App development cost, priced in AUD
How much does it cost to build an app in Australia? 2026 AUD guide
A cross-platform iOS + Android app from our India-based team costs A$6,900–A$43,000 over 4–12 weeks, as a fixed price quoted in AUD, excluding GST.
From A$6,900excl. GSTSee pricing →
- iOS + Android from A$6,900
- Fixed AUD quote, itemised by feature
- Send a quote you hold, we'll check it
- 1.5–4.5 h live overlap, Mon–Sat
- Founder-led, 200+ projects since 2017
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
Founder-led delivery
Overview
For comparison, Australian agency guides published in 2026 start at about A$15,000 for a basic MVP and run to A$300,000+, with most ranges between A$25,000 and A$250,000. Rates, feature costs, running costs and offshore safeguards below.
By Ashish Sharma, founder · Updated 6 October 2026
Quick answer
How much does it cost to build an app in Australia?
App cost = build hours × hourly rate, plus running costs (store fees, hosting, maintenance). Published 2026 agency guides quote from about A$15,000 (Studio Slate, basic MVP) or A$18,000 (7pillars) up to A$300,000+. The gap comes mostly from hourly rates: A$120–200 an hour for a Sydney or Melbourne agency against A$30–70 for an India-based team (Studio Slate, 12 Mar 2026). A 500-hour appointment booking app therefore costs about A$60,000–A$100,000 at metro agency rates and A$15,000–A$35,000 at India rates.
- Our price range: A$6,900–A$43,000 for iOS + Android, 4–12 weeks
- Running costs: Apple US$99 a year, Google Play US$25 once, our hosting and support from A$80 a month
- Maintenance: Studio Slate and ISH Technologies advise 15–25% of the build cost a year
- Commission: Apple 15% if you enrol in its Small Business Program and earned under US$1M last year, otherwise 30%; Google 15% on the first US$1M a year, 30% above, subscriptions 15%
- Founder-led since 2017: 200+ projects, 4.9 stars from 76 Google reviews, Top Rated on Upwork
Near you
Mobile App Development in your city
01of 10
What Australian agencies quote for an app in 2026
Seven Australian agency guides that rank for this search, each read on the publisher's page in October 2026, with the date the page shows. Our own range sits in the last row for comparison.
| Publisher | Range quoted | Tiers | Date on page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave Digital (Melbourne) | Under $75K to $250K+ (currency not stated) | Most production-ready MVPs $125K–$250K+ | 1 Jul 2026 |
| 7pillars | A$18K (basic MVP) to A$300K+ | MVP A$30K–A$80K (2–4 months), growth stage A$80K–A$180K (4–8 months), from its companion guide | 16 Jul 2026 (companion guide 27 Mar 2026) |
| Studio Slate (Sydney) | MVP A$15K–A$60K to enterprise A$150K–A$300K+ | Simple A$30K–A$80K, mid A$60K–A$150K | 12 Mar 2026 |
| ISH Technologies (Brisbane) | A$25K–A$250K+ | Simple A$25K–A$50K, medium A$50K–A$120K, complex A$120K–A$250K+ | Undated |
| Digital8 (Brisbane) | A$30K–A$250K | Simple A$30K–A$80K, medium A$80K–A$150K, complex A$200K+ | 12 Mar 2025 (title says 2025) |
| Itomic | A$20K to A$250K+ | Simple A$20K–A$50K, standard A$50K–A$100K, complex A$250K+ | Undated |
| Vrinsoft (Melbourne office) | A$20K–A$200K+ | Simple A$20K–A$40K, medium A$40K–A$80K, high-end A$80K–A$200K | 17 Jun 2025 |
| Codingclave (India-based, remote) | A$6,900–A$43,000 | iOS + Android from one codebase, 4–12 weeks | Our price, Oct 2026 |
The lowest headline figure among the agencies is Studio Slate's A$15,000 MVP. Those floors are set by metro rates, separate iOS and Android builds (Studio Slate prices a simple native pair at A$38K–A$85K) and discovery billed on top. Global guides such as Business of Apps quote in US dollars, not Australian rates.
02of 10
Hourly rates by location, and one app priced at each
Here Studio Slate's published rates (12 March 2026) are applied to one 500-hour cross-platform appointment booking app (for a salon, trade or clinic): login, a booking calendar, card payments, push notifications and a web admin. These are agency-published rates, not an independent survey.
| Who builds it | Published rate (AUD/hr) | 500-hour app at that rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney/Melbourne agency | A$120–200 | A$60,000–A$100,000 | Studio Slate |
| Regional Australia | A$90–150 | A$45,000–A$75,000 | Studio Slate |
| Eastern Europe | A$70–120 | A$35,000–A$60,000 | Studio Slate |
| Southeast Asia | A$50–90 | A$25,000–A$45,000 | Studio Slate |
| India | A$30–70 | A$15,000–A$35,000 | Studio Slate |
Cross-check: a 7pillars guide (27 Mar 2026) lists senior app engineers at A$100–180 an hour, UI/UX designers at A$80–150.
Where the 500 hours go, on our planning figures:
- Discovery and scope: 20
- UI/UX design for 12–15 screens: 80
- Login and profiles: 40
- Booking calendar and availability: 70
- Card payments: 36
- Push notifications: 18
- Back end and API: 80
- Web admin dashboard: 80
- Testing on real devices: 50
- Store submission: 12
- Project management: 14
So, how much do app developers charge? Hours × rate. Trim the admin dashboard to a simple content editor and you might save around 50 hours: A$6,000–A$10,000 at Sydney rates, A$1,500–A$3,500 at India rates. A scope like this is quoted inside our A$6,900–A$43,000 range.
Already holding an agency quote? Send it on WhatsApp. We'll put it through the 12 checks further down and re-price it line by line in AUD. If it is fair, we'll say so.
03of 10
Cost by feature: hours to check any quote against
Pick the features your app needs and add up the hours. The dollar columns price our hour estimates at Sydney/Melbourne and India rates.
| Feature | What's involved | Hours (our estimate) | At A$120–200/hr | At A$30–70/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-up and login (email or SMS code) | Accounts, password reset, sessions | 16–32 | A$1,920–6,400 | A$480–2,240 |
| Social login (Apple, Google) | Provider set-up, account linking | 8–16 | A$960–3,200 | A$240–1,120 |
| Push notifications | Set-up, targeting, sending from the admin | 12–24 | A$1,440–4,800 | A$360–1,680 |
| Card payments (gateway confirmed in writing) | Checkout, receipts, refunds | 24–48 | A$2,880–9,600 | A$720–3,360 |
| In-app subscriptions (Apple and Google billing) | Products, receipts, restore purchases | 32–64 | A$3,840–12,800 | A$960–4,480 |
| Maps and location | Map views, search, distance | 16–40 | A$1,920–8,000 | A$480–2,800 |
| Booking calendar | Availability, rules, reminders | 40–80 | A$4,800–16,000 | A$1,200–5,600 |
| Real-time chat | One-to-one messages, media, alerts | 60–120 | A$7,200–24,000 | A$1,800–8,400 |
| Web admin dashboard | Users, content, orders, reports | 60–140 | A$7,200–28,000 | A$1,800–9,800 |
| Offline mode | On-device storage, sync, conflict handling | 40–100 | A$4,800–20,000 | A$1,200–7,000 |
| AI feature through an LLM API | Prompts, guardrails, usage limits (plus monthly usage fees) | 24–80 | A$2,880–16,000 | A$720–5,600 |
| Store submission and release | Listings, screenshots, review fixes | 8–16 | A$960–3,200 | A$240–1,120 |
Then add testing at 15–25% of the feature-build hours (50 hours on the 324 feature hours in the 500-hour example), plus design, back end and project management (80, 80 and 14 hours there). If a quote prices a line far outside these ranges, ask what sits inside it: real complexity or unexplained contingency. Send your feature list and we'll price it line by line in AUD.
Want a fixed AUD price for this?
Tell us what you need and get a quote in writing.
04of 10
What drives the price: platforms, screens, integrations, AI and time
Apart from the feature list, these are the decisions that change a quote. Still shaping a first version? Our MVP guide helps you cut the scope first.
iOS, Android or both
If your customers use both iPhone and Android, you need both stores. Studio Slate puts cross-platform at about 30% cheaper than two native builds, which is why we build in Flutter or React Native: one codebase, two apps. For augmented reality or wearables, a native specialist may suit you better.
Flutter or React Native
Both produce iOS and Android apps from one codebase, and the price gap between them is small. The choice turns on existing React code and the device plugins you need. Our Flutter vs React Native comparison covers the trade-offs.
Number of screens and design rounds
Every screen needs design, build and testing, so a 25-screen app costs far more than an 8-screen one. Agree how many design rounds are included, and approve the main screens before the build begins.
Connections to existing systems
Linking the app to your POS, CRM, booking or accounting software can cost more than the screens themselves. Which systems integrate, and how, is something we confirm in writing for your business before you sign.
PWA, web app or native app
A progressive web app runs in the browser, installs to the home screen and pays no store fees, so it costs less, if the device features you need work in the browser on iPhone and Android. If the product is really a web platform, see custom software.
AI app cost
An AI feature costs its build hours (24–80 in the feature table) plus per-use charges from the AI provider that grow with your users, estimated monthly in our quote. AI coding and app-builder tools cut some hours, and a prototype made with one is a good brief. If the goal is answering customer questions, a website or WhatsApp chatbot (A$1,950–A$23,500) may do it without an app.
How long it takes
4–12 weeks in our range: scope, screen design, build sprints with test builds on your phone, then store review, whose timing Apple and Google control. For comparison, Digital8 quotes one to two months for a simple app and six months or more for a complex one.
05of 10
What A$6,900 to A$43,000 buys, and what it doesn’t
Common app types against ISH Technologies' published ranges, then feature lists for each part of our range. These are scopes, not client projects.
Entry, from A$6,900
About 5–8 screens, email or phone login, one core workflow (a catalogue, a booking request or a form), push notifications, a simple web admin to edit content, and submission to both stores. No payments and no chat at this end. It suits a first version that tests demand.
Middle, about A$15,000–A$25,000
10–20 screens, user profiles, card payments through a gateway we confirm for your business in writing before you sign, a booking or ordering flow, maps, and an admin dashboard with reports. Accommodation owners often need a direct booking engine more than an app.
Top end, about A$25,000–A$43,000
Several user roles (customer, staff, admin), real-time chat or tracking, offline mode, subscriptions through Apple and Google billing, connections to your existing systems, and AI features. Examples are staff and client apps for NDIS providers and patient-facing apps for medical and allied health clinics.
Outside the range
Two-sided marketplaces, heavy integrations, or a web platform that is the main product belong with custom software at A$9,800–A$98,000. Cafes wanting online orders should see our restaurant ordering page, and if a mobile-friendly website does the job, skip the app.
| App type | ISH Technologies' range | Where it sits for us |
|---|---|---|
| MVP or first version | A$40K–A$90K | Entry to middle, from A$6,900 |
| Appointment booking | A$50K–A$130K | Middle to top, about A$15,000–A$43,000 |
| Shopping app | A$60K–A$150K | Middle to top; an online store often comes first |
| Delivery or job tracking (one business) | A$100K–A$250K+ (logistics) | Top end; multi-company platforms are custom software |
| Marketplace | A$100K–A$220K+ | Outside our app range: quoted as custom software |
| Enterprise | A$150K–A$250K+ | Outside our app range: quoted as custom software |
06of 10
What an app costs to run: store fees, commission, hosting and maintenance
Apple and Google charge for developer accounts and take a cut of digital sales, the back end needs hosting, and each iOS and Android release can mean updates. Store fees are in US dollars, converted at the ECB rate for 5 October 2026 (US$1 = A$1.4367).
| Cost | Amount | Paid to | Note / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | US$99 a year, shown in AUD at enrolment (about A$142 at that rate; 7pillars quotes about A$143) | Apple | Fee waiver for eligible nonprofits, accredited education and government that publish only free apps |
| Google Play Console | US$25 once (about A$36) | The testing requirement before launch applies to personal accounts created after 13 Nov 2023; an organisation account is the usual route for a business (check Google's current rules) | |
| App Store commission | 15% once you enrol in Apple's Small Business Program with under US$1M in proceeds the previous year (or as a new developer), otherwise 30% | Apple | On digital goods and subscriptions sold in the app; passing US$1M in a year reverts to 30% for the rest of it |
| Google Play service fee | 15% on the first US$1M of earnings a year, 30% above; auto-renewing subscriptions 15% | Check Google's current rules for your app | |
| Hosting, backups, monitoring, support | A$80–A$240 a month on our plan; hosting alone A$70–A$320 a month on agency figures | Us or your host | Agency figure from Studio Slate |
| Maintenance and OS updates | 15–25% of the build cost a year | Your developer | Studio Slate 15–20% and ISH Technologies 15–25% a year; Digital8 and 7pillars suggest setting aside at least 10% of the total budget |
| SMS, maps, email and AI usage | Usage-based | Each provider | Listed line by line in our quote |
Commission applies to digital goods and subscriptions; an app taking card payments for real-world services is in a different position, so confirm with each store which applies before you set prices. For maintenance, a A$30,000 build at 15–25% needs A$4,500–A$7,500 a year, or about A$375–A$625 a month, before hosting.
Launch marketing matters too; our digital marketing and SEO guide covers what Australian small businesses budget to get found.
07of 10
Year-one and three-year cost: the same app, two ways
The 500-hour booking app from the rate table, costed over three years at Sydney/Melbourne agency rates and at India rates with our support plan. Commission is left out because it depends on what, if anything, you sell in the app.
| Cost line | Sydney/Melbourne agency rates | At India rates (our quote sits inside A$6,900–A$43,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Build (500 hours) | A$60,000–A$100,000 | A$15,000–A$35,000 |
| Hosting (plus support in this column), year 1 | A$840–A$3,840 | A$960–A$2,880 |
| Store accounts, year 1 | A$179 | A$179 |
| Year 1 total | About A$61,000–A$104,000 | About A$16,100–A$38,100 |
| Maintenance, years 2–3 (15–20% a year) | A$18,000–A$40,000 | A$4,500–A$14,000 |
| Hosting, years 2–3 | A$1,680–A$7,680 | A$1,920–A$5,760 |
| Apple renewals, years 2–3 | A$286 | A$286 |
| Three-year total | About A$81,000–A$152,000 | About A$22,800–A$58,100 |
Assumptions: the 500-hour scope above; hosting only at Studio Slate's A$70–320 a month for the agency column, and our A$80–A$240 plan (hosting, backups, monitoring and support) for the other; Apple assumed at A$143 a year and Google at A$36 once; maintenance at Studio Slate's 15–20% of the build a year from year two. Maintenance means OS and SDK updates and small changes, outside the support plan unless your quote says otherwise. Studio Slate's own three-year estimate for a mid-complexity cross-platform app is A$119,000–A$230,000.
08of 10
Offshore app development: time zones, IP and the safeguards to insist on
Offshore risks are specific: fewer shared hours, a supplier abroad, and your code and data held by people you may never meet. Codingclave Development LLP is founder-led and works from Lucknow, India, Monday to Saturday, 10:00–19:00 India time. Daylight saving started on 4 October 2026, so this is how those hours fall now.
How a working day runs
Message us in your afternoon and we're working through your evening, so a reply, a progress note or a test build can be waiting next morning. We work Monday to Saturday, so Sunday messages are answered on Monday. Perth gets 4.5 hours of live overlap; Sydney and Melbourne get 1.5 hours now and 2.5 in winter. If you need a developer on call all day, choose an onshore agency.
Written IP and source-code assignment
The contract should assign the source code, designs and intellectual property to your business in plain words. Insist on it from any developer, us included, and check the wording before you sign. Without that clause you may not own what you paid for.
Store accounts, domains and hosting in your name
Register the Apple and Google developer accounts, the domain and the hosting under your business, then give the developer user access. If the work ends, you remove one login and keep the app listing, its reviews and its update history.
Repository access from week one
Ask for read access to the code repository from the first week, not at handover. You watch the work land, and a second developer can review it any time.
Milestones you can test on your own phone
Tie each payment to a build you have installed and tried on your own phone through TestFlight or Google Play internal testing, and never pay 100% upfront to any vendor. Ask for the payment schedule in the quote, before any work starts.
Customer data and APP 8
If your business is covered by the Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principle 8 sets out steps to take before personal information is disclosed overseas. Ask whether the developer needs live customer records at all: building and testing on sample data keeps that question small. Where your data will be hosted is something we confirm in writing for your business before you sign.
| City | Our hours now (4 Oct 2026 – 4 Apr 2027) | Overlap with 9–5 now | From 5 Apr 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | 3:30pm–12:30am AEDT | 1.5 h | 2.5 h (2:30pm–11:30pm AEST) |
| Adelaide | 3:00pm–12:00am ACDT | 2 h | 3 h (2:00pm–11:00pm ACST) |
| Brisbane, Gold Coast | 2:30pm–11:30pm AEST | 2.5 h | 2.5 h (no daylight saving) |
| Perth | 12:30pm–9:30pm AWST | 4.5 h | 4.5 h (no daylight saving) |
What we can't offer. No Australian office, ABN or phone number, and no in-person workshops: discovery happens on video calls and WhatsApp, and you contract with Codingclave Development LLP in India. If you need someone in the room with a whiteboard, an Australian agency is the better choice.
What you get instead. A founder-led team (Ashish Sharma) with 200+ projects since 2017, 4.9 stars from 76 Google reviews and Top Rated status on Upwork. See our work.
09of 10
How to compare app development quotes: 12 checks
Put every quote you hold through these checks, ours included.
12 questions to ask
- Fixed price or time-and-materials, and what happens when the scope changes
- What 'MVP' means, counted in screens and features
- Whether the web admin panel is included, and what it can edit
- How many rounds of design changes are included
- Which devices and OS versions are tested
- Whether store submission is included, and whose Apple and Google accounts it uses
- The bug-fix period after launch
- Who owns the code, designs, store accounts and domains
- The hourly or monthly rate after launch
- Third-party running costs, listed one by one
- A payment schedule tied to milestones you can test
- Where the team works, and in which hours
If a vendor won't put checks 1, 8 and 11 in writing, walk away. Send us a quote you already hold, ours or anyone's, on WhatsApp and we'll answer all twelve checks for it, with an itemised AUD price alongside.
10of 10
App developers in Australia: agency, freelancer, in-house or offshore
Four routes, each suiting a different business. We are the offshore option and don't pretend otherwise. For one city, our Melbourne page covers app costs there; for the wider question of hiring Indian developers, start with Codingclave in Australia.
| Route | Cost basis | Works well when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian agency | A$120–200/hr in Sydney or Melbourne (Studio Slate) | You want in-person workshops, onshore data handling and an Australian contract | Published entry tiers start at about A$15K–A$30K |
| Freelancer | Varies by job; get a fixed quote and check it against the feature table | Small, well-defined jobs or fixes | Single point of failure; design, testing and store submission often excluded |
| In-house hire | Salary plus on-costs | The app is your core product, with a roadmap that never stops | Hiring takes time, and one person rarely covers design, both platforms, back end and testing |
| Offshore team | A$30–70/hr in India (Studio Slate); our fixed range A$6,900–A$43,000 | The scope is defined, the budget is under about A$45K, and you're comfortable working asynchronously | 1.5–4.5 hours of overlap; insist on the safeguards above |
For custom app development with a fixed scope and budget, choose between an agency and an offshore team on one question: do you need people in the room?
Pricing in AUD
App development prices in AUD
One fixed quote, itemised feature by feature, so you see what each part of the app costs before you commit. Store fees and usage-based services such as SMS, maps and AI APIs are paid directly to those providers and listed in the quote. Whoever you hire, make sure any feature added mid-build is priced and approved in writing before work on it starts.
Mobile app
A$6,900 – A$43,000
Excl. GSTMobile app (iOS + Android, Flutter or React Native) · Typical timeline: 4–12 weeks
iOS and Android from one Flutter or React Native codebase: screen design, back end, web admin, testing on real devices and submission to both stores, with the exact scope itemised in your quote.
Get a quote for this plan
Hosting, backups, monitoring and support
Hosting, backups, monitoring and Mon–Sat support on WhatsApp, billed monthly in AUD. Which OS-update work it covers is set out in writing before you sign.
Custom software, portal or SaaS
When the web platform or back office is the main product, or the scope goes past the app range.
E-commerce store (Shopify, WooCommerce or custom)
If you mainly sell products, an online store usually earns its keep before an app does.
AI chatbot (website or WhatsApp)
When the job is answering customer questions, a website or WhatsApp chatbot can do it without an app.
- Fixed price in AUD
- Free scoping call
- No obligation
Not sure which row fits? Send your feature list and we'll tell you, including when a website or an online store would do more for the money than an app.
Prices are in Australian dollars and do not include GST: Codingclave is an overseas (India-based) supplier and is not registered for Australian GST. If your business is GST-registered, check with your accountant whether the reverse-charge rules apply to imported services.
Fixed AUD quote
Get an itemised AUD quote for your app
Send a feature list, sketch or existing quote on WhatsApp, no call needed. You get an itemised AUD price, and if an onshore agency or a website would serve you better, we'll tell you.
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave
Ashish or the team will reply on WhatsApp or email within one business day.
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
- Founder-led delivery
Prefer WhatsApp?
WhatsApp AshishSend your feature list
A list, a sketch, an app you like or a quote you already hold, sent on WhatsApp. We reply with questions, or tell you if we're not the right fit.
Written scope and fixed AUD quote
An itemised scope with a fixed AUD price per feature, the timeline, the milestone schedule and the third-party running costs, in writing.
Screen designs to approve
You approve the main screens before the build starts, within the design rounds named in the quote.
Build sprints you can test
Test builds on your own phone through TestFlight and Google Play internal testing, so you see each milestone working before it is signed off.
Store submission
We prepare the store listings, submit the app and handle any review fixes. We recommend the developer accounts are registered in your business's name.
Handover
Code, credentials and documentation handed over, with the bug-fix period after launch stated in your quote. Hosting and support afterwards are optional and billed monthly.
FAQ
Questions Australians ask us
Can’t see yours? Ask Ashish directly — you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales script.
Ask Ashish directly
How much should I pay someone to develop an app?
How much does it cost to hire an app developer in Australia?
Is it expensive to create your own app?
How much does it cost to put an app on the App Store and Google Play?
How much does it cost to maintain an app per year?
Do Australian app prices include GST if the developer is overseas?
How much is an app with 10,000 users worth?
Do I own the source code and the App Store accounts?
Ashish Sharma · Founder
Send your feature list, get a fixed AUD quote
Send a feature list, sketch or existing quote on WhatsApp, no call needed. You get an itemised AUD price, and if an onshore agency or a website would serve you better, we'll tell you.
- WhatsApp us or fill in the form
- Free scoping call
- Fixed AUD quote, no obligation
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
- Founder-led delivery
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Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave · Updated 6 October 2026
Ashish founded Codingclave in Lucknow, India, in 2017 and still leads delivery on every project.
Sources (12)· public sources cited on this page
- Apple Developer – Enrol in the Apple Developer Program
- Apple Developer – App Store Small Business Program
- Google Play Console Help – Register for a developer account
- Google Play Console Help – Service fees
- OAIC – Australian Privacy Principles quick reference
- Studio Slate – App development cost Australia (12 Mar 2026)
- Wave Digital – How much does it cost to build an app in Australia (1 Jul 2026)
- 7pillars – App development cost in Australia 2026 (16 Jul 2026)
- 7pillars – How much does it cost to build an app in Australia (27 Mar 2026)
- ISH Technologies – App development cost Australia (undated)
- Digital8 – How much does it cost to develop an app in Australia (2025)
- Itomic – How much does a mobile app cost to build (undated)