Free tool
App Cost Calculator
Estimate what it would cost to hire out your website or app — then see the alternative. Pick what you're building and what it needs; the estimate updates instantly.
What are you building?
How big?
Needs
Hire it out
$12,500–$25,800
agency or freelancer · ≈ 12–21 weeks
With SayCraft
Free to start
one conversation · minutes, not weeks
Estimate only — real agency quotes vary with scope, region, and polish. The point isn't the exact figure; it's the gap. With SayCraft you describe the same project out loud and the AI builds it live.
How much does it cost to build an app?
Short answer: with an agency or freelancer, a simple landing page is usually a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, a marketing site runs roughly $2,000–$6,000, and a functional web app (MVP) lands anywhere from $8,000 to $30,000+ — and it takes weeks. The biggest cost drivers are the things the calculator asks about: a database, user accounts, and payments, because each adds development, security, and testing time. Almost all of that is human time billed by the hour.
That floor has moved. With vibe coding, a plain-language description drives the build directly instead of briefing a developer who then bills weeks. SayCraft takes it furthest: you open a meeting, talk through what you want, and the AI builds it live with a shareable preview URL — the same project that would have been a four-figure quote becomes one conversation, free to start.
Where the traditional cost goes
- Design — layout, branding, and responsive behaviour.
- Front-end build — turning the design into working pages.
- Back-end & database — anything that saves or loads data.
- Accounts & payments — the priciest add-ons; they touch security.
- Testing & deployment — making it work everywhere and putting it online.
An AI builder collapses these into the same conversation. For the wider picture of how that works, see the best vibe coding tools in 2026, or read whether the chatbots can do it: Can ChatGPT build a website?
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build an app or website?
With an agency or freelancer, a simple landing page typically runs a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, a marketing site $2,000–$6,000, and a functional web app (MVP) anywhere from $8,000 to $30,000+ depending on features like a database, user accounts, and payments — and it usually takes weeks. The calculator on this page estimates your specific project. With an AI builder like SayCraft you describe the same project out loud and it builds live, so the cost is your subscription (free to start) rather than a per-project quote.
Why is building an app traditionally so expensive?
Most of the cost is human time: design, front-end and back-end development, wiring up a database and authentication, testing, and deployment — each billed by the hour over weeks. Features like user logins and payments add the most because they touch security and infrastructure. AI builders collapse that timeline: the same description that would brief a developer instead drives the build directly, so you pay for tool usage, not weeks of labor.
Can I really build an app without paying thousands?
Yes. AI app builders have changed the floor: you can produce a real, deployable app from a plain-language description for the cost of a subscription. SayCraft is free to start — you open a meeting, describe what you want, and the AI vibe-codes it live with a shareable preview URL, then one-click deploy. You only pay for heavier usage or a custom domain, not a four-figure project quote.
Is this calculator accurate?
It is a transparent rule-based estimate, not a precise quote — real agency and freelancer pricing varies with scope, region, designer involvement, and how polished you need it. Treat the number as a ballpark for budgeting and comparison. The reliable takeaway is the gap between a multi-week paid build and describing the same project to an AI builder.