App development cost in India in 2026: prices by app type

Every founder asks the same first question: what will my app cost? The honest answer depends on what the app does, but "it depends" does not help you plan a budget or compare two proposals. So this guide gives you real numbers, by type of app, from the same model we use for our own estimates.

All prices below come from our free App Cost Calculator. Each is for a phone app that works on Android and iPhone, at the standard size, designed for your brand and built at a normal pace. Prices are before 18% GST.

Prices by type of app

• Online shop (sell products, take orders and payments): about ₹8.86 lakh
• Food or grocery delivery (menus, orders and delivery tracking): about ₹9.77 lakh
• Bookings and appointments (salons, clinics, rentals, classes): about ₹8.89 lakh
• Community or social (profiles, posts and chat): about ₹9.17 lakh
• Courses and learning (lessons, videos and progress): about ₹9.38 lakh
• Payments or wallet (send, receive and track money): about ₹9.45 lakh
• AI assistant (an assistant that knows your business): about ₹7.95 lakh
• Something else (start simple, add what you need): about ₹6.2 lakh

Real projects usually land within about 10% below to 20% above the estimate. For an online shop that means roughly ₹7.97 to ₹10.63 lakh before tax.

Why the types differ

The type sets which features come switched on from the start. An online shop needs sign-up, payments, notifications and an admin panel for orders. A food delivery app needs all of that plus maps and live location, which is why it starts almost a lakh higher. A community app leans on profiles, posts and chat. AI is a real cost of its own: adding smart AI features to any other type of app adds about ₹1,57,500.

Phone app, website or both

The platform is the next big lever. For an online shop:

• Phone app (one app for Android and iPhone): about ₹8.86 lakh
• Website or web app (opens in any browser): about ₹8.16 lakh
• Phone app and website (customers can use either): about ₹11.06 lakh

For food delivery the same three choices are about ₹9.77 lakh, ₹9.07 lakh and ₹12.11 lakh. Most businesses do best starting with one platform and adding the second once real customers are using the first. See how we build mobile apps and websites and web apps.

What one estimate looks like inside

Here is the full breakdown for the online shop app, so you can see where the money goes:

• App setup and 13 screens: ₹4,02,500
• 4 features and admin pages (accounts and login, payments, push notifications, admin dashboard): ₹3,08,000
• Server, database and APIs: ₹1,75,000
• Project management and testing: included
• Subtotal: ₹8,85,500, plus GST of ₹1,59,390, for a total of ₹10,44,890
• Ready in about 8 weeks, with a team of 4 and a senior lead

Each part is priced from the working days it takes. A simple settings screen takes about a day; payments, or maps with live location, take two weeks or more. The team works in parallel, which is why 126.5 person-days of effort becomes about 8 weeks on the calendar.

Three more choices that move the price

Size of the first version

For an online shop, a Starter version with 12 screens is about ₹7.53 lakh, Standard with 15 screens about ₹8.86 lakh, and Full with 19 screens about ₹9.38 lakh. Starting with Starter and growing from real feedback is usually the smartest money you will spend.

Design

Simple and clean is about ₹8.12 lakh, designed for your brand about ₹8.86 lakh, and premium with animations about ₹10.64 lakh. Our UI/UX design page explains when the extra polish pays for itself.

Timing

Asking for the app as fast as possible adds an engineer and costs about 20% more. A normal pace is almost always the better deal.

Where your company is changes the price

The same online shop costs differently depending on where your company is registered:

• India: ₹10,44,890 including 18% GST. A GST-registered company can claim the GST back as input tax credit.
• Bihar: about ₹4,47,810 including GST, under our Bihar Udaan programme for companies registered in Bihar.
• Outside India: about $37,645, with no GST because the work is an export of services under LUT. Teams abroad can read how we work across time zones on our offshore development page.

Costs to plan for after launch

• Maintenance by the team that built the app: ₹35,000 a month in India, ₹20,000 in Bihar, and $1,000 a month outside India.
• Running costs such as hosting, app store accounts, SMS and email, maps and AI usage, paid at cost in your own accounts.

How to use these numbers

Treat them as a starting point, not a quote. Open the App Cost Calculator, pick your own type, platform, features, size, design and timing, and you get an itemised estimate with every screen and feature in about two minutes, with no sign-up. You can download it as a PDF or send it to us on WhatsApp.

When you want a fixed number, send us the estimate. We reply within one business day and send a written proposal with a fixed price and timeline within 48 hours of a short call. Our pricing page explains the engagement models in more detail.