How much does it cost to build an app in South Africa? (2026 guide)

“How much will my app cost?” is the first question almost every client asks, and the honest answer is: it depends on what the app needs to do. This guide explains what drives the price so you can plan a realistic budget before you speak to a developer.

The short answer

At Black Nexus Space, an Android app published on Google Play starts at R15 000, and an app on both iPhone and Android, with user accounts and push notifications, starts at R25 000. Apps with payments, subscriptions and an admin dashboard start at R40 000.

What affects the cost of an app

• Number of screens and features: every screen needs design, development and testing.
• User accounts and roles: a single user type is simpler than customers, staff and admins.
• Payments and subscriptions: card payments, Instant EFT and recurring billing add work.
• Integrations: connecting to accounting, maps, calendars or your existing systems.
• Admin dashboard: most apps need a web dashboard for you to manage content and users.
• Design: a custom, branded design costs more than a simple, clean interface.

iPhone and Android: do I pay twice?

Not with modern tools. We build with Expo and React Native, which run natively on both iPhone and Android from a single codebase. You get both apps for close to the price of one, and updates ship to both platforms at the same time.

Ongoing costs to plan for

• Apple Developer account: $99 per year.
• Google Play Console: $25 once.
• Hosting and database: often free or low-cost to start with services like Supabase.
• Maintenance: updates, fixes and new OS versions. Our care plan is R750 per month.

How to keep your app budget under control

Start with a focused first version (an MVP) that solves one problem really well. Launch it, learn from real users, then add features based on what they ask for. This approach gets you to market faster and avoids paying for features nobody uses.

Get an accurate quote

Every app is different, so we give every client a fixed quote after a free discovery call. Tell us about your idea and we will tell you what it takes to build it.