Writing the code is rarely the slow part. The timeline of an app depends on scope, platform and the decisions made before the first line of code is written.
Timelines
There is no standard timeline that fits every app, but based on our projects these guidelines apply:
Those timelines apply to the build phase itself. What surrounds it, such as preparation, accounts and external parties, is a different story.
Biggest delay
Before an app appears in the App Store or Google Play, you as a client need a developer account with Apple and Google. With Google it is a matter of paying and waiting a few days. Apple works differently.
Apple wants to call before they activate an account. Scheduling that call, completing the verification and getting the account activated takes two to three weeks. If this is only arranged at the end of a project, a technically finished app sits waiting in the queue for weeks.
So arrange the developer accounts on day one of the project. By the time the app is ready, the Apple verification will long be done.
Almost every business app communicates with something outside the app itself: a customer system, a planning tool or a payment platform. How smoothly that integration goes depends on the quality of external documentation and the availability of the other party. Integrations we have built before go considerably faster. For a new system, we build in time for alignment and testing.
Preparation
Many clients want to deliver the perfect product in one go. That is understandable, but it leads to a pattern we see regularly: preparation that never ends, because it can always be better.
A twenty-page functional design sounds thorough. Yet end users, the people who will use the app daily, look at a screen differently than the client expected. You simply cannot predict all of that in advance, however long you think about it.
The result: the build starts months later than necessary, and part of the preparatory work turns out to need adjustment after the first user test anyway.
That is why we prefer to start with what is clear enough now. We build it, test it with real users and adjust based on what we see. That cycle is faster and more reliable than trying to get everything right upfront.
Quality
No, even if that may not be what you want to hear when you are in a hurry.
We use automated tests, also known as unit tests. These tests automatically check whether a function still works after another developer has made changes. Writing those tests takes time during the build, but it saves considerably more time later: fewer bugs in production, faster further development and less rework.
An app that takes six weeks without tests is three weeks faster than a nine-week app with tests. But the app without tests pays those three weeks back later in extra bug fixes and delays with every update.
An app that does not work the way the end user expects is the worst starting point. Users who get a bad first impression rarely come back.
Arrange accounts early
Apply for the developer accounts with Apple and Google on day one, rather than saving it for the end. Apple requires a verification call that can take weeks.
Make decisions
A client who decides quickly and clearly prevents a project from waiting weeks for approval or direction.
Start small
A four-week MVP teaches more than a four-month full design. Build the smallest thing that is meaningful, test it, then expand.
Previous work
FAQ
Your timeline
The timeline depends on the conditions outside the code: accounts, integrations, decision-making. If you arrange these early, you lose no time waiting.
Want to know what a realistic timeline looks like for your specific app idea? We look at the scope together and give you an honest estimate. For a full overview of what this costs, see our app development costs page.
Schedule a no-obligation call →Let's grab a coffee. Tell us about your idea and we'll give you our honest take on what's possible.
Schedule a call →Usually a reply within seconds
