It depends on what's broken and what's missing, which is why any honest price starts with someone looking at the code. Ours is fixed: Preventionlabs assesses your project for free, and if we take it on, getting it live costs $10,000 AUD flat for projects up to 50GB (code, database and stored files combined). On top of any fix, budget for running costs in your own accounts: hosting, the domain, paid services, and app store fees if it's a mobile app.
What's the problem
You need a number. Quotes you've had vary wildly, or come as an hourly rate with no ceiling, or as "it'll be cheaper to rebuild". You've already spent more than you planned, and you can't tell a fair price from a guess.
Why it happens
- Nobody can price what they haven't seen. A one-line deployment fix and a tangle of outdated, insecure code can look the same from the outside.
- Hourly billing moves the risk to you. Every surprise in the code becomes your cost.
- "Fix" and "finish" are different jobs. Getting existing features working and live is bounded. Building features that don't exist yet is new development, and much harder to cap.
- Running costs are separate. Hosting, databases, email, payment fees and app store memberships continue whoever fixed the app. Apple's developer program is 99 USD a year, and Google Play is a one-off US$25.
How to fix it
- Get it assessed first. A written diagnosis of what's broken and what's missing turns a guess into a scope.
- Separate fixing from building. Price "get what exists working and live" separately from "add what's missing".
- Ask for a fixed price against a written scope, with a clear definition of done, rather than an open hourly rate.
- Check what's included: security, deployment into your own accounts, handover documentation, and fixes after delivery.
- Budget the running costs separately, and make sure every account is in your name.
When to call Preventionlabs
When you want a number you can hold someone to. The assessment is free and comes back in writing. If we take it on, it's $10,000 AUD flat: $5,000 deposit when you accept the Scope of Work, $5,000 when it's ready for your review. It gets the app running, protected to MVP level and on scalable infrastructure, then hands it back. It doesn't include building features the app doesn't already have, or third-party costs, which stay in your own accounts. If it can't be saved, we tell you, and you owe nothing.
Submit your project for a free assessmentFree assessment. $10,000 AUD flat to get it live, only if we take it on and you go ahead.
Sources
- Preventionlabs: Terms of Service, section 2our terms of service
Flat rate per project, for projects up to 50GB in total, counting code, databases, and stored files.
- Preventionlabs: Terms of Service, section 4our terms of service
Third-party costs are not included and are paid by you directly, in your own accounts.
- Apple: Program enrollmentdeveloper program
The Apple Developer Program annual fee is 99 USD and the Apple Developer Enterprise Program annual fee is 299 USD, in local currency where available.
- Google Play: Get started with Play Consoledeveloper program
There is a US$25 one-time registration fee that you can pay with the following credit or debit cards: