App development cost in Malaysia

Checked 4 November 2026 against published studio cost guides

As of 4 November 2026, Malaysian studios publish prices from RM15,000 for a simple mobile app, from RM50,000 for a medium one, and from RM150,000 for a complex one. A custom business system starts from RM15,000 for a simple internal tool, and an AI receptionist or AI automation from RM20,000. The price goes up with complexity.

These are the starting prices studios publish, not a quote from us. Pick what you want to build below to see the starting price, how long it takes with AI-assisted building, and what it costs to run each year.

What would your project cost?

1. What do you want to build?

Pick what you want to build to see the starting price.

Every starting price, with its source

Mobile app

On the App Store and Google Play.

Simple
From RM15,000. About 2 to 4 weeks with AI-assisted building (studio guides: 4 to 8 weeks). Source: Advisory Apps, app cost FAQ, Advisory Apps, app cost 2026
Medium
From RM50,000. About 4 to 8 weeks with AI-assisted building (studio guides: 8 to 16 weeks). Source: Advisory Apps, app cost FAQ, Nexvance, custom app cost 2026
Complex
From RM150,000. About 7 to 20 weeks with AI-assisted building (studio guides: 13 to 39 weeks). Source: Advisory Apps, app cost FAQ, Advisory Apps, app cost 2026

Web app or business system

An internal system, customer portal or dashboard.

Simple
From RM15,000. About 2 to 3 weeks with AI-assisted building (studio guides: 4 to 6 weeks). Source: Nexvance, custom app cost 2026
Medium
From RM40,000. About 3 to 6 weeks with AI-assisted building (studio guides: 6 to 12 weeks). Source: Nexvance, custom app cost 2026
Complex
From RM80,000. About 6 to 12 weeks with AI-assisted building (studio guides: 12 to 24 weeks). Source: Nexvance, custom app cost 2026

Booking system

For a salon, clinic, studio or class business.

Any size
From RM40,000. Source: Advisory Apps, booking systems (2023) No studio guide we found splits it by size, and the newest is from 2023. Iterate Bookings, our own hosted system, starts from RM249 a month plus a one-time setup fee.

AI receptionist

Answers calls and chats, books appointments, hands over to staff.

Simple
From RM20,000. About 1 to 2 weeks with AI-assisted building (our figure). Source: Advisory Apps, AI integration cost FAQ
Medium
From RM50,000. About 1 to 2 weeks with AI-assisted building (our figure). Source: Advisory Apps, AI integration cost FAQ
Complex
From RM120,000. About 1 to 2 weeks with AI-assisted building (our figure). Source: Advisory Apps, AI integration cost FAQ

AI automation

Takes repeat office work off your team: documents, emails, reports.

Simple
From RM20,000. About 4 to 6 weeks with AI-assisted building (our figure). Source: Advisory Apps, AI integration cost FAQ
Medium
From RM50,000. About 4 to 6 weeks with AI-assisted building (our figure). Source: Advisory Apps, AI integration cost FAQ
Complex
From RM120,000. About 4 to 6 weeks with AI-assisted building (our figure). Source: Advisory Apps, AI integration cost FAQ

Yearly costs after launch

How we place a project in a tier

Each feature you pick adds 1 to 3 points, by how much work it usually takes. Under 4 points is a simple project, 4 to 8 is medium, and 9 or more is complex. The points are our rule. The starting prices are the studios' own, the low end of each published range. The AI-assisted build times are ours: about half of what the guides give, because AI now does much of the building. For a booking system, the features only decide whether a hosted system covers them, because the guides give one range for every size.

We are a software studio too. Every price here comes from another studio's published cost guide, checked on the date above, and never from a studio's own price list. Developer salary for comparison: Jobstreet, software developer salary. Need a website rather than an app? See cweihan.com.

Want a real number for your project?

A range is a start. A written scope gives you a number you can compare between studios. Tell us what the system must do, and we will tell you what it takes and whether a ready-made tool does the job for less. See how we build AI systems and booking systems.

Book a free call

Questions

How much does it cost to build an app in Malaysia?
As of 4 November 2026, Malaysian studios publish prices from RM15,000 for a simple mobile app, from RM50,000 for a medium one, and from RM150,000 for a complex one. The price goes up with complexity. These are the studios' published starting prices, not a quote.
How much does a custom business system cost in Malaysia?
Studios publish prices from RM15,000 for a simple internal tool, from RM40,000 for a customer-facing web app, and from RM80,000 for a large platform with many parts. A custom booking system starts from RM40,000 for any size, in a 2023 guide. A hosted booking system such as Iterate Bookings starts from RM249 a month.
How much does an AI receptionist or AI automation cost in Malaysia?
A Malaysian studio's AI cost guide gives prices from RM20,000 for basic AI such as a chatbot or email sorting, from RM50,000 for AI that reads and extracts data from documents, and from RM120,000 for several AI agents working together. AI usage is billed separately: the AI provider charges by use (tokens), on top of the build.
How long does it take to build an app in Malaysia?
With AI-assisted building, we take about half the time the studio guides give: 2 to 4 weeks for a simple app, 4 to 8 weeks for a medium one, and 7 to 20 weeks for a complex one. A simple web system takes 2 to 3 weeks. The guides themselves give 4 to 8 weeks, 8 to 16 weeks and 13 to 39 weeks for the three app sizes. A basic AI receptionist takes us about 1 to 2 weeks, and an AI automation about 4 to 6 weeks.
What does an app cost each year after launch?
Maintenance: Studios quote 10% to 25% of the build cost each year. App stores: Apple charges USD 99 a year. Google Play charges USD 25 once. Hosting: One studio quotes RM6,000 to RM60,000 a year, growing with users and features.
How much does a software developer earn in Malaysia?
Jobstreet shows RM4,000 to RM6,300 a month for a software developer in Malaysia, from salary ranges on job ads (refreshed 1 November 2026). A studio's price is higher than salary alone, because it also covers design, testing, project management and support.
Why do quotes for the same app differ so much?
Quotes differ because the scope differs. The number of user roles, payments, integrations with other systems and offline use move the price the most. Ask each studio for a written scope, so you compare the same thing.

Send a note with what the system needs to do. We will reply with what it takes, and whether it is worth building now.

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