What a business app costs in Brisbane, the factors that move the price, and the kinds of app that make sense for service businesses.
A business app in Brisbane typically costs from a few thousand dollars for something simple to well over $100,000 for a complex build at a large agency. The price depends on the platforms, the backend, payments and integrations. Aglet builds apps from $1,000 plus $55/month, and the estimate tool adds priced features on top.
Those agency numbers are general ranges, not quotes. They vary a lot between providers.
Do you need an app at all?
Many service businesses do not. If customers just need to find you, enquire and book, a good website with online booking does the job and costs far less. An app makes sense when people return often, when staff need tools in the field, or when you want something customers keep on their phone.
If you are unsure, read our comparison of mobile apps and web apps first.
App types that suit service businesses
A customer booking app
Customers see live availability, book, pay a deposit and get reminders. It works well for salons, studios, mobile groomers and clinics with loyal repeat clients. For a first-time customer, a website booking form is usually enough. An app pays off when the same people book again and again.
A job and quote app for tradies
This is an internal tool for you and your crew. It can hold customer details, quotes, job status, photos, and notes from site. It replaces the mix of text messages, spreadsheets and paper that many trades run on. If that sounds familiar, our post on signs you have outgrown spreadsheets covers it.
Membership and loyalty
Recurring memberships, class packs, stamp cards or points that bring customers back. This is common for gyms, cafes, beauty businesses and car detailers. It usually needs accounts, payments and push notifications.
What moves the price
Platforms
An iPhone app, an Android app, and a web app are different builds unless the tools are chosen to share code. Building for both phones costs more than one. A web app that works well on a phone is often the cheaper starting point.
Backend
Anything with accounts, saved data or an admin screen needs a backend: a server, a database and login. This is often the largest hidden cost. A simple app that only displays information needs almost none.
Payments
Taking a card payment, a deposit or a subscription adds real work. It needs secure handling, refunds, receipts and testing. Subscriptions inside the app add more again.
Integrations
Connecting to your accounting software, calendar, or another service means working to that service's rules. Each one adds time, and some have their own fees.
Timeframe
Faster delivery costs more because it pulls people off other work. A relaxed timeline can save money.
Typical Brisbane price ranges
In general terms:
| Type of provider | Typical range | What to expect | | --- | --- | --- | | DIY app builders | Low monthly plans | Templates, limited control, store approval still on you | | Freelancer | A few thousand to $20,000 | Depends heavily on the person and scope | | Small studio | $10,000 to $50,000 | Custom build, direct contact with the makers | | Large agency | $50,000 to $150,000+ | Full team, strategy, design and testing | | Aglet | From $1,000 plus $55/month | Scoped with priced features |
Treat the ranges as a guide. A quote should always name what is included.
How Aglet prices apps
Aglet apps start at $1,000 plus $55/month. The estimate tool then adds features that you choose, each with a price. These include sign-up and login, user roles and permissions, push notifications, file uploads, offline support, in-app payments, subscriptions, third-party integrations and AI features.
The monthly fee covers the app's server hosting, maintenance and security updates after launch. You can see the number before you talk to anyone, which is the point of the estimate.
When the starting price is not enough
Be realistic. The starting price is for a focused app. If you want a marketplace, a large social feature set, heavy real-time features or many integrations, expect the estimate to climb, and expect us to tell you when a different approach is better.
What it costs to run an app after launch
Building the app is only part of the cost. An app needs looking after once it is live.
- Hosting and data storage for the backend.
- Updates. Phone software changes every year, and the app needs to keep working with it.
- Store accounts. Both major app stores charge developer account fees, and your app has to pass their review.
- Fixes and support. Bugs turn up once real customers use the app.
- Payment fees. Card payments carry fees from the payment provider, whoever builds the app.
This is why a monthly fee is common. A quote with no running costs in it is missing something. Ours is $55/month, and you should expect any provider to be able to say exactly what theirs covers.
App or web app?
Most people say "app" when they mean one of two things. A native app is downloaded from an app store and can send push notifications. A web app runs in the browser and can be added to a phone's home screen. Web apps are often quicker and cheaper to build, and they work on every phone. Native apps feel smoother and reach features such as notifications more directly.
For a first version, a web app is a sensible way to test whether customers or staff actually use the thing. If they do, you can decide whether the extra cost of a store app is worth it.
A simple example
Take a mobile dog groomer in Brisbane with a regular customer base. The groomer wants clients to book, pay a deposit and get a reminder the day before.
The first question is whether that needs an app. A website with online booking would cover most of it. An app becomes worth it if the groomer wants clients to rebook in two taps, hold a loyalty card, and receive push notifications about openings.
In the estimate tool that could look like a base build, plus sign-up and login, push notifications and in-app payments. Each is a priced line, so you can drop the ones you do not need and see the total change. That is a better way to decide than guessing.
How to keep the cost down
- Start with one job. Booking, or quoting, or loyalty. Not all three.
- Choose one platform first. Add the second when customers ask for it.
- Leave out what you can. Roles, offline mode and AI features are useful, but they are not always needed in version one.
- Use your website for everything else. Keep marketing pages on the site and put only the tools in the app.
- Allow a normal timeline. Rushing a build costs more.
Questions to ask before you commit
1. Which platforms does the price cover? 2. Who owns the code and the app store accounts? 3. What does the monthly cost include, and what happens if I stop? 4. What is not in the price, such as payments, admin screens or integrations? 5. How will the first version be tested with real customers?
Start small. A first version that does one job well is easier to fund, and it shows you what to build next.
Next steps
See how we approach mobile app development, or get an estimate for your idea. If a website with online booking might be enough, compare it with what a website costs in Brisbane.