Two amounts are not enough to compare two quotes
A CHF 45,000 quote may cost more than a CHF 60,000 proposal if testing, the backend, or publication comes later. First align the delivered scope, responsibilities, and post-launch costs. Then compare price and timing on a common basis.
This checklist helps assess proposals. For indicative budgets by product type, see our Swiss app pricing guide.
Send the same brief to each provider
Describe your users, their problem, and the three journeys required at launch. Add target platforms, systems to connect, data to migrate, and the desired date, explaining whether it comes from an event, client commitment, or internal milestone.
State what you provide: designs, copy, translations, API documentation, test environments, and an acceptance owner. Producing these items is different work from receiving them ready to use.
A brief might start: “Members must book an activity and receive confirmation. We target iPhone and Android with a web administration portal. Members already exist in our CRM; its API still needs testing. Payments and refunds are in scope.” This is more useful than a list of ten screens.
A checklist to attach to every quote request
For each item, ask for included, optional, or excluded, the amount, expected deliverable, and responsible person.
| Item | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Scoping | Are journeys, a prototype, assumptions, and acceptance criteria delivered? |
| Design | Which platforms, error states, and validation rounds? |
| Application | Which exact capabilities on iOS, Android, and web? |
| Backend and administration | Who handles data, roles, exports, and business operations? |
| Integrations | Which API, test environment, and external dependencies? |
| Data migration | What volume, cleaning, reconciliation, and post-import checks? |
| Quality | Which devices, journeys, and network conditions are tested? |
| Security | Which access controls, backups, and checks are included? |
| Publication | Who prepares accounts, store listings, submissions, and responses? |
| Handover | Code, designs, access, documentation, and release procedure? |
| Maintenance | Which fixes, upgrades, support hours, and response times? |
| External costs | Hosting, email, SMS, AI, maps, and other subscriptions? |
For an unknown integration, request a technical validation step before the full commitment. A quote can identify uncertainty without claiming to have solved an API problem nobody has tested yet.
Turn a feature into a verifiable outcome
“Offline mode included” is vague. A verifiable outcome describes the task: users can record a field visit without connectivity, recover it after closing the app, and synchronize when the network returns. Decide what happens if two people edit the same record.
For payments, cover success, failure, cancellation, and delayed confirmation. For notifications, check the link to the correct screen and behavior when users deny permission.
Specify who accepts these outcomes, on which devices, and within what time frame. Clear expected behavior matters more than feature count.
Fixed price or time and materials?
A fixed price can suit a sufficiently defined scope. Check assumptions, exclusions, and change pricing. A fixed amount does not remove decisions when requirements evolve.
Time and materials can suit a product defined incrementally. Ask for a reference budget, regular visibility into spending, a demonstration schedule, and a decision before each further tranche of work.
A staged engagement may combine limited scoping, an initial delivery, and a decision about what follows. Compare the management rules and deliverables of each stage, not just the commercial model's name.
Worked example: align the scope of two offers
These amounts are fictional and exclude VAT. They illustrate a method, not market rates or Appik proposals.
| Item | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Announced implementation | CHF 45,000 | CHF 60,000 |
| Required backend and administration | CHF 10,000 extra | Included |
| Required testing and publication | CHF 5,000 extra | Included |
| Comparable implementation total | CHF 60,000 | CHF 60,000 |
| Assumed annual maintenance | CHF 8,000 | CHF 8,000 |
| Assumed monthly hosting | CHF 200 | CHF 200 |
| Subtotal including three operating years | CHF 91,200 | CHF 91,200 |
The calculation is 60,000 + (3 × 8,000) + (36 × 200) = CHF 91,200. It covers delivery followed by three operating years. It excludes store accounts and commissions, other third-party services, business support, marketing, new features, and any risk contingency.
Use each provider's actual amounts in a real comparison. Maintenance and hosting are deliberately identical here to isolate the effect of exclusions. Mark an unpriced item “to confirm”; do not treat it as free.
What Expo changes in a quote
We use Expo to develop web/PWA and native mobile within one project, an approach we have delivered several times at Appik. The quote should show the shared work: business logic, reusable components, and common integrations. It then separates platform adaptations and validation.
This makes the benefit understandable: a capability can be built in the shared foundation, with adaptations where phone and browser differ. Our PWA and Expo comparison explains the choices.
Expo updates must remain compatible with the installed native layer; changing that layer requires a new build. Include upgrades and publications in maintenance. Sharing development does not remove checks on iOS and Android.
Check spending and access after launch
Identify who pays for services and controls accounts. Standard Apple Developer enrollment is listed at USD 99 annually, subject to local pricing; Google Play lists a USD 25 registration fee. These are separate from preparation and publication work.
Clarify the difference between a correction, a new feature, and user support. Specify availability windows and distinguish response time from resolution time. “Maintenance included” without duration or scope is insufficient for planning operations.
Choose after clarifying the differences
Send teams the same list of missing items, then compare revised offers. Assess comparable references, assigned people, and your ability to make the decisions they require.
The agency or freelancer guide helps choose a working model; our Lausanne agency overview presents local profiles.
To request an Appik proposal, send your priority journeys, platforms, and integrations. We can distinguish the shared foundation, adaptations, and items to validate for your mobile app.
Swiss Made Software
