How much does it cost to develop an iOS app in Australia?

In Australia, an iOS app usually costs about AUD 40,000 to AUD 150,000+ to develop, with simpler apps starting lower and complex or enterprise-grade apps rising well above that range.

Typical cost ranges?

For a practical budget view, most projects fall into these bands:

• Basic iOS app: AUD 25,000 to AUD 50,000. These are simple apps with limited screens, standard UI, and little or no backend work.

• Mid-level iOS app: AUD 50,000 to AUD 150,000. These usually include user accounts, APIs, payments, notifications, or moderate custom design.

• Complex iOS app: AUD 150,000 to AUD 300,000+. These are feature-heavy apps with advanced integrations, custom backend systems, compliance needs, or high scalability requirements.

What drives the price?

The biggest cost factors are app complexity, design quality, backend development, third-party integrations, and testing effort. Native iOS apps can also cost more than cross-platform builds because they are built specifically for Apple devices and often require more platform-specific work.

Developer rates in Australia are commonly reported around AUD 100 to AUD 200 per hour, though some sources note a wider range depending on experience and team structure. That means even a small change in scope can move the budget quickly.

Extra costs to expect?

Budget beyond the build itself for ongoing expenses. Annual maintenance commonly adds about 10% to 25% of the original development cost, covering updates, bug fixes, OS compatibility, and security patches.

You should also plan for:

• Apple Developer Program fee: about USD 129 per year for publishing on the App Store.

• UI/UX design: can range from a few thousand dollars for simple wireframes to much more for custom high-fidelity design.

• Backend and infrastructure: databases, hosting, APIs, analytics, and monitoring often add significant recurring cost.

Fast estimate by project type

App type

Likely budget in Australia

App type	Likely budget in Australia
Simple content app	AUD 25,000 to 50,000
Startup MVP with core features	AUD 50,000 to 100,000
Full commercial product	AUD 100,000 to 200,000+
Enterprise or regulated app	AUD 200,000 to 700,000+

Example budget

A straightforward iOS app with login, profiles, a dashboard, push notifications, and a simple backend might land around AUD 60,000 to AUD 120,000 in Australia. If you add payments, real-time sync, admin tools, and custom animations, the budget can move into the AUD 150,000+ range quickly.

Best way to estimate yours

The cleanest way to estimate your app is to define three things first: your must-have features, whether you need native iOS or cross-platform support, and how much backend complexity you need. Once those are clear, quotes become much more reliable and you can avoid overpaying for features you do not need.

TRY OUR APP COST CALCULATOR Average hourly rates for iOS developers in Australia are typically around AUD 80 to AUD 150 per hour for freelance or contract work, with senior specialists often charging AUD 150 to AUD 200+ per hour. A salary-based benchmark also shows the market averaging about AUD 148,150 per year, which works out to roughly AUD 75 to AUD 90 per hour before overheads depending on assumptions.

Practical rate bands

• Junior iOS developer: about AUD 50 to AUD 80/hour.

• Mid-level iOS developer: about AUD 80 to AUD 130/hour.

• Senior iOS developer: about AUD 130 to AUD 200+/hour.

These bands reflect the gap between employee salary equivalents and what contractors bill, since freelancers price in taxes, leave, downtime, and business overhead.

What affects the rate

Location matters, with Sydney and Melbourne usually sitting above smaller markets. Experience, Swift expertise, UIKit/SwiftUI depth, backend integration skills, and App Store release history also push rates upward.

Useful budget rule

If you are hiring an Australian iOS contractor, a safe planning figure is AUD 100 to AUD 150/hour unless the scope is very simple or the developer is junior. For high-stakes product work, budgeting AUD 150 to AUD 200+/hour is more realistic. Updated 14th April 2026