How much does it cost to build an app in Ireland?

For most small and medium businesses, a first version of an app (an MVP) costs between €3,000 and €8,000 for both iPhone and Android. A mid-sized app usually costs €8,000 to €12,000, depending on complexity, and larger builds start at €15,000. Larger projects normally only happen once the first version has proven its value.

Can I get an app built for less than €3,000?

It's rare. Even the simplest app needs proper design, coding, testing and publishing to both the App Store and Google Play, and €3,000 is about the lowest realistic starting point for that work. If your budget is tighter, we'll usually suggest starting with a web app instead, which can be more cost-effective and just as useful.

How much does it cost to make a simple app?

A simple app that replaces paper forms, with login, profiles, a few forms and push notifications, usually sits in the €3,000 to €8,000 range for both iPhone and Android. Where it lands in that range depends on how many screens and features you need and how polished the design has to be.

How long does it take to build an MVP app?

A simple app or MVP typically takes 4 to 8 weeks to build. Bigger systems start with a first version in that time and then grow in stages, often over several years. We'll give you a clearer picture once we've talked through what the app needs to do.

What's the total cost of owning an app over three years?

Add up the build cost, the store fees (Apple charges €99 a year and Google charges €25 once), the cloud hosting the app runs on, and any maintenance or new features. Store fees come to about €322 over three years if you hold your own accounts. If the app doesn't change much, annual maintenance is often only a few hours' work, so the build is by far the biggest part of the cost.

What's the difference between a web app and a mobile app?

People download mobile apps from the App Store or Google Play, and they run directly on the phone. Web apps run in the browser but can look and feel very similar to a mobile app. For many businesses a web app is a smart first step because it's quicker and cheaper to build, and it can become a mobile app later if it proves successful.

Why should I start with an MVP?

An MVP (minimum viable product) is a lean version of your app with only the features you need to prove it works. It keeps your upfront cost down, gets the app into people's hands sooner and lets you build confidence before committing to a bigger investment. Most of the projects we see succeed grow in phases from a small start.

Do I need my own App Store or Google Play account?

Not necessarily. We're happy to publish your app under our own developer accounts, which makes life easier for many small businesses. If you'd prefer your own accounts, we can guide you through setting them up, and apps can be transferred later if needed.

How much does app maintenance cost each year?

If nothing major changes, maintenance is often minimal, sometimes just a few hours' work each year to keep the app in line with iPhone and Android updates. Bigger costs only come in if you're actively adding new features or scaling up to many more users.

Why do you build native apps instead of cross-platform apps?

Native apps are written in the official languages for Apple (Swift) and Android (Kotlin). They perform better, have full access to device features such as the camera, GPS, notifications and offline storage, and tend to stay reliable for longer as the platforms change. Cross-platform tools like Flutter or React Native can be quicker to start with, but they often bring limitations over the long term.

Does it cost more to build an app for both iPhone and Android?

Covering both platforms is more work than covering one, but our price ranges already include both iOS and Android. For most businesses, a first version for both platforms falls between €3,000 and €8,000.

How do I know if my business really needs a mobile app?

That's where we start with every client, with a conversation about your goals. In many cases a web app or an even simpler digital tool is the smarter first step. We'll always help you find the most cost-effective way to solve your problem, even if it isn't a mobile app.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App in Ireland? (2026)

The short answer: for most small and medium businesses in Ireland and Northern Ireland, a first version of a mobile app (an MVP) costs between €3,000 and €8,000 for both iPhone and Android. A mid-sized app usually costs €8,000 to €12,000, and larger systems start at €15,000, usually once the first version has proven itself.

If you've ever asked "How much does it cost to develop an app?" you'll know the most common answer: "It depends." And yes, no two projects are identical. But if you're a business owner in Ireland thinking about investing in an app, you deserve more than a vague shrug. You want a clear picture of what actually drives the cost, what realistic budgets look like, what the app will cost you to keep running, and how to make smart choices that won't break the bank. That's exactly what this guide is about.

App Development Costs in Ireland at a Glance

Here are the price ranges we work to at GBA Solutions. Every range covers both iOS and Android.

Type of app	What it usually includes	Price range	Typical timeline
Simple app or MVP (first version)	Login, profiles, simple forms, data saved to a database, push notifications, and one or two features that solve a real business problem	€3,000 to €8,000	4 to 8 weeks
Mid-sized business app	Accounts, task management, notifications, a reporting backend, and possibly links to your other systems	€8,000 to €12,000, depending on complexity	Depends on complexity
Larger system	Branded design, customer bookings or loyalty features, payment workflows, notifications and a reporting backend	€15,000 and up	Built in stages, starting with a 4 to 8 week first version

On top of the build, you'll pay Apple €99 a year and Google €25 once for developer accounts (unless we publish the app for you), plus hosting and some light maintenance. We cover all of that in the section on the three-year cost of owning an app further down.

What Really Drives the Cost of Mobile App Development

In Ireland, the cost of building a mobile app comes down to a few choices: the platforms (iOS, Android or both), the feature set (logins, profiles, notifications, offline use, more than one language), and how polished the design needs to be.

Integrations matter too. An app that connects to databases, reporting dashboards or tools you already use needs more development time and more testing.

A lean business app with simple branding is faster and cheaper to build, while a consumer-grade app with custom screens and animations costs more. In short, you're paying for an app shaped around your needs, so the more you ask of it, the more it costs.

A good developer will right-size the scope against your budget so your app delivers real value, whether you're in Dublin, Cork, Galway or Limerick, and will make sure you're not paying for extras you don't need.

The Sweet Spot for SMEs: €3,000 to €8,000

Here's the good news: you don't need a corporate-sized budget to get started.

For our customers, the sweet spot for a proper MVP (minimum viable product, read more about our MVP development service here) is usually between €3,000 and €8,000. That's enough to cover both iOS and Android, with login, profiles, and one or two meaningful features that solve a real business problem.

It's rare that a two-platform app can be built for less than €3,000. There's just too much work in design, coding, testing and publishing to both stores. A very focused app with a small number of screens will sit at the lower end of the range, and one with more features or more design work will sit nearer €8,000. For most smaller businesses, a budget in this range is enough to get a useful, working app into the hands of staff or customers.

Larger builds usually come later, once the MVP proves itself.

Why We Always Start Small

Building an app isn't only about the code. It's also about people. A starter project gives both of us a chance to get used to each other and to understand how we work, how we communicate and what our expectations are.

We find that this approach:

Reduces risk, because you're not betting the farm on day one.
Builds trust, as we both learn how we work together.
Sets us up for growth, because once the MVP proves itself we can expand with confidence.

Many of our clients have followed this path, starting with a lean MVP, proving its value, and then growing it into a larger system in phases. TillageTrack is a good example. It began as an idea from a Wexford tillage farmer, Isaac Wheelock, and we scoped a usable MVP with him before laying the groundwork for more users and features. It went on to become a live SaaS app for Irish tillage farmers, built natively for iOS and Android.

If you'd like more on this way of working, our article on MVP development in Ireland goes into more detail.

Typical Scenarios and Ballpark Ranges

To give you a sense of what different kinds of projects look like, here are some realistic examples from the kind of work Irish SMEs ask us about.

Scenario 1: A simple starter app or MVP

Example: a local business wanting to replace paper forms with a simple digital app.
Features: login, profiles, simple forms, data saved to a database, and push notifications.
Ballpark: €3,000 to €8,000 for iOS and Android.

Scenario 2: A business operations app

Example: a company wanting to coordinate team tasks and share updates with staff.
Features: accounts, task management, notifications, possible links to other systems, a reporting backend, and possibly offline sync.
Ballpark: €8,000 to €12,000, depending on complexity.

Scenario 3: Expanding into a full system

Example: a customer-facing app with bookings or loyalty features.
Features: branded design, notifications, a reporting backend and payment workflows.
Ballpark: €15,000 and up, once the MVP has already proven itself.

For a sense of what a fuller system looks like, the compliance and certification app we built for AM Site Solutions combines iOS and Android apps with an admin web dashboard, document uploads, expiry tracking, digital forms and role-based access for field staff, office admin, clients and site managers.

The Total Cost of Owning an App Over Three Years

The build is by far the biggest part of what an app costs you. Over three years, the total cost of ownership is the build cost plus store fees, hosting and maintenance, and for most small business apps those running costs are modest compared with the build. That's worth knowing if you're comparing app developers in Dublin or anywhere else in Ireland, because a low build quote doesn't tell you the whole story.

1. The build

This is the one-off cost of designing, coding, testing and publishing the app. For a first version, that's €3,000 to €8,000. If you add features later, each new phase is priced on its own, and larger systems start at €15,000.

2. App Store and Google Play fees

Apple charges €99 a year for a developer account and Google charges €25 once. Over three years, that comes to €297 for Apple and €25 for Google, so €322 in total if you hold your own accounts.

That said, we're always happy to publish apps under our own developer accounts if it makes life easier, so you don't need to open your own. We can transfer apps to you later if needed, but many customers prefer to let us handle the admin.

3. Hosting and running costs

Most business apps store their data in the cloud, so there's an ongoing cost for the service the app runs on. How much it comes to depends on how many people use the app and how much data it stores and moves around. For a small business app with a modest number of users it's usually a small part of the overall cost, and it grows as the app grows. We'll talk this through with you when we scope your app so there are no surprises.

4. Updates and maintenance

Apple and Google update their operating systems every year, and apps need to keep in step. If the app itself hasn't changed, we usually handle those annual updates in just a few hours. So while you should plan for maintenance, it doesn't have to be a big ongoing expense unless you're actively adding features or scaling up.

Putting it together

For a typical MVP, your three-year cost looks like this: €3,000 to €8,000 for the build, €322 in store fees if you hold your own accounts (with no accounts for you to set up if we publish it for you), a hosting cost that depends on how much the app is used, and a few hours of maintenance each year. New features are the one thing that can change that picture, and those are always your decision, priced as a separate phase.

One more thing affects long-term cost, and that's how the app is built in the first place. An app that keeps breaking when iOS or Android changes will cost you far more over three years than one built to last, which brings us to native development.

Why Native Development Matters

At GBA Solutions, we specialise in native app development, which simply means building apps in the official languages used by Apple (Swift) and Google (Kotlin).

There are other approaches out there:

Cross-platform frameworks (like Flutter or React Native) promise "build once, run anywhere". They can get you started faster, but they often struggle with performance, offline use and keeping up with platform changes.
Hybrid apps wrap a website in an app shell. They can look like apps, but often feel clunky compared with the real thing.

By contrast, native apps:

Perform better, because we write them directly for each platform.
Have full access to device features such as the camera, GPS, notifications and offline storage.
Tend to be more reliable and longer-lived as iOS and Android evolve.

For SMEs, this means better value over the long term, fewer nasty surprises and less risk that the technology you choose today will hold you back tomorrow. You can read more about our iOS app development and Android app development services.

What If You're Not Ready for a Mobile App?

Not every business has the budget or appetite for a mobile app straight away, and that's perfectly fine.

If you want to prove a concept without breaking the bank, a web app can be a fantastic option (read more about web apps here):

It runs in the browser and works across devices.
It's often more cost-effective than a mobile app.
We can build one quickly to test your idea.
If the concept takes off, we can turn it into a mobile app later.

We often find that someone comes in convinced they need a mobile app, but after talking it through, it turns out a web app is the smarter starting point. And they're usually delighted with that outcome. You can also read our blog post on why web apps are an agile solution for your business.

Final Thoughts on Mobile App Development Costs in Ireland

So, how much does it actually cost to develop a mobile app in Ireland?

For most small companies, a functional MVP with the essentials costs between €3,000 and €8,000 for both iOS and Android. Over three years, the running costs on top of that (store fees, hosting and a few hours of maintenance a year) are modest for most business apps. Larger builds happen later, once the MVP proves its worth. And if you're not ready to commit to mobile just yet, a web app can be an equally smart first step.

The real takeaway? We right-size and phase the investment, and we build your app to last.

At GBA Solutions, we'll always talk through the options with you, help you scope clearly, and recommend the right path for your business, whether that's a web app, a lean MVP, or a phased roadmap towards a bigger system. Before you get in touch, you might find it useful to read 5 questions to ask before building a business app, or to see how we approach mobile app development in Ireland.

If you're considering an app for your business, let's have a chat about what's possible. We start every project with a conversation about your goals.

How Much Does It Actually Cost to Develop a Mobile App in Ireland