How much does an ecommerce app cost to build in 2026?

The cost of an ecommerce app depends on platforms, features, backend and design depth more than on the store. Fixed third-party costs are small and public: Apple charges US$99 a year, Google Play US$25 once, and physical-goods sales skip store commission. The budget sits in design, build, integrations and yearly upkeep.

You'll find plenty of posts quoting price bands for ecommerce apps. Most give no method, and many skip the store rules that shape what you can build. This guide takes a different route. Elgrith doesn't publish price lists (we give a fixed written quote after a free call), so instead of inventing ranges we explain what drives the budget, list the third-party costs you can check yourself with dates, and show when an app builder makes more sense than a custom app. All vendor prices were read on 24 Oct 2026 and can change.

What drives ecommerce app cost?

Seven decisions set most of the budget:

Shopify Storefront API vs a custom backend

If your store already runs on Shopify, the cheapest serious route to a native app is usually Shopify's own APIs. Shopify's headless documentation says you can "build iOS, Android, and React Native apps with the Storefront API and Checkout Kit": the app reads products, collections and carts from your store, and Checkout Kit presents Shopify's checkout inside the app. You keep one catalogue, one checkout and one order system.

A custom backend makes sense when the app needs pricing, inventory or business rules your store platform can't express, or when you run a marketplace with many sellers. It costs more to build and to run, because you now own commerce logic that a platform would otherwise maintain for you.

Native or cross-platform?

For most ecommerce apps, a cross-platform framework (React Native or Flutter) delivers both iOS and Android from one codebase, which lowers build and maintenance cost. Native Swift and Kotlin apps cost more but suit brands that need the most polished platform behaviour or heavy device features. Our Flutter vs React Native guide compares the two frameworks.

Fixed costs you can check

These are the third-party costs with public list prices. They're small next to design and build, but they're the only numbers that should appear in any honest cost guide without a scope.

Payment fees depend on your provider, country, card type and contract; if your store already has a payment provider, the app usually uses the same one through your store's checkout. Our payment gateway integration team connects Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay and others.

Do Apple and Google take a cut of product sales?

Not for physical goods. This is the single most misunderstood cost in ecommerce apps.

• Apple. The App Review Guidelines (read 24 Oct 2026), section 3.1.3(e), say apps selling physical goods or services consumed outside the app "must use purchase methods other than in-app purchase", such as Apple Pay or card payments. Apple's in-app purchase commission doesn't apply to those sales.
• Google. The Google Play Payments policy says Play's billing system must not be used where payment is primarily for physical goods or physical services.

So a clothing, homeware or grocery app pays its payment provider, not a store commission. Store commission becomes relevant only for digital goods sold inside the app, such as paid memberships that unlock in-app content.

What changed in the US for links and fees

For digital goods, US rules shifted in 2025–26. Apple's guideline 3.1.1(a) now includes a US storefront exception for linking to outside purchases. Apple's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 27 Jun 2026 reports that the Ninth Circuit ruled on 11 Dec 2025 that Apple can charge some commission on link-out purchases, and that the Supreme Court granted review on 30 Jun 2026. On Android, Google's US programme changes let developers link out and offer alternative billing; enrolled developers must report transactions and downloads and pay the relevant service fees from 1 Oct 2026, and a 21 Oct 2026 update gives developers enrolled only in external content links until 1 Feb 2027. For a physical-goods store these rules mostly don't change the bill, but they matter if you add digital memberships.

Why a website wrapper isn't the cheap option

The cheapest-looking app is a "wrapper" that loads your mobile website inside an app shell. Apple's guideline 4.2 on minimum functionality asks developers to "elevate it beyond a repackaged website", and apps that are mostly a website in a frame risk rejection. Even if a wrapper passes review, it rarely gives shoppers a reason to install it.

What makes an ecommerce app worth installing is what the web can't do as well: fast native search and browsing, saved payment and Apple Pay or Google Pay, push notifications for orders and restocks, wishlists, loyalty and offline browsing. Budget for those features, because they're the point of the app. If you're unsure whether you need an app at all, read web app vs mobile app: a progressive web app can be the right first step.

Which features to launch with

A tight first release keeps cost down and gets real usage data sooner. For most stores, version one needs:

• Browse and search: categories, filters and fast search with typo tolerance.
• Product pages: images, variants, stock status and reviews if you already collect them.
• Cart and checkout: saved addresses, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and your store's checkout.
• Accounts and orders: sign-in, order history and tracking.
• Push notifications: order updates first, marketing messages with clear opt-in.
• Analytics: events for search, add-to-cart and checkout so you can see where people drop off.

Loyalty, wishlists, AR try-on and live shopping can follow once you see how customers use the app.

App builders vs a custom app

Shopify app builders sit between a wrapper and a custom build. They generate a native-style app from your store with drag-and-drop screens, for a monthly subscription.

Choose a builder when your store runs on Shopify, your needs match the builder's features, and you want to test whether customers use an app before investing more. You'll still need your own Apple and Google developer accounts.

Choose a custom app when you need features the builder doesn't offer, integrations with ERP, POS or loyalty systems, a design that sets your brand apart, or full ownership of the code. You also avoid a subscription that grows with your plan, but you take on build and maintenance costs instead.

Illustrative example: fixed third-party costs in year one

This is an illustration using only the third-party list prices above. It is not a quote, and it excludes design, build, hosting, maintenance and tax.

The builder route looks expensive here only because the custom route's real cost (design and build) isn't in the table. That's the point: the fixed fees are a rounding error; the decision is about build cost versus subscription, and about what each route lets you do.

Running costs after launch

An ecommerce app isn't finished at launch. Plan for:

• Hosting and services for any custom backend, push notifications, analytics and crash reporting.
• Maintenance: bug fixes, small features and dependency updates. Our mobile app maintenance team handles this on an agreed scope.
• OS and SDK updates: Apple and Google release new OS versions yearly, and store rules require apps to target recent SDKs.
• Store-policy changes: privacy labels, account-deletion rules and payment rules change; the 2025–26 link-out changes above are an example.
• App store optimisation: screenshots, keywords and ratings drive installs; see our app store optimization service.
• Platform fees: your developer memberships, builder subscription if you use one, and payment fees on every order.

How to get an accurate quote

The fastest way to an accurate number is a clear scope. Before you ask any agency for a price, write down:

1. Your platform and store: Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce or custom; how many products and variants.
2. Platforms: iOS, Android or both; native or cross-platform preference.
3. Must-have features for launch, and a separate list for later.
4. Integrations: payments, ERP, inventory, CRM, loyalty, POS, analytics.
5. Design: existing brand guidelines or design system, or a full custom design.
6. Content and accounts: who owns the Apple and Google developer accounts (you should).
7. After launch: expected maintenance, update frequency and who handles store submissions.

Then ask each supplier for a fixed written quote against the same scope, and what's excluded. For general app cost drivers beyond ecommerce, see our guides to app development cost in the UK and MVP development cost.

How Elgrith can help

Elgrith has delivered 1,000+ projects for 250+ clients since 2015, from our New Delhi HQ and client-partnership centres in New York, London and Shanghai. Our ecommerce app development team builds native, React Native and Flutter shopping apps on Shopify's Storefront API or custom backends, designed to pass App Store review. Our ecommerce development team builds the store behind it, and Shopify app development covers apps for the Shopify App Store itself. See all our app development services. You own the code, the IP and the developer accounts, and you get a fixed written quote after a free call. Book a call or start a project.