App cost guide · By Fawaz Alesayi
What will your app cost to build?
A feature list is a start, but it rarely tells the whole story. The price also depends on how the app works behind the screens, what it connects to and the work it takes to release it. This is how I think about it.
How I charge
Every project is split into milestones with a fixed price each, worked out at SAR 250 per estimated hour. That covers meetings, working out requirements, building, testing and deployment. You pay for a milestone after it is delivered.
Hosting, paid APIs and store accounts are separate and sit in your name, so you pay those providers directly. No VAT is charged under my current terms.
What changes the number of hours
An app where customers do one thing is very different from one with several roles, payments, subscriptions, admin tools and integrations. Every extra platform or language adds work too.
Existing code can save time, but only once I have checked its condition. An undocumented integration, a data migration or a vague requirement can move the estimate even when the screen looks simple.
Some arithmetic, not a typical price
A milestone I estimate at 40 hours costs SAR 10,000. A first version that takes 200 hours in total costs SAR 50,000. These are arithmetic examples only, not packages or a quote for your app.
Running costs, like hosting, external APIs and developer accounts, come on top. I list the ones your project needs, with their current prices, in the estimate.
What to send before asking for an estimate
Who will use the app, and the main thing they need to get done. Which platforms and languages you need, what existing software it must talk to, and anything already built.
Your budget and any real deadline, with the reason it matters. What must be in the first version and what can wait. A sketch or a redacted example helps; sensitive records don’t.
Compare the scope, not only the total
Check whether each proposal includes testing, admin tools, integrations, deployment and handover. Ask whose name the accounts will be in, and what support covers after launch.
To bring the first version’s cost down, pick one useful customer journey and postpone what it doesn’t need. Keep the testing and data handling that journey requires.
Questions before starting
Is the AI estimate a final quote?
No. It helps outline the requirements and a likely range. I review it, and we agree on the milestones before any paid work.
Can we talk without using the AI?
Yes. Send me your project directly and we’ll start with a free call.
Is this an average of Saudi market prices?
No. It explains my own pricing and says nothing about what other agencies or developers charge.
Get a price for your actual app.
Start with a free call, or try the AI estimate first if you would rather think it through on your own.