The short answer
For a Houzez website, the official Houzez app costs $1,499 for iPhone and Android, or $999 for one platform, paid once. That covers rebranding, building, store approval and the first year of updates. On top, you pay Apple $99 a year and Google $25 once. Firebase, Google Cloud and OneSignal are free at a property app's volumes.
This guide uses only our own prices and the fees Apple and Google charge. It doesn't guess at what anyone else charges.
What does the one-time price cover?
$1,499 gets you both the iPhone and Android apps; $999 gets you one. Ordering both is $499 less than ordering the two separately. You pay once, when you order.
Our team:
- Rebrands the app with your logo, icon and colours
- Connects it to your Houzez website
- Builds and signs your app for each platform you order
- Sends test builds for you to approve
- Prepares and submits your store listings
- Handles App Store and Google Play review, including any changes a reviewer asks for
- Updates it for the first year, including the yearly store rebuild
Your side is short: your logo and a square app icon, brand colours, the app name, a store description, a privacy policy link, a developer account in your company's name for each store you order, and WordPress admin access to install two plugins.
Ordered one platform and want the other later? Ask us and we'll quote it as an add-on to the app we've already built.
What do Apple and Google charge?
Both stores require the app to be published under your own developer accounts, so these fees are paid to Apple and Google directly, not to us. It also means you own the app outright. You only need the account for the store you order.
- Apple Developer Program: $99 a year. Enrol as an Organization so your company name shows as the seller. Apple asks for a D-U-N-S number, which is free for Apple enrolment, and verifying your company takes one to two weeks.
- Google Play: $25 once. No annual fee, and usually approved within a day or two.
Don't let the Apple membership lapse. If it does, your app is removed from the App Store and stays off until you renew. Turn on auto-renew and keep the card on file current.
Are Firebase, Google Cloud and OneSignal free?
At the volumes a property app uses, yes.
- Firebase delivers push notifications and reports crashes. Free at the volumes an app like this uses.
- Google Cloud powers the map on listings, address autocomplete and "Sign in with Google". Maps and Places are billed per use, and Google requires a billing account on file even for free usage. Each Maps API includes a free monthly usage allowance, enough that a typical property app costs nothing.
- OneSignal is the dashboard you send notifications from. Free for the audience sizes a property app has.
Set a budget alert in Google Cloud anyway (Billing → Budgets & alerts). A modest monthly cap with an email alert means a surprise can never become an expensive surprise.
One-off and yearly costs at a glance
| Cost | Paid to | One-off | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houzez app, iPhone + Android | Us | $1,499 | First year of updates included |
| Houzez app, one platform | Us | $999 | First year of updates included |
| Apple Developer Program | Apple | None | $99 |
| Google Play developer account | $25 | None | |
| Firebase | None | Free at a property app's volumes | |
| Google Cloud | None | Billed per use; the free monthly allowance typically covers it | |
| OneSignal | OneSignal | None | Free at a property app's audience sizes |
In the first year that comes to $1,623 for both apps ($1,499 + $99 + $25), $1,098 for iPhone only ($999 + $99) or $1,024 for Android only ($999 + $25).
Why does an app need an update every year?
Content updates are automatic. New listings, price changes, sold properties and new agents are read live from your website. Publish in WordPress and it's in the app immediately, with no new build and no store review.
App updates are a new build. Anything that changes how the app looks or works, such as a new screen or a colour change, means a build, a test and store review again.
Apple and Google both raise their minimum requirements every year. Google enforces a target Android version each year, and Apple requires new submissions to be built with a recent toolchain. An app that's never rebuilt eventually can't be updated and, on Google Play, stops being offered to people on newer phones. Apple also removes apps that haven't been updated in a long time and see very little use.
So a maintenance build once a year is normal and expected, and it's usually invisible to your users. The first year's is included in the price, and we'll tell you when each one is due.
How long until the app is live?
Usually two to four weeks from your order. The longest wait is Apple verifying your company, one to two weeks, so start that on day one. Apple's review usually takes 24 to 48 hours; Google's first review can take up to about a week.
Key facts
- The official Houzez app costs $1,499 for iPhone and Android, or $999 for one platform, paid once.
- The price covers rebranding, building, store approval and the first year of updates, including the yearly store rebuild.
- Apple charges $99 a year for its Developer Program; if it lapses, the app is removed from the App Store.
- Google Play charges $25 once, with no annual fee.
- Firebase and OneSignal are free at a property app's volumes; Google Cloud needs a billing account, and its free monthly Maps allowance typically covers a property app.
- Apple and Google raise their requirements every year, so expect one maintenance build a year.
- The app is usually in the stores two to four weeks after ordering.
Every account you'll need, and the order to set them up in, is in the setup guide. Renewals and the yearly maintenance build are covered in after launch. To see exactly what's included, or to order, go to pricing.