Cost

What does an AI app cost?

AI-assisted tools have made building apps and internal tools much faster. That doesn't mean every app costs as little. What decides the price is what the app should do, how many people will use it, which systems it must connect to and how high the requirements are for security and operations.

What drives the price?

The biggest factors are the number of features and flows, sign-in and different permission levels, connections to existing systems such as ERP or CRM, how much AI is used and how high the requirements are for design, accessibility and security. A simple internal list costs a fraction of a customer portal with payments.

Start with a prototype

The safest way to control cost is to start with a clickable prototype of the most important flow. It quickly shows what is needed, what can wait and where the difficult parts are. That makes the further estimate more accurate than a long list of requirements.

Which running costs come on top?

Beyond the build itself there are operating costs for things like hosting, database and storage. AI services are often charged by usage, so the cost grows with the number of users and requests. On top of that come any licences for tools and services the app relies on.

Don't forget maintenance

An app in use needs maintenance: errors must be fixed, dependencies updated and new needs arise. Plan for maintenance from the start, and decide whether it will be handled internally or by a partner.

How to get an estimate you can trust

Describe the problem the app should solve, who will use it and which systems it must talk to. Ask for an estimate that separates prototype, first version and running costs. That makes it clear what you are paying for and where you can start small.