How long does app development take? It mainly depends on the size. A simple app or web app with a few screens can be ready within a few weeks. An app with login, payments and integrations with your other systems usually takes a few months. Large platforms with many user roles often run longer. These are indications: every project is different.
More important than the total is knowing where the time goes. In this article you'll learn which phases an app project has, which factors affect the schedule most and what you can do yourself to go live sooner.
The phases of an app project
Having an app built happens in steps. Each step has its own lead time. As an indication for an average project for a small or medium-sized business:
- Preparation and listing your wishes: from a few days to a few weeks. You decide the goal, the audience and the core features.
- Design: usually one to several weeks. First sketches of the screens, then the real design in your brand style.
- Build: the biggest part. From a few weeks for a small app to a few months for an extensive one.
- Testing: partly runs alongside the build, with a test round of one to several weeks at the end.
- Publishing in the app stores: Apple and Google review your app. That often takes a few days, but a rejection adds another round.
- After launch: small improvements and updates, ongoing.
Want to know exactly what happens in each phase? Our article how an app is built explains the whole process. Here the focus is on time.
What determines how long app development takes?
Two apps that look the same at first glance can have very different timelines. These are the biggest factors:
- Number of features and screens: every extra feature has to be designed, built and tested.
- User roles: an app for customers only is ready sooner than one for customers, staff and administrators who each see something different.
- Integrations: every connection with a CRM, accounting or scheduling system takes time, especially if the other software has a limited API.
- Native or web app: a web app is one version. An app for iPhone and Android needs more testing and publishing work.
- Special features: offline use, payments, location or notifications make an app more complex.
- Speed of decision-making: how quickly you give feedback and make choices.
That last point is often underestimated. A project regularly stalls because it's waiting for copy, images, approval of the design or access to another system.
Timeline by type of app (indication)
To give you a feel, three examples. See them as a rough indication, not a promise.
- A simple web app or customer portal with login and a few overviews: often a few weeks.
- A customer app for iPhone and Android with appointments, notifications and a calendar integration: often one to several months.
- A platform with several user groups, payments, an admin environment and multiple integrations: often several months, built in phases.
With large apps it's smart not to want everything at once. A first version with only the core, also called an MVP, goes live sooner. Then you build on based on what users actually do. Read more in getting an MVP built.
Why app projects run late
Delays almost always have the same causes. If you know them, you can get ahead of them.
- Wishes change halfway. A new idea during the build often costs more time than if it had been known from the start.
- Unclear agreements. If it isn't fixed exactly what's in version one, the list grows without anyone noticing.
- Integrations that disappoint. Another system's API can do less than expected.
- Rejection by Apple or Google, for example because of a missing privacy policy or a test account that doesn't work.
- Content that arrives late, such as copy, photos or prices.
How to get your app built faster
You can influence the timeline a lot. Not by rushing the developer, but by preparing well:
- Put in writing up front which features are in the first version, and which come later.
- Appoint one person on your side who makes decisions and responds quickly.
- Set up the developer accounts with Apple and Google in your company's name in good time. That can take a while.
- Make sure copy, images and your privacy policy are ready before the build is finished.
- Where possible, choose a web app or a cross-platform technology, so one codebase works for iPhone and Android.
- Put test moments in your calendar, so your feedback isn't held up.
Is your idea not sharp yet? Then good preparation speeds up the whole project. Our article on developing your app idea helps you with that.
After launch: an app is never completely finished
Having an app built doesn't stop on the day it appears in the store. In the first weeks, small improvements often come out of user feedback. On top of that, Apple and Google release new versions of iOS and Android every year. Your app has to keep working on them, and the stores occasionally set new requirements.
So on top of the build time, allow for ongoing time for maintenance and updates. A short round after launch, for example a few weeks after going live, is smart for handling the first reactions. After that you plan updates in regular rounds, so your app gets better step by step without unsettling your users. Read more about app maintenance.
How long does app development take at Violexa?
At Violexa you work directly with the developer. That saves handovers and waiting time. After a first conversation you get a schedule with the phases and what we need from you when. For larger projects you get a fixed price in writing up front, so you also know where you stand financially. A custom app or web application starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT) per project. Read more about our approach under websites and apps.
Want to know roughly how long your app will take? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your idea. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
How long does app development take on average?
A simple app or web app can be ready within a few weeks. An app with login, payments and integrations usually takes a few months. These are indications: the number of features and the speed of decision-making make a big difference.
How long does the Apple and Google review take?
Often a few days, sometimes faster. If your app is rejected, you adjust it and resubmit it, which costs an extra round. So plan some slack into the launch.
Can an app be ready in a few weeks?
Yes, if the app is small and the requirements are clear up front. Think of a web app with a few screens and no complicated integrations. For an extensive app, a small first version is the fastest route to going live.
Why does app development take longer than a website?
An app often has more logic, such as login, storing data and integrations. A native app also has to work on different devices and be approved by the app stores. That takes extra build and test time.
