How much a mobile app costs in Kazakhstan

Mobile app development is the least transparent service on the market when it comes to price: the same task gets quoted anywhere from ₸1 to 20 million. We build apps for clients and for ourselves — 1Study and 1Work have been in the stores since 2024 — and we know where the spread comes from.

Market guide prices

These are studio prices. Freelancers are 30–50% cheaper, with no contract or support; large agencies are 1.5–2 times more expensive.

What makes up the price

Two platforms or one. iOS and Android are different languages and tools. Native means two apps. Flutter is one codebase for both, 30–40% cheaper. Details in the article native or Flutter.

Backend. Almost every app needs a server: users, data, notifications, payments. That is 30–50% of the budget. If you already have a website with an API, you save.

Screens and scenarios. Every screen is design, layout, logic and states (loading, error, empty). 10 screens versus 30 is a threefold difference.

Payments. Kaspi Pay for goods and services from ₸150,000. Subscriptions through Apple and Google from ₸200,000, given the stores' requirements.

Integrations. CRM, 1C, maps, chats, video — from ₸100,000 each.

Publication. Developer accounts (Apple $99 a year, Google $25), preparing the store pages, review, responding to rejections — 1–2 weeks of work.

Hidden costs

• Support. iOS and Android are updated every year, and the app has to be updated to follow. Libraries go out of date. Budget ₸100,000–300,000 a month, or 15–20% of the development cost per year.
• Servers. ₸10,000–50,000 a month for a small app, growing with users.
• Services. Push notifications, maps, SMS, analytics — free at the start, paid as you grow.
• ASO and promotion. Nobody will find the app in the stores by itself. ASO from ₸100,000; advertising separately.

How not to overpay

Start with an MVP. One core scenario, 8–12 screens, payments and analytics. That is ₸1,500,000–3,000,000 and 6–8 weeks. The rest comes after the first users. More under MVP for startups.

Check whether you need an app at all. Sometimes a Telegram bot for ₸300,000 is enough, or a web app that can be added to the phone's home screen. An honest studio will tell you this at the brief.

Choose Flutter for typical tasks. Lists, forms, payments, chats — Flutter handles them, and the saving is in the millions.

Do not order a “unique design” at the start. Apple's and Google's system components are familiar to users and cheap to build.

Timing

A simple app: 6–8 weeks. Medium: 3–4 months. Complex: from 6 months, with interim releases. Plus 1–2 weeks of store review at first publication. If someone promises “within a month”, it is a template or a website wrapper that Apple will most likely reject.

The bottom line

A realistic budget for a first business app in Kazakhstan is ₸2,500,000–5,000,000 on Flutter with a backend, payments and publication, plus ₸100,000–300,000 a month for support. Our prices are on the Mobile apps page, along with how we decide between native and Flutter.