Web application cost
A 2026 pricing guide - from a simple website to a complex platform.
Updated:
What determines the price?
The cost of a web application depends primarily on project complexity, feature scope, design requirements, and integrations with external systems. A simple company website is a completely different scale than a SaaS platform with thousands of users.
The price ranges below are based on our experience with over 30 completed projects. These are indicative ranges - an accurate quote requires a requirements analysis.
How much does it cost?
Simple Website
Company website, landing page, or simple informational site.
- Up to 10 pages
- Responsive design
- Contact form
- Basic SEO optimization
- CMS for content management
- Delivery in 2-4 weeks
Web Application
Client portal, dashboard, booking system, or e-commerce.
- Authentication and user roles
- API integrations (payments, CRM)
- Admin panel
- Custom responsive UI/UX
- Automated testing
- Delivery in 2-4 months
Complex Platform
SaaS platform, marketplace, or enterprise system.
- Microservices architecture
- Real-time (WebSocket, SSE)
- Advanced integrations
- Multi-tenant or white-label
- CI/CD and monitoring
- Delivery in 4-12 months
What affects the price?
Functional Complexity
Number of modules, business logic, and external system integrations - the primary factor affecting cost.
Design and UX
Template vs custom design. UX research, prototyping, and iterations can add 15-30% to the budget.
Integrations
Payments (Stripe, PayU), CRM, ERP, partner APIs - each integration adds time and cost.
Tech Stack
Vue/Nuxt, React/Next, Node.js, Python - technology choice affects development and maintenance costs.
Security Requirements
GDPR, PCI DSS, encryption - industry regulations require additional work and audits.
Maintenance and Growth
Hosting, monitoring, updates, and new features - plan for 15-25% annual budget for maintenance.
How much do individual features cost?
The simplest way to estimate a budget is to add up the features. Below is the typical effort for a web application on Vue/Nuxt or React with a Laravel or Node.js backend, priced at EUR 33 net per hour. Add roughly 15-20% for testing and 5-10% for project management on top.
| Feature | Effort | Net cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up, login and user roles | 24-60 h | EUR 792 - 1,980 |
| Admin panel (data management, filters, export) | 60-160 h | EUR 1,980 - 5,280 |
| Online payments and invoices (Stripe, PayU) | 40-100 h | EUR 1,320 - 3,300 |
| CRM or ERP integration via API (per system) | 40-120 h | EUR 1,320 - 3,960 |
| Search with filters | 24-80 h | EUR 792 - 2,640 |
| Dashboard with reports and charts | 40-120 h | EUR 1,320 - 3,960 |
| Email and SMS notifications | 16-40 h | EUR 528 - 1,320 |
| Multiple languages (i18n) | 16-40 h | EUR 528 - 1,320 |
| Chat or real-time features | 60-160 h | EUR 1,980 - 5,280 |
AI features such as a chatbot or semantic search are priced separately: see how much AI integration costs.
MVP or full version?
A web app MVP contains only what is needed to check whether users want the product: login, one key process and a simple admin panel. It typically costs EUR 8,000 - 14,000 and takes 6-10 weeks. A full version with integrations and reporting is EUR 14,000 - 28,000.
An MVP makes sense when you are building a new product and do not yet know which features customers will pay for. If the app replaces an existing process, such as spreadsheets or a legacy system, the scope is usually known and it is better to plan the full version in phases from the start. See the detailed comparison in MVP vs full product and how we work on MVP development.
How much does maintenance cost?
Annual maintenance of a web application is usually 15-25% of its build cost. It covers hosting, monitoring, backups, security updates to frameworks and libraries, and minor fixes. Technical care at Midapt starts from EUR 200 net per month; new features are billed separately.
On top of that come infrastructure costs paid directly to providers: a server or cloud, the domain, email and SMS delivery and, for AI features, language model token fees. Skipping updates looks like a saving, but after two or three years moving to a new framework version often costs more than regular care would have over the same period.
Where does the budget go?
Development itself costs the most, but analysis, design and testing together account for roughly a third of the budget. Cutting them usually backfires: bugs found after launch cost several times more to fix than at the design stage.
- Discovery and requirements analysis5-10%
- UX/UI design10-15%
- Development (frontend and backend)50-60%
- Testing and quality assurance15-20%
- Deployment and infrastructure setup~5%
How long does it take to build?
A simple company website takes 2-4 weeks, a web app MVP 6-10 weeks and a full application with integrations 2-4 months. Large B2B platforms, marketplaces and SaaS products usually take 4-12 months, delivered in phases with a working version after each one.
Timelines rarely shrink in proportion to the number of developers: a team of more than five or six people needs more coordination, and some work (design, integrations, client-side acceptance testing) happens sequentially anyway. Projects move faster when decisions on the client side are made within a few days and API access and test data are ready before development starts.
How to prepare a request for a quote?
The more specifics in your request, the narrower the range in our answer. One or two pages of text are enough - you do not need a formal specification. Describe:
- The business goal and how you will measure success (e.g. less manual work, more online orders).
- Who will use the app and their roles (customer, employee, administrator).
- The three to five most important processes, step by step.
- Systems the app must connect to (CRM, ERP, payments, accounting).
- Expected deadline and budget, even a rough one.
- Examples of apps you like and what they are missing.
Example budgets
Three typical scenarios with an indicative budget and timeline. They illustrate the cost of the stated scope and are not an offer.
Company website with a CMS
Law firm or clinic: 8 pages, blog, contact form, two languages, basic SEO and a panel for editing content.
Customer portal
Service company: customer login, documents and tickets, online payments, admin panel and CRM integration.
B2B platform
Wholesaler: company accounts with roles, catalogue and customer-specific price lists, orders, ERP integration, reports and notifications.
Questions about cost
Fixed price or time & materials?
Fixed price works when the scope is well defined and unlikely to change, such as a company website or an MVP after a discovery workshop. Time & materials suits products built iteratively: you pay for the hours actually worked and can change priorities without renegotiating the contract.
Why do quotes for the same app differ so much?
Companies quote different things. One proposal includes UX design, automated tests and deployment, another covers coding only. When comparing offers, check the feature list, the hours set aside for testing, the billing model, the warranty and who receives the copyright to the code.
Does the price include hosting and a domain?
Usually not. Hosting, the domain and paid third-party services (transactional email and SMS, maps, AI models) are separate, recurring costs. With modest traffic, cloud infrastructure typically costs from a few dozen to a few hundred euros a month, and an SSL certificate is often free.
How can I lower the cost without hurting quality?
Start with an MVP built around one key process, use an off-the-shelf payment and login provider instead of building your own, and base the admin panel on a proven framework. The biggest saving, though, is a well-prepared scope: every change made during development costs more than one made during analysis.
How long does it take to get a quote?
We reply to enquiries within 24 hours. An indicative range is possible after a short call about the scope. An accurate quote needs a prioritised feature list or a short discovery workshop, after which you receive the scope, a timeline and a cost estimate broken down by phase.
Have a project in mind?
Let's discuss your needs. Book a free consultation and learn how we can help bring your vision to life.
