Short answer. Upwork says mobile app developers on its marketplace cost $18 to $39 an hour, a median range drawn from certain historical contracts worldwide, and a client on its Basic plan pays a 5% marketplace fee on top. Agencies cost more: on the first page of Clutch's mobile app development directory, 43 of the 66 firms list $25 to $99 an hour, and 49 of 66 list a minimum project of $10,000 or more. For a US employee, the BLS median wage for software developers was $135,980 in May 2025, about $65.38 an hour before benefits by our division over 2,080 hours. We read every source below on 11 November 2026.
Key numbers
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Upwork median rate, mobile app developers (historical contracts worldwide) | $18 to $39 an hour |
| Upwork Basic marketplace fee (plus $0.99 to $14.99 per contract) | 5% |
| Clutch firms listed, mobile app development (directory count) | 55,872 |
| First-page Clutch firms at $25 to $99 an hour (default sort) | 43 of 66 |
| First-page firms with a $10,000+ minimum (listed minimum project) | 49 of 66 |
| US median wage, software developers (May 2025, about $65.38 an hour) | $135,980 |
| Apple Developer Program (per membership year) | 99 USD a year |
| Google Play registration (one time) | US$25 |
| Testers for new personal Play accounts (closed test, personal accounts) | 12 for 14 days |
Upwork, Clutch, Toptal, Apple, Google Play Help and copyright.gov pages read 11 November 2026; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage.
Four ways to hire an app developer
There are four common routes, and each one prices the work differently. The table puts the published numbers side by side. None of them is a quote for your app; they are the starting points the sellers themselves publish.
| Route | What the source publishes | Extra costs and terms |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance marketplace (Upwork) | $18 to $39 an hour, median range | 5% marketplace fee on Basic, plus a $0.99 to $14.99 contract initiation fee |
| Agency (Clutch directory) | $25 to $99 an hour for 43 of 66 first-page firms | Minimum project sizes, most at $10,000 or more |
| Vetted network (Toptal) | No hourly rate we could attribute on its pricing page | A trial period with each new freelancer, per Toptal |
| Employee (US) | $135,980 median wage for software developers, May 2025 | Benefits, payroll taxes, equipment and hiring time |
Two of these sources sell the thing they measure. Upwork runs the marketplace whose rates it reports, and Clutch says on its directory that it "may earn a fee for some placements." Read their numbers as what each market shows, not as a neutral survey.
What freelance app developers charge
Upwork's cost page for mobile app developers leads with a range of $18 to $39 an hour and labels it "Median hourly rates (USD)." Its footnote explains the scope: the figures represent "typical hourly rate ranges of certain historical contracts worldwide," and what clients pay "is subject to negotiations with talent." So the range covers contracts from many countries.
The same page has a table that splits rates by platform. It lists $45 to $75 and up an hour for a basic or intermediate iOS developer and $35 to $60 and up for a basic or intermediate Android developer. The two figures sit in different parts of the page and are not directly comparable.
In Google's Keyword Planner, read on 11 November 2026 for the US, UK, UAE, Canada and Australia, "hire app developer" and "hire mobile app developer" each sit in the 1K to 10K range of average monthly searches, while "hire flutter developer", "hire react native developer" and "hire ios developer" each sit in the 100 to 1K range. Framework-specific searches are smaller, but they are there.
What app development agencies list on Clutch
Clutch's mobile app development directory showed 55,872 companies when we opened it. We read the 66 firms on its first page in the default sort and counted the hourly rate band each one lists. This is a snapshot of one sort order, not a random sample.
| Hourly rate band | Firms on page one | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $25 | 9 | 14% |
| $25 to $49 | 23 | 35% |
| $50 to $99 | 20 | 30% |
| $100 to $149 | 7 | 11% |
| $150 to $199 | 7 | 11% |
Shares are rounded, so they add up to 101%.
The minimum project size matters as much as the rate. Of the same 66 firms, 21 list $10,000+ as their minimum, 18 list $25,000+, 9 list $50,000+ and 1 lists $100,000+. Another 12 list $5,000+ and 5 list $1,000+. So 49 of 66, about three quarters, list a minimum of $10,000 or more, above a budget smaller than that.
Marketplace fees you pay on top
Upwork publishes its client fees on its pricing page. On the Basic plan, "a 5% Marketplace fee" applies, so a $100 project costs $105, "plus a one-time Contract Initiation Fee ranging from $0.99 to $14.99." Eligible US clients who pay from a checking account get a 3% fee instead. On Business Plus the fee is 10%, so the same $100 contract costs $110.
Toptal takes a different approach. Its pricing page says that with each new freelancer "you will have a trial period," and "If you don't find them to be extraordinary, you will not be charged." It also describes its network as the "top 3%" of freelance talent; that is Toptal's own claim, not an independent measure.
A worked example: a 400-hour build
Here is a hypothetical first version of an app that takes 400 hours of developer time. The hours are our assumption; the rates are the published figures above, and the arithmetic is ours.
| Route | Rate used | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Upwork, low end of median range, plus 5% fee | $18 an hour | $7,560 |
| Upwork, high end of median range, plus 5% fee | $39 an hour | $16,380 |
| Agency at the bottom of the common Clutch band | $25 an hour | $10,000 |
| Agency at the top of the common Clutch band | $99 an hour | $39,600 |
| US employee at the median wage, wages only | $65.38 an hour | about $26,150 |
The Upwork rows leave out the initiation fee of up to $14.99 per contract. The employee row leaves out benefits and payroll tax, so the true cost of that route is higher. Our app development cost guide breaks down what a full build and its running costs add up to.
Own the store accounts before work starts
Whoever you hire, the app should ship from accounts your business owns. Apple says the Apple Developer Program "is 99 USD per membership year." Google Play charges "a US$25 one-time registration fee." That is $124 in the first year for both stores.
Both stores ask organizations for a D-U-N-S Number. Apple uses it to verify "your organization's identity, legal entity status, and address," and says your organization's name "will be displayed as the seller name of your apps on the App Store." Google requires one to create an organization developer account.
Apple's Account Holder is the person who renews the membership, accepts legal agreements and approves banking changes, so we suggest that role stays with the business, with the developer added as a team member. Google also sets a testing rule for personal accounts: those created after November 13, 2023 "must run a closed test for their app with a minimum of 12 testers who have been opted in continuously for at least 14 days" before the app is eligible for distribution. We cover the ownership question in more depth in who should own your App Store account.
Get the code ownership in writing
Under the US Copyright Act, a "work made for hire" is either work "prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment," or one of a short list of commissioned works, such as a contribution to a collective work, a translation, a compilation or an atlas, where both parties "expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them" that it is a work made for hire. Code from an outside contractor counts only if it fits one of those listed types and that signed agreement exists. Otherwise, get the copyright transferred to you.
Section 204(a) of the same law says a transfer of copyright ownership, other than by operation of law, "is not valid unless" it is "in writing and signed" by the owner of the rights or the owner's authorized agent. In practice, that means a signed assignment of the code, the designs and the store assets to your business, in the contract you sign before work starts. This is general information, not legal advice; ask a lawyer to review the contract for your country.
How to vet an app developer
We suggest five checks before you sign with a freelancer or an agency:
- Live apps you can open. Ask for App Store and Google Play links to apps they shipped, and check the seller name on each listing.
- A small paid test. A one or two day task shows how they communicate, estimate and hand over code.
- A written scope. Screens, features, platforms and who writes the backend, with a price or an hours cap for each part.
- Your accounts, their access. Store accounts, the code repository and any cloud services sit in your name, and the developer is invited in.
- A signed assignment. Code ownership transfers to you in writing, as covered above.
Freelancer, agency or employee
A freelancer usually suits a defined job: a fix, a feature, or a first version with a clear scope. An agency usually suits a build that needs design, backend, testing and store release handled by one team, and most first-page Clutch agencies above list minimums of $10,000 or more. An employee suits an app that is the product itself and will change every week; the BLS projects 10% growth in employment of software developers, QA analysts and testers from 2025 to 2035, with about 106,100 openings a year on average.
These are our suggestions, not rules. The right route depends on how much of the work you can manage yourself.
How imisofts can help
imisofts is a Dubai-based agency that builds mobile apps, including apps with AI features. See our AI mobile app development page, or launch your SaaS for web products. If you are hiring for a Shopify store instead, see our guide to hiring a Shopify developer.
Sources: Upwork, mobile app developer cost; Upwork client pricing; Clutch mobile app development companies directory; Toptal pricing and trial; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, software developers; Apple Developer Program membership; Apple enrollment requirements; Apple Developer Program roles; Google Play Console registration; Google Play developer account types; Google Play testing requirements for personal accounts; US Copyright Act, section 101; US Copyright Act, sections 201 and 204.
Frequently Asked Questions
Upwork reports a median of $18 to $39 an hour for mobile app developers on its marketplace, based on certain historical contracts worldwide, plus a 5% marketplace fee on its Basic plan. On the first page of Clutch's agency directory, 43 of 66 firms list $25 to $99 an hour.
For an employee, the BLS median wage for software developers was $135,980 in May 2025, which works out to about $65.38 an hour before benefits and payroll tax. That is an employee wage, not a rate a contractor charges. Agencies on Clutch's first page, based in many countries, list bands from under $25 to $199 an hour.
Upwork's published median range of $18 to $39 an hour is lower than the $25 to $99 band that 43 of 66 first-page Clutch agencies list. Agencies also set minimums; 49 of those 66 firms list a minimum project of $10,000 or more.
On the Basic plan, Upwork adds a 5% marketplace fee, so a $100 project costs $105, plus a one-time contract initiation fee of $0.99 to $14.99. Eligible US clients paying by checking account pay 3%, and Business Plus clients pay 10%.
Under the US Copyright Act, contractor code is a work made for hire only if it fits one of the listed commissioned types and both parties sign a written agreement saying so. Otherwise a copyright transfer must be in writing and signed, so put a signed assignment in the contract. This is general information, not legal advice.
An Apple Developer Program membership at 99 USD a year and a Google Play developer account with a US$25 one-time fee, $124 in year one. Most organizations need a D-U-N-S Number for both, and we suggest the business holds the accounts.