The short answer
Builds start at $2,500.
That's a real starting point, not a teaser. It's possible because of how we work now, and it's a long way from where this used to be.
Back when we built native apps with offshore developers, a project ran $30,000 to $60,000. Some reached $90,000. When we moved to building on Bubble in 2018, the entry point dropped hard. Some apps started at $5,000. Others landed around $15,000 to $20,000.
One of those Bubble apps eventually reached $60,000.
That last one is the real lesson
The app that ended up at $60,000 didn't start there. It started small, it worked, and then the owner wanted more. A new feature. Then another. Then something faster.
That's not a project going over budget. That's a business using its software, which is exactly what's supposed to happen.
So the useful question isn't "what's the price." It's "what does this add up to over a few years, and who's going to be there for all of it."
How the partnership works
You start with a build. After that, there's a monthly agreement that keeps your app maintained and keeps it moving.
That second part is the whole thing. The monthly is what pays for someone to actually be in your corner, so when you have a new idea it gets built instead of quoted. No change order. No price ding every time you ask for something. You just ask.
We're not in the business of making one edit here and there.
We're in the business of making it easy to run your own business, with tools built for you, in your brand, on your own platform.
So the answer is never "sure, we'll do that for you." Not even the first time. It's always "let me see how I can build this so it stops being a thing you have to ask for."
Here's what that looks like, from small to big.
You want to change some wording on your site. You don't email us. Your text lives in a database, not buried in code, so you open your site and change it yourself.
You want to publish articles. You get your own portal to write and publish them in. No developer, no waiting.
You want the articles to just happen. We train agents on your voice, they write drafts that sound like you, and the drafts land in your portal. You read them, approve the good ones, and they go out.
That's three sizes of the same idea. And you might not be the person doing any of it. Some owners want that control. Others would rather an assistant handle it. Either way, the question is the same: what would work for everyone who touches this?
Jen at Honomantra can change what her membership costs without asking anyone.
That's the job. You shouldn't have to ask us every day to do something inside your own business. Running it is your expertise. Ours is building the parts that make it yours to run.
We build patterns, not patches
One more thing that matters more than it sounds like.
When we solve something, we try to solve the shape of it, not just today's version. A quick patch fixes this week and comes back next month wearing a different hat. A pattern handles the next five versions before you've asked for them.
We also keep the footprint small on purpose. Every extra thing built is another thing that has to be looked after. Less to maintain means fewer things break, and it's what keeps your monthly reasonable years from now.
That's why the app shouldn't get slower and more expensive to change as it gets older. Most do. It isn't inevitable.
And it works everywhere your customers are. Web, phone, the App Store, Google Play, iPad. Whatever the screen, that part is handled.
There's more than one way to structure it, too. If your app is making real money, we can talk about sharing in that instead.
What the monthly is, and what it isn't
We plan each month together. You bring the ideas, we look at them side by side, and we agree what gets built first. That's what keeps the work good.
It also means we're not a same-day help desk. If something is truly urgent, tell us and we'll sort it out. But the normal rhythm is that we decide together, so nothing gets rushed and nothing gets dropped.
A partner isn't someone you page at midnight. It's someone who already knows what you're working toward.
Being straight about the monthly
The monthly has to be enough to genuinely hold a spot for you.
If it's very small, it can't cover maintenance and leave room to build new things, and we'd end up letting you down on response times. We'd rather say that up front than take the agreement and disappoint you later.
Enough to keep someone available. That's the bar.
What shapes the build number
| What matters | Simpler | More involved |
|---|---|---|
| How many jobs it does | One, done well | Several, each with its own edge cases |
| Who uses it | Your existing customers, signed in | The general public, at scale |
| Money | None, or one simple purchase | Subscriptions, refunds, tax, different currencies |
| Data | Yours alone | Several parties who shouldn't see each other's information |
| Where it runs | Web only | iOS, Android and web, each with its own store review |
| What it connects to | Nothing else | Your CRM, calendar, email, existing systems |
Two of these surprise almost everyone: taking payments, and keeping different people's data separate. Both sound small. Neither one is.
Why any of this is possible
Technology moves fast, and that's genuinely in your favor now.
What used to take a team of developers months takes a fraction of that today, and we've passed that saving straight through to the starting price. It's why a build can begin at $2,500 when the same idea would have been $40,000 a few years ago.
What hasn't changed is everything after launch. Phones update. New things become possible. Something breaks on a Sunday night. That work is the same as it ever was, and it's the part that quietly adds up.
An app isn't a chair. You don't buy it once and you're finished with it. It's closer to a shop you keep open, and someone has to be there when the lock sticks or you want a bigger window.
How to get a real number
Tell us what your business does, where people get stuck, and what you want them to be able to do. We can scope real work from one conversation.
Our short intake is four steps and no phone call. Your idea, your audience, your timeline, and what you're comfortable investing. You'll get a real answer instead of a guess.