Mobile App Development Services

iOS, Android and cross-platform apps

Arcesso builds most mobile apps with React Native or Flutter, so one codebase runs on both iOS and Android. Cross-platform builds usually cost less to make and to maintain than two separate native apps, and features ship to both stores at the same time.

We choose between React Native and Flutter per project. React Native fits teams that already use React on the web, since code and skills carry over. Flutter fits apps with custom, highly animated interfaces. When an app needs deep device access, such as Bluetooth hardware or heavy background processing, we add native Swift or Kotlin modules.

Fully native development still makes sense for a few cases, such as graphics-heavy games or apps built around one platform's newest features. If your app is one of those, we will tell you during scoping and explain the cost difference.

React Native vs Flutter vs fully native

React Native and Flutter both cover most business apps; native wins only for narrow, device-heavy cases. The table compares the three options on the points that change cost and risk.

Arcesso is not the right choice for 3D games or apps that depend on AR hardware. A specialist game or AR studio will serve you better.

For a simple app that only shows content, a progressive web app may be enough, with no store review at all.

How much a mobile app costs to build

Mobile app cost depends on screens, backend work, integrations and device features. Payments, maps and offline sync add the most. Clutch reports an average mobile app project of $90,780 across reviewed agencies, with the most common budget band between $10,000 and $49,999. Those are industry figures, not Arcesso prices.

Five things move the price most: user roles and screens, how much backend logic the app needs, third-party integrations, offline support, and AI features. Store launch, analytics and crash reporting are part of every Arcesso build, not extras.

Arcesso gives a fixed price after a one- to two-week scoping sprint, and the fee is credited in full to the build. Our mobile app development cost guide at /resources/guides/mobile-app-development-cost/ compares iOS, Android and cross-platform budgets in detail.

From MVP to App Store launch

Arcesso takes a mobile app from idea to live store listing in one plan with dated milestones. The first goal is a version real users can install, not a perfect app.

Testers get builds through TestFlight and Google Play internal testing from the first sprints, so feedback arrives early. Before submission, we check each store's review rules, privacy labels and data-safety forms, which are a common cause of rejected releases. The steps below cover what most first launches need.

• Scope the smallest version that proves the app's core promise
• Build in weekly sprints with an installable test build every week
• Set up analytics, crash reporting and push notifications before launch
• Prepare store listings, screenshots and privacy disclosures
• Submit, handle reviewer questions and release in stages

Adding AI features to mobile apps

Arcesso adds AI to mobile apps only where it saves users real time. Common examples are reading a receipt, answering a question or filling a form by voice. We build on OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini and open-weight models, and pick by task, cost and data rules.

Model calls run through your backend, never straight from the phone, so API keys stay secret and every request can be logged and limited. Each AI feature gets an evaluation set of real examples before release, and we measure accuracy after every change.

Privacy matters more on a phone, because apps often handle photos, location and health or payment details. Model vendors are set to no-training modes, personal data is masked before a model call where possible, and our AI data policy is published at /legal/ai-use/.

After launch: updates, maintenance and growth

A mobile app needs regular updates after launch to keep working. Apple and Google change their operating systems and store rules every year, and an app that is not updated will eventually break or be pulled from a store. Growth also brings new requests, from more languages to new payment options.

Arcesso offers a monthly retainer that covers OS updates, crash fixes, dependency upgrades and small features. Crash reports and usage analytics guide what we fix first. Larger features are scoped and priced separately so the retainer stays predictable.

You can also take the app in-house at any time. The code, developer accounts and store listings are in your name from the start, and the handover includes a runbook for builds and releases.