How Much Does It Cost to Make an iPhone App in 2026?
From $0 to six figures: a clear breakdown of what an iPhone app costs in 2026, including Apple's fees, tools, AI subscriptions, developers and running costs.
Making an iPhone app can cost anywhere from $0 to well over $100,000. If you build it yourself with a free, ad-supported AI agent like FreeMilk, the only unavoidable cost is Apple's Developer Program membership, $99 a year, and you only pay it when you're ready to publish on the App Store. Hiring developers, buying a Mac and paying for AI subscriptions are where the costs climb.
The short answer, by approach.
| Approach | Typical up-front cost | Ongoing cost |
|---|---|---|
| Build it yourself with FreeMilk | $0, ad-supported | $99 a year to publish on the App Store |
| Build it yourself in Xcode | A Mac, from several hundred dollars | $99 a year, plus any tools you pay for |
| Build it yourself with paid AI tools | Roughly $20 to $200 a month per tool | Subscriptions while you build, plus $99 a year |
| Hire a freelancer | Thousands to tens of thousands of dollars | Updates and maintenance |
| Hire an agency | Tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars | A maintenance retainer |
These are broad ranges. Where your app lands depends on its scope: a simple offline tool costs far less than an app with accounts, payments, a backend and custom design.
Costs every App Store app has.
The Apple Developer Program: $99 a year.
To distribute through TestFlight or publish on the App Store, you need an Apple Developer Program membership. It costs $99 a year for individuals and organizations, and eligible nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can apply for a fee waiver. If the membership lapses, your apps are removed from the App Store until you renew.
Apple's commission, if you sell anything.
Free apps without in-app purchases pay Apple nothing. If you sell the app, in-app purchases or subscriptions, Apple's standard commission is 30%. Most small developers qualify for 15% through the App Store Small Business Program, which covers developers who earned $1 million or less in proceeds in the previous year. You have to enroll; it isn't automatic. Auto-renewable subscriptions also drop to 15% after a subscriber's first year of paid service.
Costs that depend on how you build.
- A Mac. Building with Xcode means owning a Mac, and Apple's cheapest new model costs several hundred dollars. FreeMilk compiles Swift apps on remote Macs, and cloud Macs and cross-platform cloud builds are other ways to avoid buying one. Our guide to building an iPhone app without a Mac compares them.
- AI tools. Most AI coding tools have a limited free tier, with paid plans from about $20 to $200 a month. FreeMilk is free and ad-supported: ads pay for a daily allowance of coding models, including GLM, ChatGPT and DeepSeek, that refills every day. If you already pay for ChatGPT, you can connect your subscription and use your plan. You can compare the yearly cost of popular tools in the cost chart on our homepage.
- Design. Native SwiftUI components look polished out of the box, which keeps design costs near zero for many apps. A custom brand or illustrations add a designer's fee.
- Developers. Freelancer and agency rates vary enormously by region, experience and scope. Get several quotes for a clearly written spec.
Running costs after launch.
- A backend. An app that stores everything on the device needs none. Accounts, syncing and shared data need a backend, which ranges from free tiers to a significant monthly bill at scale.
- A website. You'll need a support page and a privacy policy URL for your App Store listing. A static site can be hosted free, and a custom domain usually costs about $10 to $20 a year.
- Analytics and crash reports. Many tools have free tiers that cover a new app.
- Maintenance. iOS changes every year. Plan time to test and update your app after each major release.
How to keep your app close to $0.
- Start offline-first. Store data on the device and skip accounts until users ask for them. No backend means no backend bill.
- Use native components. SwiftUI's standard controls look right and cost nothing.
- Build with FreeMilk. Describe the app on your iPhone, test it in the streamed simulator and iterate for free. Our guide to building an iOS app from your phone walks through a first project.
- Host your website for free. Build a simple support page and privacy policy with FreeMilk, as in our guide to building a website from your iPhone, and put them on GitHub Pages or a similar free host.
- Pay Apple when you're ready. Join the Developer Program once the app is ready for testers or the App Store.
Frequently asked questions.
How much does Apple charge to publish an app?
The Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year. Free apps pay no commission. Paid apps, in-app purchases and subscriptions pay 15% through the App Store Small Business Program or 30% otherwise.
Can I publish an iPhone app for free?
Not on the App Store: you need the $99-a-year membership, unless you qualify for Apple's fee waiver. You can build and test your app for free with FreeMilk before you pay anything.
How much does it cost to hire someone to build an iPhone app?
It varies widely, from a few thousand dollars for a simple app with a freelancer to six figures for a complex app from an agency. A clear, written spec is the best way to get accurate quotes.
Is FreeMilk really free?
Yes. FreeMilk is supported by ads, which pay for a daily allowance of coding models that refills every day. There's no subscription and no per-token bill.
