Free Online App Cost Calculator | 5-Year Total Cost

App type

Year 0 uses this app’s MVP build estimate ($19,450). See full PRD breakdown

Projected monthly active users (MAU)

Enter expected MAU for Years 1–5 in the table below. Year 0 is the build phase; hosting and retainer costs start once the app is live. Costs update as you type.

	Year 0(build)	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
Monthly Active Users	-
Development	$19,450	-	-	-	-	-
Hosting	-	$1,056$88/mo	$2,640$220/mo	$2,640$220/mo	$2,640$220/mo	$5,940$495/mo
Maintenance/ Enhancements Retainer	-	$18,000$1,500/mo	$18,000$1,500/mo	$18,000$1,500/mo	$18,000$1,500/mo	$18,000$1,500/mo
Year total	$19,450	$19,056	$20,640	$20,640	$20,640	$23,940
Grand total	$124,366

How we calculate this

Development (Year 0): one-time MVP build from the selected app PRD.
Hosting (Years 1–5): monthly band based on MAU, × 12. Includes a 10% uplift on Supabase base costs for ancillary services such as SMS, email, push notifications.
Maintenance/ Enhancements Retainer (Years 1–5): $1,500/month (~20 hrs) for maintenance, bug fixes and minor enhancements - $18,000/year. Complex apps requiring major changes/ pivots to ensure ongoing product-market fit will require a larger retainer or changes can be estimated on an individual basis.

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Hosting bands (monthly, incl. 10% services uplift)

Hosting is priced by monthly active users. Annual hosting in the table above = monthly band × 12. See hosting & maintenance detail.

MAU band	Base (Supabase)	With uplift
Up to 1k MAU	$80/mo	$88/mo
1k–10k MAU	$200/mo	$220/mo
10k–50k MAU	$450/mo	$495/mo
50k–200k MAU	$1,100/mo	$1,210/mo
200k–1M MAU	$2,750/mo	$3,025/mo
Over 1M	Contact us for enterprise hosting

Important caveats

MVP build figures are starting estimates from published PRDs; your scope, markets, and integrations will change the price.
Hosting scales with users; bands are indicative and assume a typical Supabase-backed stack.
The maintenance/enhancements retainer covers bug fixes and minor enhancements, not new features or major redesigns.
Other third-party usage costs, such as AI token charges, payment processing fees, or premium API tiers, are not included in this estimate.
With a custom build from App Developer Studio, you own the code and IP, with no platform lock-in.

Need a quote for your exact idea? Get a tailored estimate with ChatStack or browse all app cost estimates.

Questions we get asked

Calculator FAQs

Is this a free online app cost calculator?

Yes. This is a free, no-sign-up calculator you use in your browser. Pick an app type, enter projected monthly active users for Years 1–5, and see a Year 0–5 breakdown of development, hosting, and maintenance costs.

What is included in Year 0 vs Years 1–5?

Year 0 is the one-time MVP build - design, development, and launch of your first version. Years 1–5 cover ongoing hosting (scaled to your projected MAU) and a monthly retainer for bug fixes and minor enhancements. New features or major scope changes are quoted separately.

How do hosting bands work?

Hosting cost depends on monthly active users. We use Supabase-oriented bands with a 10% uplift for ancillary platforms like monitoring, email, SMS, and push notifications. As your user base grows, the band (and monthly hosting) increases; enter your projected MAU per year above to see the annual total.

What does the retainer cover?

The retainer is $1,500/month (~20 hours) for maintenance, bug fixes, security patches, dependency updates, and minor enhancements - $18,000 per year. Complex apps requiring major changes or pivots to ensure ongoing product-market fit will require a larger retainer, or changes can be estimated on an individual basis.

Are these numbers fixed quotes?

No - this is a planning tool. MVP build costs come from real PRDs; hosting scales with users; your exact retainer hours can be adjusted. For a quote tailored to your idea, use ChatStack or contact us.