What does it cost to have an app developed?
The question comes up before every conversation — and most providers only answer it after you have filled in a form. Here it is up front: with real price ranges, with what drives the price, and with what nearly always gets forgotten.
The short answer
In Germany, an app usually costs somewhere between €5,000 for a very simple application and well over €100,000 for a system with its own server, login and several platforms. For an MVP with a real core — an app that actually delivers value rather than a clickable dummy — most projects fall between €15,000 and €60,000. This is not a Digitalbucht price list, but a researched market snapshot, as of August 2026 — the range is wide because “an app” can mean almost anything.
Three rough size bands
Naming conventions differ from provider to provider, but three recurring tiers stand out.
| Tier | Price range (market research) | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|
| Simple app | approx. €5,000–20,000 | One core function, one platform, no dedicated backend |
| MVP / core product | approx. €15,000–60,000 | Login, a simple backend, ready for the first real users |
| Fully grown app | approx. €60,000 up to well over €100,000 | Several platforms, payments, scaling, ongoing build-out |
Basis: several researched market assessments from German app agencies and trade publications, as of August 2026. German app developers typically calculate with hourly rates of €100 to €180. These figures are not completed Digitalbucht projects — the portfolio is still too young for that — but an honest guide to roughly where you will land.
These ranges are the prices of development teams and agencies: team set-ups with their own project management, coordination layers between everyone involved, office overhead and margin at every stage. Each of those layers adds cost — without writing a single line of code.
Why a one-person business can price this lower — structurally
Those layers in between are exactly what Digitalbucht does not have — not on principle, but because there is no one else who would have to fill them: the person you talk to also writes the code. No handover between sales and development where something gets lost, no overhead calculated in without delivering a feature of its own. That is not a judgement on agencies — for large, parallel projects, a team has the advantage. For a single app project, it is a structural saving that arrives at equal or better quality. The proof: ten in-house apps, published on the App Store.
That includes what Digitalbucht does not bill for afterwards: complete documentation is part of the price, not an add-on. Code, documentation and access belong to you — right after the project closes. Details are on the MVP in two weeks page.
What actually drives the price
It is not the idea that decides the price, but what sits behind it technically:
- Backend, yes or no. An app that only calculates locally on the device is cheaper than one that synchronises data with a server.
- Login and user accounts. Registration, password reset, permission management — small-looking features with real effort behind them.
- Payments. An in-app purchase or a subscription pulls in Apple's payment logic and needs its own testing.
- Offline capability. An app that also works without the internet and synchronises cleanly afterwards is more complex than one that only runs online.
- App Store review. Apple's review process demands certain standards — planning for them from the start saves a rejection round.
- Multiple languages. Every extra language means more text, layout checks and testing.
What is almost always extra
Four items do not show up in most quotes but cost real money:
- Apple Developer Program. 99 US dollars a year, without which no app can appear on the App Store.
- Server operation. If the app needs a backend, that keeps running — even after development is finished.
- Store assets. Screenshots, preview text, an app icon in several sizes — nobody does that on the side.
- Maintenance after release. A new iOS version, a new device, a reported bug: an app is not finished after release, it has just started.
If you need a website and a brand identity alongside the app, the figures for those are on the page about website cost.
Fixed price instead of an hourly rate — why it works this way here
An hourly rate rewards time, not results. At Digitalbucht, the price is set before the project begins — after a short conversation about scope and goal, not after an estimated number of hours. That means the scope is clearly defined up front, and what happens after that is Digitalbucht's risk, not yours. There are deliberately no fixed price tiers “off the shelf” — a serious fixed price needs the real scope, not a guess without a conversation. How the process actually looks is covered on the How we work page.
How to spot a quote that is too cheap
A strikingly low price is rarely a bargain. Typical warning signs: a fixed price with no prior conversation about scope, no written description of the work, hourly rates with no cap, no mention of the App Store review process, and no clarity about who owns the code after the project. Anyone who answers these points openly before you ask means it seriously.
What Digitalbucht has to show for it
The proof of the work is not a client logo or an invented case study, but the app portfolio itself: ten iOS apps, self-conceived, self-built and published on the App Store, plus over 20 years of hands-on IT practice. Whoever talks to Digitalbucht talks to the person who builds the app afterwards too — no sales team making promises someone else has to keep. The apps are linked individually in the app portfolio.
Digitalbucht is the sole proprietorship of Emil Deak, based in Wülfrath, near Düsseldorf, Germany. No team, no agency, no layer in between — the reason for short paths, and equally the limit of what can run in parallel.
Frequently asked questions
What does a simple app cost?
For an app with one clear core function, one platform and no dedicated backend, researched market prices usually sit between €5,000 and €20,000.
What does an app cost to run each month?
That depends on the backend. Without a server, running costs are minimal; with a server, hosting and occasional maintenance are added — both are named before the project starts, not afterwards.
How long does it take to develop an app?
Depending on scope, from around two weeks for a clearly scoped MVP to several months for a fully grown app with several platforms. See MVP in two weeks.
Is a native app more expensive than a web app?
Often somewhat more expensive to build, but faster, more reliable and more deeply integrated into the device — at Digitalbucht, apps are built natively for iOS, because that is the quality behind the in-house app portfolio.
What does publishing on the App Store cost?
Directly, only the Apple Developer Program at 99 US dollars a year. The real effort is in preparation — assets, text, review compliance — not in a separate store fee.
Can an app be developed at a fixed price?
Yes — at Digitalbucht that is the standard, not a special request. The price is set before the work begins.
Next: Choosing an App Developer · How we work & pricing — the process from day 1 to the first usable version · MVP in two weeks.
Last updated: august 2026 · next price review january 2027
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