Most stores reach the same point: a public app almost does what they need, the workaround is a spreadsheet, and someone on the team spends hours a week copying orders out of WhatsApp. That is usually when a custom app starts to make sense. The question is what it costs.
There is no single price, because "an app" can be a small automation or a full wholesale system. But the price is not a mystery either — it follows a handful of factors you can check before asking for quotes.
What drives the price
- How many screens and roles: an app only your team uses is simpler than one your customers or trade buyers log in to.
- Where it runs: admin-only apps are the simplest; theme blocks and checkout extensions add work and testing.
- Integrations: every external system — ERP, accounting, courier, payment provider — adds its own API, errors and edge cases.
- Data and rules: tiered prices, minimum quantities, measurements or approvals mean more logic and more testing.
- Languages: Arabic and English with right-to-left layouts is very doable, but it should be planned from the start, not added later.
Typical price ranges
As a guide, using our own published prices: a focused, single-purpose custom app starts at $2,900 (about AED 10,650) and usually takes two to six weeks. Apps with several features, a customer-facing area or integrations with other systems are priced per project, and we always agree a fixed price before starting.
Be wary of very low hourly quotes with no written scope. A custom app that is cheap to start and open-ended to finish usually ends up costing more than a fixed price agreed upfront.
What a proposal should include
- A written scope: exactly what the app does, and what it does not do.
- A prototype of the main screens before development, so changes cost minutes instead of days.
- Testing on a development store before anything touches your live store.
- Documentation and a short handover video for your team.
- The source code in a repository owned by you.
Running costs after launch
A custom app needs somewhere to run, and Shopify releases a new API version every quarter. Expect a modest monthly cost for hosting, plus an optional maintenance plan that keeps the app compatible and covers small changes. Ask for these numbers in the first proposal, not after launch.
Custom app or public app?
If a public app from the Shopify App Store does 90% of what you need, use it — it is cheaper. A custom app pays off when the workaround costs your team real hours every week, when several public apps fight each other, or when the process is specific to your business, like wholesale terms or made-to-measure orders.
Want to know what would make sense for your business? Tell us how things work today — we reply in writing within one business day, with the right questions and a first idea of scope and price.