It depends on the state of the foundations and the stakes involved, so treat any figure given before an assessment with caution. A small, contained fix can be modest. Finishing a real system properly is a larger, structured engagement. What drives the price is not hours typed but the risk being carried and the strength of what you already built.
Information current as at 5 July 2026
Money is the question everyone circles and few ask directly, so here it is head on. There is no single honest number, because the cost depends entirely on the state of what you built and what it needs to do. But the way the price is arrived at can be judged, and understanding the drivers helps you tell a fair quote from a fishing one.
Anyone who names a firm price for finishing your app before looking at it is guessing, and a guess is not a quote. The cost hinges on things only an assessment reveals: how sound the foundations are, how much can be kept, whether the data is a mess, whether security holes need urgent work. Two apps that look identical from the outside can be worlds apart underneath, one an afternoon's work, the other a rebuild. This is why a trustworthy partner assesses before quoting, and why you should be wary of a confident figure offered too early. The refusal to name a number before looking is a good sign, not an evasion.
The real drivers are risk and readiness, not hours. An app that quietly takes payments and holds personal data carries more risk, and closing that risk properly costs more than tidying a hobby site. The strength of what you built matters too: a well-structured foundation that mostly needs finishing is cheaper than a tangle that must be unpicked. The breadth of the goal drives it as well; "make this one form work" and "make this safe to run a business on" are different jobs. Understanding these drivers lets you shape the cost, because narrowing the goal, or accepting a phased approach, is often the lever that brings a big number into reach.
If you have made something and it needs to become real, send it over. We will tell you honestly what it needs to be live, safe and yours, whether that is a quick fix you can do or a proper build. No obligation.
You will meet a wide spread of prices in the market. At one end there is a marketplace of quick, cheap "fix my AI app" gigs, which can genuinely help with a small, contained problem but rarely address the structural or security work a real business system needs, and sometimes leave new holes behind. At the other end sits a traditional from-scratch build, which is the most expensive route of all. Finishing what you already have well tends to cost a fraction of a legacy build, because your existing work is a real head start. Where in that spread you land depends on the stakes and on which parts of your build survive.
The cheapest quote is not the best value if it leaves you with a fragile system you cannot own or a hole that surfaces later. Judge value by what you are left holding: a secure, maintainable system you own outright is worth more than a cheap patch that has to be redone. For serious systems, engagements typically start around $50k with studios doing structural finishing work, and that number should come with a clear account of what it buys and what you will own. Ask any partner to tie their price to outcomes and ownership. A fair quote is legible; you can see what you are paying for and why.
If you have made something and it needs to become real, send it over. We will tell you honestly what it needs to be live, safe and yours, whether that is a quick fix you can do or a proper build. No obligation.
Whether you can name exactly what you want built, or you just know something is leaking, the next step is the same conversation.