How to make an app for free, and where the costs show up

Can you really make an app for free?

Yes, up to a point. Designing, building, testing and publishing a web app can cost nothing, because the tools, hosting and database you need all have free plans. Publishing a native app to a phone’s store is where money enters, because both Apple and Google charge a developer fee.

So the honest answer is that the build is free and the distribution is not, unless you stay on the web. The table shows each piece, what is free, and where the first charge appears. Prices are as of October 2026 and change, so check each linked page before you rely on a figure.

What is the free path from idea to a live app?

Follow this order and you spend nothing until you have users. It is the path laid out in the main guide to making an app, kept to free tools.

1. Write the idea in one sentence and talk to five people. Free, and the step that saves the most money later. Use the validation guide.
2. Scope one job. Use the free MVP Scope Planner or the scoping guide.
3. Draft the build prompt. The free AI Coding Prompt Builder turns your answers into a scoped first prompt.
4. Build on a free plan. Paste the prompt into an AI builder or coding tool and build the one screen that matters. Expect to hit the plan’s limit; it is a sign to cut scope, not to upgrade yet.
5. Host it free. Deploy to a hosting tier that costs USD 0 a month.
6. Share the link with five people. A web link is the cheapest way to get real feedback.
7. Decide on the stores only after that. If users ask for an installable app, then weigh the USD 99 a year and USD 25 once.

Starting from someone else’s idea helps too. Every idea on the board has a generated build prompt, so the writing step is already done and you can go straight to building. Ideas are free to read and use, and there is no account.

What are the limits of free plans?

Free plans are real, but they are built so that growing means paying. Know the shape of each limit before you build on it, because moving later costs more than choosing carefully now.

• Usage caps. AI builders meter by credits or messages. Lovable’s pricing page, for example, says credits are units used to measure usage across building, hosting and AI features, and that unused monthly plan credits expire. When the free allowance runs out you wait or pay.
• Paused projects. Supabase’s pricing page says free projects are paused after one week of inactivity and that you can have two active projects. A demo you stop touching will go offline until you restart it.
• Build quotas. Expo’s free plan lists up to 15 Android and 15 iOS builds each month. That is plenty for a first app, but a debugging session with many rebuilds can burn through it.
• Terms for commercial use. Some free hosting tiers are meant for personal projects. If the app will earn money, read the plan’s terms first.
• Platform lock-in. A free no-code plan may not let you export your app’s code. Check what leaving costs before you build something you will need to keep.

What does it cost to put an app in the App Store or Google Play?

Apple’s enrollment page states that the Apple Developer Program is 99 USD per membership year, and that prices can vary by region and are shown in local currency at enrollment. Nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can request a fee waiver if they meet Apple’s requirements. Building iPhone apps with Apple’s own tools also needs a Mac, because Xcode is a Mac application.

Google’s help page for creating a developer account states a one-time registration fee of USD 25, and says you may be asked for a government ID and a credit card under your legal name. The fee is not refunded if that information is found invalid.

Apple’s membership comparison page says that to distribute apps you must be a Developer Program member, while registering with an Apple Account is free and gives access to resources such as beta versions of Xcode. Developers commonly report that an app installed on your own iPhone with a free account stops launching after about seven days and needs reinstalling, which makes that route suitable for learning and not for sharing.

The Google closed-test rule is set out in Google’s testing requirements. It means a free-to-build Android app still costs you two weeks and a dozen willing testers before it can go public. Read the Android build guide and the App Store publishing guide for the full process.

What costs do people forget when they plan a free app?

Most of them are small, but a few add up. List them before you start so nothing is a surprise.

• Your time. Free in cash and not free in hours. The time guide shows how to estimate it.
• A domain name. A yearly fee. A free host subdomain works for testing.
• A privacy policy. Apple’s App Review Guidelines require every app to link a privacy policy. Free generators exist, but if you collect personal data, read what you are agreeing to.
• Paid APIs. If your app calls an AI model or a map service, each use may be billed. Set a spending cap before you publish a link.
• Payment fees. If you charge users, the payment provider takes a cut of each sale. The guide to making money from an app covers the models.
• Upgrades once you have users. The day your free database passes its limits, the plan changes. Know the next tier’s price in advance.

App: [name]
Platform: [web / iPhone / Android]

Free now:
- Build tool: [name, plan, monthly limit]
- Hosting: [name, plan]
- Database: [name, plan, limit that would force an upgrade]

Paid only if I publish to a store:
- Apple Developer Program: USD 99 a year [yes / no]
- Google Play registration: USD 25 once [yes / no]

Paid per use:
- [API or service] at [price per unit] x [expected units] = [monthly estimate]

Cap I will set before sharing a link: [amount]
Date I will review these prices: [date]

When is it worth paying?

Pay when a limit stops you from learning something you need to know, not before. A good test: can you name the question the paid plan answers? “Will 20 people use this every week?” is a question. “It would feel more professional” is not.

If the free route stalls because you lack the time or skills, that is a signal to look at the other routes, not to abandon the idea. You can compare them in the guide to building an app without coding, or look at what a developer would charge on the cost page. And if the free path leads you to a clear idea you will not build, post it on the board rather than let it sit in a note.