800website is a Dubai web and app development agency. We built the ordering app for ChickenWay, a restaurant in Beirut. Here are the real numbers.
How much does it cost to build an app in Dubai?
From AED 9,999 for iOS and Android, delivered in 6 to 8 weeks. That is a starting price for a defined app with a standard screen count, not a ceiling — complex apps with custom back ends run considerably higher.
The add-ons that most apps genuinely need, priced separately:
- User authentication and profiles — AED 1,500
- Push notifications setup — AED 1,000
- Payment integration (Stripe or local) — AED 2,500
- Booking or appointment system — AED 3,000
- Real-time chat or messaging — AED 3,500
- Maps and location features — AED 1,500
- Each screen beyond six — AED 1,200
A realistic ordering app — accounts, push, payments, a few extra screens — lands around AED 16,000 to AED 20,000. Across the wider Dubai market you will see AED 15,000 to AED 300,000 quoted, and the spread is almost entirely scope.
What does it cost to publish to the app stores?
Two developer accounts, paid to Apple and Google, not to your agency. Apple charges roughly USD 99 a year. Google Play charges a one-time USD 25. Both are billed to you directly and both should be in your own company name — not your developer’s.
That last point matters more than the money. An app published under an agency’s developer account is an app you cannot move, update or take with you. Insist on your own accounts from day one; it takes twenty minutes to set up.
Budget for review time too. Apple review typically takes one to three days but can take longer for a first submission, and rejections over privacy policy wording or account deletion requirements are common and fixable.
What ongoing costs does an app have after launch?
This is the line most quotes omit. An app is not a one-time purchase:
- Developer accounts — the Apple fee recurs annually.
- Back-end hosting — anything with accounts, orders or content needs a server behind it.
- OS updates. iOS and Android ship major versions yearly and apps break. Budget for maintenance every year, not just when something fails.
- Store policy changes. Apple and Google change requirements and non-compliant apps get pulled.
- Payment gateway fees, per transaction, to the gateway.
A reasonable rule is 15 to 20 percent of the original build cost per year to keep an app healthy. An app left alone for two years usually needs significant work before it will even submit.
Should I build an app at all?
Our honest advice to most clients is no, not first. Build a mobile site that does the job, prove people use it, then build the app for your repeat customers. An app nobody has downloaded sells nothing, and acquiring downloads is a marketing cost most businesses have not budgeted for.
Apps make sense when you have repeat usage — ordering, booking, loyalty, account access. They rarely make sense as a first customer-acquisition channel.
See our mobile app development, the published pricing, or restaurant ordering systems.
Talk to us
800website is a Dubai web design and development agency with published fixed prices. Send the details and you get a fixed scope and a fixed price back — no hourly billing. Contact us, message us on WhatsApp, or call +971 58 578 5380.
