Web development
Mobile Apps in Saudi Arabia: Cost, Timeline and What to Build First
In three lines
- Every app brief we receive contains three features that matter and eleven that sound good.
- A focused first release — accounts, core function, notifications, both stores — starts around 15,000 SAR.
- Six to ten weeks for a focused release including store review; three to four months for a platform.
Every app brief we receive contains three features that matter and eleven that sound good. Shipping the three quickly is what generates the data to decide on the rest.
Cost by ambition
A focused first release — accounts, core function, notifications, both stores — starts around 15,000 SAR. Marketplaces, payments, live tracking or ERP integration typically start at 40,000 SAR. Add store fees, backend hosting and a maintenance budget for the first year.
Timeline reality
Six to ten weeks for a focused release including store review; three to four months for a platform. Store review itself can add days, and rejections usually relate to privacy declarations, account deletion or incomplete metadata — all avoidable with preparation.
- Publish under your own developer accounts
- Plan account deletion and privacy disclosures early
- Instrument analytics from the first release
- Budget for maintenance, not just build
The security part people skip
Most serious app vulnerabilities are authorisation bugs in the API: one account reading another's data by changing a number. Test every role against every endpoint before launch, not after a customer notices.
The practical takeaway
Ship a small, well-tested first release under your own store accounts, then let real usage decide what comes next.
Related RASED services
Official references
Written by Khalid Namra
Founder & CEO, RASED Solutions — engineering lead of RASED Solutions
Khalid Namra building software since 2015 and leads the engineering and security teams behind RASED Solutions in Riyadh.
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