How Much Does It Cost to Turn a Website Into an App?
You have a website that works well on phones: a shop, a content site, a SaaS dashboard. Now customers ask for "the app", and the quotes you find online range from free to the price of a car. Both can be true, because "turning a website into an app" covers four very different paths.
This guide breaks the cost into its real parts: what Apple and Google charge, what the build costs, what keeps costing after launch, and the hidden items most estimates skip. It compares the four paths in one table and ends with a year-1 example built only from prices we checked on the providers' own pages.
Prices as of October 1, 2026, from each provider's official page, linked below. USD prices are shown as published; taxes are extra where they apply. Prices change — check the linked page before you decide.
The short answer
| Path | Upfront cost | Ongoing cost | You mainly pay with | Fits when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Native app by an agency or freelancer | Project quote | Maintenance retainer or per-update work | Money | The app needs what your website can't do: heavy offline use, deep device integration, complex native UI |
| 2. Cross-platform in-house (React Native, Flutter) | Your team's time | Your team's time | Time | You have developers and want a separate mobile codebase under full control |
| 3. Web-to-app builder or wrapper service | 0 to several hundred, or a setup fee for done-for-you services | Monthly or yearly plan | Money, little time | Your site is already mobile-friendly and the app should show it, with app features around it |
| 4. Progressive Web App (PWA) | ≈ 0 if your site is already a good mobile site | ≈ 0 | Time for manifest, service worker, push | You don't need to be in the App Store or Google Play |
Paths 1–3 all end in a store listing, so they share the same store fees. Path 4 doesn't — that's both its saving and its limitation.
The fixed costs: Apple and Google
Apple Developer Program: 99 USD per year
Publishing on the App Store requires a paid Apple Developer Program membership: "99 USD per membership year, or in local currency where available". The exact local price is shown during enrollment. Eligible nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can request a fee waiver.
Two details matter for budgeting:
- It's yearly. According to Apple's renewal page, if your membership expires your apps are no longer available for download and you can't submit updates. Installed copies keep working.
- Organizations need a D-U-N-S Number. Apple's enrollment page requires one and notes they're "free in most jurisdictions". It costs time, not money.
Google Play Console: 25 USD, once
Google charges a one-time registration fee of 25 USD, with no renewal.
The hidden cost is time: personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 consecutive days before applying for production access. Plan two weeks and twelve real people.
| Fee | Amount | Recurring? |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | 99 USD (or local currency) | Every year |
| Google Play Console | 25 USD | Once |
| Year 1, both stores | 124 USD | |
| Year 2 onward | 99 USD |
An app in both stores needs both accounts, whoever builds it. If a quote doesn't mention these fees, they come on top.
The costs that depend on how you build
Design and store assets
You need an icon, a splash screen and a store listing in each store's formats:
- App Store: 1 to 10 screenshots per display size; the 6.5-inch iPhone size is required if you don't provide 6.9-inch screenshots, and iPad screenshots are required if the app runs on iPad. Guideline 2.3.3: screenshots "should show the app in use, and not merely the title art, login page, or splash screen."
- Google Play: a 512 × 512 px icon, a 1024 × 500 px feature graphic and at least two screenshots.
With existing brand assets, this is a day of work. With a designer, it's a line item.
Build and signing
Someone has to compile both apps, sign them with your certificates and upload them. With your own code, iOS needs a Mac — the React Native docs say: "A Mac is required to build projects with native code for iOS." Builders and cloud build services take this step off your hands, and that's a large part of what you pay them for.
Review iterations
Apple says that on average 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. The cost is the rework after a rejection. For wrapped websites, a common reason is Guideline 4.2, which asks for "features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website" — see our guide to fixing a 4.2 rejection. Budget at least one round of changes.
Maintenance and OS updates
Apps don't stay compliant on their own. Two 2026 examples:
- Since April 28, 2026, uploads to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later using the iOS 26 SDK.
- From August 31, 2026, new apps and updates on Google Play must target Android 16 (API level 36); existing apps need at least API level 35 to stay available to new users on newer Android versions. Extensions can be requested until November 1, 2026.
With your own code, that's developer time every year. With a builder, ask how they handle it and whether rebuilds cost extra.
Ongoing hosting
A wrapper loads your live website, so you keep paying the hosting you already have. A native app usually needs an API for its data; if your site has none, building and hosting one is part of the project — often the biggest hidden item in paths 1 and 2.
Path 1: Native development by an agency or freelancer
We didn't find a reputable, citable source for typical agency prices, so here are the cost drivers instead of ranges. When you compare quotes, check what's included:
- One codebase or two — separate Swift and Kotlin apps cost more to build and maintain than one cross-platform app.
- Screens and flows — everything your website already does is rebuilt natively.
- Backend — an API your website doesn't have is a project of its own.
- Design, QA across devices, store submission and review rework.
- Maintenance — yearly SDK requirements, OS releases, bug fixes. Ask for it as a separate written line.
The upside is real: native UI, offline data, background tasks, deep device access. If your product needs those, a wrapper is the wrong tool and this is where the money belongs.
Path 2: Cross-platform in-house (React Native or Flutter)
With your own developers, the cost is time: rebuilding the UI your website already has in a second codebase, an API for the app, signing and two store pipelines (plus a Mac for iOS), the yearly SDK updates — and shipping every feature twice from then on. That's worth it when the app is meant to become its own product. For "our website, as an app", it duplicates work you've already paid for.
Path 3: Web-to-app builders and wrapper services
Builders package your existing site into iOS and Android apps and add app features around it, from self-service tools to fully managed services. What four of them publish on their own pricing pages, as of October 1, 2026:
| Provider | Published pricing | Model |
|---|---|---|
| MobiLoud | Business: 1,499 USD/month, or 1,274 USD/month billed annually, plus a one-time app development and submission fee (amount not listed); up to 10,000 monthly active users, 50 USD per additional 1,000. Enterprise: custom | Done for you: their team builds, designs, submits and maintains the apps |
| Median.co | Free (with "Powered by Median.co" watermark). Starter: 229 USD one-time license activation, then 179 USD/year starting in 12 months. Essential: 590 USD + 399 USD/year. Plus: 990 USD + 669 USD/year. Managed Business plan from 7,200 USD/year | Self-service, optional services |
| Natively | Free (no app binaries, no store publishing). Essential: 19 USD/month or 144 USD/year, 4 rebuilds included, extra rebuilds 9 USD. Unlimited: 49 USD/month or 384 USD/year. Lifetime: 699 USD one-time. Optional publishing service: 600 USD | Self-service, optional services |
| AppThunder | Free: €0 (builder and preview, no build credits). Solo: €39/month. Business: €99/month. Agency: €249/month. Net prices | Self-service cloud builder |
The plans differ in apps, builds, team seats and native features included, and in whether a team does the work for you — read what each includes before comparing totals.
Whichever you pick, Guideline 4.2.6 applies: apps from "a commercialized template or app generation service" must be "submitted directly by the provider of the app's content". In practice, publish from your own developer account.
Path 4: Progressive Web App (PWA)
A PWA is your website plus a manifest and a service worker, installed from the browser. No store fees, no review, no separate build. The current iOS facts:
- Installing is manual. On iOS 16.4 and later, users install from the Share menu in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Orion, per MDN. The
beforeinstallpromptevent behind Android install buttons isn't supported on iOS. - iOS 26 made it simpler. WebKit's Safari 26.0 notes: by default "every website added to the Home Screen opens as a web app", no manifest required.
- Push works after installation. Since iOS 16.4, Web Push and badges work for Home Screen web apps — not in a normal Safari tab.
- No store presence. Nobody finds you by searching the App Store or Google Play.
If customers mainly want an icon on the home screen, a PWA may be enough. If they look for you in the App Store, it isn't.
Hidden costs most estimates leave out
- Yearly Apple renewal — if it lapses, your app can no longer be downloaded
- Account deletion — Apple's 5.1.1(v) requires it "within the app" if users can create accounts; Google requires an in-app path and a web link
- Demo account — Apple's 2.1 asks for "an active demo account or fully-featured demo mode"; Google requires sign-in details for review
- Privacy policy — in App Store Connect and "within the app in an easily accessible manner" (5.1.1(i))
- Store listing — screenshots per device size and texts, in every language you list
- 4.2 rework — if the app looks like a repackaged website
- Google's closed test — 12 testers, 14 days, on new personal accounts
- Yearly SDK and target-API updates — at least one rebuild a year
Quotes from Apple's App Review Guidelines, last updated June 8, 2026.
Year-1 total cost of ownership: an example
One app, both stores, an existing mobile-friendly site, assets made yourself — using only the published prices above. VAT, design work and your own time are left out, and the plans include different things.
| Setup | Platform, year 1 | Store fees, year 1 | Year 1 total | Year 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PWA only | ≈ 0 | 0 | ≈ 0 | ≈ 0 |
| Natively Essential, billed annually | 144 USD | 124 USD | 268 USD | 144 USD + 99 USD |
| Median.co Starter | 229 USD | 124 USD | 353 USD | 179 USD + 99 USD |
| AppThunder Solo, 12 months | €468 net | 124 USD | €468 + 124 USD | €468 + 99 USD |
| MobiLoud Business, billed annually | 15,288 USD + one-time fee | 124 USD | 15,412 USD + one-time fee | 15,288 USD + 99 USD |
With a self-service builder, platform and store fees are in the same order of magnitude, and your own time — store listing, demo account, review — is the larger cost. A managed service turns most of that time into money. A native project adds development and maintenance on top of everything here.
When a wrapper is the wrong choice
A wrapper is only as good as your mobile site. It suits shops, content sites and SaaS products that are already fast and responsive on phones, where the website stays the main product and the app should follow every change.
It's the wrong choice when the app must work offline for long periods, when the product depends on heavy device features (Bluetooth hardware, background location, real-time audio or video), or when your site isn't mobile-friendly yet — fix that first, or you'll pay twice.
Where AppThunder fits
AppThunder turns your existing website into iOS and Android apps, built in the cloud without coding. The app loads your live site and adds a native icon and splash screen, camera and location permission prompts with purpose strings (only if you enable them), a branded offline screen that reloads automatically, a bottom tab bar via a copy-paste web snippet, and Thunder Analytics. A Guideline Checker flags common review issues — missing privacy page, login wall, missing account deletion — before you submit.
Builds are signed with your Apple and Google credentials, and iOS builds go to your App Store Connect (TestFlight), so you submit from your own account, as 4.2.6 requires. You get the .ipa and .aab files. Solo (€39/month net) includes 1 live app and 5 build credits per month; Business (€99) 3 apps and 12 credits; Agency (€249) 10 apps, 35 credits and commercial rights. Credits roll over for two months, and failed builds refund their credit.
What it doesn't do: replace or pay for your Apple and Google accounts, create your store listing, set up a demo account, or make a non-responsive site mobile-friendly. It's not the right tool for heavy offline use or deep device features. And nobody can guarantee an App Store approval — App Review decides each submission.
FAQ
What's the cheapest way to get my website into the App Store? A self-service builder plus the store fees: 124 USD for Apple and Google in year 1, plus the builder's plan. A PWA is cheaper, but it doesn't put you in the App Store.
Is the Apple fee really yearly? Yes — 99 USD per membership year, or the local-currency price. If it expires, your app is no longer available for download. Google's 25 USD is one-time.
Do I need a Mac to turn my website into an iOS app? Not with a cloud builder. If you build the iOS app yourself with React Native or native tools, you need a Mac with Xcode.
Can a builder guarantee App Store approval? App Review decides every submission. What you control is removing the usual reasons for rejection: app-style navigation, an offline state, account deletion, a demo account and a useful first screen.
Is a PWA enough instead of an app? If you don't need a store listing, often yes: on iOS 26 any site added to the Home Screen opens as a web app, and Web Push works there. The trade-offs are manual installation and no store discovery.