2026 Cost to Build a Chat App

What is a chat app?

A chat application is a web, mobile, or desktop application that enables users to communicate with each other in real time. Chat apps typically enable users to join public channels (such as forums), send private messages to other users, and view the profiles of other users.

Chatting apps are not only similar to messaging apps, but also to other social communications apps like video calling apps and conference calling apps. WhatsApp is the most popular chat app today.

A chat app built for the media and entertainment industry that includes a gif library, voice recordings, and image sharing.
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A web app similar to Yahoo answers or Quora that allows users to post questions and tag them with a category or filter that helps other users locate and answer them.
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What is the typical cost to build a chat app?

A chat app usually costs $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. A chat app with a low number of features (also known as a "minimum viable product", or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.

For example, here are some recent chat app price quotes from Xperts:

$25,199
$20,000

Here are some considerations that may impact the cost of a app:

How long does it take to build a chat app?

A chat app usually takes 301 hours to build. However, a chat app can be built in as few as 133 hours, or in as many as 400 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, or non-standard release platforms.

For example, the most recent chat apps built with Xperts received the following hourly estimates:

How to successfully grow your chat application?

A chat app can grow rapidly by focusing on a specific niche and providing a unique experience to users. For example, Snapchat has found success with its targeted messaging service for millennials, and WhatsApp has achieved viral growth because of its focus on international users who want to communicate with friends and family overseas without paying for SMS texts.

Risks and challenges of building a chat application

A chat app faces risks relating to the handling of personal information, privacy concerns, and the transmission of illegal content. It is recommended to implement mechanisms for filtering inappropriate text, images, and audio files exchanged on your chat platform. You should also take care to ensure that your users are accurately represented by taking steps to verify the identity of each user on your platform.

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Standard price for a chat app: $37,500

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Search app types:

Standard price for a chat app: $37,500

Find out the cost to build your own custom chat app:

Want a more detailed estimate?

Browse our full library of app cost quotes.

Compare this task app estimate to related app types

Common features included in a task app

Services

Areas we serve

About

Resources