Screen count alone does not determine a mobile app budget. A single recording screen can include microphone permission, connection loss, draft recovery and retry behaviour. A useful estimate describes these states as well as the visible screens.
Start with one complete user journey
What does the user start with, and what result should they leave with? For a journal, creating an entry, saving it and opening it again may form the core journey. Sharing, advanced reports and an administration website are separate scope decisions.
In Nurena, the journey from voice or text to analysis includes returning to unfinished text. This is why “what happens when the connection fails?” belongs in a project brief.
What changes the budget?
- Platforms: iOS, Android or both, including supported devices and OS versions.
- Identity and data: accounts, roles, sync, offline storage and data transfer.
- Payments: subscriptions, restoring purchases and access states.
- Integrations: existing APIs, AI features, notifications and administration.
- Release: device checks, store assets, descriptions and review corrections.
Turn each item into a deliverable or acceptance criterion. An undefined promise that everything is included is difficult to compare across quotes.
Native or a shared codebase?
Highly platform-specific hardware or interface requirements can make native development relevant. Shareable product flows may suit an approach such as React Native. Sharing code does not remove the need to test each platform.
Nurena uses React Native and Expo. That choice reflects its requirements, rather than a rule for every project. Team experience, device needs and maintenance should inform the decision. The React Native documentation provides a technical starting point.
Separate build costs from operating costs
List store accounts, hosting, AI usage, email and maintenance separately from design and implementation. For usage-based services, model user count and activity instead of assuming a single fixed monthly bill.
Schedules also depend on scope. Ask how the work is divided into deliverables, when your feedback is needed, and how store review fits into the release plan. A target date should distinguish implementation completion from public availability.
Compare equivalent quotes
Agree source-code handover, test devices, defect coverage, release responsibility, maintenance and the process for scope changes. Use the same feature list for each quote. A missing workflow added later can make an initially low price misleading.
Use our MVP scope guide to prioritise. Then explore mobile development or share your project.
Plan the schedule and ongoing work together
Use the mobile app development timeline to check which deliverables a quote includes. For responsibilities after release, work through the app maintenance checklist.