a sales call. The first is uselessly broad; the second wastes your time.

We built this the way we would want one built before we became the agency answering the question. Eight inputs. Real math. The line items we use internally to model an estimate are the same ones shown here. The US and UK baselines are sourced from current industry research; the eCorpIT rate-card numbers match our hire pages, the USA cost page and the UK cost page — so there are no surprises later.

The output is directional, not a quote. We typically refine it within 15% during a 60-minute discovery call with a senior architect, and lock the formal estimate inside 24 working hours. Both happen at no cost.

Transparent methodology

How the math works.

Five inputs move hours. Three move price and team shape. Nothing hidden.

×Inputs that move hours

App complexity: Sets base hours: Simple MVP 240 · Standard 480 · Complex 800 · Enterprise 1,400.
Platforms: Single platform is baseline. Native iOS + Android ≈ 1.7× (you build twice). Cross-platform ≈ 1.15× (shared codebase).
Backend: BaaS (Firebase/Supabase) = 1.0×. Simple custom backend ≈ +30%. Complex microservices ≈ +70%.
Design fidelity: Standard design system = baseline. Bespoke ≈ +20%. Premium (motion, illustration) ≈ +40%.
Features: Each carries its own hours: payments ~60, real-time ~80, push ~20, offline ~60, AI/LLM ~120, AR ~100, social ~30, maps ~50, video ~90, IAP ~40.

$Inputs that move price & team

Compliance overlay: Multiplies the whole estimate: GDPR +15% · HIPAA +35% · PCI-DSS +30% · SOC 2 +25% (documentation, controls, audit cycles).
Engagement model: Sets the effective rate: Hourly $44/hr senior · Monthly 10% off ($40) · Quarterly 15% off + designer & QA share ($37.40) · Project ~ $40/hr.
Target launch: Sets team size — faster timelines mean a larger parallel pod, not heroics from one engineer.
Baselines: US: blended $115/hr senior + 15% PM/overhead. UK: blended $90/hr + 10%. eCorpIT range is the point estimate ±15%.

Real numbers

Four reference scenarios.

Not made up — the numbers the calculator returns for four common builds we are asked to scope.

Simple MVP, single platform

iOS only · BaaS · standard design · push + social · no compliance · quarterly · 6–8 wks

eCorpIT: $9K–$12K
US baseline: $33K–$44K
UK baseline: $24K–$33K

1 person · ~8 weeks

Standard cross-platform with payments

Cross-platform · simple backend · custom design · payments + real-time + push + IAP · GDPR · quarterly · 8–12 wks

eCorpIT: $39K–$52K
US baseline: $137K–$186K
UK baseline: $103K–$139K

2 people · ~16 weeks

Complex enterprise app

Native iOS + Android · complex backend · custom design · payments + real-time + AI + offline + push + social + maps · SOC 2 · monthly · 12–20 wks

eCorpIT: $136K–$184K
US baseline: $449K–$607K
UK baseline: $336K–$455K

4 people · ~25 weeks

Healthcare app with HIPAA

Cross-platform · simple backend · custom design · payments + real-time + push + offline · HIPAA · monthly · 12–20 wks

eCorpIT: $76K–$103K
US baseline: $251K–$340K
UK baseline: $188K–$254K

3 people · ~19 weeks

Honest limits

What the calculator does not do.

Third-party SDK licences (Stripe processing, Twilio voice, Mapbox, Sentry paid tiers) — they vary by usage and stay outside the build estimate.
App store enrollment fees ($99/year Apple, one-time $25 Google).
Ongoing operational cost (hosting, monitoring, support, marketing) — that belongs in a separate operating budget.
Deep-research efforts that sometimes precede a build (user research sprints, brand work, product discovery) — scoped as their own engagement.
A binding quote. It gives a directional range that anchors the next conversation; the formal estimate, locked within 24 working hours of the discovery call, becomes the contract.

Why we can hold this rate card

Three things, in priority order.

Senior-only delivery

No bench juniors silently doing the work. The engineer whose CV you interview is the engineer who ships. Non-negotiable.

Founder review

Manu Shukla personally reviews every engagement at architecture and milestone stages — what keeps senior-led delivery from drifting as we scale.

Procurement-grade credentials

CMMI Level 5, ISO 27001:2022, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 20000-1:2018, ISO 45001:2018, GDPR-aligned, DPDP, DPIIT, MSME, D-U-N-S #854367803 — all on file.

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Mobile App Development Cost Calculator (2026).