App Maintenance and Support That Keeps Your App Alive
Launching is the start of the bills, not the end. Apple and Google change the rules every year, phones change, libraries age, and an unmaintained app quietly slides toward crashes, store warnings and one-star reviews. Our maintenance plans keep a team watching all of that, so you do not find out from your users.
What app maintenance actually includes
- OS and SDK updates. New iOS and Android releases, target API requirements and library upgrades, handled before they become store problems.
- Store policy compliance. Privacy declarations, data safety sections and policy changes answered and updated for both stores.
- Monitoring and crash fixing. Crash reporting and key health signals watched, with fixes prioritised by how many users they affect.
- Security updates. Dependency patches and the routine hardening that keeps known holes closed.
- Small improvements. The steady stream of small fixes and tweaks every live product needs, batched into regular releases.
- Over the air updates where supported. Many small fixes shipped instantly on React Native apps, without waiting on store review.
What happens if you skip maintenance
Nothing, for a while. Then a store deadline lands, an OS update breaks a screen, or a library your app depends on is retired, and the fix arrives as an emergency at emergency prices, usually in your busiest month. Maintenance spreads that same work out calmly, at a known monthly cost, while your app still works. Most of the rescue projects on this site started as maintenance that nobody was doing.
App maintenance cost
The industry rule of thumb, and the range we publish and work to, is 15 to 20 percent of your original build cost per year. For many clients that runs as a simple monthly retainer, which is also how they keep improving the product.
| Plan shape | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance retainer | 15 to 20% of build cost per year | Updates, monitoring, compliance, small fixes |
| Maintenance plus improvements | Quoted monthly in writing | A living product shipping new features monthly |
| No plan, fixes as emergencies | Unpredictable | The most expensive option over any two year period |
Your figure is quoted in writing from your app's size and stack, after we have seen the codebase.
How maintenance runs
- 01
Health check first
We assess the app and codebase, and fix anything already overdue before the plan starts.
- 02
Monitoring on
Crash and health reporting connected, with a monthly summary you can actually read.
- 03
Update calendar
OS, SDK and store deadlines tracked for the year, scheduled before they are urgent.
- 04
Regular releases
Fixes and small improvements batched into planned releases, tested on real devices.
- 05
Monthly review
What was done, what is coming, and what your users' data says to build next.
Work we have shipped
Minno
Faith based streaming and family entertainment app, one of the long running products in our portfolio.
See the projectIsFit
Fitness tracking app with personalised routines and progress monitoring.
See the projectGymBuddy
Fitness app built around finding training partners and staying consistent.
See the projectFrequently asked questions
How much does app maintenance cost?
Plan on 15 to 20 percent of your original build cost per year. That covers OS and SDK updates, store compliance, monitoring, security patches and small fixes. Your exact retainer is quoted in writing after a health check.
Can you maintain an app another team built?
Yes, maintenance takeovers are common. They start with a health check of the app and codebase. If serious problems surface, we give you a written verdict and fix list first, the same process as our rescue work.
What is not included in maintenance?
New features and redesigns. Those are scoped and priced as build work, although retainer clients usually roll small improvements into the monthly rhythm by agreement.
Do I need maintenance if my app is stable?
Stable today is not the same as safe. Store rules, OS versions and libraries move every year whether your app changes or not. Maintenance is what keeps a stable app stable.
Not sure where your app stands?
Start with a free app check. Two engineers look at your product and your code, and tell you honestly what is working, what is not, and what it would take to fix it. If the report is genuinely useful, all we ask for is a testimonial.