Reading this blog post will make you an *instant millionaire! Chances are, that headline didn’t fool you. You’re probably already scanning the page for the fine print that follows that infamous asterisk. (In this case, it says *As long as you win the lottery right after you read it…)

As a business owner, you know the importance of reading the tiny print because it usually hides some sort of big detail that can drastically change your decision.

So when small business owners on a budget rightfully ask us (at least 50 times a day…), “How much does it cost to make an app?” We give it to them straight—the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Why? Because you deserve it. It’s good practice, and we hope it inspires your well-earned faith in our company, our product, and our services.

So what exactly is the whole truth when it comes to the requisite costs of app creation?
Well, let’s start with the fact that there is a bit more to the investment than simply making the app itself. And if somebody tries to tell you otherwise, they’re not showing you the fine print.

The expenses involved in creating an app can be divided into three categories. And we are going to show you exactly what they are—no tricks, no gimmicks, and no fine print.

#1: The Cost of Creating the App Itself

We firmly believe that as a small business owner on a budget, there’s no need for you to start a costly, tedious, and time-consuming journey of hiring a programmer and designer who’ll charge you thousands of dollars to build your app (plus the added expenses for extra features). Instead, you can and should build it yourself.

Swiftic offers three mobile success plans (plus a 6-Month Success Guarantee) that accommodate different budgets and payment-plan preferences:

• A monthly plan for $57/month (paid monthly)
• A one-year plan for $48/month (one-time payment for the whole year)
• And a two-year plan for $41/month (one-time payment for the two-year period)

With all three plans, you get unlimited access to all our features and services.

This means that whether you’re a commitment-phobe who opts for the month-to-month plan or an “all-in” type who signs up for the two-year long haul, you get an all-inclusive pass to the same great features, advanced options, and exclusive tools, like:

• A 24/7 Mobile Store that displays and sells your merchandise even when you’re well into dreamland (and doesn’t charge you overtime…)
• An unlimited number of push notifications to reach your customers seamlessly and directly
• Custom mobile Loyalty Cards to entice your shoppers and keep them happily coming back for more

#2: The Cost of Putting Your App on the Stores

Once you build your app, the goal is to get as many customers as possible to download it. Of course, they can only do this once you make it available on the app stores.

Opening your Google and/or Apple developer account is the first step to publishing your app on these stores. (Our short 8-video series explains exactly what to do.)

But publishing your app to the app stores isn’t free—and many people are unaware of this necessary expense.

So here’s some more full disclosure for you: You pay Swiftic for the app itself and membership benefits that come with it, and you pay Google and/or Apple a separate developer fee to put that app on their store. For Google, it’s a one-time fee of $25, and for Apple, a $99 annual fee.

Once you’ve done that, you can submit your app, which has to be approved by the respective stores before it’s published.

For best results with your app, our official recommendation is to put your app on both stores.

After all, your customers are using both Android (Google Play Store) and Apple devices. It naturally follows that to maximize your downloads, you should make your app available to all of them.

Now, the submission process itself can be intimidating, especially if you’re a novice.

But don’t despair—because when you purchase any one of our subscription plans, we save you another invaluable expenditure: your time (and possibly your sanity).

Every Swiftic plan entitles you to your very own app-submission escort—a dedicated app-publishing professional who will help submit your app to the stores for you once you fill in some basic details, gallantly saving you from the dreaded hassles, hurdles, and headaches of going at it alone.

#3: The Cost of Spreading the Word

Once you’ve successfully published your app on one or more of the top app stores, you have to actively advertise it to the world.

All those potential customers, that is, can’t download your app unless they know it exists (and how fabulous it is).

There are various ways to market your app (and along with it, your business), and these can be quite costly, but ultimately worth the investment. Or you can skip this last expense and go with Swiftic, where you’ll get superior app-promotion services as part of any of our subscription plans.

Instead of hiring an external marketing advisor or spending countless hours online, you can make full use of our dedicated Success Team, whose sole mission in life (or work) is to help you make it big with your app.

Nobody knows small business apps like we do, and in addition to our human pros, we offer a wealth of exclusive tools and advanced features to effectively promote your app, including:

• Storefront stickers featuring your app’s QR code that you can paste all around your place of business
• A Mailing Genie that lets you efficiently send all your email contacts a notice, singing the praises of your shiny new app and all that it offers

With our extensive experience and years in the trade (over one million small business apps created and counting), we give you our golden recipe for SMB success—a unique combination of devoted personal service and innovative tech solutions you won’t find anywhere else.

When you join the Swiftic family, you’re not just buying an app, you’re buying an entire team of experts dedicated to guiding you to business success and lasting customer loyalty in the age of mobile madness.

We’re so sure you’ll succeed, in fact, that we’ll give you six full months on us in the event your app doesn’t reach its potential after the first six months on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

So there it is, folks, the truth at all costs (or, more specifically, the three types of costs involved in creating an app). We’ve bared all, and now it’s your turn—feel free to hit us up in the comments below with any questions, comments, inspiring thoughts, or anything else you deem sharable.

Time is money. Try us out now!