First write down the problem and who has it, then decide what goes in version one. Next, choose who builds it, ask for a written quote with a fixed scope, price and timeline, and check that the code and the accounts will be yours. At typical market rates, a first version costs €3,000 to €15,000 with a freelancer and €15,000 to €50,000 and up with a studio or agency.
Most founders who hire someone to build an app do it for the first time. They do not know what to ask, what a fair price is, or what should be in the contract. That is normal. The good news is that the process is almost the same for every project, and you can follow it step by step. This article walks you through five steps, from the first note about your idea to the day you sign, and then shows what the market usually charges.
Step 1: write down the problem and who has it
Before you talk to any builder, write a short text about the problem, not about the app. Who has this problem? What does it cost them today, in time or in money? What do they use now to deal with it?
This sounds simple, but it changes the whole conversation. When you describe screens and features, builders price the screens. When you describe a problem and a person, a good builder can suggest a smaller and cheaper way to solve it. You will also need this text later, to judge whether the finished app does its job.
Half a page is enough. If you want a full outline to copy, we wrote one in how to brief a studio for your MVP.
Step 2: decide what goes in version one
Your first version should do one job well for one type of user. Everything else waits. This is the step where most budgets are won or lost, because each extra feature adds design, building and testing time.
A simple test: for each feature, ask "can a user get the main result without it?". If the answer is yes, it goes on a list for later. Keep that list, because it is useful, but keep it out of the first quote. We go deeper into this choice in what to put in an MVP.
Decide the platform at the same time. A web app that also works in the phone browser is usually the cheapest start. Apps for the App Store and Google Play add work, so many founders start on the web and add mobile apps once people use the product.
Step 3: choose who builds it
You have three main options: a freelancer, a studio or an agency. Hiring your own employee is a fourth one, but it takes months, and it is hard to judge a candidate if you are not technical yourself.
In short, a freelancer fits a small, clear project. A studio fits a real product that needs design, building and launch from one small team. An agency fits large projects with a large budget and many decision makers. We compare all of them fairly in studio, freelancer or agency for your MVP.
Talk to two or three builders, not ten. Send each one the same text from steps 1 and 2, so you can compare their answers on the same basis.
Step 4: ask for a fixed scope, price and timeline
Once a builder understands your project, ask for a written proposal. For a first version, the safest kind is a fixed scope (an exact list of what will be built) with a fixed price. The price does not move unless you change the scope.
The other common model is paying by the hour or by the day. It works well for small changes later on, but for a first build it puts all the risk on you. If the work takes twice as long, you pay twice as much.
A good quote contains:
- What will be built. The main path, the screens and the features, in plain words you can check.
- What will not be built. A short list of what waits for later. This protects both sides.
- The price, and when you pay. Usually in parts, linked to steps you can see: for example a part at the start, a part when the design is approved, and the rest at launch.
- The timeline. When you see the first design, when you can click through a test version, and when the app goes live.
- How changes work. What happens if you want something new halfway, and how it is priced.
- What "finished" means. How you will check the work together before the last payment.
- What happens after launch. Who fixes problems, for how long, and what ongoing upkeep costs.
- Ownership. A clear line that says the code and the accounts are yours.
Step 5: check who owns the code and the accounts
This is the step founders forget most often, and the one that hurts most later. Your app is not only code. It lives in a set of online accounts, and whoever controls those accounts controls your product.
- The code. It should sit in a code repository (an online store for code, such as GitHub) that belongs to you or your company.
- The domain name. Registered in your name.
- Hosting and database. The accounts that run the app and store your users' data.
- App store accounts. Your own Apple and Google developer accounts, if you have mobile apps.
- Payments. The payment account that receives your money, such as Stripe, in your company's name.
- Design files. The source files of the design, not only pictures of it.
The simple rule: the accounts are created in your name from the start, and the builder gets access to them. Not the other way round. If you ever need to change builder, you can then do it in a day instead of a month.
Your app lives in its accounts. Make sure they are in your name before the first line of code is written.
Red flags before you sign
- No written scope. A price without a clear list of what is included will grow.
- All the money up front. Paying in parts, linked to work you can see, is normal and fair for both sides.
- A price far below all the others. It often means parts are missing, such as security, testing, or the admin pages you need to run the product.
- Accounts in the builder's name. Ask for this to change before any work starts.
- Nothing about after launch. Real users find real problems in the first weeks. Someone must be there to fix them.
- No live work to show. Ask for apps they built that are still online and in use today.
- Pressure to sign fast. A good builder gives you time to read the proposal and ask questions.
What it costs: typical market prices
Prices vary a lot, so here are typical market ranges for the first version of an app, at 2026 rates. They are estimates to help you plan a budget, not fixed prices.
- Freelancer: €3,000 to €15,000. Good value for a small, clear project. You depend on one person.
- Studio or agency: €15,000 to €50,000 and up. Design, building and launch from one team. A very small project can land below this range. A large one with many links to other software sits above it.
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android. Usually more than a web app with the same features, because there is more to build and test, and the stores review each new version.
Where we sit. Swipe Up is a small studio, not a large agency. Our prices are closer to the freelancer range than to the agency range, and you still get design, build and upkeep from one team.
Plan for two more costs: running the app (hosting, database, email and app store fees), and the changes users will ask for after launch. We explain what moves the price in detail in how much it costs to build an MVP.
The bottom line
Hiring someone to build your app is a series of small, clear steps. Write down the problem, cut version one down to its core, choose the right kind of builder, get a fixed scope and price in writing, and keep the accounts in your name. Do these five things and most of the risk goes away, whatever you pay. If you want a studio to look at your idea, see how we build MVPs and tell us where you are.
