How much it costs to turn a vibe-coded prototype into a real app

The cost of turning a vibe-coded prototype into a real app depends on four things: what the app needs that the prototype doesn’t have yet, how the AI built it, whether it goes on phones, and who hosts it. I don’t publish prices, because no two prototypes need the same work. I look at each app first, then quote.

Below is what moves the cost, from small to large.

What the prototype already saves you

A working prototype lowers the cost. Working out exactly what an app should do and look like is usually about a third of the effort, and the prototype has done it. Every screen, flow and rule it shows is one less thing to work out during the build.

Anything the prototype doesn’t show yet is worked out during the build, and that adds to it.

What it needs that the prototype doesn’t have

Each of these adds to the job:

• Logins, and different roles for different people.
• A real database with backups, instead of data kept in the browser.
• Each customer’s data kept separate from every other customer’s.
• Payments and subscriptions.
• Emails and text messages sent from the app.
• Documents or forms generated and sent.
• Things that run while nobody has the app open, such as reminders and nightly jobs.
• Error reporting, automatic deploys and a test environment.

The backend and the move to a real database are usually the largest single part.

How the AI built it

A prototype that keeps everything in the browser needs a backend built behind it.

A prototype that talks straight to the database with a Supabase key in the browser needs more: an API between the app and the database, the keys moved to the server, and every request checked there. It’s a revamp, not a patch. See security review of an AI-built Supabase app.

Website, web app or phone app

A web app can work on phones in the browser. iPhone and Android apps add store accounts, app builds and store review on top.

I build web, iPhone and Android from one codebase, on one backend. That keeps the phone apps from being three separate projects.

Who hosts it, and whose accounts

I can host and run the app for you, which keeps the cost down. Or I can set it up in your own accounts, which costs significantly more but leaves you fully independent.

Running costs come on top of the build either way: hosting, any text messages it sends, and the domain.

From small to large

• A review of the app, with a written list of what it needs.
• Logins and a backend for a web app.
• A revamp of an app wired straight to the database, with phone apps, set up on your own accounts.

How I quote

I look at the app before I quote. Send me a link to it, or the code, and a few lines on what it does and who will use it. We go through it on a call, then I send the quote.

FAQ

Can you give me a price without seeing the app? No. Two prototypes that look alike can need very different work underneath.

Is it cheaper because I already have a prototype? Yes. It has already settled what the app should do and look like, which is usually about a third of the effort.

What do I pay for after it’s built? Running costs: hosting, any text messages, and the domain. Changes and new features after launch are quoted separately.