# How much does a custom app cost for a small business? URL: https://up2.digital/guides/custom-app-cost-uk > The honest answer is it depends, but here's what it depends on, with general UK market ranges and the questions that actually move the price. ## The short answer In the UK, a simple internal tool or dashboard for a small business typically costs somewhere in the low thousands of pounds, a customer-facing portal or booking system with logins and payments typically runs into the mid to high thousands, and anything with real complexity, such as a mobile app with offline features or integrations across several systems, can run well into five figures. These are general market ranges, not quotes, and they vary a lot depending on the agency or developer, where they're based, and exactly what you ask for. The only reliable way to know your own figure is a proper scoping conversation. As a guide, our own prices for this kind of work start from £750 for shaping an idea into a clickable prototype; see [pricing](/pricing) for the full range. ## What actually drives the cost Price isn't really about "an app", it's about the sum of several separate decisions. These are the ones that move the number most. ### 1. How many separate things it needs to do A booking calendar, a payments page and a customer message centre are each a chunk of work. The more distinct features, the more there is to build, test and maintain. A tool that does one thing well is almost always cheaper than one trying to do five things adequately. ### 2. Who's using it, and how An internal tool used by three staff who already trust each other needs far less thought around permissions, onboarding and support than a customer-facing portal used by the public. Public-facing software also needs to look and feel professional, which adds design time that an internal dashboard can often skip. ### 3. Logins, accounts and permissions The moment people need to log in, you've added password resets, account security, and usually different levels of access (an admin sees more than a customer). This is sensible and often necessary, but it's real work, not a checkbox. ### 4. Payments Taking payments means integrating a payment provider, handling failed payments, refunds and receipts, and making sure everything is secure. It's a well-trodden path, but it's not free. ### 5. Integrations with other systems If the app needs to talk to your accounting software, your CRM or a booking calendar, that's additional work for every system it touches, and the reliability of that connection matters more as volume grows. Our comparison of [Zapier vs Make vs a custom integration](/guides/zapier-vs-make-vs-custom) is worth reading if you're not sure how deep this needs to go. ### 6. Design quality A rough, functional interface for internal use is cheaper than a polished, branded experience for customers. Both are valid choices, but they cost differently. ### 7. Platform: web, mobile, or both A tool that works in a browser on a phone or desktop is usually cheaper to build and maintain than a dedicated iOS and Android app, because you're building and testing one thing instead of two or three. A dedicated mobile app is the right call when you need offline access, camera or GPS features, or a presence in the app stores, but it's worth being honest about whether you actually need that or whether a browser-based tool would do the same job for less. ### 8. Ongoing support and changes The cost of a project doesn't end at launch. Bug fixes, small improvements and keeping things running as other software updates around it are an ongoing cost, whether that's a retainer with whoever built it or an in-house resource. ## General UK market ranges These are broad, qualitative bands based on typical UK small business projects, not a quote from us or anyone else. Treat them as a rough sense of scale, and always get a proper quote before budgeting a project. | Type of project | General shape of cost | |---|---| | Idea shaping and a clickable prototype | Low, a small fraction of the eventual build | | A simple internal tool or dashboard | Low to mid thousands | | A booking system with real scheduling logic | Mid thousands upward | | A customer-facing portal with logins and payments | Mid to high thousands upward | | A dedicated mobile app | Often the highest band, due to design, platforms and app store requirements | | Ongoing support and changes after launch | A smaller recurring cost, separate from the build | ## Our own guide prices Rather than estimate a stranger's project from a table, here's what we actually charge, as guide prices that a fixed quote is based on after a free call: - Idea shaping and a clickable prototype: guide prices start from £750 - An internal tool or dashboard: guide prices start from £3,000 - A custom booking system: guide prices start from £4,000 - A customer portal: guide prices start from £6,000 - A mobile app: scoped individually after a conversation, since the range is too wide to generalise See the full [pricing page](/pricing) for current ranges and what's included at each level. If you're still deciding whether you need something custom at all, our guide on [off-the-shelf or custom software](/guides/off-the-shelf-vs-custom-software) is worth reading first. ## How to keep the cost down without cutting corners - **Start with a prototype, not the full build.** A clickable mock-up tests the idea with real users before you spend on development, and it's far cheaper to change a prototype than finished software. - **Launch with the smallest version that's genuinely useful.** Extra features can follow once the core tool is proven, rather than before it's launched. - **Be honest about mobile vs browser-based.** A lot of projects assume they need a mobile app when a browser-based tool, which works fine on a phone, would do the same job for considerably less. - **Budget for support from day one**, rather than treating it as a surprise six months after launch. ## If you'd rather not do this yourself We'll give you an honest view of what your idea actually needs, and a fixed-price quote after a free 30-minute call, with no obligation either way. Have a look at our [custom apps and tools service](/services/custom-apps), or [start your project](/start?goal=app) to get the conversation going. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why can't I get a fixed price without a conversation? Because the same word, "app", covers projects that differ in cost by a factor of ten depending on logins, payments, integrations and design. A short discovery call is how every serious developer or agency works out what you actually need before quoting, and it's free with us. ### Is a mobile app always more expensive than a web app? Usually, yes, because it typically means building for more than one platform, meeting app store requirements, and designing for a smaller screen with touch in mind. A web app that works well on mobile browsers is often a cheaper way to reach the same users, unless you specifically need offline access, camera or GPS features, or an app store presence. ### What's the cheapest way to test an idea before committing? A clickable prototype. It looks and feels like the real thing without the cost of building the back-end logic behind it, and it's the step that tends to catch expensive misunderstandings early. ### Do ongoing costs continue after the app is built? Usually, yes, in the form of hosting, occasional updates and support for bugs or small changes. This is typically a smaller, predictable cost compared with the build itself, but it's worth asking about upfront rather than assuming the project ends at launch. ### How long does a typical custom app take to build? A simple internal tool is often measured in weeks. A customer portal or booking system with logins and payments usually takes longer, given the extra testing that logins and payments need. Timelines are agreed as part of the fixed quote. ### Will I own the finished app? With us, yes: you own the code, the accounts it runs on, and your data. It's worth asking any developer this directly before starting, since not every agency works this way.