Short answer: the price of an app built by a Pakistani team is decided by what it must do, not by a fixed rate card: the number of user roles and screens, the platforms, whether you need a custom backend and admin panel, integrations such as payments and maps, the design effort and any AI features. A focused cross-platform app with a backend typically takes 4–10 weeks. Ask for a written scope with a fixed price per milestone before you compare quotes.
The cost drivers
- Features and user roles: a customer app with one role is far simpler than a marketplace with buyers, sellers, riders and admins.
- Platforms: iOS, Android, web, or all three.
- Backend and admin panel: sign-in, data, notifications and a dashboard for your team to manage orders, users and content.
- Integrations: payment gateways (cards, JazzCash, Easypaisa), maps, SMS, courier tracking, your ERP or CRM.
- Design: adapting a clean design system is quicker than fully custom illustration and motion.
- AI features: an in-app assistant, smart search, image or document recognition. See ChatGPT and Claude integration.
- Compliance and security: health, finance and children's apps need extra care.
Native or cross-platform?
Cross-platform (React Native or Flutter) builds iOS and Android from one codebase, which usually costs less to build and maintain. Native apps (Swift and Kotlin) make sense for heavy graphics, advanced camera or Bluetooth work, or when one platform matters far more than the other.
Typical timelines
App type · Typical timeline
Simple app with a few screens and a backend · 4–6 weeks
Business app with payments, notifications and an admin panel · 6–10 weeks
Marketplace or multi-role platform · 10+ weeks, in milestones
A one-to-two-week discovery sprint turns your idea into screens, a scope and a fixed quote.
Costs founders forget
- Store accounts: Apple Developer Program US$99 a year; Google Play a one-time US$25.
- Hosting for the backend and database.
- Third-party services: SMS, email, maps, payment gateway fees.
- AI usage, billed per use by the model provider.
- Maintenance: OS updates, security patches and small improvements after launch.
Pricing models
- Fixed milestones: a price for each milestone and payment only after you approve it. Best for a defined first version.
- Hourly: flexible but open-ended; avoid it for a first build.
- Dedicated team: a monthly fee for engineers who work only on your product. Best after launch.
Freelancer, software house or foreign agency?
A freelancer suits a small, clearly defined app. A software house is safer when the app needs design, mobile, backend, testing and support together, with a contract and deadlines. A foreign agency costs several times more for similar work; what matters most is the team's shipped apps and the contract. See how to choose a software house in Lahore.
How to get an accurate quote
Write down your main user journeys ("a customer orders, pays and tracks delivery"), your must-have and nice-to-have features, any systems the app must connect to, and your deadline. Ask each vendor for a written scope, milestones with prices, who owns the code, and what support after launch costs.
Work with Nexariza AI
We build cross-platform mobile apps and web apps with secure backends, payments and AI features, at fixed milestone prices, and you own 100% of the code. Starting from an idea? See AI MVP development, or get a free scope within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build an app?
A focused cross-platform app with a backend and admin panel typically takes 4–10 weeks. Apps with many user roles, complex integrations or AI features take longer; a one-to-two-week discovery sprint gives you a firm timeline.
Is a cross-platform app cheaper than native apps?
Usually, yes. One cross-platform codebase (React Native or Flutter) serves iOS and Android, while fully native apps mean building and maintaining two. Native still makes sense for heavy graphics or deep device features.
What costs sit outside the build?
Store accounts (Apple Developer Program US$99 a year; Google Play US$25 once), hosting, paid third-party services such as SMS, maps or payment gateways, AI usage if the app has AI features, and maintenance after launch.
What changes the price the most?
The number of user roles and screens, whether you need a custom backend and admin panel, integrations such as payments, maps or an ERP, the design effort, and AI features.
How do I get a firm price?
Share your main user journeys and must-have features, then ask for a written scope with a fixed price per milestone. A short discovery sprint turns a rough idea into a scope you can hold a vendor to.