Fixing & maintaining an app
App Maintenance: What It Includes and How Much It Costs Per Year
Short answer: Plan to spend roughly 15–25% of your app's original build cost per year on maintenance, plus hosting and third-party services. Maintenance covers yearly iOS and Android updates, mandatory store SDK deadlines, framework and dependency upgrades, security patches, bug fixes, monitoring and small improvements. Most small and mid-sized apps are best served by a monthly retainer with an experienced developer. Skipping maintenance doesn't save money. It moves the cost into a much bigger emergency later.
Apps aren't "done" when they launch. The platforms underneath them change every year, and an app that isn't maintained slowly breaks, gets slower, and can eventually be blocked from receiving updates. I maintain my own apps, one of them since 2014, so this is the reality I live with.
What does app maintenance include?
Platform updates (yearly, unavoidable)
- New iOS and Android versions each autumn can change permissions, background behaviour, UI and APIs.
- Store requirements: Google Play requires apps to target a recent Android API level every year, and Apple periodically requires new uploads to be built with a recent Xcode and SDK. Miss these and you can't ship updates. (Updating an outdated app)
- New device sizes and features like notches, Dynamic Island and foldables.
Framework and dependency upgrades
- React Native/Expo, Flutter, or native SDK upgrades (a few times a year)
- Third-party libraries: payments, analytics, maps, auth
- Each skipped upgrade makes the next one harder. This is how "maintenance debt" builds up.
Security
- Patching vulnerable dependencies
- Rotating keys and certificates before they expire (push notification certificates and API keys)
- Reviewing database rules and API access
Monitoring and bug fixes
- Watching crash reports and performance (fixing crashes)
- Fixing bugs users report
- Watching backend costs and errors
Store and compliance upkeep
- Privacy labels and data safety forms when SDKs change
- Policy changes (account deletion, payments rules, privacy manifests)
- Responding to review rejections on updates
Small improvements
- Copy changes, small UX fixes, minor features. Many retainers include a few hours a month for these.
How much does app maintenance cost?
| App size | Typical yearly maintenance (developer time) |
|---|---|
| Small app ($15K–$40K build) | ~$3,000–$10,000/year |
| Mid-size app ($40K–$100K build) | ~$8,000–$25,000/year |
| Large app ($100K+ build) | ~$25,000+/year, often a part-time or full-time role |
Plus running costs: hosting, database, storage, email/SMS, analytics, subscriptions tooling and developer accounts. For most small apps these start under a few hundred dollars a month and scale with usage.
Hourly, retainer or in-house?
| Model | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Ad-hoc hourly | Very stable apps with rare changes | Nobody is watching. Problems surface as emergencies |
| Monthly retainer | Most small and mid-size apps | Make sure hours, response times and scope are clear |
| In-house developer | Larger apps with constant development | Expensive if there isn't enough work |
| Agency support plan | Apps the agency built | Often more expensive, and response depends on their team |
A good retainer includes proactive work (upgrades before they become urgent), monitoring, a defined response time for critical issues, and a monthly summary of what was done.
What happens if you skip maintenance?
What typically happens to apps left for a few years without care:
- The app can't be updated because the toolchain is too old for current store requirements
- A two-year-old framework upgrade turns into weeks of work instead of a few days spread across those two years
- Purchases or logins break after an SDK or API change
- Ratings drop as crashes increase on new devices
- Eventually, a costly rebuild
How do I keep maintenance costs down?
- Use a mainstream stack with good tooling (React Native/Expo makes upgrades much smoother)
- Keep dependencies minimal. Every library is something to maintain
- Upgrade little and often instead of in big, painful jumps
- Use automated crash reporting and alerts
- Keep build and release steps documented
FAQ
How much does it cost to maintain an app per year?
A common rule of thumb is 15–25% of the original development cost per year, plus hosting and service fees. Simple, stable apps can be lower, and apps under active development will be higher.
Do I really need to maintain my app if it works?
Yes. iOS, Android and store requirements change every year. An app that isn't maintained eventually stops getting updates, breaks on new devices, or falls out of compliance.
What's included in an app maintenance retainer?
Typically platform and dependency upgrades, monitoring, bug fixes, store compliance updates, a response-time guarantee for critical issues, and some hours for small improvements.
Can you maintain an app you didn't build?
Yes. Taking over maintenance of an inherited app usually starts with a short audit to understand the codebase, then moves to a monthly plan. See finding a developer to fix your app.