--- title: "How much does mobile app development cost in Saudi Arabia? What actually sets the price" description: "No prices here, because they mislead. Instead, the eight lines that make up the cost of a mobile app, and why a \"cheap\" proposal costs double later." lang: en canonical: https://www.kerneltics.com/en/blog/mobile-app-development-cost-saudi source: https://www.kerneltics.com/en/blog/mobile-app-development-cost-saudi alternate_ar: https://www.kerneltics.com/blog/mobile-app-development-cost-saudi type: article published: 2026-09-22T00:13:17.911Z updated: 2026-09-22T00:13:17.914Z author: "kerneltics" tags: ["تطبيقات", "تكلفة", "Flutter", "تطوير"] --- # How much does mobile app development cost in Saudi Arabia? What actually sets the price > No prices here, because they mislead. Instead, the eight lines that make up the cost of a mobile app, and why a "cheap" proposal costs double later. "How much does an app cost?" is like "how much does a house cost?". The honest answer: it depends, and whoever gives you a number before asking what you want is giving you a random number. We will not print prices here. Not to dodge the question, but because any number without a scope misleads, and prices vary by team, country and time. What we will do is more useful: open the invoice and show you every line on it, so that when a proposal arrives you know what you are comparing, and why two proposals for the same "app" differ several times over. Before that, if you are not sure you need an app at all, read [app or website](https://www.kerneltics.com/blog/mobile-app-or-mobile-web). Many people save the whole amount there. ## Line 1: number of screens and features An app is a set of screens, each with logic behind it. An app with sign-up, a list, a detail page, a basket, payment, an account and notifications is roughly ten screens with their logic. A delivery app with a customer app, a driver app and a dispatch dashboard is three apps, not one. **What raises the price here:** every "small" feature has details: payment needs failure states, the map needs tracking, chat needs instant notifications. Write the feature list before requesting a proposal, and mark what is essential for the first version and what comes later. ## Line 2: the backend The part the customer never sees, and usually half the cost or more. The server that stores data, handles accounts, sends notifications, and connects to payment and maps. An app without a backend is an empty shell. **What raises the price here:** complexity in the data (orders with many states, different permissions, reports), and integration with existing systems such as Odoo or accounting. The good news: the same backend serves the website, the app and the dashboard, so you do not pay for it twice. ## Line 3: the admin dashboard Every app needs somewhere to manage users, orders and content. A simple dashboard costs far less than one with reports, multiple roles and automatic assignment. Decide who will use it and what they need to see. ## Line 4: one platform or two An iOS app and an Android app each with separate code means two teams and double the maintenance. Shared technologies such as Flutter (which we use) build both from one codebase, which clearly reduces cost and time without losing anything in most business apps. Apps that genuinely need native code per platform (games, heavy video processing) are rare. ## Line 5: design Designing the screens before coding. A custom design for your brand takes longer than a design built on ready components. Both are acceptable, but you should know which one is in your proposal. And Arabic design is not a translation of English: screen direction, fonts and numerals are all real work. ## Line 6: external integrations Every external service has an integration cost and sometimes a subscription: the payment gateway, maps, SMS verification, push notifications, WhatsApp. Ask for the list of external services and their monthly subscriptions, because you pay those after handover. ## Line 7: publishing to the stores Developer accounts at Apple and Google (annual fees you pay directly), preparing screenshots and descriptions, and a review that takes days and sometimes rejects and requires changes. This is real work that repeats with every update. ## Line 8: maintenance after launch The line that disappears from cheap proposals. iOS and Android change every year, libraries update, and the stores demand updates. An app without maintenance stops working within a year or two. Ask: what is the monthly or annual maintenance cost, and what does it cover? ## Why the "cheap" proposal costs more The proposal at a quarter of the price has usually removed one or more of these: - **A weak backend**, or one on a ready-made service that will not grow with you. - **Code not in your name**, or built on a template shared with twenty other apps. - **No design**, ready screens in your colours. - **No maintenance**, and the first operating system update stops the app. - **No dashboard**, so every change needs a developer. So you pay the difference six months later, with a rebuild. See [how to choose a software company](https://www.kerneltics.com/blog/choosing-a-tech-partner-saudi) for the questions that expose this before you sign. ## How to reduce the cost without wrecking the project 1. **A small first version.** Only the features without which the app does not work. The rest after you see usage. 2. **Shared code** for both platforms. 3. **Start with one app** if you have several parties: for example the driver app and a dashboard, with customers ordering from WhatsApp or the website at first. 4. **Ready design components** in your brand, instead of designing every element from scratch. 5. **A written scope with a fixed price** against it, and payment by milestone. ## How to request a proposal properly Send the company: the problem, who the user is, the feature list (essential / later), whether existing systems need integration, and a rough budget. The company that comes back with more questions before a number is the one you want. The one that comes back with a number the same day did not read it. ## The short version The cost of a mobile app comes from eight lines: screens and features, backend, dashboard, platforms, design, external integrations, publishing and maintenance. The final number depends on what you choose on each line, and a proposal that deletes lines looks cheaper and costs more. See [delivery and transport apps](https://www.kerneltics.com/solutions/delivery-apps) as an example of a multi-party app, or [book a free consultation](https://www.kerneltics.com/book) and we will define the scope and give you a fixed number for it.