The short answer
Published UK figures put annual maintenance at 15 to 25% of the original build cost, and year one specifically at 40 to 50% while the codebase stabilises. On a £100,000 build that is £15,000 to £25,000 a year, every year, before any new features.
What the market charges
| Cost | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Annual maintenance, steady state | 15 to 25% of build cost |
| Year one specifically | Often 40 to 50% |
| Typical annual fee | £5,000 to £25,000 |
| On a £100,000 build | £15,000 to £25,000 a year |
| Cloud hosting | £200 to £5,000 a month |
| Third-party APIs and licences | £100 to £3,000 a month |
| True year-one cost | Build quote plus 20 to 30% |
That last row is the one to take into a budget meeting. A £30,000 quote is a £36,000 to £39,000 first year.
Why an app needs maintaining even when nothing changes
- Platform requirements moveApple and Google change rules roughly annually. Apps that are never updated eventually stop being accepted.
- New devices and OS versionsScreen sizes, permissions models, and system behaviours shift underneath you.
- Dependencies get security patchesIgnoring them is how a working app becomes a liability.
- Third-party APIs deprecate endpointsPayment providers and mapping services change; your integration has to follow.
- Certificates and keys expireUnglamorous, and it takes an app offline just as effectively as a bug.
What we include, and where our limit is
Hosting for a typical app at launch volume is small, and it scales with real usage rather than with ambition. What is and is not included.
Common questions
How much does app maintenance cost per year in the UK?
Published figures cluster at 15 to 25% of the original build cost annually, with typical annual fees of £5,000 to £25,000. On a £100,000 build that is £15,000 to £25,000 every year.
Why is the first year more expensive?
Sources put year one at 40 to 50% of build cost, because that is when the codebase stabilises and real users find what testing missed. It settles to 15 to 20% from year two.
Does an app need maintenance if nothing changes?
Yes. Apple and Google change platform requirements roughly annually. An app that is never updated eventually stops being accepted by the stores or stops working properly on new devices.