Full-Stack & AI Product Engineer
How much does it cost to build an AI app?
For a first version with one focused AI feature, my range is $6,500 to $9,000 over about 4 to 5 weeks. An app built around agents, retrieval, or quality checks is more than one sprint, so it gets a written scope before it gets a price. These are estimates, not quotes.
Cost ranges (estimates)
- One AI feature$6,500 to $9,000About 4 to 5 weeks
Drafting, classification, search, or a bounded assistant inside a web app with accounts.
- Agents or retrievalScope firstMore than one sprint
No number until a written scope splits the work into sprints, each with a fixed price.
- Scope & Prototype$500Before the build
A one-page scope, a fixed price, and a first prototype, credited to the build within 30 days.
Prices are USD estimates, not quotes. They come from the bands in my MVP Scope Estimator and the offers on /hire. A short written scope sets the fixed price.
What these ranges assume
- A web app with one user type and sign-in.
- One or two outside services, such as a model API.
- Standard customer data, nothing regulated.
- A public launch, built by me alone.
- A fixed price, written down before work starts.
- Hosting and model usage on your own accounts.
What drives the cost
- Agents, retrieval, or answer-quality checks
- Several outside systems or a custom integration
- Health, financial, or other regulated data
- Web plus a mobile app or an admin console
- Many users at once, with queues and retries
- Starting inside an existing codebase
- One AI feature that does one job
- One user type and one or two core workflows
- A small private beta before a public launch
- A Figma file or clear written spec up front
- The second AI feature left for the next sprint
- Starting fresh, not in an old codebase
How long it takes
- One AI feature: about 4 to 5 weeks.
- Agents or retrieval: sprints set in the scope.
- A written update daily, a live link in week one.
Freelancer, agency, or no-code
I have no sourced market averages for these, so I describe fit and risks instead of quoting prices I cannot back up.
For AI work, check who owns the prompts, the evaluation set, and the model accounts, whichever way you build.
Estimate your exact scope
Nine questions, a price and timeline band, and a brief you can keep. It runs in your browser, uses no AI, and starts with the answers set for this kind of product.
Questions
How much does an AI app cost?
For a first version with one focused AI feature in a web app, my estimate is $6,500 to $9,000 over about 4 to 5 weeks. An app that needs agents, retrieval, or quality checks is more than one sprint and gets a written scope first. The exact price is fixed in writing before work starts.
Why do AI features cost more?
In the scope estimator, any AI feature moves the work from the $3,500 to $5,500 tier to the $6,500 to $9,000 tier. Model output varies, so the feature needs prompt work, testing against real inputs, and limits on cost and failure cases that a standard form or list view does not.
Does the price include model usage?
No. The app runs on your own hosting and model accounts, so usage is billed to you by the providers. The build price covers the work of building and launching the app.
Can I spend less than $6,500?
Two cheaper entry points exist. Scope & Prototype is $500: a written scope, a fixed price, and a first prototype of the core flow, credited to the build if you go ahead within 30 days. If you already have an AI-built app that broke, FixedLaunch starts at $149 for a diagnosis, with fix sprints from $750.
Do you build agents and retrieval?
Yes, as multi-sprint work. I scope them first because they depend on your data, your quality bar, and how much a wrong answer costs. The scope splits the work into sprints and gives each a fixed price.
Is this page a quote?
No. It is a range from the same rules the scope estimator uses. A short written scope sets the fixed price, and you get one within 48 hours of sending a brief.