The formula
- Base app hours = size allowance + feature app hours + 16 h per integration.
- App development hours = base app hours x platform multiplier.
- Backend hours = backend set-up + (feature backend hours + 32 h per integration) x backend factor.
- Design hours = (design base + base app hours x design share) x platform design factor.
- Testing hours = 20% of (app development + backend).
- Project management hours = 10% of (design + app development + backend + testing).
- Cost = each workstream's hours x the rate for that role, summed. Low = 0.85 x that at the low rate; high = 1.35 x that at the high rate.
- Timeline = total hours / (people x 32 productive hours a week).
- First-year running cost = upkeep hours a month x 12 x developer mid rate + Apple fee (if iOS) + Google fee (if Android).
Worked through for the simple utility app (iPhone, simple, analytics only, managed backend, UI kit) at the Clutch US band midpoint of $74.50: design 23 h, app development 92 h, backend and integrations 45 h, testing (qa) 27 h, project management 19 h; total 206 h, $15,000 mid.
Hours: our assumptions
Everything in this section is this site's judgement for a competent team building a typical version of each item. None of it is survey data. We looked for a neutral, method-stated source of per-feature or per-tier hours and did not find one; when we do, we will cite it here.
Size allowance
| Size | What it means | App h | Upkeep h/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | Up to about 8 screens, standard components, little custom logic. | 80 | 16 |
| Standard | About 8 to 20 screens, several user flows, some custom logic. | 200 | 32 |
| Complex | 20+ screens, custom interactions, heavy business rules or real-time behaviour. | 400 | 64 |
Features
Sixteen features with app-side and backend allowances, listed on cost by feature. Each third-party integration is 16 app hours and 32 backend hours.
Platforms
| Platform | App multiplier | Design factor | Store fees added |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone only (native iOS) | x1 | x1 | Apple |
| Android only (native) | x1 | x1 | |
| iOS + Android, one cross-platform codebase | x1.25 | x1.1 | Apple + Google |
| iOS + Android, two native codebases | x1.9 | x1.15 | Apple + Google |
| Web app (runs in the browser) | x0.9 | x1 | None |
| Web app + iOS + Android (cross-platform) | x2.15 | x1.3 | Apple + Google |
Backend
| Approach | Set-up h | Factor on feature backend h |
|---|---|---|
| Managed backend (Firebase, Supabase or similar) | 40 | x0.6 |
| Connect to an API you already run | 24 | x0.5 |
| Custom backend built for this app | 160 | x1 |
Design
| Depth | Base h | Share of base app h |
|---|---|---|
| UI kit or template | 16 | 8% |
| Custom design | 60 | 20% |
| Custom design system | 120 | 30% |
Overheads, range and time
- Testing 20% of build hours: manual and automated testing, device checks, store review fixes.
- Project management 10%: planning, communication, releases.
- Range 0.85x to 1.35x hours. The band is deliberately wider above the midpoint than below it. It is our assumption, not a measured overrun rate. For why software budgets slip, see BudgetOverrun.com.
- 32 productive hours per person per week, leaving room for meetings, review and leave.
Rates: sourced
Each option in step 6 of the calculator, and exactly how its rate is built:
| Option | How the rate is built |
|---|---|
| US in-house team (employer cost) | BLS OEWS May 2025 wages for software developers, designers, QA testers and project managers (25th percentile, median, 75th percentile), divided by the 70.0% wage share of employer costs in BLS ECEC June 2026. |
| US development company (Clutch, $50-$99/hr) | Clutch Software Development Pricing Guide (updated 21 Sep 2026), United States band of $50 - $99 per hour. Mid is the band midpoint. |
| Clutch app-company average ($25-$49/hr) | Clutch App Development Pricing Guide (updated 21 Sep 2026): average cost of hiring an app development company of $25-$49 per hour. Mid is the band midpoint. |
| Latin America outsourcing (Accelerance) | Accelerance 2026 rates: junior $33-$45, senior $60-$75 per hour, blended by your senior share. |
| Europe outsourcing (Accelerance) | Accelerance 2026 rates: junior $31-$39, senior $64-$76 per hour, blended by your senior share. |
| Asia outsourcing (Accelerance) | Accelerance 2026 rates: junior $24-$31, senior $31-$41 per hour, blended by your senior share. |
| A quote or rate you already have | The hourly rate you entered, applied to every role. |
The US in-house option prices each role separately. Employer cost per hour (25th percentile / median / 75th percentile): developers $72.26/hr / $93.40/hr / $118.11/hr; designers $71.43/hr median; QA $71.63/hr median; project managers $70.27/hr median. The other options use one rate for every role, because their sources publish one band.
Accelerance options blend the junior and senior bands by the senior share you set: low = share x senior low + (1 - share) x junior low, and the same for high. Mid is the midpoint of the blended band.
What is not included
- Hosting, backend service bills, third-party subscriptions and API usage charges.
- Store commissions on revenue (see app store fees).
- Legal, marketing, content creation and recruiting.
- Sales tax or VAT on services.
Change log
- 2 Oct 2026. First version. All rates read 2 Oct 2026.
Sources for this page
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Software Developers (SOC 15-1252), national, May 2025 estimates. www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151252.htm (read 2026-10-02)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Web and Digital Interface Designers (SOC 15-1255), national, May 2025 estimates. www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151255.htm (read 2026-10-02)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253), national, May 2025 estimates. www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151253.htm (read 2026-10-02)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Project Management Specialists (SOC 13-1082), national, May 2025 estimates. www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes131082.htm (read 2026-10-02)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC). Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026. www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm (read 2026-10-02)
- Clutch (Software Development Pricing Guide). Software Development Company Pricing Guide, updated September 21, 2026. clutch.co/developers/pricing (read 2026-10-02)
- Clutch (App Development Pricing Guide). App Development Pricing Guide, updated September 21, 2026. clutch.co/directory/mobile-application-developers/pricing (read 2026-10-02)
- Accelerance (blog post by Peter Griffin, November 24, 2025, summarising the Accelerance 2026 Global Software Development Rates & Trends Guide). Price Pressure and Performance: The New Equation for Global Dev Rates. www.accelerance.com/blog/2026-outsourcing-rate-trends-asia-europe-latam (read 2026-10-02)
- Apple Developer (Enrollment support page). Apple Developer Program enrollment. developer.apple.com/support/enrollment/ (read 2026-10-02)
- Google Play Console Help. Get started with Play Console (registration). support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435?hl=en (read 2026-10-02)
Hours are this site's own planning assumptions, set out line by line on the methodology page. Full quotes for every figure are on the sources page.