$115 / h
median hourly rate displayed
On helloDarwin, 32 Montréal app agencies display an hourly rate: from $50 to $180 an hour. These are the rates they state on their profile.
Guide · updated September 27, 2026
How much does a mobile app cost in Montréal? Published prices, Apple and Google fees, and the 3-year total
Almost no agency displays its app prices. We read those that exist, hourly rates, Apple’s and Google’s official fees, and what comes back every year. With a calculator for your own project.
- No invented price
- Every price has its source
- Free calculator
- Reading time: 12 minutes
What agencies really display
We consulted the sites of 10 app agencies in the Montréal region. Only 2 publish price ranges for an app. Here they are, word for word (read on September 27, 2026, before taxes).
- Simple app: “between $15,000 and $40,000”
- More complex project (accounts, payments, integrations): “between $40,000 and $120,000 and more”
Presented by the agency as an “indicative range”; its price guide also gives $15,000 to $30,000 for a simple app, $30,000 to $70,000 for medium complexity and $100,000 and more for a complex project.
- Basic e-commerce app (catalog, cart, checkout): “starts around $40,000 to $150,000 CAD”
- Complex marketplace: “from $200,000 to $400,000 or more”
What it means for you
A simple app starts around $15,000; accounts, payments and integrations quickly take the project past $40,000. These are not market prices, but reference points published by two agencies: always ask what the quote contains.
The hourly rates displayed
$125 to $250 / h
according to Bollé’s guide for a local agency
Bollé also states $80 to $160 an hour for a senior freelance developer (indicative ranges).
Why it helps: a quote is often hours times a rate. Ask for the planned hours per stage, and a cap. Source: hellodarwin.com Source: bolle.ca
Apple and Google fees
Taken from their own pages. Account fees apply to any published app; commissions only if you sell the app or digital content inside it.
Apple (App Store)
Developer Program: US$99 a year (US$299 for in-house enterprise distribution).
15% commission on paid apps and in-app purchases for developers whose proceeds do not exceed US$1 million a year (Small Business Program); the standard rate applies beyond.
Source: developer.apple.comCommissions: developer.apple.comGoogle Play
Registration: a one-time payment of US$25.
For markets such as Canada: 15% on the first US$1 million of revenue a year, 30% beyond, and 15% on subscriptions. Google has announced a new fee table, already in force for buyers in the US, Europe and the UK.
Source: support.google.comCommissions: support.google.comAccording to Google, 97% of developers distribute their apps without paying service fees. A free business app generally only pays the account fees.
Compute the real 3-year total
Enter the amounts from your quote. The math stays in your browser: nothing is sent.
Try with:
3-year total$0taxes included
- Per month, on average$0
- Share of recurring fees—
- Of which taxes$0
Apple’s (US$99 a year) and Google’s (US$25 once) fees are in US dollars: add them converted at the day’s rate.
What comes back every year
Upkeep and updates
Apple and Google change their systems every year. Bollé puts upkeep at about 15 to 20% of the initial cost per year (indicative range).
The server
According to Bollé, $25 to a few hundred dollars a month depending on traffic (indicative range).
Store accounts
US$99 a year at Apple; Google Play is paid once (US$25).
Online services
Notifications, maps, e-mail, payments: some are free at first, then paid by usage. Have them listed.
Commissions
Only if you sell the app or digital content inside it.
New features
An app lives: plan a budget to improve it, on top of upkeep.
What drives the price up (or down)
iPhone, Android, or both
Two native apps are almost two projects. A single code base (hybrid) costs less: Bollé puts it at about 30 to 40% less, as an indicative range.
User accounts
Sign-up, log-in, forgotten password, profiles: a full block of work, with security obligations.
The server behind the app
Most apps need a server and an admin area to manage content, orders or users. Check that it is counted in the quote.
Payments
In-app payment, subscriptions, refunds: work, and sometimes a store commission.
Links with your software
Inventory, CRM, booking, accounting: each integration has its cost, and depends on the other software’s quality.
Offline, geolocation, real time
What looks simple to users is often what costs most to build and test.
Design
A custom-designed interface, tested with real users, costs more than an adapted template, and often pays back more.
Store submission
Listings, screenshots, privacy texts, Apple and Google review: ask whether it is included.
Not yet sure of your needs? Describe your app in a few simple questions
Native, hybrid or web: what it changes
Native (one app per platform)
For: The best performance and full access to the phone’s features.
Watch out: Two code bases to build and maintain.
Hybrid (one code base, iPhone and Android)
For: One project for both stores; the choice of most business apps.
Watch out: Some very specific features still need native code.
Installable web app
For: No store and no commission, a single version, instant updates.
Watch out: Less visible (not in the stores) and more limited access to phone features.
6 app-specific traps
Apple and Google accounts in the agency’s name
The app is published from a developer account. If it belongs to the agency, so does your app, in practice. Create the accounts in your business’s name and invite the agency.
The server hosted by the agency
Without the server, the app stops working. Require a hosting account in your name, or a copy and a takeover procedure.
Only one platform in the price
A “mobile app” quote may only cover iPhone. Have iPhone and Android written down.
The forgotten admin area
Without an admin area, every content change goes through the agency, and is billed.
Maintenance not priced
Apple and Google change their systems every year; an unmaintained app eventually stops working. Have maintenance priced in the quote.
Source code kept by the agency
Require the full source code and a written assignment of rights upon final payment, as for a website.
Our analysis reads your quote and spots what is missing: ownership, accounts, payments, handover. The first one is free.
Check my quoteFor the clauses to require in the contract: our contract guide, clause by clause
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mobile app cost in Montréal?
The two Montréal-region agencies that publish ranges start around $15,000 for a simple app (Bollé: “between $15,000 and $40,000”, indicative range) and often exceed $40,000 once there are accounts, payments or integrations. An e-commerce app starts around $40,000 at Guaraná. Prices read on September 27, 2026, before taxes.
Why do so few agencies display their prices?
Of the 10 app agencies in the region that we consulted, only 2 publish ranges. Every app is different, and the price depends mostly on features. That is why a precise request for quote is worth more than a range.
What is an app developer’s hourly rate in Montréal?
On helloDarwin, the 32 Montréal app agencies that display an hourly rate range from $50 to $180 an hour, with a median of $115 (read on September 27, 2026). These are the rates the agencies state on their profile.
How much does publishing on the App Store and Google Play cost?
Apple: US$99 a year for the developer account. Google Play: US$25 once. Commissions (15% for most small developers) only apply if you sell the app or digital content inside it.
How much does maintaining an app cost?
Bollé puts it at about 15 to 20% of the initial cost per year, plus server hosting ($25 to a few hundred dollars a month depending on traffic), as indicative ranges. Have it priced in the quote.
Native or hybrid?
For most business apps, one hybrid code base for iPhone and Android is enough and costs less. Native is justified for very demanding needs (games, heavy graphics, advanced hardware features).
Method and sources
- Agencies consulted on September 27, 2026 (home page, pricing and app pages): Appwapp, Bollé Communications, Guaraná Technologies, 10RUPTiV, Nuevamed, nventive (Wepoint), Sidekick Interactive, TRACTR, Volume7, Witify. A price displayed elsewhere on their site may have escaped us.
- Hourly rates: the profiles on helloDarwin’s “mobile app development in Montréal” page; the median is computed by us over the 32 rates displayed.
- Apple’s and Google’s fees: their official pages, cited in section 3.
- We compute no price average and invent no price. AgencyVerity does not sell apps and no agency pays to be quoted.
What now?
Guide written by the AgencyVerity team, Montréal. Updated September 27, 2026. Back to contents · All our guides