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Mobile App Development Proposal Template

A proposal for building a first release of an iOS and Android app, ready to adapt. After the template: how to keep an MVP small in writing, and the ownership and account details that save both sides pain later.

Updated September 30, 2026

The template

Mobile app development proposal template
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL: [App name]
Prepared for: [Client name], [Company]
Prepared by: [Your name]
Date: [Date]   Valid until: [Date + 30 days]

1. SUMMARY
[Company] needs [an app that lets customers X] so that [business outcome]. This proposal covers a first release (MVP) with the core features below, built for [iOS and Android] with [framework, e.g. React Native / Flutter / native Swift and Kotlin].

2. FIRST RELEASE: FEATURES
- [Feature 1, e.g. Sign up and log in with email or Apple/Google]
- [Feature 2, e.g. Browse and search the catalogue]
- [Feature 3, e.g. Book and pay for an appointment]
- [Feature 4, e.g. Push notifications for booking reminders]
- [Feature 5, e.g. Simple admin panel to manage bookings]
Each feature is described in more detail in the attached feature list, which is the reference for what's in scope.

3. PLATFORMS AND SUPPORT
- iOS [version] and later; Android [version] and later
- Phones in portrait; tablets [supported / not optimised]
- Backend: [e.g. your existing API / a new backend on (platform)]

4. NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RELEASE
- [Features deliberately left for later, e.g. in-app chat, offline mode, multiple languages]
- App store developer account fees (accounts are opened in your company's name)
- Third-party service costs (hosting, payments, SMS, maps) after launch
- UI design [if supplied by the client's designer]

5. MILESTONES
1. Discovery and technical plan: [dates]
2. Design sign-off: [dates]
3. Build, in [2]-week sprints with a test build you can install after each: [dates]
4. Testing on real devices and bug fixing: [dates]
5. App store submission: [date]. Store review times are outside my control.

6. INVESTMENT
Fixed price for the first release as scoped: [price]
Payment by milestone: [20]% at discovery, [20]% at design sign-off, [40]% across build sprints, [20]% at store submission.
Change requests are estimated in writing before they're started.

7. AFTER LAUNCH
- [60] days of bug fixes for issues in the agreed features, at no charge
- Optional maintenance: [price] per month for OS updates, dependency updates, monitoring and up to [N] hours of small changes

8. OWNERSHIP AND ACCESS
You own the source code and all app store listings once paid in full. Code lives in a repository you own; accounts (stores, hosting, analytics) are created in your name with me added as a collaborator.

9. NEXT STEPS
Accept this proposal and I'll send the discovery invoice and schedule the first session.

Keep the first release small, on paper

App projects grow because every feature sounds small in conversation. Name the features in the first release, attach a short description of each, and list what's deliberately left for later. A "later" list isn't a no: it shows the client you heard those ideas and gives you the next proposal.

Say what's outside your control

Pay by milestone

Longer builds need payments spread across them. Tie each payment to something the client can see, such as an approved design or a test build they can install, so paying feels like progress rather than faith.

Ownership and accounts

Open app store, hosting and analytics accounts in the client's name, and keep the code in a repository they own, with you as a collaborator. If you ever part ways, nothing has to be transferred, and nobody's app is stuck in a freelancer's personal account.

Maintenance is part of the proposal

Apps need ongoing updates to keep working as phones and dependencies change. Offering maintenance in the original proposal sets that expectation early and turns a one-off build into a steady relationship.

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