The cost of hiring a web app developer can range from a small fee for a focused repair to thousands of dollars for a complete product.
That wide range is why asking, “What is your hourly rate?” is rarely enough.
A better question is:
What outcome do I need, and what must the developer handle to deliver it properly?
Start with the scope
A landing page and a SaaS application are both web projects, but they require completely different levels of work.
A simple website may only need:
- A responsive interface
- A contact form
- Basic SEO
- Analytics
- Deployment
A web application may also require:
- User registration and authentication
- Different account roles and permissions
- A database
- Payments or subscriptions
- Dashboards
- File uploads
- Email notifications
- External APIs
- Admin controls
- Security rules
- Mobile testing
- Production deployment
Each additional layer increases the implementation, testing, and maintenance required.
Practical budget ranges
These are broad planning estimates, not guaranteed quotes.
Focused diagnosis or contained bug fix
Approximately $50–$500
This may include:
- Finding why a form is not saving
- Fixing a broken login or redirect
- Repairing a database query
- Correcting mobile responsiveness
- Fixing a deployment problem
- Troubleshooting an API integration
The cost depends heavily on whether the cause is already known.
A visible symptom such as an endless loading screen might be caused by authentication, environment variables, database permissions, an API failure, or loading-state code.
Landing page or small marketing website
Approximately $500–$2,000
This typically covers a focused website with:
- Responsive design
- Several content sections
- Contact or lead forms
- Basic integrations
- SEO foundations
- Analytics
- Deployment
Custom animations, complex forms, copywriting, booking systems, and advanced integrations can increase the price.
Business website
Approximately $2,000–$8,000
A larger business website may include:
- Multiple pages
- A CMS
- Blog or resource content
- Lead management
- Booking functionality
- Customer accounts
- Search or filtering
- Several integrations
- More extensive testing
The final cost depends on the number of unique page layouts and workflows, not only the number of pages.
Completing or repairing an AI-built app
Approximately $500–$3,000
Tools such as Lovable, Replit, and Base44 can produce an impressive application quickly.
However, an unfinished app may still need help with:
- Authentication
- Database structure
- Supabase policies
- Payments
- Mobile layouts
- Production configuration
- Error handling
- API connections
- Deployment
- Testing
Completing an organized AI-built app can be fast. Repairing one with duplicated logic, unclear prompts, or inconsistent data may take longer than expected.
Custom MVP
Approximately $2,000–$15,000 or more
A custom minimum viable product may include:
- User accounts
- Several user roles
- A database
- Payments
- Dashboards
- Messaging
- Automations
- Admin tools
- Third-party APIs
- Responsive design
- Production deployment
The best approach is usually to launch one valuable user journey first and postpone secondary features.
Hourly versus fixed-price work
Both pricing methods can work, but they solve different problems.
Hourly pricing
Hourly pricing is useful when:
- The cause of the problem is unknown
- The requirements may change
- The application was built by someone else
- The developer must investigate before estimating
- Several systems may be involved
The disadvantage is that the final cost is less certain until the investigation is complete.
Fixed-price work
Fixed pricing works best when:
- The deliverable is clearly defined
- The required pages and workflows are known
- Acceptance criteria are written
- Dependencies and exclusions are understood
- Both sides agree on what “complete” means
A fixed price without a clear scope can create disagreements and rushed work.
Milestone pricing
For larger projects, milestones are often safer.
A project could be divided into:
- Discovery and specification
- Core user journey
- Database and integrations
- Responsive testing
- Production deployment
- Handover and support
Each milestone creates something that can be reviewed before the next payment decision.
What increases development cost?
The largest cost factors usually include:
- Multiple user roles
- Authentication and permissions
- Payments and subscriptions
- Database migrations
- Sensitive or private data
- External APIs
- Email or notification systems
- File storage
- Complex dashboards
- Custom animations
- Mobile responsiveness
- Accessibility requirements
- Admin tools
- Production troubleshooting
The condition of an existing project also matters.
A well-organized application with a reproducible bug is easier to estimate than an application with no documentation, several unfinished features, and different behavior in Preview and production.
Do AI builders make development cheaper?
They can.
Lovable, Replit, Base44, and similar platforms reduce the time required for scaffolding, interface creation, and repetitive code.
But they do not remove the need for:
- Secure authentication
- Database permissions
- Reliable payments
- Data validation
- Error handling
- Production configuration
- Mobile testing
- Deployment
- Maintenance
The real cost advantage comes from combining fast tools with careful engineering and testing.
How to compare developer quotes
Do not compare quotes using price alone.
Ask what each quote includes:
- What exactly will be delivered?
- What is excluded?
- How many revisions are included?
- Who owns the code and accounts?
- Is mobile testing included?
- Is deployment included?
- Are database changes included?
- Are third-party subscriptions separate?
- What happens after launch?
- How will completion be verified?
A cheap quote can become expensive when it only covers the visible interface and excludes the database, integrations, deployment, or live testing.
How to receive a more accurate estimate
Before contacting a developer, prepare:
- The platform being used
- A public or Preview link
- The main user journey
- What currently works
- What is broken or missing
- Required integrations
- Your desired deadline
- Screenshots or error messages
- What you will accept as completed
Never send passwords, production secrets, or private customer data in an initial message.
Final thought
The best developer is not necessarily the person offering the lowest hourly rate.
Look for someone who understands the complete journey from the interface to authentication, database rules, integrations, mobile behavior, and production deployment.
A focused paid diagnosis can also save money when the scope is uncertain. It replaces guesses with a reproducible problem, a repair plan, and a more credible estimate.
I published a more detailed version of this pricing guide here:
Web App Developer Cost in 2026: Complete Pricing Guide
You can also view my web app development and troubleshooting services here:
