What you are actually paying for
A business app is more than the screens your clients see. A typical first version for a gym, studio, salon or restaurant includes:
- Design of every screen in your brand, for iPhone, Android and the web.
- Client accounts: sign-in with Apple, Google or e-mail, profiles, and settings.
- Bookings or orders, with your own rules for availability, cancellations and waiting lists.
- Payments: memberships, packs, deposits or orders, by card and Apple Pay.
- Notifications: reminders, confirmations and messages from your team.
- A dashboard for you, to see bookings, payments and clients.
- Connections to the tools you already use, such as your calendar, till or accounting software.
- Testing and publication on the App Store and Google Play under your name.
What drives the price up or down
| Factor | Keeps the price down | Pushes the price up |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Clients only, with a simple dashboard for you | Several roles: clients, staff, coaches, parents, managers |
| Payments | One-off payments by card or Apple Pay | Memberships, freezes, credits, split payments, Direct Debit |
| Connections | None, or one tool with a good API | Several systems, or older software without an API |
| Real-time features | Bookings and messages | Live tracking, live video, chat between clients |
| AI | An assistant that answers from your own information | Custom models trained on large amounts of your data |
| Content | Your existing photos, prices and timetable | New photography, video libraries, several languages |
The running costs people forget
Once the app is live, it needs to keep working. These are the costs to plan for:
| Cost | Who charges it | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | Apple, for publishing on the App Store | Every year |
| Google Play developer account | Google, for publishing on Google Play | Once |
| Hosting, database and backups | Your developer or a cloud provider | Monthly |
| Updates for new iOS and Android versions | Your developer | At least once a year |
| Payment fees | Your payment provider | A small percentage per payment |
| Support and improvements | Your developer | Monthly or on request |
Apple and Google do not take a commission on memberships, classes or goods used in person. Their in-app purchase rules apply to digital content, such as online classes sold inside the app. See how to get your business on the App Store.
Fixed price or day rate?
With a day rate, you pay for the time spent, so the final bill depends on how the project goes. With a fixed price, the developer commits to a price for a written scope, so you know the cost before any work starts. For a small business, a fixed price is usually safer: the budget cannot drift, and changes are agreed and priced before they are made.
A fixed price only works if the scope is clear. That is why good projects start with a short scoping session: what your clients and team do today, the screens and features in order of priority, and the mock-ups of the main screens.
Template, branded app or custom app?
Many booking platforms sell a branded app: their template with your logo and colours. It is quicker to launch and costs a monthly fee on top of the platform, but you get the same features as every other business on that platform. A custom app is built around how your business works, connects to your tools and belongs to you. We compare the options in your own app or a booking platform.
How to keep the cost down
- Start with the first version that earns its keep, usually bookings, payments and reminders, then add features from what your clients ask for.
- Use one code base for iPhone, Android and the web, instead of three separate apps.
- Keep the tools that work: connect to your till, calendar or accounting software rather than rebuilding them.
- Bring your own content: your timetable, prices, photos and rules are the best material for the app and for its assistant.
What LOMY charges
| Step | Price (excluding VAT) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping | £790, deducted from the build | A half-day session, the screens and features in order of priority, mock-ups, and a written scope with the timeline and the fixed price |
| Build | Fixed price in the written scope | Design, iPhone, Android and web, accounts, bookings, payments, notifications, your dashboard and publication under your name, usually in 4 to 8 weeks |
| Run and improve | £290 a month | Hosting, backups, updates, support and one improvement a month, with 30 days’ notice to stop |
Questions
Only slightly, if the apps share one code base. A web app cannot send reliable notifications on every phone or appear on the App Store, so most businesses that rely on bookings and reminders choose a real app, with a web version alongside it.
Not on memberships, classes, appointments or goods used in person. Those are paid through your own payment provider. Apple’s commission applies to digital content sold inside the app, such as online classes.
Usually 4 to 8 weeks after the scoping session, depending on the scope. You see a demo every week and test the app on your own phone before it is published.
At LOMY, the app is published under your name, on your own App Store and Google Play accounts, and your client data stays yours.
Want to see it for your business?
A 15-minute call is enough to see what an app of your own would do for you, and what it would cost.