What does it cost to develop an app?
How it works
Description
Answer a few short questions or upload your existing concept as a document.
AI calculation
Your answers are evaluated so that the scope and requirements can be assessed realistically.
Initial estimate
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What app development costs in Switzerland
In Switzerland, an app costs between CHF 10,000 for a simple product and over CHF 100,000 for a complex platform. Most projects land between CHF 30,000 and 70,000 and take three to six months. There is no upper limit, because the price depends on your idea, the requirements and the complexity.
Flat price lists are misleading for software: two apps with a similar idea can differ in effort by a factor of five. That is why the calculator above works with your specific project instead of averages.
Still, how the costs come about can be explained transparently. App development runs in three phases: planning and conception, development, and operations. All three come with costs you should plan for from the start.
Planning and conception
Native apps are programmed separately for each operating system. They make full use of the OS and enable features no other app type can offer; in return, development and operations are the most expensive because two versions need to be maintained.
Web apps run in the browser; YouTube, Netflix and Galaxus are examples. Since only one version is built, they are usually the cheapest option. A progressive web app (PWA) additionally mimics native features, working without an active internet connection for example, and costs somewhat more than a plain web app.
Hybrid or cross-platform apps combine both worlds: frameworks like React Native or Flutter produce one codebase for iOS and Android with a native feel, far more efficient and therefore cheaper than two separately developed native apps.
If the app targets customers, an appealing user interface is a must; purely internal tools can get by with a simpler look. Usability (UX) is central in both cases. Do not underestimate design costs, especially when designs are validated in user tests with the target group. The investment pays off: validated designs prevent finished features from being rebuilt.
Labour costs vary greatly by country, and low hourly rates look attractive. Other factors matter just as much: highly qualified developers cost more but deliver code that is easier to maintain, more secure and easier to extend, which pays off in long-term projects. Language barriers lead to misunderstandings and unplanned extra effort. And clear legal conditions matter in case the collaboration goes wrong.
Five questions help with the decision: Does your company have the knowledge and free capacity to build the app? How fast do you need it? An agency brings established teams and delivers faster. Is the app a core part of your business model, as with a SaaS product? Then an in-house team supported by an agency can make sense. Is the budget big enough to hire your own developers, or do you only need them for the duration of the project? And how much flexibility do you need to scale the team up and down?
Development
Most of the costs arise in the development phase. Feature scope is the biggest lever: simple forms and data views take one to two person-days, complex integrations with external systems three to eight, AI-supported features five to fifteen. Software development takes months depending on scope; every feature you leave out for launch noticeably lowers budget and development time.
The choice of technology has long-term effects. Modern frameworks with a large developer community make onboarding new people easier and reduce lock-in. Outdated or rarely used technologies inevitably lead to higher costs: developers are harder to find, and sooner or later a rebuild is due.
Operations
Operations are often forgotten in budget planning. The app needs infrastructure, today usually a cloud platform like Vercel or Google Cloud; add bug fixing, security updates and adjustments for new operating system versions. Plan for 5 to 10 percent of the development costs per year.
Ready-made tools reduce development effort, and licence fees fund their maintenance and support. They become a problem when hidden in the fine print. Look for transparent communication; at devedis we pick our tools deliberately so our clients are not surprised by unjustifiably high licence costs.
App development in numbers
- CHF 10k+
- is what a simple, clearly scoped app costs
- 30-70k
- CHF is the range of a typical app project in Switzerland
- 3-6
- months is how long most app developments take
- 5-10%
- of the development costs go into yearly maintenance
Conclusion: start with an MVP
There is no flat answer to what an app costs; the price depends on your idea, the feature scope and many other factors. In many cases it makes sense to build a minimum viable product with a reduced feature set first and expand from there. The initial estimate from the calculator above shows you where your project starts. And if you prefer to talk to us directly, book a no-obligation first consultation.