Seven questions to answer before you commission a mobile app

Most requests start with the same sentence: "I want an app built, how much does it cost?" The honest answer is that the first number quoted is almost always wrong — because the price is set by the decisions behind the app, not by the app itself. Clarify these seven questions and you will get a realistic quote instead of a guess.

1. What job does the app do, and when?

"Let us communicate with customers" is a wish, not a goal. "A customer orders from the table without waiting for a waiter" is measurable work. Once you can write the second sentence, the scope narrows itself.

2. How many screens are truly essential in version one?

Cost is driven by the rules between screens, not by their count — but a rough number still helps: sign-in, list, detail, action, profile. A first version with five screens ships far sooner than a dream with fifteen.

3. Do you really need user accounts?

An account system is a small project of its own: registration, verification, password reset, session handling, account deletion. If you are not storing personal data yet, skip it in version one.

4. Will you take payments?

Payments are not just an integration; they bring refunds, invoicing, accounting and store commissions. If you sell inside the app, model how App Store and Google Play fees affect your economics before you build.

5. Where does the data come from?

If you already run an accounting or inventory system, something has to talk to it. That bridge often takes more effort than the interface. If the other side has no API, price that in early.

6. Who maintains it after launch?

Stores change rules, operating systems ship new versions, certificates expire. Projects without a maintenance plan disappear in their second year. A small monthly budget always beats rewriting from scratch.

7. How will you measure success?

Downloads are not a metric. "Share of users who order in the first week" or "reduction in support tickets" are. Set the measure up front and version two becomes a data decision, not an argument.

If the answers fit on a single page, your project is ready for a quote.