I want a simple app — what does it cost and how long? — answered by Engineer Saeed Baatiah
The first question before cost: do you actually need an app? Many “simple apps” are better and cheaper served by a responsive website — no store fees, no review process, and nobody has to install anything. An app genuinely earns itself when you need push notifications, offline operation, or the camera and location. What moves the cost is the number of screens and states, and whether it needs login and an admin panel.
Test the need with three questions before cost: do you need push notifications reaching users while they have nothing open? Must it work without internet? Do you need the camera or location in any depth? If the answers are no, a responsive website serves you better and cheaper — no store fees, no waiting on review, and nobody asked to install anything (the biggest barrier: most people will not install an app for a single use).
And if an app genuinely is necessary, what moves the cost is the count of screens and states rather than how “simple” the idea is. One screen usually carries four states: empty, loading, data, error. Login adds a whole path (registration, verification, password reset). And an admin panel is effectively a second application. Most people saying “a simple app” in fact mean an app, an admin site, and a server.
And line items everyone misses when budgeting: the annual Apple developer subscription, the one-off Google Play fee, store review that may send the app back for changes and delay your launch, and mandatory updates when a new OS version ships — an app is not a one-time purchase but an ongoing commitment, and that is said before starting.
- No push, no offline need? A responsive site is cheaper
- The biggest barrier: most people will not install an app for one use
- One screen is four states, and the admin panel is a second app
- Budget store fees and updates — an ongoing commitment, not a one-off