§ 8 · Consideration
Real prices, fixed in writing.
Published rates, real starting prices, and how your exact price is fixed before you commit.
What does each service cost?
Starting prices are real. Your exact price is fixed in the Blueprint, before you commit to anything else.
| Service | What you get | Rate | From | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web apps & SaaS | Dashboards, portals, marketplaces and SaaS products | $28/hr | $6,900 | 6–10 weeks |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android, cross-platform or native | $28/hr | $8,900 | 8–12 weeks |
| AI features & automation | Chatbots, AI agents, document AI, workflow automation | $32/hr | $2,900 | 2–6 weeks |
| Fix AI-built apps | Finish and harden apps started in Lovable, Bolt, Cursor or Replit | $32/hr | $990 | 1–4 weeks |
| Websites & e-commerce | Marketing sites, online stores, booking sites | $20/hr | $1,490 | 2–5 weeks |
| UI/UX design | Research, wireframes, clickable prototypes | $25/hr | $990 | 1–4 weeks |
| Maintenance & support | Updates, monitoring, fixes and small features | $20/hr | $390/mo | Ongoing |
How do our prices compare with US agencies?
| Measure | Typical US agency1,2 | VowDev |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $120–200 | $20–32 |
| Typical MVP | $60,000–150,000 | From $6,900 (web) or $8,900 (mobile) |
Why we cost less: US agencies bill $120–200 an hour partly to pay for sales teams, account managers and downtown offices. We don't have any of those. You work directly with the engineers, and we're fully remote. The Vow is how you know we haven't cut corners.
What does the Blueprint cost?
The Blueprint takes 1–2 weeks: specs, clickable designs, a fixed quote and milestone dates. Its fee depends on the size of your project, measured by the high end of the hours estimate. The full fee is credited to your build, and you keep the Blueprint either way.
| Estimated project size | Blueprint fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 250 hours | $390 |
| 251–600 hours | $690 |
| More than 600 hours | $990 |
How do payments work?
- The Blueprint, up front. Its fee is credited to your build if you go ahead.
- Each milestone, after you approve it. You see it working first, then you pay for it.
- Hourly work, in prepaid blocks. Maintenance and small changes are billed in blocks of hours at the rates above.
- Late milestones cost less. 10% off per full week late, up to 50%. How it's calculated.
All prices are in US dollars.
The Founding 10
Our first 10 clients get 15% off any project in exchange for permission to publish it as a case study once it's live. 10 of 10 spots are open.
See the termsPrice your project
Pick what you need for a price range and a timeline. Open the full calculator to share or save your estimate.
VowDev Feature Cost Index (2026)
What common features typically take to build, in hours and dollars, at our rates and at typical US agency rates. These are the same planning ranges our calculator uses.
| Feature | Typical hours | With VowDev | At US agency rates1,2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Login & accountsSign-up, login, password reset, profiles | 16–28 h | $448–784 | $1,920–5,600 |
| Social loginSign in with Google or Apple | 6–10 h | $168–280 | $720–2,000 |
| User roles & permissionsAdmins, members and customers with different access | 12–24 h | $336–672 | $1,440–4,800 |
| Payments & subscriptionsOne-off payments, plans and invoices through a provider such as Stripe | 24–40 h | $480–1,120 | $2,880–8,000 |
| Admin dashboardManage users, content and orders | 40–80 h | $1,120–2,240 | $4,800–16,000 |
| Search & filtersFind items by keyword, category or price | 16–32 h | $320–896 | $1,920–6,400 |
| File & image uploadsUsers upload photos, documents or video | 12–20 h | $336–560 | $1,440–4,000 |
| Messaging & chatReal-time messages between users | 32–60 h | $896–1,680 | $3,840–12,000 |
| Email & push notificationsAlerts, reminders and updates | 12–24 h | $336–672 | $1,440–4,800 |
| Maps & locationMaps, addresses, distance or tracking | 16–32 h | $320–896 | $1,920–6,400 |
| Booking & calendarAppointments, availability and reminders | 24–48 h | $480–1,344 | $2,880–9,600 |
| Reviews & ratingsUsers rate and review | 12–20 h | $240–560 | $1,440–4,000 |
| Analytics dashboardCharts and reports for you or your users | 24–48 h | $672–1,344 | $2,880–9,600 |
| Multiple languagesYour product in more than one language | 12–24 h | $240–672 | $1,440–4,800 |
| AI chat assistantAn assistant that answers from your own content | 24–60 h | $480–1,920 | $2,880–12,000 |
| AI document processingRead, extract and summarize documents | 30–60 h | $840–1,920 | $3,600–12,000 |
| AI knowledge-base searchAsk questions across your documents | 24–48 h | $672–1,536 | $2,880–9,600 |
| Workflow automationAutomate repetitive steps between your tools | 16–40 h | $448–1,280 | $1,920–8,000 |
| Offline modeThe app keeps working without a connection | 24–48 h | $672–1,344 | $2,880–9,600 |
| Editable pages & blogEdit pages and posts yourself | 12–24 h | $240–672 | $1,440–4,800 |
| Product catalog & cartProducts, cart and checkout | 30–60 h | $600–1,680 | $3,600–12,000 |
| Fix logins & permissionsMake sure users only see their own data | 8–16 h | $256–512 | $960–3,200 |
| Fix payments & webhooksConfirm payments on the server, not in the browser | 8–20 h | $256–640 | $960–4,000 |
| Database, backups & security rulesRow-level security, backups and a restore test | 6–12 h | $192–384 | $720–2,400 |
| Automated testsTests for sign-up, login and checkout | 12–24 h | $384–768 | $1,440–4,800 |
| Speed & performanceIndexes, pagination and the slowest queries | 8–20 h | $256–640 | $960–4,000 |
| Hosting & cost setupDeploys you control, spending limits and alerts | 4–10 h | $128–320 | $480–2,000 |
| Connection to another tool (each)CRM, accounting, email marketing or any tool with an API | 16–40 h | $320–1,280 | $1,920–8,000 |
Every project also has base hours
Setup, the design system, core screens, project management, testing and deployment:
| Project type | Base hours |
|---|---|
| Web app or SaaS | 150–200 h |
| Mobile app | 220–280 h |
| AI feature | 60–90 h |
| Fix an AI-built app | 24–40 h |
| Website or store | 50–80 h |
| UI/UX design, up to 10 screens | 40–60 h |
| UI/UX design, 10–25 screens | 60–110 h |
| UI/UX design, 25+ screens | 110–180 h |
How we built this index
- The hour ranges are the planning estimates we use to scope projects, the same numbers behind our calculator.
- “With VowDev” multiplies the hours by our hourly rates for the project types each feature applies to ($20–32 an hour).
- “At US agency rates” multiplies the same hours by $120–200 an hour, the typical range in the sources below.
- Custom, polished design adds 15% to base hours. A week of work is 40 hours.
- These are ranges, not quotes. Your exact price is fixed in the Blueprint. Last reviewed October 9, 2026.
What else will I pay for?
Some costs go to other companies, not to us. You pay them directly, from accounts in your name, and we list each one with its price in your Blueprint.
- Apple Developer Program: $99 a year, to publish on the App Store.3
- Google Play: $25 once, to publish on Google Play.4
- Hosting, database and email services, billed by those providers as your product grows.
- AI usage, if your product calls an AI model, billed per use by the provider. We estimate it in the Blueprint and help you set spending limits.
- Your domain name.
Sources
- CoderCops, “MVP development cost in 2026: India vs US vs Eastern Europe” (2026)
- Chop Dawg, “App developer hourly rates in the U.S. in 2026” (2026)
- Apple, “Apple Developer Program” (2026)
- Google, “Play Console registration fee” (2026)
Questions about pricing
Is $20 an hour real? What's the catch?
It's real: $20/hr for websites and maintenance, up to $32/hr for AI work. There's no catch, because there's no sales team, no account managers and no office to pay for. You work directly with the engineers, and the Vow puts the price, dates and guarantees in your contract.
What is the Blueprint, and why is it paid?
The Blueprint is a 1–2 week planning phase: we turn your idea into specs, clickable designs and a fixed quote with milestone dates. It starts at $390, the full fee is credited to your build if you go ahead, and you keep everything in it either way. It's what makes a fixed price possible.
How do payments work?
You pay for the Blueprint up front. After that, the project is split into milestones, and you pay for each one only after you've seen it working and approved it. Hourly work, like maintenance, is billed in prepaid blocks of hours.
Do you work with clients in Europe?
Yes. We work with clients in the US and Europe, in English. Prices are in US dollars, and our live hours (9am–1pm US Eastern) fall in the Central European afternoon (3pm–7pm).
Are there any hidden fees?
No. You pay the Blueprint fee and the milestone prices written in your Vow. The only other costs are third-party services such as hosting and app-store fees, which you pay directly to those companies, and any change you approve in writing.
Do you offer discounts?
Our first 10 clients get 15% off any project in exchange for permission to publish it as a case study once it's live. The Founding 10 page has the full terms.
Ready to put it in writing?
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