How to Code an App: Complete Guide for 2026

Are you curious about how to create an app? While coding an app may seem daunting at first, with the right guidance and the latest AI-powered tools, making an app is actually an achievable goal for anyone, regardless of your experience level. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to create your own app, from getting started to planning your app’s functionality to testing your product.

Whether you’re a beginner who’s looking to create your first mobile app or a developer who wants to build a more complex software application, you’ll get everything you need in this article to get started. We’ll provide foundational knowledge, best practices, and resources to turn your idea into a fully functional app.

If you’ve ever asked, “How to create an app?” or “How to build an application?” — This guide’s for you!

Key Takeaways

• App development is the process of designing, coding, testing, and launching software applications for platforms like mobile devices, web browsers, or desktop systems.
• The types of apps you can code are web apps, desktop apps, native apps, hybrid apps, and progressive web apps (PWAs).
• You can develop an app even if you don’t have coding knowledge or design skills. Intuitive tools offered by no-code AI platforms include drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built components, and free templates.
• Developing an app involves both creative and technical steps, from wireframes to final deployment.
• You can also learn to create an app using free tutorials or formal education, depending on your pace and preference.
• The cost to build an app ranges from free (using no-code tools) to $19 per month and up (with Knack) to a few thousand dollars to $500,000 or more for custom development. Pricing depends on the complexity of your app and use cases.

How Much Does It Cost to Code an App?

One of the first questions when learning how to build an app is: what will it cost? The answer varies significantly based on your approach:

No-Code Development: $0 – $500/month

No-code platforms like Knack offer free plans to get started, with premium features ranging from $19-$500+ monthly. This approach requires zero coding knowledge and can have your app live in a few hours or a week, depending on the complexity.

DIY Traditional Coding: $0 – $5,000

If you code the app yourself using free tools and open-source frameworks, your only costs might be:

• Developer accounts (Apple Developer Program: $99/year, Google Play: $25 one-time)
• Learning resources and courses: $0-$2,000
• Hosting and backend services: $0-$100/month
• Your time investment: 1 week -12 months

Hiring Freelance Developers: $2,000 – $50,000

Hiring freelancers for a simple to moderately complex app typically costs:

• Simple app (basic features): $2,000-$15,000
• Medium complexity app: $15,000-$35,000
• Complex app with backend: $35,000-$50,000+
• Development time: 1-6 months.

Professional Development Agency: $50,000 – $500,000+

Full-service agencies handle everything from design to deployment:

• Basic app: $50,000-$100,000
• Medium complexity: $100,000-$250,000
• Enterprise-level app: $250,000-$500,000+

Development time: 1-12+ months.

Bottom Line: For most beginners, non-developers, and small businesses, no-code, AI-powered platforms like Knack offer the best balance of cost, speed, and functionality. You can always transition to custom code later as your needs grow.

Can You Build an App For Free?

Yes, you absolutely can build and launch an app for free, though there are some important considerations:

Completely Free Options

No-Code Platforms with Free Tiers:

• Knack offers a free plan to build and test your app
• Bubble.io has a free tier for learning and prototyping
• Glide and Softr offer free plans with basic features

These platforms let you create functional apps without any upfront investment. The main limitations on free plans are typically user counts, storage space, and advanced features.

Traditional Coding – Free Tools

• Programming languages (JavaScript, Python, Swift, Kotlin) are free to use
• Development environments like Visual Studio Code, Android Studio, and Xcode are free
• Many hosting options offer free tiers (Heroku, Netlify, Vercel)
• Learning resources like freeCodeCamp, YouTube tutorials, and documentation are free

Where Costs Come In

Even with free development, you may encounter these costs:

• App Store Publishing: Apple App Store ($99/year), Google Play Store ($25 one-time)
• Custom Domain: $12 and up per year for a professional web address
• Scaling: As your user base grows, you may need paid hosting or platform upgrades
• Premium Features: Advanced integrations, custom branding, or higher usage limits

Best Strategy for Free Development

1. Start with a no-code platform’s free tier to validate your idea quickly
2. Use free learning resources if you want to code traditionally
3. Launch as a web app first to avoid app store fees
4. Upgrade to paid plans only when you’re generating revenue or have confirmed user demand

The key is that you can absolutely develop, test, and even launch an app without spending money. Your investment comes when you want to scale, access advanced features, or publish to major app stores.

What Is App Development?

App development is the process of developing an application that runs on various platforms, such as smartphones, tablets, or computers. It involves several key stages, including ideation, designing the user interface (UI), writing code, testing for bugs, and eventually deploying the app to be used by others. The goal is to create a functional, user-friendly product that addresses specific needs or solves a particular problem for its users.

If you’re wondering how to make application products that stand out in the market, it starts with understanding what users really need and building with intention.

What Are the Different Types of Apps?

There are various types of apps, each with unique characteristics and suited to different use cases:

Web Apps

These are accessed through a web browser and are not platform-specific, meaning they can run on any device with internet access. Web apps are ideal for applications that need to be easily accessible across different platforms without requiring installation.

Best for: Business tools, customer or user portals, dashboards, internal company applications

Development time: A few minutes to hours or day with no-code AI platforms, or a few weeks to months with traditional coding

Cost range: $0-$20,000

Desktop Apps

Installed directly onto computers, desktop apps are built for specific operating systems such as Linux, Windows, or macOS. These apps often offer more robust functionality and can handle complex tasks, making them ideal for professional software and gaming.

Best for: Professional software, photo/video editing, gaming, resource-intensive applications

Development time: 1-6 months

Cost range: $2,000-$100,000+

Native Mobile Apps

These are built specifically for mobile operating systems like iOS or Android. They take full advantage of the device’s hardware and software, offering high performance and a seamless user experience. Native apps are popular for gaming, social media, and other performance-intensive applications.

Best for: Consumer apps, gaming, apps requiring device features (camera, GPS, push notifications)

Development time: 2-9 months or more

Cost range: $3,000-$150,000+

How to Make a Mobile App: Key Considerations

When learning how to make a mobile app specifically, you’ll need to decide:

1. Platform First: iOS, Android, or both? Starting with one platform is often more cost-effective.
2. Native vs. Cross-Platform: Native apps offer better performance but require separate development for iOS and Android. Cross-platform frameworks let you build once and deploy to both.
3. Device Features: Mobile apps can access cameras, GPS, accelerometers, and push notifications – features web apps can’t fully utilize.
4. App Store Requirements: Both Apple and Google have strict guidelines for mobile apps, including design standards, security requirements, and content policies.

Mobile App Development Timeline:

• Planning and design: A few days to weeks
• Development: 1-16 weeks
• Testing: 1-4 weeks
• App store approval: 1-2 weeks

Hybrid Apps

Using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, hybrid apps can run on both iOS and Android platforms. Frameworks like React Native or Flutter allow for a single codebase to be shared across platforms, making development faster and more cost-effective. Hybrid apps are great for startups looking for broad reach with minimal upfront investment.

Best for: Startups, MVPs, content-driven apps, apps with moderate performance needs

Development time: 2-5 months

Cost range: $15,000-$75,000

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

These combine the accessibility of web apps with the look and feel of native apps. They can be accessed through browsers but offer a more immersive, app-like experience, including offline functionality, push notifications, and faster load times. PWAs are a good fit for businesses seeking to enhance user engagement without developing a fully native app.

Best for: Ecommerce, news sites, social platforms, apps needing wide accessibility

Development time: 1-3 months

Cost range: $5,000-$40,000

Developers can explore these different formats based on the goal of their project, whether developing apps for beginners or advanced use.

Tools and Languages for Developing Applications

To answer the question, “What are coding apps?”, you need to first consider the coding software for apps that are available today. These include IDEs, compilers, and frameworks tailored to the platform you’re targeting.

No-Code AI App Development

AI-powered no-code platforms like Knack allow you to build fully functional apps without any coding knowledge. These platforms provide drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components, making them ideal for beginners, non-developers, or businesses looking to prototype or build an app quickly.

If you’re unsure about how to make app designs user-friendly without a background in tech, no-code tools are a great place to start.

With tools like Knack, users can create web apps, databases, and workflows without writing a single line of code.

Related: No Code vs. Full Code

iOS App Development Tools

iOS app development relies on a set of specialized tools and programming languages to create applications that perform well across Apple devices. The most commonly used platforms and languages are:

• Xcode: Xcode is the official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for iOS app development. Built by Apple, it provides a comprehensive suite of tools for building apps, including a code editor, debugging tools, a user interface design editor (Storyboard), and performance testing utilities.
• Swift: Swift is Apple’s powerful and intuitive programming language, designed to build apps across iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It’s known for its modern syntax, safety features, and speed, making it easier for developers to write code that is less prone to errors. Swift supports both object-oriented and functional programming paradigms.
• Objective-C: Although Swift has largely overtaken Objective-C in popularity, Objective-C remains relevant, especially when maintaining or updating legacy apps. It’s an object-oriented programming language that works seamlessly with Apple’s Cocoa Touch frameworks, making it suitable for building native iOS applications.

These tools are essential for anyone exploring phone app programming on Apple platforms.

Android App Development Tools

Developing Android apps requires a combination of essential tools and programming languages designed to optimize the app development process and ensure compatibility across Android devices, including:

• Android Studio: This is the official IDE for Android app development, provided by Google. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including a code editor, emulators for testing apps on different devices, debugging tools, and performance profilers.
• Kotlin: This is a modern, expressive programming language designed for Android development and fully supported by Google. It’s known for its concise syntax, safety features, and interoperability with Java, allowing developers to write less error-prone code more efficiently.
• Java: This is one of the most established programming languages for Android app development and has been the primary language since Android’s inception. Java remains widely used, especially for maintaining legacy apps or integrating with Kotlin. It is a powerful, object-oriented language that offers flexibility and scalability. Android developers frequently need access to the app source code for debugging and customization.

Cross-Platform Development Tools

Building apps that work across multiple platforms is becoming increasingly important, and several tools have emerged to streamline this process. These tools allow developers to create apps for both iOS and Android using a single codebase, saving time and effort while maintaining performance and user experience. Popular options include:

• React Native: This is a widely used framework that allows developers to build mobile apps using JavaScript and React. It enables the creation of apps for both iOS and Android from a single codebase while delivering near-native performance.
• Xamarin: Owned by Microsoft, Xamarin allows developers to create apps for iOS, Android, and even Windows using a single codebase written in C#. Xamarin provides full access to native APIs and user interface components, ensuring that cross-platform apps feel native to each platform.

These frameworks simplify the code application process and allow developers to ship features faster.

How to Develop Your Own App: Step-by-Step

Ready to start your app coding journey? Follow the 8-step guide we’ve outlined below.

Step 1: Plan and Research

Thorough planning and research lays the foundation for the entire app development process. Define your app’s purpose, target audience, and key features while researching the market to identify competitors and gaps your app can fill.

Understand who will use your app by identifying their demographics, tech-savviness, pain points, and goals. Research two or more competing apps to analyze their features, read user reviews, and find opportunities for your unique value proposition.

This is the stage where you’re considering what tools and programming languages you’ll use.

Define your MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This is the absolute minimum features needed to solve your users’ core problem. Don’t try to build everything at once. It’s fine to launch with essential features, validate with real users, and then add more laster based on feedback.

Step 2: Design Wireframes and Build Prototypes

Before development begins, create a visual of your app’s design and user flow through wireframing and prototyping.

Wireframes are simple sketches that outline the basic structure and layout of your app’s interface: the arrangement of buttons, navigation menus, and content sections. Prototypes are interactive, clickable models that simulate your app’s functionality and allow you to test the user flow.

Together, these provide a clear app blueprint, helping developers and designers align on the vision before any code is written.

Step 3: Write a Project Requirements Document (PRD)

A PRD serves as your development roadmap. A well-crafted PRD includes:

• App Goals: Define what problems it solves and what value it brings to users
• App Features: List core and optional features, prioritized as must-have (MVP), should-have, and nice-to-haves.
• User Stories: Describe how users will interact with the app (Format: “As a [user type], I want to [action], so that [benefit]”)
• Technology Stack: Specify programming languages, frameworks, and tools to be used
• Constraints: Identify budget, deadlines, platform restrictions, or technical limitations

Step 4: Development

Traditionally, this is where developers write the actual code based on the app design and specifications. If you’re using a no-code platform, you can explore pre-built app templates or decide whether you need something more customized from the start.

This stage is when you’re creating the core functionalities, user interface, and app features. Focus on building in small, testable increments.

For no-code builders, this phase involves configuring your platform, setting up data structures, creating user interfaces, and connecting components.

Step 5: Testing

Test your app thoroughly to ensure it works reliably. Conduct integration testing (ensuring different modules work together), component testing (testing individual pieces in isolation), and user acceptance testing (having real users test the overall experience).

Test on multiple devices, different screen sizes, and varying internet speeds. Verify all features work as expected and error messages are clear and helpful.

Step 6: Gather and Implement User Feedback

Put your app in real users’ hands and gather feedback through surveys, usability testing sessions, and in-app feedback forms. Ask about ease of use, feature value, and pain points.

Prioritize implementing changes: fix critical issues immediately (crashes, security vulnerabilities), address high-priority items before launch (UX issues, performance problems), and schedule medium-priority improvements for future updates.

Step 7: Publish Your App

For no-code AI-powered app builders, hosting is built-in. Non-pre-hosted apps can be hosted on your website or with a hosting provider. If you’re not embedding into your existing website, you will need to configure your domain. Then, you can launch your app (no app store approval needed.)

To publish on the Google Play Store, you’ll need a developer account, proper app signing, and promotional materials including screenshots and descriptions. Review typically takes 1-3 days.

To publish on the Apple App Store, you’ll need a developer account, compliance with Apple’s guidelines, and high-quality screenshots. Review typically takes 24-48 hours.

Step 8: Market Your App

Once live, you can promote your app in a variety of ways, such as with organic or paid search and social media. For mobile apps, you can promote them through app store optimization (ASO) using relevant keywords, etc. Encourage user reviews and shares on social media. Focus on making your app discoverable where your target users spend time to maximize reach.

How to Build a Custom Software App with AI Using a Tool Like Knack

No-code platforms like Knack are ideal for simplifying app creation by letting you to build custom applications without any coding skills. These solutions offer intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, making it easy to design and develop apps tailored to specific needs. They eliminate the complexities of traditional app development and empower individuals and organizations to innovate efficiently and effectively while providing an app their audience loves. Here’s how you can build a functional app with Knack’s no-code platform:

Step 1: Create a Knack Account

If you don’t already have a Knack account, you’ll need to create one. Good news: it’s free!

1. Click “Start building for Free.”
2. Enter your email address.
3. Create a password.
4. Click “Create Account.”

Step 2: Start with an App Template

Knack offers an extensive library of free app templates you can use to kickstart your project. We have options for every industry, from custom CRMs to electronic medical records (EMR) systems. To start building with an app template, simply browse through the solutions in your app builder dashboard under “Create New App” and choose the one that best fits your needs.

Step 3: Customize the App

The template you’ve chosen will provide you with an initial app structure. However, this structure must be edited and customized to suit your business. Ways you can customize your Knack app template include:

• Change tables, fields, and connections.
• Add company branding and change the user interface’s colors and appearance to reflect it.
• Add pages and views.
• Edit user roles and permissions.
• Integrate it with existing systems using pre-built connectors.
• Continue your customization journey by documenting key User features to support.

Step 4: Launch the App

Once you’ve finished customizing the app to meet your needs and specifications, publish it to make it accessible to users. If your app is for business use, train your employees on best practices and how to use it properly to maximize its impact. 

As you can see, building your app with no-code tools can really expedite the process of getting a software solution to market. In fact, no-code solutions tend to shorten the path of application development by taking the redundant parts of custom software development and putting them into pre-packaged solutions.

For example, you’ll no longer have to develop a user model like you would with custom software development. Indeed, no-code solutions like Knack come right out of the box with user management (and user models) that make it easy to focus on developing key features that solve customer problems.

Start Building Your App Today

The journey from app idea to launched product is more accessible than ever. Whether you choose no-code platforms like Knack for easy, affordable, and fast development, or traditional coding, the key is to start building. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. Launch your app, gather feedback, and iterate based on real user needs.

How to Code an App FAQs

Is no-code better than coding an app by hand?

Whether no-code is better than coding depends on your technical expertise, timeline, and budget. No-code AI platforms like Knack are ideal for building apps quickly and cost-effectively without programming knowledge. You can create simple apps in minutes or more complex applications within hours. They’re perfect for business tools and applications or rapid prototyping. Traditional coding is better when you need highly specialized functionality and complete technical control.

Is coding an app hard?

Traditionally, coding an app could be challenging, especially for beginners, as it required knowledge of programming languages, design principles, and trouble shooting skills. Learning to code well enough to build a quality app could typically take months of dedicated study. However, no-code AI platforms like Knack make it possible for non-developers to build functional apps without any coding knowledge, eliminating the learning curve entirely. With Knack’s AI-powered tools and drag-and-drop interface, you can start building immediately.

Can I develop an app for free?

Yes, you can develop an app for free using no-code platforms with free tiers or trials (like Knack offers), open-source tools, and free development environment. However, you may encounter costs when publishing to app stores, purchasing custom domains, or scaling beyond free tier limits on hosting platforms.

Can I code an app with no experience?

Yes, you can create an app with no coding experience using AI-powered no-code platforms like Knack. These platforms provide drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components that make app development accessible to anyone. But if you want to learn traditional coding with no experience, it can require a significant time investment of 6-12 months before you can build a serious app.

How long does it take to code an app? 

The time to code an app varies widely based on complexity and approach. With no-code AI platforms like Knack, simple apps can be built in minutes to hours, medium complexity apps can take 1-2 weeks, and complex apps can take 2-4 weeks or more. Traditional coding by experienced developers can take weeks or months for simple apps, and longer for complex apps. 

Which platforms are best for creating a mobile app?

The best platform depends on your app and who will use it. For beginners, business users, non-developers, and anyone else who wants to create an app without hiring a designer or developer, no-code AI app platforms like Knack are ideal. They can create mobile-responsive web apps that work on all devices through web browsers, with built-in hosting included. But for other apps, such as iOS only, you’ll want to use Xcode with Swift. If you’re just focused on Android, you’ll want to use Android Studio with Kotlin or Java. And for both iOS and Android with traditional coding, consider cross-platform frameworks like React Native, Flutter, or Xamarin.

How much does it cost to code a mobile app? 

The cost ranges from free to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on your app and your approach. No-code AI platforms like Knack offer the most affordable options: free trials then paid plans from $19/month (Starter) to $179/month (Pro), and up. DIY traditional coding costs can range from $100-$5,000 for tools and accounts. Hiring freelance developers cost anywhere from $2,000-$100,000 and up, depending on complexity. Professional development agencies may charge $50,000-$500,000+ for full-service app development. Additionally, depending on app complexity, you might want to budget 15-20% of initial costs annually for maintenance and updates.