Cross-platform (React Native) vs native apps
Native means two apps, typically one in Swift for iOS and one in Kotlin for Android, each with its own code, tests and releases. Cross-platform (sometimes called hybrid) means one codebase, such as React Native with TypeScript, that ships to both stores, with native modules where a feature needs them.
| Area | Cross-platform (React Native) | Separate native apps |
|---|---|---|
| Codebases | One, shared across iOS and Android | Two, built and tested separately |
| Build cost | Usually lower, since most code is written once | Higher, since most work is done twice |
| Maintenance | One set of fixes and updates | Every fix and feature lands twice |
| Device features | Camera, location, notifications and payments through native modules | Full, immediate access to every platform feature |
| Best for | Most business, e-commerce, booking and SaaS companion apps | Heavy graphics, AR, advanced background work, platform-first features |
If your app is mostly forms, lists, payments, maps and notifications, cross-platform is usually enough. React Native also shares a language and many patterns with a React web app, which helps when you build both.
What drives mobile app development cost
- Screens and flows. Each screen needs design, states for loading, empty and error cases, and testing on small and large phones.
- Backend and admin panel. Most apps need a server, a database and a web admin panel to manage users, content and orders. This is often as much work as the app itself.
- Payments. Physical goods and real-world services usually go through a gateway such as Razorpay or Stripe. Digital content and subscriptions used inside the app often must use Apple's and Google's in-app billing, which takes a commission. Store rules differ by region and change, so check them early.
- Real-time features. Chat, live order tracking and instant updates need persistent connections, push notifications and careful battery and permission handling.
- Offline use. Saving data on the device and syncing it later, including resolving conflicts when two people change the same record, is one of the most expensive features to add.
- Device and network range. In India, testing across low-cost Android phones and slow mobile networks matters as much as testing on new iPhones.
- Store submission. App Store and Google Play listings need screenshots, privacy details, test accounts and a review that can ask for changes. Budget time for at least one round of fixes.
Typical mobile app cost in India by app type
These are general patterns for cross-platform builds by Indian studios and agencies, not quotes. One lakh is ₹1,00,000, about US$1,100. Separate native apps usually cost more.
| App type | What it usually includes | Common market range | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple app on an existing backend | Login, a handful of screens, push notifications, your existing API | Around a lakh to a few lakh | 4–8 weeks |
| Business app with its own backend | Accounts, roles, forms, payments, admin panel, notifications | Several lakh, depending on backend scope | 2–3 months |
| E-commerce app | Catalog, search, cart, payments, order tracking, product and order admin | Several lakh to tens of lakhs | 2–4 months |
| Marketplace or on-demand app | Customer and provider apps, admin panel, live tracking, payouts, ratings | Tens of lakhs and up | 4–6 months, released in phases |
| Real-time or offline-first app | Chat or live tracking, offline storage and sync, background tasks | Above a comparable standard app | Longer than a standard app |
StackWise quotes mobile app development after discovery, where goals, users and constraints are agreed along with scope, timeline and a written quote. There is no hourly billing.
Ongoing costs after launch
- Developer accounts. Apple charges an annual fee for its developer program, and Google Play a one-time registration fee. Check both current prices.
- Hosting and services. Server, database and file storage, plus usage-based services such as SMS OTPs, maps and push notifications.
- Store commissions. If you sell digital goods through in-app billing, Apple and Google keep a share of each sale.
- OS updates. Apple and Google release major OS versions every year. Google Play requires apps to target a recent Android version to keep publishing updates, and Apple requires builds made with a recent SDK.
- Fixes and monitoring. Crash reports, new devices and screen sizes, and dependency updates continue even if you add no features.
StackWise includes 1–3 months of support depending on the plan, then offers an optional monthly maintenance retainer quoted to fit.
How to reduce mobile app cost
- 1Launch with one core flow. Ship the job your first users need, and keep a written list of everything else for later.
- 2Make the admin panel a web dashboard. Your team does not need a third mobile app to manage orders and content.
- 3Go cross-platform unless you have a specific reason not to. With one codebase, most fixes and releases happen once, not twice.
- 4Question whether you need an app at all. If users do not need the camera, offline use or push notifications, a fast web app may be enough for a first version.
- 5Prototype before you code. StackWise designs clickable Figma prototypes before code, with 3 rounds of design revisions included, so wrong assumptions are fixed cheaply.
- 6Own your accounts. Publish under your own App Store and Google Play accounts. StackWise hands over the full repository, design files, documentation and access to every account.
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