How Long Does It Take to Build an App (with Website Support)? A Realistic Timeline for Businesses
This article gives a realistic answer to “how long does it take to build an app?” – from simple MVPs to multi-module apps and combined app+website projects. It breaks digital work into real phases (discovery, UX/UI, content, development, testing, launch and post-launch improvements), assigns reasonable time ranges for each scenario and explains why promises like “full app in one month” usually end in either superficial output or endless mid-project delays. For website-only timelines, it explicitly points readers to Olymaris’ two dedicated website time guides, so this piece stays focused on app-centric and app+website use cases instead of competing for the same SEO keywords. Finally, it shows how to align your timeline with business goals, budget and complexity – and how to walk into a Discovery session with a partner like Olymaris with clear numbers and expectations.
Vincent john
Published on December 9, 2025 · Updated December 14, 2025
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Introduction: This Article Doesn't Compete with Website Timeline Articles
If you only want to know "exactly how many weeks does a professional website take?", Olymaris already has two specialized and comprehensive articles for you, and this text is not meant to compete with them:
Those two articles are specifically for "website-only projects", with 4 to 12-week timelines, real examples, and analysis of why some sites take anywhere from three weeks to three months.
What This Article Does Differently:
Its focus is on "app" and "app + website" scenarios – where the app is the main component and the website is either built as an intro site alongside it, or grows as a web platform next to the app.
If your business is thinking about these questions:
- How long will a real app take for us?
- If we want both app and website simultaneously, how many months will the project take?
- And how does this time change depending on complexity, team, and our own decision-making?
This article is for exactly that. If you only want a website, you should go directly to the two links above and save this text for later.
1. The Short Answer: Realistic Time Range for App and App+Website
A) App Development Timeline (Android/iOS – App-Focused)
Simple MVP App
Example: Registration, profile, one or two main use scenarios (e.g., booking or request submission), without complex logic.
Typical time: about 2 to 3 months, if decision-making is fast and content is ready.
Medium App
Example: Multiple modules, admin panel, payment, notifications, multiple user roles (e.g., user, admin, partner).
Typical time: about 3 to 5 months.
Complex App
Example: Marketplace, social network, platform with heavy business logic and multiple roles.
Typical time: about 6 to 9 months for a serious version 1.
B) Timeline for App + Accompanying Intro or Business Website
Scenario: Intro Website + MVP App
E.g., a clean website that tells the brand and product story, and simultaneously an MVP app that provides the core of the service.
Typical time: about 3 to 5 months.
Scenario: Professional Website + Medium App
E.g., multi-page professional website with blog, service pages, careers page, case studies, and simultaneously app with multiple modules and admin panel.
Typical time: about 5 to 8 months.
C) Website Only
So this article doesn't compete with the two specialized website articles, just very briefly:
For a professional website, the standard is 4 to 12 weeks, depending on site type, number of pages, and complexity. If you really want to get into details, the following two articles are your main reference, and this article intentionally doesn't go into website details:
2. Why Does the Question "How Long Does It Take?" Have Both a Short and Long Answer?
Almost everyone enters the meeting with this question:
- How long until our app is ready?
- If we want both app and website together, how many months should we wait?
In the app cluster hub article, namely Ordering an App: A Professional Roadmap for Clients, we said the problem is that many teams, to make the client happy, give dreamy answers: complete app in one month, professional app in six weeks. It looks nice on the slide, but in practice it means either you get superficial work, or you get stuck midway in the swamp of delays and rewrites.
The short answer is the time ranges from the previous section.
The long answer is understanding exactly what these months are spent on, and which phases are riskier in your project.
3. Main Phases of an App Project (and App+Website) and Approximate Time for Each
Almost all serious projects experience these phases in some form:
1. Discovery and Planning
2. UX/UI Design
3. Content and Brand Assets
4. Technical Development
5. Testing and QA
6. Launch
7. Post-Launch Corrections
Discovery and Planning
In this phase, the following happens:
- Understanding business model, user personas, competitors
- Defining essential features vs. nice-to-have features
- Writing Scope and MVP
- Deciding what comes in phase 1 and what stays for later
Typical time:
App only: about 1 to 3 weeks, depending on complexity.
App + Website: about 2 to 4 weeks, since you need to decide which part is on the site, which is in the app, and which is shared.
UX/UI Design
Here, real user scenarios, flows, and pages are designed and then translated into visual language.
Typical time:
App only: about 3 to 6 weeks, depending on number of screens and UX depth.
App + Website: usually 4 to 8 weeks, since both app and key website pages need to be designed and coordinated.
Content and Brand Assets
This part is more on your side than the technical team: texts, images, videos, main brand messages, Terms & Conditions, Privacy, etc. Most delays in website projects happen exactly here, and for apps it's similar.
If content isn't ready, the project is seemingly "in development" but actually waiting for text that no one had time to write.
Typical time:
2 to 6 weeks, but can run parallel to design and development if planned from day one.
Technical Development
For app only, this part includes database design, backend, API, and the app itself (Native, cross-platform, or Web App). For app+website, web frontend and a UX layer on the site are also added.
Typical time:
Simple MVP app: about 6 to 10 weeks
Medium app with multiple modules: about 10 to 16 weeks
Complex app: from 20 weeks upward
If the website is built simultaneously, depending on site volume, usually 2 to 6 weeks of web work is added to this time, but the backend is shared which helps avoid doing work twice.
Testing and QA
Without serious testing, every version is just a "guess". Testing on devices, different user roles, speed, security, and user experience requires at least one to three weeks.
Launch and Post-Launch Corrections
Launch means publishing to stores and servers, setting configurations, and initial monitoring. After launch, usually a few weeks are also needed to fix bugs and inconsistencies that are only visible in real use.
The bottom line is: if someone says "we'll build the complete professional app in 4 weeks", they're either skipping phases or will have to keep buying time along the way.
4. Three Common Scenarios for SMEs and Small Startups
Scenario One: App-First (App first, simple website alongside)
In this scenario, the app is the core and the website mainly plays the role of introduction, download links, and service explanation.
Sample scenario:
- Booking and ordering app for a service (e.g., clinic, salon, on-site services)
- One-page or light multi-page website for service explanation and app download link
Typical time:
- • Discovery and planning: 2 to 3 weeks
- • App UX/UI: 3 to 5 weeks
- • Backend and app development: 8 to 12 weeks
- • Light website: 2 to 3 weeks (part of this parallel to development)
- • Testing and launch: 2 to 3 weeks
- Total: about 3 to 5 months, depending on decision speed and content readiness.
Scenario Two: App + Website as an Integrated Platform
Here the website isn't just a simple landing; you have, for example, a web panel for managers, a web version for some users, and a mobile app for daily use.
Example:
- Educational platform with web-based dashboard for teachers and admin, and app for students
- Reservation system with website for search and booking + mobile app for customers
Typical time:
- • Discovery and shared architecture planning: 3 to 4 weeks
- • App and web UX/UI: 5 to 7 weeks
- • Backend, web panel, and app development: 12 to 20 weeks
- • Testing, launch, corrections: 3 to 5 weeks
- Total: about 5 to 8 months for a serious version 1.
Scenario Three: MVP App Only, Full Website in Later Versions
In some startups, it's more logical to first launch only the MVP app (since the problem is on mobile), and add the main brand website, blog, and content later.
Here we usually have:
- • MVP app: about 2 to 3 months
- • Improvement and market testing over 1 to 2 months
- • Full brand and content website: according to the two website articles, in the range of 4 to 12 weeks after that, depending on volume and strategy.
This model lowers market risk: first you see if market and product "click" together or not, then you invest in developing a large website.
5. What Factors Make App Development Longer or Shorter?
Several key factors always affect the timeline:
1. Content and Decision Readiness
If you leave everything to the technical team but content, pricing strategy, texts, and images aren't ready, the project is seemingly in development but actually waiting on you.
2. Feature Complexity and Number of User Roles
Each new role (admin, business owner, user, employee, partner) means new UX, new features, new test scenario.
3. Technology Choice
Whether your app is native, hybrid, or web app affects speed and team capacity. The following article was written for this decision: Native, Hybrid or Web App
4. Experienced Team vs. First-Time Team
A team that has walked this path many times before is much more precise in Discovery, estimation, and risk management.
5. Type of Collaboration with Team
If decisions are made quickly, focused, and with a clear Product Owner, the project moves forward. If every week new tastes and new decision-makers enter the game, the project drags on, no matter how strong the team is.
6. How Do I Know Whether to Start with Website, App, or Both Together?
You need to answer this question with a combination of three things:
Business goal, budget, and market time window.
In the hub article, Ordering an App, we have a complete roadmap for this decision, and in the app development cost article, we've put approximate numbers on different scenarios:
The combination of these two articles with this text gives you a fairly complete picture:
- → If you need to establish online presence very quickly and aren't yet sure how strategic the app is for you, start with the website and think about the app later (the two website articles are your guide).
- → If your service is inherently mobile (like booking app, daily order app, customer loyalty app), the app should be at the center and the website plays a supporting role.
- → If in the long term you want a platform that lives on both web and mobile, design the shared web+app architecture from the beginning in Discovery; here an experienced team like Olymaris makes a big difference.
7. Olymaris's Role in Designing Your App Timeline
At Olymaris, we don't start with the code itself; we start with the roadmap. This article and the rest of the app cluster are the public version of what is applied in Discovery Sessions with more data and details to your real project:
- ✓ Defining business goals and product KPIs
- ✓ Deciding between App-First, Website-First, or App+Website
- ✓ Breaking the project into measurable phases and milestones
- ✓ Timeline design based on real team capacity, feature complexity, and market time window
- ✓ And finally, providing a timeframe and budget you can defend, not a number to make the first meeting happy
This meeting doesn't necessarily mean the start of technical collaboration, but after it, you enter negotiations with any team you choose with a roadmap, the right questions, and realistic expectations.
If you feel the app is serious for the next 12 to 24 months of your business, it makes sense to have a Discovery Session with us before signing any contract:
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Question 1: How long does building an MVP app typically take?
Answer: For a simple MVP app (registration, profile, one or two main scenarios), if decisions are made quickly and content is ready, typically about 2 to 3 months are needed; including Discovery, UX/UI, development, testing, and launch. If complexity increases or features multiply, you enter the 3 to 5-month range.
Question 2: If I want both app and website simultaneously, how many months will the project take?
Answer: For a scenario like "intro website + MVP app", typically 3 to 5 months is reasonable. If you have a more professional website and a multi-module app, the 5 to 8-month range for version 1 is more realistic. These ranges assume the team is experienced and decisions are made on time on the client side.
Question 3: Why doesn't this article talk completely about website development time?
Answer: Because in the Olymaris blog we have two specialized and complete articles just for websites and we don't want to compete with them in terms of SEO and content. If you only want a website, those two articles are your main reference.
Question 4: What factors have the biggest impact on app development duration?
Answer: Several key factors always repeat: content and decision readiness, number of features and user roles, technology choice (native, hybrid, web app), required integrations with other services, and technical team maturity. If Discovery is superficial and Scope isn't clear, the project almost always finishes later than what's written in the contract.
Question 5: Can you really build a complete app in one month?
Answer: For serious apps that are meant to be part of your business infrastructure, the answer is almost always "no". What's sold as "app in one month" is usually either a simple shell over a ready-made service, or a project built without Discovery, serious UX, and testing that needs to be rewritten after a few months. Real speed without quality and proper architecture very quickly turns into cost for version 2.
Question 6: If my project is now behind schedule, how does this article help?
Answer: First, you can compare your project with the three scenarios and defined phases in this article and see which stage you're stuck in (was Discovery incomplete? Was content not ready? Did Scope keep changing?). Second, using the time ranges of this text and the "10 App Project Risks" article, you can have a more serious conversation with your current team about timeline reality and course correction, or decide to change the collaboration structure.
Question 7: How do I know whether to start with app or website?
Answer: If your service is inherently mobile and the user mainly interacts with you on the phone (booking, daily ordering, customer loyalty), App-First makes more sense and the website plays a complementary role. If you need more service explanation, content production, and SEO, Website-First makes more sense. If both are critical for you, you need to use Discovery to design shared web+app architecture and timeline.
Question 8: How can I have a customized timeline for my own project?
Answer: First of all, you need to clarify your business goal, feature complexity, and budget, and place the project in one of the scenarios in this article. Then, with this data, enter a Discovery Session with a team like Olymaris to design a customized and defensible timeline based on your real scenario. This way, instead of relying on the slogan "fast and cheap", you invest in a real and controllable plan.
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