Building a mobile app is just the beginning. Maintenance typically costs 15-20% of original development annually. This guide breaks down what to expect and how to budget.
Quick Cost Overview
| App Complexity | Initial Cost | Annual Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | $30K-50K | $5K-10K |
| Medium | $50K-150K | $10K-30K |
| Complex | $150K-500K | $30K-100K |
| Enterprise | $500K+ | $100K+ |
What's Included in Maintenance
1. Bug Fixes and Updates
Monthly Bug Fix Budget:
├── Critical bugs: Emergency response
├── Major bugs: 1-3 day resolution
├── Minor bugs: Scheduled fixes
└── UI/UX issues: Batch updates
Typical allocation: 20-30% of maintenance budget
2. OS and Device Updates
Every year brings new challenges:
iOS Updates:
├── New iOS version (September): Major compatibility work
├── New device support: Testing and optimization
├── API deprecations: Code updates required
└── App Store policy changes: Compliance updates
Android Updates:
├── New Android version (August): Compatibility testing
├── New devices: Fragmentation handling
├── Play Store requirements: Target SDK updates
└── Security requirements: Ongoing compliance
Annual cost: $3,000-15,000 depending on app complexity
3. Server and Infrastructure
Monthly Infrastructure Costs:
├── Cloud hosting (AWS/GCP/Azure): $100-5,000+
├── Database hosting: $50-500+
├── CDN for media: $50-200+
├── SSL certificates: $0-100
├── Domain: $10-50/year
├── Monitoring tools: $50-300
└── Backup services: $20-100
Scaling considerations:
├── 1K users: ~$100-200/month
├── 10K users: ~$300-500/month
├── 100K users: ~$1,000-3,000/month
└── 1M users: ~$5,000-20,000/month
4. Third-Party Services
Common Third-Party Costs (Monthly):
├── Push notifications (Firebase/OneSignal): $0-500
├── Analytics (Mixpanel/Amplitude): $0-1,000
├── Crash reporting (Sentry/Crashlytics): $0-300
├── Payment processing (Stripe fees): 2.9% + $0.30
├── Maps (Google Maps): $0-500 (free tier available)
├── Auth services: $0-500
├── Email services (SendGrid): $0-100
└── SMS services (Twilio): Usage-based
Typical total: $200-3,000/month
5. Security Maintenance
Security Budget:
├── Regular security audits: $2,000-10,000/year
├── Penetration testing: $5,000-20,000/year
├── SSL/Certificate renewals: $0-500/year
├── Security patches: Included in bug fixes
└── Compliance updates: $1,000-5,000/year
6. Performance Optimization
Quarterly optimization tasks:
├── Database optimization
├── API response time improvement
├── Image/asset optimization
├── Memory leak fixes
├── Battery usage optimization
└── Network efficiency improvements
Budget: 10-15% of maintenance cost
Maintenance Cost Breakdown by Type
Type 1: Essential Maintenance
Minimum required to keep app functional.
Essential (Monthly):
├── Hosting: $100-500
├── Bug fixes: $500-2,000
├── OS updates: $500-1,500 (averaged)
├── Security patches: $200-500
└── Monitoring: $100-200
Total: $1,400-4,700/month
Annual: $17,000-56,000
Type 2: Standard Maintenance
Typical for actively used apps.
Standard (Monthly):
├── All Essential items: $1,400-4,700
├── Performance monitoring: $200-500
├── User support handling: $500-2,000
├── Minor improvements: $1,000-3,000
├── Analytics review: $200-500
└── Content updates: $500-1,500
Total: $3,800-12,200/month
Annual: $46,000-146,000
Type 3: Premium Maintenance
For high-growth or enterprise apps.
Premium (Monthly):
├── All Standard items: $3,800-12,200
├── 24/7 monitoring: $500-1,500
├── Dedicated support team: $3,000-8,000
├── Regular security audits: $500-1,500
├── A/B testing: $500-1,000
├── Feature improvements: $3,000-10,000
└── Performance optimization: $1,000-3,000
Total: $12,300-37,200/month
Annual: $148,000-446,000
Cost by App Type
E-commerce App
Specific maintenance needs:
├── Payment gateway updates: $200-500/month
├── Inventory sync maintenance: $300-800/month
├── Order processing reliability: $200-400/month
├── Product catalog updates: $500-1,500/month
├── Seasonal traffic scaling: $500-2,000/event
└── PCI compliance: $1,000-3,000/year
Annual maintenance: $25,000-80,000
Social/Content App
Specific maintenance needs:
├── Content moderation tools: $500-2,000/month
├── Storage scaling: $200-1,000/month
├── CDN costs: $100-500/month
├── Real-time features: $300-800/month
├── User-generated content handling: $500-1,500/month
└── Community management tools: $200-500/month
Annual maintenance: $20,000-60,000
On-Demand Service App
Specific maintenance needs:
├── Real-time tracking: $500-1,500/month
├── Maps API costs: $200-1,000/month
├── Payment processing: 2-3% of transactions
├── SMS/notifications: $100-500/month
├── Provider app maintenance: Additional 30-50%
└── Matching algorithm tuning: $500-2,000/month
Annual maintenance: $40,000-120,000
Healthcare App
Specific maintenance needs:
├── HIPAA compliance: $5,000-15,000/year
├── Security audits: $5,000-20,000/year
├── EHR integration: $1,000-3,000/month
├── Telehealth infrastructure: $500-2,000/month
├── Data backup (healthcare-grade): $500-1,500/month
└── Compliance updates: $2,000-5,000/year
Annual maintenance: $50,000-150,000
Hidden Costs to Consider
1. Technical Debt
Signs of technical debt:
├── Slow feature development
├── Increasing bug rate
├── Performance degradation
├── Difficulty hiring developers
└── High maintenance cost growth
Cost to address: 20-40% of original development
Prevention: Allocate 15-20% of dev time to refactoring
2. Dependency Updates
Common dependencies needing updates:
├── React Native / Flutter SDK
├── Firebase SDK
├── Payment SDKs
├── Analytics SDKs
├── Third-party UI libraries
└── Backend frameworks
Impact: 5-15 hours/month for updates
Cost: $500-2,000/month
3. App Store Changes
Recent requirement examples:
├── Privacy nutrition labels (iOS)
├── Data safety section (Android)
├── SDK minimum versions
├── Review guideline changes
└── New required permissions handling
Cost: $1,000-5,000 per major change
4. User Support
Support costs by volume:
├── < 1,000 users: DIY or part-time ($500-1,000/month)
├── 1K-10K users: Part-time support ($1,000-3,000/month)
├── 10K-100K users: Dedicated support ($3,000-8,000/month)
└── 100K+ users: Support team ($8,000-20,000+/month)
Tools cost:
├── Intercom: $74-999/month
├── Zendesk: $49-199/agent/month
├── Freshdesk: $15-79/agent/month
└── Help Scout: $20-65/user/month
Reducing Maintenance Costs
1. Choose Right Technology
Lower maintenance technologies:
├── Cross-platform (Flutter/React Native): 30-40% savings
├── BaaS (Firebase/Supabase): Reduce backend maintenance
├── Managed services: Reduce infrastructure work
└── Modern frameworks: Better long-term support
2. Invest in Quality Initially
Quality investments that reduce maintenance:
├── Automated testing: Catch bugs early
├── CI/CD pipelines: Faster, safer deployments
├── Clean architecture: Easier updates
├── Documentation: Faster onboarding
└── Code reviews: Fewer bugs shipped
3. Use Managed Services
Managed vs Self-Hosted (Monthly):
├── Database:
│ ├── Self-hosted: $200 + 10hrs maintenance
│ └── Managed (RDS/Cloud SQL): $300, no maintenance
├── Server:
│ ├── Self-managed EC2: $100 + 5hrs maintenance
│ └── Managed (App Engine/ECS): $150, minimal maintenance
└── Caching:
├── Self-hosted Redis: $50 + 2hrs maintenance
└── Managed (ElastiCache): $70, no maintenance
4. Maintenance Contracts
Contract options:
├── Retainer: Fixed monthly hours (10-40 hrs)
│ └── Best for: Predictable costs, ongoing relationship
├── Time & Materials: Pay as you go
│ └── Best for: Variable needs, flexibility
├── Managed Service: All-inclusive monthly fee
│ └── Best for: Hands-off approach, guaranteed support
└── Hybrid: Base retainer + overflow billing
└── Best for: Predictable base with flexibility
Maintenance Team Options
Option 1: In-House Team
Costs (Annual):
├── iOS Developer: $100,000-150,000
├── Android Developer: $90,000-140,000
├── Backend Developer: $100,000-150,000
├── DevOps: $110,000-160,000
└── Total: $400,000-600,000
Pros:
├── Full control
├── Institutional knowledge
└── Quick response
Cons:
├── High fixed cost
├── Scaling challenges
└── Hiring difficulty
Option 2: Agency Partnership
Costs (Annual):
├── Retainer: $3,000-15,000/month
├── Annual: $36,000-180,000
└── Additional work: $100-150/hour
Pros:
├── Lower fixed cost
├── Access to diverse skills
├── Scalable
Cons:
├── Less institutional knowledge
├── May have competing priorities
└── Communication overhead
Option 3: Freelance Network
Costs:
├── iOS freelancer: $80-150/hour
├── Android freelancer: $60-120/hour
├── Backend freelancer: $70-130/hour
└── Estimated annual: $20,000-100,000
Pros:
├── Lowest cost
├── Flexible
Cons:
├── Availability issues
├── Quality variance
├── No continuity guarantee
Maintenance Budget Template
Year 1 (Post-Launch)
Typical Year 1 Budget:
├── Q1: Higher (launch fixes): 30% of annual
├── Q2: Moderate (stabilization): 25% of annual
├── Q3: Standard: 20% of annual
└── Q4: OS updates + planning: 25% of annual
Expect: 20-25% of development cost
Year 2+
Ongoing Annual Budget:
├── Infrastructure: 15-20%
├── Bug fixes: 20-25%
├── OS/SDK updates: 15-20%
├── Security: 10-15%
├── Performance: 10-15%
├── Minor features: 10-15%
└── Buffer: 10%
Expect: 15-20% of development cost
ROI Considerations
When Maintenance is Worth It
Continue maintaining if:
├── Active users growing
├── Revenue > Maintenance cost
├── Core business dependency
├── Competitive necessity
└── Customer retention tool
When to Consider Alternatives
Consider rebuild/sunset if:
├── Maintenance > 40% of rebuild cost annually
├── Technical debt overwhelming
├── User base declining
├── Better alternatives exist
└── Core technology deprecated
Conclusion
Mobile app maintenance is an ongoing investment. Budget 15-20% of initial development cost annually, with higher costs in year one. The key is balancing cost with app quality and user satisfaction.
Cost reduction tips:
- Invest in quality from the start
- Use managed services where possible
- Maintain consistent relationship with development team
- Budget for OS update cycles
- Monitor and optimize third-party costs
Need help planning your app maintenance budget? Contact Hevcode for a detailed assessment and maintenance plan tailored to your app.