How Much Does It Cost to Build an Ecommerce App?

Launching a mobile app can be a huge growth lever for your brand. But there's one thing standing in the way: cost.

The cost of development deters many brands from launching what could be an extremely powerful asset.

But just how bad is it? Are apps that expensive? Or is it possible to build an ecommerce mobile app that doesn't cost half your annual revenue?

Let's take a look.

MobiLoud lets you build full-featured ecommerce apps for a fraction of the cost of custom development. Get a free preview now to see how easily we can help you launch your own, branded mobile apps.

Key Factors in Ecommerce Mobile App Development Cost

To fully understand the true cost of app development, let's look at what goes into that cost.

App Complexity

Ecommerce apps have varying levels of complexity.

Apps with more basic features and functionality will naturally cost less. If you require more advanced features, the price tag goes up.

Here's a rough look at basic, advanced, and complex apps, and the essential features for each type:

Basic Ecommerce App Features

• Product Listings & Categories
• Shopping Cart & Checkout
• Payment Gateway w/Several Payment Options
• Search Functionality
• Push Notifications

Advanced App Features

• User Accounts
• API Integration With Your Website
• Multiple Payment Gateways
• Multi-Language Support
• Personalization
• Order Management & Tracking
• Custom Integrations
• Advanced Search & Filters
• SSO/Social Login
• Analytics

Complex App Features

• Multi-Vendor Support
• Advanced Security Features
• Integration with Device Features
• AI/VR Experiences

The more features you squeeze in, the higher the cost.

A simplified way to look at it would be that each feature you choose to include in your app will cost you roughly $2,000-$10,000 extra (perhaps more for certain complex or advanced features, like AR or enterprise-level security).

If you want to save on your app cost, try cutting unnecessary, "nice to have" features.

Platform & Tech Stack

Some tech platforms are more expensive to build for.

Ask yourself: Will you launch separate apps for iOS and Android, or use a cross-platform framework like React Native or Flutter?

Fully native apps are typically more expensive. Cross-platform apps are more affordable, while hybrid options (as we'll explore later) can be even cheaper.

Additionally, consider the tech stack on your website (since you'll need to link your website and apps together).

Developing a mobile app for a fully custom site with a complex tech stack will be more expensive than for a site built on a popular ecommerce platform like Shopify, Squarespace or WooCommerce.

Choice of Developers

Not all mobile app developers are made equal, and not all charge equal.

Geographic location can make a big difference in cost. App developers in North America and Western Europe, for example, typically charge higher rates, while those based in Central/Eastern Europe or South Asia generally cost less.

Yet even in the same location, rates vary greatly depending on experience and ability.

You could opt for cheaper talent, who may not be as skilled, or choose to pay more for developers with a proven track record of delivering high-quality work.

In-House Resources

The more resources you have in-house, typically the less it will cost.

Your own development team will likely cost less than hiring freelance developers or a mobile app development company (because they're already integrated with your business and workflows).

Also, if you have designers, QA testers or project managers on staff who can contribute to the project, the cost may end up being lower than hiring or contracting all your talent from outside.

App Design

Consider how much design is required for your app.

Development is one thing, but many businesses underestimate the time and cost involved in mobile app design (before a line of code gets written).

Fully custom, professionally-designed user experiences and interfaces can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 to the price.

Conversely, you can save most or all of this cost if you build your app from a template, or reuse the existing design from your website.

Development Time

Overall mobile app development cost is largely dictated by the number of billable hours.

While you can find developers with higher or lower hourly rates, it's ultimately how long it takes to complete that will make the difference.

Fewer features, or less complexity, will result in a shorter project timeline and lower cost.

Management also plays a part.

Clear specs, thoughtful planning and efficient collaboration will help you ship the project on time, with no unnecessary delays due to revisions or scope changes.

What You're Paying For

There are no materials to pay for. No lumber, no concrete. The cost of ecommerce app development is mostly just labor.

You need to put together a skilled team to build your app (and pay accordingly).

This includes:

• Developers (for a single platform, or with cross-platform development, you might make do with just one. More likely you'll need 2-3 working together)
• Project Manager (if you don't have someone in-house to manage it)
• Designers (UI, UX, graphic designers)
• QA Testers

Typically, you'll need a team of at least 4-5 people working on your project, over the course of roughly 6-9 months.

If you hire an ecommerce app development company to build your app, you're paying for the same thing (they just have the team already in place).

Ecommerce App Development Cost Estimate

So, with all we know about the cost of ecommerce mobile app development, how much could you expect to spend on your app?

Here's a rough guide, broken down by basic, mid-level, or complex ecommerce mobile apps.

Basic Ecommerce App

Features:

• User authentication and registration
• Simple product catalog (<25 SKUs)
• Basic search functionality
• Shopping cart and checkout
• Integration with one payment gateway
• Push notifications for order updates

Development Timeline: 3-6 months

Estimated Cost: $15,000-$30,000

Factors influencing cost:

• Use of pre-built templates to minimize design costs
• Basic third-party integrations (e.g., Stripe or PayPal)

Mid-Level Ecommerce App

Features:

Basic app features, plus:

• Advanced search with filters (e.g., price, category, reviews)
• Multi-language and multi-currency support
• Customer reviews and ratings
• Order tracking with real-time updates
• Basic admin panel for product and user management

Development Timeline: 6-9 months

Estimated Cost: $30,000-$70,000

Factors influencing cost:

• Customized design for branding consistency
• Integration with multiple third-party services (e.g., shipping APIs, marketing tools)

Scenario 3: Advanced Ecommerce App

Features:

Mid-level app features, plus:

• AI-driven product recommendations
• AR/VR support for product visualization
• Chatbots for customer support
• Social media integrations for product sharing and social logins
• Multi-vendor support with split payments
• Advanced analytics dashboards

Development Timeline: 9-12+ months

Estimated Cost: $70,000-$200,000+

Factors influencing cost:

• High level of customization for scalability
• Advanced technology stack (e.g., AI, machine learning, AR/VR frameworks)
• Heavy back-end infrastructure to handle high traffic and transactions

Summing Up: The cost of your app can be anywhere from $15,000 - $200,000. Using a middle estimate, the average brand could expect to pay somewhere from $50,000-$100,000.

The Cost to Maintain Mobile Ecommerce Apps

The cost to build an ecommerce app doesn't end once your app goes live.

Mobile apps require constant maintenance, and many businesses fail to consider the ongoing maintenance cost when putting together an estimate.

App maintenance costs are typically around 15-20% of the initial development cost per year.

This covers updates, bug fixes, new features and support.

Maintenance is an essential part of launching an app. User engagement only stays high as long as your app is fast, bug-free, and up to date.

Very simple apps, like a to-do list app or calculator app may be able to get away without regular updates, but ecommerce apps are much more complex.

Make sure you budget for maintenance costs from the start. Like with the initial cost, the more complex your app, the more it will cost to maintain.

This could range from roughly $2,000-$6,000 per year for a basic ecommerce app, $6,000-$14,000 for a mid-level app, to as much as six figures for a complex or enterprise-level app.

Cost to Convert Your Ecommerce Store to an App with MobiLoud

You can skip the huge investment required to develop a custom ecommerce app by converting your website into an app with MobiLoud.

You'll get 95% of what you'd get with a fully custom build from scratch. However, you don't need to:

• Design a new UI/UX for your app.
• Hire and manage developers.
• Build a whole lot of new features.
• Build custom integrations to link your website and app together.
• Keep a dedicated team on staff to maintain and update your apps.

MobiLoud does all this for you.

The cost is far more manageable. It's a small one-time fee up front (low four figures - which covers the initial setup, testing, and submitting your apps to the app stores), followed by a low monthly cost (approximately $300-$900 per month) to cover ongoing updates and maintenance.

The price gives you fully functional Android and iOS apps, with unlimited push notifications built in, white labeled, fully synced with your website.

To build this yourself, you'd be looking at a minimum of $50,000 up front, with an additional $15k+ per year to maintain.

With MobiLoud, you could spend approximately $1,000 to launch your app, and a few thousand per year to keep your apps fast and up to date.

View more about our pricing here.

Advantages of the MobiLoud Approach

MobiLoud lets you launch an app for as little as 2% of the cost of custom development, while losing little to nothing in terms of quality and functionality.

“If we had unlimited time and money, we would probably go for a custom native app, but that is half a million to a million a year to maintain.”
David Cost, VP of eCommerce and Marketing at Rainbow Shops

But it’s not just the cost that plays to your advantage.

The development process is much more straightforward from start to finish (as well as post-launch).

MobiLoud converts your website into an app, complete with all the features, integrations and small optimizations you've made on your website.

Rebuilding all of this in a custom app will be a massive undertaking, and you may end up having to cut important elements of your website from your app.

Going forward, you'll have multiple platforms to maintain, which is not only costly, but a drag on your team's time and focus.

With MobiLoud, you only manage one platform - your website.

Your apps update automatically when your website does, drastically reducing overhead and operational lift for your team.

“The fact that we can roll out quite complex solutions and updates to improve our experience for customers on the website, and that's immediately in the app, that's priceless.”
Damien Smith, Chief Technology Officer at BoozeBud

We’ve helped many ecommerce brands build apps that pay for themselves within as little as a month of launching, by boosting AOV and LTV through the app, and gaining access to push notifications (which helped some brands recover as much as $200k per month through automated cart abandonment notifications).

With a custom app, it will be months (if not years) until you pay off just the initial cost of your app.

With MobiLoud, you’ll be making profit almost immediately, with no major changes to your operational workflow.

Use our free App Revenue Calculator to get an estimate of how much extra revenue you can drive by launching your own app.

Final Thoughts

Launching your own e-commerce app is a great way to grow your brand, increase retention, and nurture more loyal, high-LTV customers.

It can be expensive, though, especially if you have complex features on your wishlist, and you set your sights on hiring only the best talent.

However, MobiLoud makes the process so much easier and more affordable, and still lets you launch a great app that can drive millions in revenue for your brand.

Just take a look at some of the great apps we've built for high-revenue brands, who routinely see higher LTV, higher AOV, an increase in incremental revenue and a massive ROI from their mobile apps.

To learn what's possible, get a free preview of your app now.