How much does an e-commerce app cost to build?

An e-commerce app costs anywhere from a few thousand dollars to over $180,000, depending on how much you build yourself. A template app generated from your Shopify or WooCommerce store costs a monthly fee plus a few thousand to set up. A custom-designed app on top of your existing store usually costs $25,000 to $70,000. A fully custom shopping app with its own backend, admin and integrations typically runs $60,000 to $180,000, and takes 12 to 24 weeks.

Which of those you need depends less on your product and more on how much of your business logic is unusual. Here's how to work out where you fit.

The three ways to get a shopping app

Most online stores fall into one of three setups.

Option 1: an app builder on your current store

Services that turn a Shopify or WooCommerce store into an app give you a working iOS and Android app in weeks. You pay a monthly subscription, often somewhere between $50 and $500 depending on features and order volume.

This works well when your store runs happily on the platform and you mainly want push notifications and a home-screen icon. It struggles when you want something the builder doesn't offer, like a custom product configurator or a loyalty scheme that ties into your own systems.

Option 2: a custom app on top of your existing store

Here the app is designed and built for your brand, but products, orders and payments still live in your existing platform. The app talks to it through the platform's API. This is often called a headless setup.

Expect $25,000 to $70,000 for a solid version with browsing, search, product pages, cart, checkout, accounts, order history and push notifications. You get full control over the experience without rebuilding the store's back office.

Option 3: a fully custom e-commerce app

Everything is built for you: the apps, the backend, the admin panel, and the integrations with payments, shipping and inventory. This makes sense when your business model doesn't fit a standard store, such as subscriptions with complex rules, B2B pricing per customer, rentals, or heavy personalisation.

Expect $60,000 to $180,000 for most businesses, more for marketplaces with many sellers, which add seller onboarding, split payments and payouts on top.

What drives the cost of a custom build

Two apps with the same screens can differ in price by three times. These are the usual reasons.

• Catalogue complexity. Ten products with sizes is simple. Fifty thousand products with variants, bundles and per-region pricing needs serious search and data work.

• Payments. Cards alone are simple. UPI, wallets, cash on delivery, EMI options, gift cards and split payments each add work and testing.

• Delivery and logistics. Connecting to a shipping aggregator for rates and tracking is a moderate job. Your own delivery fleet with live tracking is a project in itself.

• Inventory sync. If you also sell on marketplaces or in physical stores, keeping stock accurate across all of them needs a reliable sync.

• Personalisation and AI. Recommendations, smart search and virtual try-on add value and cost. When we built VESTON, the AI try-on was the reason the app existed, so it got the biggest share of the budget.

• The admin side. Shoppers see the app. Your team lives in the admin panel. Order management, returns, refunds, discounts and reports often account for a third of the build.

A realistic budget breakdown

For a custom app in the $60,000 to $120,000 range, a typical split looks like this:

• Discovery and design: 10 to 15%

• Mobile apps (iOS and Android, usually one cross-platform codebase): 35 to 40%

• Backend and integrations: 25 to 30%

• Admin panel: 10 to 15%

• Testing and launch: around 10%

Then plan for running costs: hosting, payment gateway fees per transaction, SMS and email, and maintenance at roughly 15 to 20% of the build cost per year. Our guide to app maintenance costs goes into that in detail.

How to spend less without cutting what matters

Start with a responsive website if you don't have strong sales yet. A fast mobile website converts well, costs less, and gives you data about what shoppers actually do before you commit to an app.

Launch the app with the flows that make money: browse, search, product page, cart, checkout, order tracking. Wishlists, reviews, referral schemes and loyalty points can come in version two.

Use a cross-platform framework like Flutter or React Native, so one codebase serves both iOS and Android. For most shopping apps, users can't tell the difference from a native app.

And keep your existing store platform as the back office if it works. Rebuilding order management from scratch is expensive and rarely where your advantage lies.

How long an e-commerce app takes

• App builder on your existing store: 2 to 6 weeks, mostly content and store approval.

• Custom app on your existing store: 10 to 16 weeks.

• Fully custom app with backend and admin: 16 to 24 weeks.

Store approval adds time at the end. Apple usually reviews within a day or two. New Google Play developer accounts may need a closed test with testers before going public, so start that early.

Questions about e-commerce app costs

Do I need an app if I already have an online store?

Not always. Apps pay off when customers buy repeatedly, since push notifications and saved details bring them back. If most of your buyers purchase once a year, a fast mobile website usually gives better returns.

Is Shopify enough, or do I need a custom app?

Shopify is enough for most stores, especially early on. Custom work makes sense when your pricing, products or processes don't fit Shopify's model, or when app fees and workarounds start costing more than building it properly.

How much does it cost to maintain an e-commerce app?

Budget roughly 15 to 20% of the build cost each year for hosting, updates, fixes and yearly iOS and Android changes. Payment gateway fees are separate and scale with your sales.

Can one app work on both iPhone and Android?

Yes. Cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native build both from one codebase, which cuts cost and keeps features in sync. Most e-commerce apps don't need separate native builds.

Get a number for your store

Tell us about your store: your platform, product count and what the app should do that your website doesn't. Our web and app development team will come back with a fixed quote and an honest view on whether an app is worth it yet.