Food App

How Much Does It Cost To Start A Food App? (In 2025)

Pat Walls

•

Updated: April 15th, 2025

Looking to start a food app?

But curious about:

how much it costs to start a food app?
what are the typical food app startup costs?
or the actual cost of starting food apps?

Well, we have the data to prove it, supported by real food apps and how much they actually cost to start.

Let's go over it.

Learn more about starting a food app:

Where to start?

-> Pros and cons of a food app

Need inspiration?

-> Other food app success stories
-> Marketing ideas for a food app

Other resources

Software Expenses

Your food app needs software to run efficiently!

Why spend money on software? Because it can help you save time and automate certain parts of the business, so you can focus on the most important matters. Software and technology can help you grow your business, and save you from expensive personnel costs.

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
File Hosting Service	Recommended	$0	$299
Email marketing tool	Recommended	$0	$100
CRM Software ➜	Recommended	$12	$300
Project Management Software	Recommended	$0	$25
Internal Communication Tool	Recommended	$0	$20
Accounting & Invoicing Software	Recommended	$0	$50
IT Support ➜	Optional	$150	$2,000
Social Media Management Tools	Optional	$0	$50
Design Programs & Software	Optional	$0	$50

Office Space Expenses

It will be your call to determine if you need office space. It is not a requirement but may be necessary as your food app grows.

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Rent ➜	Optional	$0	$5,750
Utility Costs For Office Space ➜	Optional	$0	$1,150
WiFi & Internet ➜	Optional	$0	$100

App Creation Costs

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
App Development ➜	Optional	$1,000	$20,000
Apple Developer Program	Optional	$99	$99

Training & Education Expenses

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Online Learning Sites	Optional	$0	$1,000

Advertising & Marketing Costs

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Business Cards ➜	Optional	$0	$50
Customer Research & Surveys	Optional	$0	$300
Tradeshow costs	Optional	$0	$5,000
Affiliate Marketing Commission & Fees	Optional	$0	$250
Influencer Marketing	Optional	$0	$750
Press	Optional	$0	$500
Google Ads	Optional	$0	$300
Facebook & Instagram Ads	Optional	$0	$350

Website Costs

Every business should have a website, and it's worth spending a bit of money to set it up right.

Cost	Required?	Min Cost	Max Cost
Domain Name ➜	Required	$12	$200
Business Email Hosting Service ➜	Recommended	$1	$15