Apps & SaaS 
What budget should you plan for a mobile app?
The cost of a mobile app in Belgium depends on its purpose, integrations and reliability requirements. As a worked example, a hypothetical 60 days at €700 excluding VAT per day totals €42,000 excluding VAT, before contingency and operations. This is an educational calculation, not a Gaspa price or a Belgian market average. A quote should explain the scope, assumptions and costs that continue after launch.
Three decisions that shape the budget
- 01Define a complete journey for the first release, including its back office.
- 02Compare offers against the same deliverables, tests and exclusions.
- 03Separate discovery, delivery, contingency and recurring costs.
01
Three worked examples of mobile app budgets
A total without a scope cannot meaningfully compare projects. A content app, a booking service and a platform with multiple roles require different work. The following examples explain a calculation method before an estimate for a specific product.
We use the same hypothetical €700 excluding VAT daily rate to isolate the effect of effort. Days are editorial assumptions covering discovery, design, development, testing and release. These are not Gaspa packages, observed Belgian averages or calendar commitments. All three exclude contingency, hosting, third-party services and maintenance.
| Illustrative scenario | Assumed scope | Calculation | Total excluding VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited first app | Content, a simple form and light administration | 20 days × €700 | €14,000 |
| Service MVP | Account, booking journey, notifications and back office | 60 days × €700 | €42,000 |
| Larger product | Multiple roles, business integrations and more complex synchronisation | 120 days × €700 | €84,000 |
02
What changes the cost of an iOS and Android app?
Screen count tells only part of the story. A booking screen may need availability, cancellations, time zones, payments and failure handling. Each rule adds cases to design, build and test.
For an app used in Brussels or elsewhere in Belgium, identify the languages actually needed and who supplies translations. A French, Dutch and English interface also requires appropriate content, error messages, testing and support. Translating interface labels does not translate all business content.
Six areas to clarify before a quote
- 01
Users and permissions
Customer, operator and administrator roles each introduce actions and checks.
- 02
Journeys and exceptions
Changes, failed payments, cancellations, account deletion and recovery.
- 03
Data and APIs
CRM connections, historical records, interface quality and available documentation.
- 04
Device capabilities
Camera, location, notifications, Bluetooth or offline use as required.
- 05
Administration
Managing content, requests, users, access rights and operations.
- 06
Quality and handover
Accessibility, test devices, security, acceptance, documentation and release.
03
A closer look at the €42,000 excluding VAT example
Imagine a service company allowing customers to book an appointment and follow its status. The initial scope includes an account, simple booking, notifications and administration. Online payments, live GPS tracking and route optimisation are deferred. This is a fictional scenario, not a Gaspa client budget.
One possible allocation of the 60 days appears below. A delivery team must check each assumption before committing. For example, a poorly documented existing booking system could materially change integration effort.
| Workstream | Assumed effort | Amount excluding VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and business rules | 6 days | €4,200 |
| UX/UI and prototype | 10 days | €7,000 |
| Mobile app | 22 days | €15,400 |
| APIs and back office | 10 days | €7,000 |
| Testing and acceptance | 8 days | €5,600 |
| Release and handover | 4 days | €2,800 |
| Total | 60 days | €42,000 |
04
React Native or native: what changes in the budget?
A shared codebase can reuse some work between iOS and Android. It does not remove platform testing, device differences or release steps. Promising that it automatically halves the budget would therefore be misleading.
Native development may suit capabilities closely tied to a platform or device. Consider the first version, planned changes and the team maintaining the product. Compare options using your actual features and total operating costs.
Explore the technical decision
05
Costs that continue after your app launches
The build price may not cover hosting, storage, messaging, maps, payment services, monitoring and support. Ask for volume assumptions, limits and the party paying for each service.
Maintenance includes corrections, operating system compatibility and dependencies. New features need a separate allowance when the contract excludes them. For a useful comparison, request a three-year projection separating launch, operations and planned improvements.
Apple and Google describe developer account conditions in their official documentation. Check applicable fees at launch and the conditions for your payment model. Plan to create accounts in your company’s name and obtain the access details.
Plan ongoing product support
06
Personal data, testing and publication: make the work visible
If the app processes information about individuals, data protection belongs in its design. The European Commission explains that pseudonymised data allowing reidentification remains personal data. Minimising collection and clarifying access helps scope the work; it does not replace a project-specific legal assessment.
Agree who prepares store listings, screenshots, translations and privacy information. Acceptance should include difficult cases: unstable networks, denied permissions, expired sessions and third-party failures. A successful prototype does not demonstrate coverage of all these journeys.
Sources consulted
07
Reduce the scope while preserving the essential service
Start with one journey that delivers a complete service. In the booking example, customers must be able to request a slot and receive a reliable confirmation. Advanced messaging or loyalty features can wait if their absence does not prevent that service.
Reusing an existing component or keeping an operation manual in the back office may reduce the first stage. Explain the resulting team workload and when automation becomes worthwhile. Removing testing or recovery does not remove the need for reliability.
08
Gaspa projects with different delivery scopes
Alba Golf illustrates an iOS and Android MVP with coach and player spaces, AI-assisted video analysis, a back office and APIs. Hummingbird involves a concierge experience and request management. ProtectU covers geolocation, alerts and secure communication.
These projects show why screen count alone cannot price a mobile app. Their budgets are not published here: none of the earlier calculations is attributed to these clients. Read the case studies to examine Gaspa’s work and deliverables.
09
Compare quotes from mobile app agencies in Belgium
Ask each partner to estimate the same first version. Request their assumptions and factors that could change the price. A low total covering only the app cannot be directly compared with a proposal including the back office, testing and deployment.