App maintenance cost after launch: what you pay monthly and why

Why apps need maintenance at all

Operating systems change every year, stores update their policies, libraries ship security fixes, and growing usage loads the server. An app that isn’t updated may stop working on new devices, or the store may require an update to keep it listed.

Monthly maintenance items

• Servers, database and storage (grow with users).
• Third-party services: SMS, push, maps, payment gateways.
• Uptime and error monitoring, incident response.
• OS, library and security updates.
• Tested backups.
• Development hours for small improvements.

How to avoid surprises

Ask for a written support agreement stating what’s included and excluded, response times per severity, and monthly development hours. Ask too for server-cost estimates at 1,000 and 10,000 users so you know how cost grows with success.