Web apps
How much does a web app cost?
A simple web app, such as an internal tool for your team, typically costs $12,000–$30,000 and takes 6–10 weeks; a mid-complexity app with several user roles and integrations runs $30,000–$60,000; and a full SaaS platform starts around $100,000, according to a 2026 cost guide. The price comes from the number of screens, the user roles and the systems it connects to, and where the team is based: senior US engineers bill $150–$250 an hour, Eastern European teams $50–$100. Maintenance adds 10–15% of the build cost each year.
Contents
Key points
- A 2026 guide puts a simple internal tool at $12,000–$30,000, a mid-complexity app at $30,000–$60,000 and a full SaaS platform at $100,000–$200,000.
- Senior US engineers bill $150–$250 an hour; Eastern European teams $50–$100 and South Asian teams $25–$60.
- An off-the-shelf CRM like Salesforce Starter costs $25 per user per month, so 15 users pay $13,500 over three years before any add-ons; the Pro Suite at $100 comes to $54,000.
- Maintenance and small improvements cost 10–15% of the build price each year.
A web app is software that runs in the browser with nothing to install: a booking system, a dashboard where your team sees orders, a portal where clients see their invoices, a CRM built around the way you work. Prices range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here's where the difference comes from and how to get a sense of your own project.
Price ranges
There's no official benchmark, so the table uses RaftLabs' April 2026 cost guide, one of the more detailed published breakdowns:
| Type of app | Examples | Cost | Timeline and team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple tool or internal app | Request form with an admin panel, inventory, time tracking | $12,000–$30,000 | 6–10 weeks, 1–2 people |
| Mid-complexity web app | Client portal, orders with payments, several roles and integrations | $30,000–$60,000 | 12–18 weeks, 3 people |
| Full SaaS or complex platform | Many companies on one app, subscriptions, billing | $100,000–$200,000 | 20–36 weeks, 4–6 people |
These figures assume $6,000–$6,500 per person per month. Rates vary a lot by location: RaftLabs puts senior US engineers at $150–$250 an hour, Eastern European teams at $50–$100 and South Asian teams at $25–$60. The same app can cost several times more with a US agency than with a team in Eastern Europe.
What drives the price up
- User roles. An app used only by an admin is much simpler than one with admins, staff and customers, each with their own screens and permissions.
- Integrations. Connecting to your accounting software, an existing CRM, online payments or a calendar adds work for every system.
- Payments. Card payments also mean refunds, invoices, subscriptions and failed-payment handling.
- Screens and workflows. Every path through the app (an order, a return, a cancelled booking) has to be designed, built and tested.
- Existing data. Importing from old spreadsheets with incomplete or duplicate records can take longer than expected.
- Special rules. Health, financial or children's data needs more care with security and access; health data in the US may bring HIPAA requirements.
- Design. An internal dashboard can use standard components; an app your customers use deserves carefully designed screens.
How a price is worked out
In the end, the price is hours times rate. To estimate it properly, a developer needs:
- Who uses the app and what each person does.
- The main workflows, step by step: "the client picks a service and a time, then gets a confirmation email".
- The systems it connects to and whether they have an API.
- What data already exists and in what form.
- What must be in the first version and what can come later.
A good quote is broken down by feature or phase, not a single number. That way you see what each part costs and can drop what isn't needed yet.
Custom app or off-the-shelf software?
For many needs there's already subscription software: CRMs, booking tools, inventory systems. Compare them over three years, not the first month. An example with Salesforce's small business prices for a team of 15:
| Off-the-shelf CRM | Custom app | |
|---|---|---|
| Up front | Setup, often done by a consultant | The build cost |
| Each month | $25 per user (Starter) or $100 (Pro Suite) | Hosting and services, not per user |
| Three years, 15 users | $13,500 on Starter, $54,000 on Pro Suite, before add-ons | Build plus yearly maintenance |
| How the team works | The way the software was designed | The way you work |
| When a new need comes up | Wait for the vendor or pay for an add-on | Add it |
Off-the-shelf software is the right choice when the need is standard and the team can adapt to it; free tiers and the prices of the best-known CRMs are compared in CRM for small business. A custom app makes sense when the way you work is genuinely different, when you're paying for several tools that don't talk to each other, or when the number of users makes subscriptions expensive. How to compare the two over the long run, and what the contract should say, is in custom software vs off-the-shelf; a common example, time tracking, is in employee time tracking app.
Costs after launch
| Cost | How much | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting and database | $100–$1,000 a month | Depends on users and data, per RaftLabs |
| Services the app uses | $50–$500 a month | Email, payments, storage, text messages |
| Maintenance and small improvements | 10–15% of the build cost per year | Updates, security, adjustments |
| New features | By scope | Estimated separately |
An internal tool with a handful of users can cost even less to host; the $1,000 ceiling is for apps with many users or a lot of data.
How to cut cost without hurting the app
- Start with a first version that does one workflow well, used by the team for a few weeks.
- Keep the tools that work and connect them to the app instead of rebuilding them.
- Use standard components for internal screens and save careful design for what customers see.
- Automate only what repeats; something that happens once a month can stay manual. For repetitive tasks that don't need new screens, an automation can be cheaper than an app.
If you're torn between a web app and a phone app, the differences are in web app vs mobile app.
The web apps we build use Next.js and React, with a database, role-based accounts and backups. After our first conversation we send you a price before we start, and we can begin with a first version and extend it from there. The details are on our web development page.
Questions
What's the cheapest kind of web app?
One with a single type of user, a few screens and no integrations, such as an internal request form with an admin table. What makes apps more expensive is user roles, payments and connections to other systems.
How long does it take to build a web app?
From 6–10 weeks for a simple tool to 3–4 months for a mid-complexity app and 5–8 months for a full platform, according to RaftLabs' 2026 guide. A first version with the core features can be in use much sooner.
Is an off-the-shelf tool cheaper?
At first, yes. Over time, per-user subscriptions add up, and you work the way the software was designed rather than the way your business works. A custom app costs more up front but has no per-user fee and does exactly what you need.
What does a web app cost after launch?
Hosting and databases (from around $100 a month), the services the app uses such as email or payments, and maintenance, estimated at 10–15% of the build cost per year.
Can I start with a smaller version?
Yes, and it's usually the right call. A first version covering the main workflow, used by the team for a few weeks, shows which features really matter before you pay for all of them.
Sources
- Web app development cost in 2026: what you'll actually pay, RaftLabs
- Small business pricing, Salesforce